Totally Booked with Zibby: Loretta Rothschild, FINDING GRACE

Podcast: Totally Booked with Zibby
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Loretta Rothschild (author, Finding Grace)
Date: December 24, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features Loretta Rothschild discussing her debut novel Finding Grace. Zibby Owens, an enthusiastic fan of the book, delves into its themes, the challenges of discussing a plot built on secrecy, the complexities of grief and love, motherhood, and the craft of writing itself. Rothschild reveals her creative process, the emotional toll of writing such deep subject matter, and her journey to publication.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Challenge of Describing Finding Grace Without Spoilers

• Main Theme: Finding Grace centers around a love story profoundly shaped by unexpected events and a central secret.

• Loretta and her editorial team have struggled with how to describe the book because its impact relies on knowing as little as possible upfront.

  "The most exciting thing is knowing nothing about it... Even now we still, we still try and work out how to describe it." — Loretta Rothschild [04:48]

• One-line Description:

  "At the core of Finding Grace is a love story between two characters whose lives are appended by unexpected events. ...I wanted to do things that were unexpected but still being very loyal to the structure of a love story." — Loretta Rothschild [05:19]

2. Secrets, Grief, and the Ripple Effects

• Zibby discusses how secrets drive much of the novel’s plot and its emotional weight, touching on the self-destructive nature of secret-keeping.

  “It’s built around a secret. ...And the after effects, sort of the ripple effects...and how it can kind of drive you mad." — Zibby Owens [05:57]

• Loretta reflects on the emotional labor of writing about characters in turmoil and how grief and love can overwhelm and change behavior, particularly focusing on the character Tom.

  “It’s a full time job for honest people...he’s not a liar, he’s made a terrible mistake...it’s very stressful to not be living in the truth.” — Loretta Rothschild [06:21]

3. Expansive Themes: Motherhood, Identity, Friendship, and Wine

• Zibby highlights the book's nuanced layers: from motherhood and the quest to be a mother, to master sommelier training, to the importance of friendships and the vividness of supporting characters.
• The novel offers a "fresh perspective on grief," appreciated by Zibby for its simple yet powerful insights.

  “Sometimes it’s the most simple explanations that are the most powerful.” — Zibby Owens [07:31]

4. Loretta’s Approach to Writing About Grief

• Loretta did not try to “diagnose” grief but instead “wandered alongside it,” seeking to be authentic and emotionally honest.
• The character of Honor—as both narrator and writer within the story—helped frame and express grief in a unique, textured way.

  "Love and grief as co-pilots... I stopped trying to diagnose grief or explain it. I just kind of wandered alongside of it." — Loretta Rothschild [08:56] "She’s an unexpected narrator for this story. ...She had to tell the story. ...She in a way added that... special, it has something, I can't even sort of put my finger on it." — Loretta Rothschild [10:56]

5. Writing Process and Author Journey

• Loretta always imagined stories and “walked around making up stories in [her] head,” only realizing later not everyone did this.
• Finding Grace initially started in the third person but was rewritten in Honor’s first-person voice because her perspective was too insistent and compelling to ignore.

  "Honor was an extremely insistent voice in my head. She wasn’t going anywhere. ...She was coming in hot." — Loretta Rothschild [12:16]

6. Life While Writing and Path to Publication

• Much of the book developed during the pandemic lockdown, with Loretta embracing daily writing without worrying about ideal conditions.

  "I kind of got over the idea that I needed to sit at a certain desk and do it a certain way and I just got on with it." — Loretta Rothschild [17:41]

• The journey to finding an agent and publisher was smoother than expected; her UK agent called her after reading just three chapters:

  "I mean, I can't believe what you've done. I mean, this, this never happens. This is so dangerously brilliant." — Loretta's agent, recalled by Loretta [19:30]

7. Inspirations and Literary Influences

• Influenced deeply by works like Grievous: A Thing with Feathers (noting its innovative narrators), poetry, and classic love stories like Jane Eyre.
• Loretta wanted to craft a modern, "twisty" love story encouraging readers to reflect on questions of love, loss, and self-discovery.

  “I wanted to write a traditional story, a traditional love story, but with the kind of modern, twisty, bringing it to today.” — Loretta Rothschild [27:13]

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On Grief and Writing:
  "I really took the grief element of this book incredibly seriously because of the magnitude of certain parts of it." — Loretta Rothschild [08:56]

• On Character Creation:
  "Honor was an extremely insistent voice in my head...she was coming in hot." — Loretta Rothschild [12:16]

• On Success:
  "I wanted this book to exist in the world and maybe for a few people to read it. So everything after that is a bonus." — Loretta Rothschild [25:50]

• On Universal Questions:
  "Does one love take from another? Are we truly ever alone? ...I wanted to kind of write a book that would lead people to question things." — Loretta Rothschild [27:13]

Notable Segments & Timestamps

• Loretta describes the challenge of keeping the plot under wraps: [04:48]
• Exploring the emotional dangers of secret-keeping: [06:21]
• Zibby highlights the book's take on motherhood, friendship, and grief: [07:31]
• Loretta explains her method for approaching grief in writing: [08:56]
• Switch from third person to Honor's first-person narration: [12:16]
• Loretta's life and writing habits during the book’s creation: [17:41]
• Path to agent and publisher—her agent's first reaction: [19:30]
• Discussion of inspirations and literary influences: [27:13]
• Reflections on what success means as a debut author: [25:50]

Tone & Atmosphere

Throughout the conversation, the mood is warm, enthusiastic, and intellectually curious. Zibby's excitement is contagious, while Loretta offers warm, self-effacing, and candid insights into her writing and emotional process. Both host and guest maintain an inviting, thoughtful, and deeply literary tone.

Summary Takeaway

This episode offers a compelling look inside Finding Grace and the mind of its debut author Loretta Rothschild. It’s an episode that will resonate not only with fans of literary fiction, love stories, and nuanced explorations of grief, but also anyone interested in the art and emotional labor of writing. Loretta’s perspective—thoughtful, sincere, and rooted in the details of everyday life—invites readers to experience her breakthrough novel with fresh eyes and an open heart.