Nina Stibbe, WENT TO LONDON, TOOK THE DOG: The Diary of a 60-Year-Old Runaway

Summary

Podcast Summary: Nina Stibbe on "WENT TO LONDON, TOOK THE DOG: The Diary of a 60-Year-Old Runaway"

Totally Booked with Zibby
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Nina Stibbe
Episode Release Date: June 15, 2025

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Introduction and Background

In this episode of Totally Booked with Zibby, host Zibby Owens welcomes acclaimed British author Nina Stibbe to discuss her latest work, Went to London, Took the Dog: The Diary of a 60-Year-Old Runaway. Stibbe, renowned for her six books including the award-winning Love, Nina, brings a wealth of experience from her diverse roles as a writer, publisher, and bookstore owner.

Zibby Owens kicks off the conversation with enthusiasm, saying:

“This is probably the best title ever, I think, don't you think? I mean, it's so good.” ([04:29])

Nina responds with a light-hearted acknowledgment of her creative inspiration:

“Well, it's a slight copy of, I think, an Emily Dickinson poem... I think I've stolen it. But you're allowed to.” ([04:34])

The Genesis of Went to London, Took the Dog

Nina delves into the origins of her new book, explaining it as a candid diary chronicling a pivotal year in her life. Feeling isolated after her children left for university, she decides to embark on a sabbatical in London to rekindle her motivation and work on her next novel.

“I decided I would go to London, find some motivation, write my next novel... and this is the diary of the year.” ([05:30])

She recounts how economic constraints led her to connect with Deborah Moggarg, a fellow writer who offered her a room at a peppercorn rent in London, allowing Nina and her dog to live there for the year.

“I went and lived there for a year for a peppercorn rent with my dog. And this is the diary of the year.” ([05:30])

Personal Reflections and Challenges

Nina opens up about the personal challenges she faced during this period, particularly the complexities of her marriage. Initially intending the diary for personal use, her editor encouraged her to publish it. This decision led to introspection about her relationship, resulting in the difficult choice to exclude her ex-husband from the narrative upon his request.

“I felt guilty about ending the marriage... I thought, why couldn't I just have toughed it out?” ([08:01] – [09:05])

She shares the emotional turmoil and societal pressures she encountered, especially regarding public perceptions of her personal decisions.

“I grew up with divorced parents... I thought, why couldn't I just have toughed it out?” ([08:35])

Reception and Public Reaction

Upon publication, Nina's diary received mixed reactions. While many readers appreciated the honesty and humor, she also faced harsh criticism from some quarters. Despite personal dismay over these negative remarks, especially concerning the portrayal of her marriage, Nina maintains a resilient and positive outlook.

“I think it's funny. I think it's... I genuinely hope... I think it's useful to women.” ([09:48])

She emphasizes the disconnect between the authors' public personas and their real-life interactions, noting that negative reviews often contrast with the kindness she experiences in person.

“When I've had sort of negative reviews... they'll bump into the people sometimes at an event, and they're so nice to me.” ([12:05])

Insights on the Publishing World

Nina offers a unique insider perspective on the contemporary publishing landscape. Reflecting on her earlier days, she compares her initial foray into London's literary scene with her recent experiences, highlighting changes and continuities within the industry.

“I've sort of presenting myself. It's, it was very interesting that the two, you know, when I came as a nanny I was under the radar... but this time they know me as a fellow writer.” ([20:53])

She discusses her interactions with prominent authors and the supportive nature of her literary community, which allowed her to candidly document her experiences without professional repercussions.

“Nobody said no. They all said yes. And I'm quite cheeky about them.” ([22:20])

Current and Future Projects

Beyond discussing her recent diary, Nina updates listeners on her ongoing literary endeavors. She is actively working on a new novel, a follow-up that revisits familiar characters and themes, showcasing her continued passion for storytelling.

“I'm writing a novel. I wrote a novel that was published in 2022 and I'm writing a sword. Not quite a sequel, but sort of a follow up with some of the same characters.” ([25:08])

Zibby shares her own writing journey, relating to Nina’s experiences and celebrating the creative breakthroughs that come with perseverance.

“I threw out the whole first draft... then literally just in the middle of the night last night, I was like, wait a minute. I figured out how I could relate these two books...” ([26:09])

Nina expresses excitement for Zibby’s progress, reinforcing the camaraderie and mutual support within the writing community.

“That is fantastic... I’m really happy for you.” ([26:14] – [26:19])

Closing Remarks

As the conversation winds down, both Zibby and Nina reflect on the joys and challenges of writing, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and resilience. Nina wraps up by expressing her gratitude and optimism for her readers, while Zibby encourages listeners to engage with the show and explore the literary works discussed.

“This has been such a joy to chat with you... Thank you so much and best of luck on the next novel.” ([27:00] – [27:21])

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Notable Quotes

• Nina Stibbe on Removing Her Ex-Husband from the Book:

  “I felt guilty about ending the marriage... I thought, why couldn't I just have toughed it out?” ([08:35])

• Zibby Owens on Negative Reviews:

  “Isn't it really outrageous when you think about it, that all these people that you don't know feel they have the right to call you a name based on a relationship they know nothing about?” ([11:27])

• Nina Stibbe on Public Reaction:

  “When I've had sort of negative reviews... they're so nice to me.” ([12:05])

• Nina Stibbe on Writing Novels:

  “And I love writing novels. Writing the diary is sort of easier... but writing a novel gives you butterflies in your tummy because things happen.” ([25:15])

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Conclusion

This episode offers a deep dive into Nina Stibbe's latest literary endeavor, revealing the personal and professional facets that shape her work. From navigating the intricacies of personal relationships to engaging with the broader literary community, Stibbe's candid reflections provide valuable insights for both aspiring writers and avid readers. Zibby Owens skillfully guides the conversation, making the episode both informative and engaging for listeners.

Transcript

[Zibby Owens]

Hi listeners of Totally Booked with Zibby this June we have one episode coming out every single day and to celebrate that I've started the June Listening Club. You can sign up on zibbedia.com or you can just keep listening and every day there'll be a little quiz on Instagram. We're giving prizes away every single day this month you're gonna get amazing stuff. You would all be invited to a party and a zoom at the end of the month to celebrate with a special certificate. So sign up on Zibbe Media today. Make sure following Totally Booked with Zibby on Instagram and get ready to listen. Make it a challenge. June is crazy. Find some airtime for yourself. Put it on in the background. Get ready to listen, learn, laugh and enjoy life. If you love to travel, Capital One has a rewards credit card that's perfect for you. With the Capital One Venture X card, you earn unlimited double miles on everything you buy. Plus you get premium benefits at a collection of luxury hotels when you book on Capital One Travel. And with Venture X you get access to over 1,000 airport lounges worldwide. Open up a world of travel possibilities with a Capital One Venture X card. What's in your wallet?

[Nina Stibbe]

Terms apply. Lounge access is subject to change. See capitalone.com for details.

[Zibby Owens]

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[Hannah Berner]

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[Zibby Owens]

Hi, this is Zibby Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby, formerly Moms don't have Time to Read Books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest best selling, buzziest or underrated authors, creators whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know. Get insider insights and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbedia.com and follow me on Instagram. Iby Owens Nina Stibby is the author of Went to London, Took the Dog, the diary of a 60 year old runaway. Nina is the author of six books. Love Nina won Nonfiction Book of the Year award at the 2014 National Book Awards and was shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year. The book was adapted by Nick Hornby for BBC Television. She is the author of four novels, all of which have been shortlisted for the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction. Her third novel, Reasons to Be Cheerful, is the only novel to date to have won both the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize for Comic Fiction and the Comedy Women in Print Award for Comic Fiction. Her latest novel, One Day I Shall Astonish the World, was published in April 2022. Welcome Nina. Thank you so much for coming on. Totally Booked with Zivvy to talk about Went to London, Took the the diary of a 60 year old runaway. Congrats.

[Nina Stibbe]

Thank you for having me. Thank you.

[Zibby Owens]

This is probably the best title ever, I think, don't you think? I mean, it's so good.

[Nina Stibbe]

Well, it's slight. It's a slight copy of, I think, an Emily Dickinson poem. I think she had a poem called Started Early, Something Something. And then a British novelist called Kate Atkinson had Started Early, Took the Dark. And so, yeah, I've stolen it. But you're allowed to.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah. And it's the subtitle too. The diary of a 60 year old runaway. Like, you're immediately like, what is she running from? Where is she running to? It's a lot of questions.

[Nina Stibbe]

You can tell from the COVID It's not sinister. Yes, because it could be quite scary.

[Zibby Owens]

Yes. But no, she's. She's running to a coffee cup, so we're good. So. By the way, I read Dear Nina when it came out, and so this is just, you know, I'm sure everybody tells you that. But anyway, thank you. It's lovely. What is your new book about? Please give us the rundown.

[Nina Stibbe]

The new book is about. It's a year in my life. And it started when I decided I was going to have what I called a sabbatical, some time away from home, preferably in London. I'd been living right down in the southwest of England on the coast, a place called Cornwall, and it's probably 300 miles away from London. That doesn't sound very far away to people who live in the States, but to us British people, that's. That's a long way. And I was feeling sort of a bit isolated, and I decided I will go to London, find some motivation, write my next novel. My children had left home and gone to university, and so I looked into an Airbnb for me and my dog, and it was just too expensive. And then I heard of my. Well, I didn't know her. Then I heard of this woman, a writer called Deborah Moggarch, who. Who rents out rooms to people just sort of on an ad hoc basis, and they just water her plants. She's not always there. So I. I went and lived there for a year for. For a pepper. Peppercorn rent with my dog. And this is the diary of the year. Am I going to separate from my husband? Am I going to go back? Am I going to get the novel written? What's it going to be like being on my own again after, you know, 25 years of marriage and children? And I didn't mean to write it as a novel. I didn't. Sorry. As a diary for you. It was just a diary for me, so.

[Zibby Owens]

And then you're like, I can use this.

[Nina Stibbe]

Well, I thought I probably couldn't zibvie because it's so candid and personal that I thought I probably couldn't. But then I met with my editor from Penguin, Mary Mount, and she said, I hope you're writing it down for publication. And I said, well, I'm not, really. And she said, oh, I think you should. So halfway through the year, I started thinking, okay, maybe I will. And actually, I think the first six months, I set the tone of this honesty about my feelings and other things. And once the six months had gone by, I couldn't then change it. I couldn't Say, well, I'm not going to talk about A, B and C. So I rather set myself up for that. But yeah, it happened.

[Zibby Owens]

And then how did you feel putting it all out there?

[Nina Stibbe]

Well, a couple of things. I, My kids are in there a lot and they were at the time my son was 21 and my daughter was 23 and lots of their friends. So I had to check with them. Are you okay with this? They're in there. They're supporting me in this year of sort of running away. You know, they've got their dad to think of as well, the person I left so long chats with them and, and also in the first six months of writing the diary, my ex husband was in a lot. I talked about him a lot. I talked about our discussions about the future. But he, and at the end of the day he said, I'm not comfortable being in there. Which really disappointed me because he came out so beautifully. It was a really nice model for how to end a marriage without trashing it. But that wasn't to be. And so he's not in it. And that, that was a disappointment. Right at the last minute he said, he said no. And lots of people have said, I, we miss, we missed that side of things. Did you miss that side of things?

[Zibby Owens]

I relate to that because I also, I wrote a memoir and also had to take out my ex husband at the last minute.

[Nina Stibbe]

I had an inkling. Yes.

[Zibby Owens]

You know, it's a lot of threading and cutting. It's like an arts and crafts project. Right. To put it all back together again.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah. And it's a shame because, you know, it had been nice, you know, it had been, there'd been empathy and warmth and it, you know, so it was a shame. And I, yeah, anyway, so, yeah, I, I think the most, there's a lot of, let's say, content about being a late middle aged woman, this menopausal stuff and all that stuff. And, and I didn't, I don't feel sensitive about that at all. But I surprisingly did feel sensitive about ending a marriage. I felt guilty. And I've never had any negative feelings about other people ending their marriages and not at all. I grew up with divorced parents. When I heard friends of mine were getting divorced, I'd always feel a bit jealous. I'm not judgmental at all. But when it was me, I thought, why couldn't I just have toughed it out? Why couldn't I just have stayed? Why have I caused all this upheaval? And so I did, I did feel really guilty about that. And when the book came out, the newspaper here, the Daily Mail, I'm sure you know of it, ran stories about saying, you know, with her marriage on the rocks, just kind of really relishing in that side of things, which I hadn't expected, which was naive of me. And there were lots of comments under those articles calling me names. And I didn't really mind, but my son minded. He could not believe the names I was being called. And then I felt awful. I thought, I haven't thought this through, but on the whole, I'm. I'm. I'm happy with it. I think it's funny. I think it's. I genuinely hope. I think it's useful to women. I do.

[Zibby Owens]

Isn't it really outrageous when you think about it, that all these people that you don't know feel they have the right to call you a name based on a relationship they know nothing about?

[Nina Stibbe]

I know.

[Zibby Owens]

I mean, it's really. It shouldn't even be allowed. And then the fact that we read the names and we take it personally.

[Nina Stibbe]

Right.

[Zibby Owens]

Even though they only see, like, this much, if somebody were. If you're showing a painting in a museum, but the people looking in the museum could only see, like, this little tiny bit of the canvas, and then they made all these proclamations, we would be like, oh, well, that doesn't count. But, yeah, our lives, we're always like, yeah, okay, you're right.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah. And the other thing that's surprising is I. When I've had sort of negative reviews in that way, I'll bump into the people sometimes at an event, and they're so nice to me, and I think, wow, I didn't. I see you saying, you know, what a selfish bitch. I. Anyway, who cares? Who cares what they think?

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah. They're just trying to sell papers.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah.

[Zibby Owens]

Right.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah. At the end of the day, I mean, they have to, I think, more.

[Nina Stibbe]

More frustrating than people commenting and. And being judgmental. The thing I have had in my whole career as a. As a writer, and this is my seventh book, it's what I've been really lucky with, my press reviews. I've. I've. The book has just gone into the right hands. On the whole, it's been amazing, but I've had a few stinkers. And it's always older men who say that there's nothing important in here. It's very slight and inconsequential. And I just think, wow, imagine. Imagine saying that about women's lives, about all the things. All the. I just I've had that a few times, and I've. Yeah, I've. I've just had to swallow it down. But I've been raging about that. And I think you've got a mother or a sister or a wife or a daughter. Don't you know?

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah, they must have had one. One of them. Certainly a mother.

[Nina Stibbe]

McCrispy strips are now at McDonald's.

[Zibby Owens]

Tender juicy and its own sauce. Would you look at that?

[Nina Stibbe]

Well, you can't see it, but trust.

[Zibby Owens]

Me, it looks delicious. New McCrispy strips now at McDonald's.

[Nina Stibbe]

Ready to order?

[Zibby Owens]

Yes. We're earning unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with a Capital One Saver card. So let's just get one of everything.

[Nina Stibbe]

Everything.

[Zibby Owens]

Fire.

[Nina Stibbe]

Everything.

[Zibby Owens]

The Capital One Saver card is at table 27, and they're earning unlimited 3% cash back.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yes, Chef.

[Zibby Owens]

This is so nice. Had a feeling you'd want 3% cash back on dessert.

[Nina Stibbe]

Ooh. Tsu.

[Zibby Owens]

Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with the Capital One Saver Card. Capital One. What's in your wallet?

[Nina Stibbe]

Terms apply. See capital1.com for details.

[Hannah Berner]

Hi, guys. It's Hannah from Giggly Squad. With summer around the corner, I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college. I. And I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft. Whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits. Align. Even wicks sweat and as a sweaty girl. I love this. You know, it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis this summer. Shop the Align collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.

[Zibby Owens]

I read a very good review, I thought, in the Washington Post of your book. Did you read that?

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah, that was lovely. I was so happy with that. Yeah. You know, the American press have been very supportive to me over the years, and my American readers have been, you know, fantastic. I. With my first book, the book you mentioned. Love, Nina.

[Zibby Owens]

Oh, did I say Dear Nina by accident? I'm so sorry.

[Nina Stibbe]

Everybody does.

[Zibby Owens]

No, I'm so sorry, love. Nina, I'm sorry.

[Nina Stibbe]

Everybody says it and it's fine.

[Zibby Owens]

It's not fine. I just. Anyway.

[Nina Stibbe]

Okay, Pete. What people. What. What I felt when that book was published, because that was a book of letters, as you'll remember. It was just letters I wrote to my sister. That's all it was. And I thought it was being published in the uk and I thought privately, I thought, who's interested in this? I cannot believe anybody is going to find this interesting or entertaining or funny. But not only did the UK readers like it, but American readers loved it. Isn't that.

[Zibby Owens]

I mean, I was surprised. No, it was because it was so charming. And you had all these scenes of you observing the family you were the nanny for and their dialogue, which was so funny. And the whole cast of characters in that book. In this book, you know, know. It's just.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah. I mean, I guess so. And I. It's the sort of thing that I myself like, but I just couldn't imagine it happening. And there's so many funny little. In this book that we're talking about today. In the new one and in love. Nina. Nina will comment on America. I mean, in this book, it's. It's not. Not as sort of. It's self conscious. I know I'm writing a diary, so I say has. I can't remember. There was. There was something. Has Biden had a facelift? My landlady said, I don't think he had Covid. I think he's had a facelift. And so I put a few American things in because over here we are intrigued, fascinated and charmed by the States and just always interested, but in love. Nina, she's constantly talking about America because she just moved to London and everybody's obsessed with America and they're always going off to New York and coming back with headache pills that you can't get over here. And just. Lots of. Lots of American things. Yeah, we're obsessed over here.

[Zibby Owens]

That's good. I wasn't sure that was exactly the case. I feel like we often. I feel like we're often embarrassing ourselves. But anyway, we feel for you.

[Nina Stibbe]

Thank you. So do we. So do we. You think of what? Come on.

[Zibby Owens]

Oh, my goodness. Well, the book was also really fun because of all of your references about other authors in the book. You know, it was like a who's who, Where's Waldo of the book world in here. And it's just part of your daily life. It's like behind the scenes of Publishing. So having been in publishing and knowing so many authors, what do you feel like? How are you feeling about the publishing world today and having a book come out now versus when you first started?

[Nina Stibbe]

When I first started working in publishing or publishing books, either way. Oh, well, what really fascinated me about publishing that book, this book, was that by accident I was coming to London from the sticks. You might. Did you say that?

[Zibby Owens]

From the sticks? I mean, I don't personally, but it is said, yeah.

[Nina Stibbe]

So I was coming from a long, long way away to London to live with a literary lady. It happened twice. I did it in 1982 when I was 1980 and I came from Leicestershire in the countryside and I just rocked up and I accidentally was in the middle of this street of accomplished writers and directors and you know, there was Alan Bennett and a woman called Claire Tomalin who was the literary editor of the Sunday Times, became a very famous biographer and I, I, they, they meant nothing to me. I didn't know who they were. I just rocked up as the nanny and I, as you said, I wrote letters to my sister describing it and then really o, 40 years later I did exactly the same. I came from right down in Cornwall where I'd been for 20 odd years. I came back to London, lived, I live across the road now. Deborah lives over there. Deborah Moggarg, who is, I didn't know her then but I knew of her because she wrote the, the Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and she's done all sorts of novels and screenplays and things. So I, I ended up living with her and then in this area of London where everybody's around. So it happened all over again except this time they know me as a fellow writer. So I, I, there's nothing charming or naive about it. I'm very self conscious and knowing and I'm sort of presenting myself. It's, it was very interesting that the two, you know, when I came as a nanny I was under the radar. I was just watching and reporting and you know, I'd say, yeah, he might have written the best selling biography of such and such, but he doesn't know how to make a cup of tea. Well, I couldn't say that now because I know these are my friends now and so I had to be really quite careful. And there's one character. So you were talking about publishing. So there's all these authors like Nick Hornby who I think you've interviewed.

[Zibby Owens]

I have, I have.

[Nina Stibbe]

And you know Bonnie Garmas from I've also interviewed.

[Zibby Owens]

Yes, yeah.

[Nina Stibbe]

And another really Famous authors that I'm rubbing shoulders with. But they. What they don't realize is I am just the same as that old version of me. I haven't changed. I've been away. I haven't been here in London or New York or Melbourne. I've been by the seaside, 300 miles away, where nothing much happens. So that was. That was strange. And I was writing about them and I thought that when the diary was finished, I'd send it to each of them, which of course I had to do. And I'd say, let me know if you're happy with this. We'll completely understand if you would rather I didn't have you in. Well, nobody. Nobody said no. They all said yes. And I'm quite cheeky about them. I mean, I'm. I'm not it. I'm quite mischievous with them, I think. And I. There was one, there's a writer called Satnam Sangira, who, as well as being a novelist here, is a very serious journalist. And he had lived in the lodgings with Deborah where I ended up living. And one of my diary entries, I say, I finally thrown away Satnam's loofah. You know what a loofah is?

[Zibby Owens]

Yes, of course.

[Nina Stibbe]

I didn't know what one was. I was like, what is this? Someone said, oh, it's a loofah. It's for scrubbing.

[Zibby Owens]

Yeah, yeah.

[Nina Stibbe]

And I was sure that Satnam was to say, please don't have that, you know, image. I don't want people imagining me in the bath with a loofah. But he didn't. He was delighted. And everybody was delighted except my ex husband who's just, for whatever reason said no. But there was one woman called Rachel Dearborn. Do you remember her? Every horrible thing that anyone does in the diary is her. Every horrible thing that's said is her. She's just this grumpy sort of. She's rather judgmental and curmudgeonly. She doesn't like the world anymore. She doesn't like young people. She doesn't like them being on their phones. And she's always complaining. And so she was in it right from the start. I was introduced to her and I wrote everything she said because I thought it was so funny. I then sent her all her entries and I said to her, I'm going to change your name. And she went, why? And I said, well, because of all the awful things you say about wanting to close down libraries. I said, you can't be in a book that's going to be published. And you're saying you think libraries should be closed down when the whole of the country's praying that libraries stay, you know. And so she said, well, all right, then, you can change my name. So I did change her name, but people have said to me, you know, who is that? Who is that? I said, I can't tell you. But it's so funny that she didn't see any wrong in it. And yet. And also these other people who are very serious novelists, didn't mind at all what I was saying about them.

[Zibby Owens]

I mean, any press is good press, right? Isn't that how it goes?

[Nina Stibbe]

That's the true. I mean, I'm. I would be very up for it. I come from a big family of lots of siblings and we were always pranking and teasing each other. So for me, that whole thing, is it like a love language, it's attention, as you say. So I. Personally, I would. I'd be very happy. But I, Yeah, I was surprised at some of the more serious people not minding. I mean, there's a bit where my landlady, the very famous novelist Deborah Mugar, said. She said that her husband used to fall asleep when they were in bed together. And I said. And she went, oh, no, it happens to everyone, darling. Okay, so it's much more. I knew it was going to be candid about me and my menopausal journey and my leaving my husband and my marriage. I knew it was going to be kind, but I did think I'd have to tone it down with all the famous authors, but not so amazing, thankfully, which is really nice.

[Zibby Owens]

Thankfully, yes. Definitely added an entertainment level. Love that. Are you writing anything now?

[Nina Stibbe]

I'm writing a novel. I wrote a novel that was published in 2022 and I'm writing a sword. Not quite a sequel, but sort of a follow up with some of the same characters. And I'm near the end of that. That's a good. Yeah, I love it. And I love writing novels. Writing the diary is sort of easier in that you just write that you plod along every day. But writing a novel gives you butterflies in your tummy because things happen. Then you're thinking, oh, my gosh, what next? It's amazing. Do you write novels?

[Zibby Owens]

I do. I have one published and I'm writing my second. I threw out the whole first draft. I was like, this didn't work at all. I can't believe it. I need another year. And I was like, I'm gonna write a totally different book. And then literally just in the middle of the night last night. I was like, wait a minute. I figured out how I could relate these two books to each other and maybe not have to throw absolutely everything away from the first job.

[Nina Stibbe]

That is fantastic.

[Zibby Owens]

I'm so excited about it.

[Nina Stibbe]

That is fantastic. First of all, I think we do sometimes have to say, let's throw it away.

[Zibby Owens]

Yep. I mean, I did get deleted. I, like, had to, you know.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yeah. Just push it aside. No, I think that was brilliant. I've done that. Not quite as dramatically as you've just said, but I have said I need to just go in a different direction. And, yeah, it's great. These things come to you when you're half asleep, don't they? First thing in the morning or in the middle of the night. Oh, I'm really happy for you.

[Zibby Owens]

Oh, thank you. Thank you.

[Nina Stibbe]

Thank you very much. But do you know about that feeling of sort of you're writing and you're thinking, oh, I know what could happen, and you're writing it and your stomach's flipping over. I get that a lot with writing novels. I love that feeling.

[Zibby Owens]

I don't think I write novels enough to have that feeling a lot.

[Nina Stibbe]

Oh, that's funny.

[Zibby Owens]

Anyway, Nina, thank you so much. This has been such a joy to chat with you, as I knew it would be having read this, because that is how charming you are and everything. So thank you so much and best of luck on the next novel.

[Nina Stibbe]

Thank you so much.

[Zibby Owens]

Okay, take care.

[Nina Stibbe]

Bye.

[Zibby Owens]

Bye. Thank you for listening to Totally Booked with Siby, formerly Moms don't have Time to read books. If you loved the show, tell a friend, leave a review, follow me on Instagram, ibioens and spread the word. Thanks so much. Oh, and buy the books. G' day, America.

[Hannah Berner]

It's Tony and Ryan from the Tony and Ryan podcast from down under.

[Nina Stibbe]

Today we want to talk to you about Boost Mobile, the newest 5G network in the country.

[Hannah Berner]

These guys are no longer the prepaid wireless company you might remember. They've invested billions into building their own 5G towers across America, transforming the carrier into America's fourth major network alongside the other big dogs.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yep, they're challenging the competitors by working harder and smarter, like this amazing new network.

[Hannah Berner]

They've literally built the Boost Mobile network together with their roaming partners, covers 99% of the US population. But 5G speeds, not available in all areas.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yep, they have blazing fast Internet and plans for all the latest devices. Visit your nearest Boost Mobile store or find them [e-mail] Ready to order?

[Zibby Owens]

Yes. We're earning unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with a Capital One Saver card. So let's just get one of everything.

[Nina Stibbe]

Everything.

[Zibby Owens]

Fire everything. The Capital One Saver card is at table 27 and they're earning unlimited 3% cash back.

[Nina Stibbe]

Yes, Chef.

[Zibby Owens]

This is so nice. Had a feeling you'd want 3% cash back on dessert. Ooh, Tara.

[Nina Stibbe]

Ms. Sue.

[Zibby Owens]

Earn unlimited 3% cash back on dining and entertainment with the Capital One Saver Card. Capital One what's in your wallet?

[Nina Stibbe]

Terms apply. See capital1.com for details.

[Hannah Berner]

Hi guys, it's Hannah from Giggly Squad with some around the corner. I wanted to tell you guys how I'm staying comfy and stylish. Lululemon is my secret weapon. There are plenty of copycats out there, but nothing compares to the Lululemon fabrics and fit. I've literally had my pair of Lululemon leggings since college, and I'm out of college. I know I don't look it, but I am. The quality is next level. I especially love the Lululemon Align collection. It's made with this weightless, buttery, soft nulu fabric that feels like next to nothing. It's so soft. Whether you're in aligned pants, shorts, a bra, tank, skirt, a dress, you get non stop flexibility in every direction so you can stretch the summer limits align even wicks sweat and as a sweaty girl, I love this. You know it's going to be my best friend when I play tennis. This shop the Aligned collection [e-mail] or your nearest Lululemon store.