Totally Booked with Zibby Owens

Episode: Read with Jenna Book Club Picks Panel at the Miami Book Fair: Emma Knight, Arielle Sullivan, and Jessica Soffer
Date: December 18, 2025
Panelists: Emma Knight, Arielle Sullivan, Jessica Soffer
Host: Zibby Owens

Episode Overview

This special live panel from the Miami Book Fair brings together three authors—Emma Knight, Arielle Sullivan, and Jessica Soffer—whose works have all found a home with Jenna Bush Hager’s celebrated literary initiatives, either as Read with Jenna Book Club Picks or through Jenna’s new publishing house, Thousand Voices. Hosted by Zibby Owens, the episode explores the craft of writing, the many facets of love and connection woven into their novels, the influence of place and beauty, the journey to publication, and practical inspiration for aspiring writers. The tone is warm, humorous, supportive, and full of candid behind-the-scenes moments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Introductions and Book Summaries

[04:47-06:49]

• Arielle Sullivan - Conform:
  Conform is a dystopian romance set in a society that judges people by genetic "defects." The state has dismantled family and art, and the protagonist, Emeline, must navigate both a societal rebellion and a love triangle.

  “They have effectively destroyed the family unit. So at four years old, your offspring goes to the academy. So love in any facet has been destroyed.” (Arielle, 08:57)

• Emma Knight - The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus:
  An 18-year-old Canadian, Penn, goes to Edinburgh and uncovers a family secret while forging bonds with a mysterious Scottish family.

  “The real love story is one of friendship...a friendship that can last a whole lifetime has to allow...both participants to change and grow.” (Emma, 11:56)

• Jessica Soffer - This Is A Love Story:
  Charts a 50-year romance between Abe and Jane, artists in New York, spanning decades and generations, including their complicated child and perspectives from a symbolic Central Park.

  “In my book, love is really told in a sort of nostalgic format...less of the friction in the day to day, more of the friction of what happens when you're losing someone.” (Jessica, 10:06)

2. Exploring Love: Lust, Longing, and Family

[06:49-13:28]

• The authors discuss how their books interrogate the complexities of love—romantic, maternal, platonic, unrequited, and love of place.

• They note cultural differences in emotional expression, use of nostalgia, and the challenge of honest communication.

• Personal experiences, such as watching parents' marriage dissolve or moving frequently as a child, deeply inform their characters’ psychological journeys.

  “Mine has to do with a couple love stories in my life...moving every two years I knew in my life every hello, how do you Goodbye. So I was very accustomed to knowing things came to an end.” (Arielle, 13:28)

  “I think there's a grand Anglo Saxon tradition of not being able to say what you feel.” (Emma, 07:09)

3. Beauty, Art, and the Power of Place

[15:47-20:38]

• Beauty is explored as a literary tool and existential need in each book: Central Park is as much a character as a setting; dystopian regimes seek to destroy art to break the human spirit; vivid settings make emotional journeys palpable.

  “In order to be a painter, you have to be in love with the world...I think in order to observe and then, you know, lovingly depict the world, you have to be very aware of beauty and interested in finding it wherever you can.” (Emma, 16:33)

  “There's nothing more human and courageous than artists...they transmute it into a way that we can all step into their mind and see it and feel seen.” (Arielle, 17:59)

  “I think a lot about...Mary Oliver talks about attention as a form of prayer. That's so much what it feels like.” (Jessica, 19:18)

4. Origin Stories: Paths to Publication

[24:50-31:49]

• Arielle’s Origin:
  Shared her manuscript with Jenna Bush Hager as fellow moms at a playdate, catalyzing her publishing journey.

  “Jim invited me over to a playdate that I just late to...She asked what I was writing...she’s like, well, send it to me...two weeks later she was like, I have a plan if you’re down.” (Arielle, 25:03)

• Jessica’s Journey:
  Wrote multiple books, had work stay in a drawer, struggled until the right agent read her manuscript. Emphasizes the value of external faith in a project.

  “For those years that I was working on the novel that now lives in drawers...I was working really by myself...I lost a lot of time and...confidence.” (Jessica, 28:45)

• Emma’s Turning Point:
  Pandemic-driven self-awareness about career modeling for her daughter—realized fiction was her calling after difficult hospital postpartum complications.

  “As her language developed...I began to understand that I was modeling for her...as those words came out of my mouth, I realized...fiction was the thing I most wanted to do.” (Emma, 29:24)

5. The ‘Read with Jenna’ Effect

[31:49-34:32]

• Both Emma and Jessica recall shock and disbelief upon being told their novels had been chosen as Read with Jenna picks.

  “It’s just a gift. There isn’t really anything else that I know of...kind of puts you at a certain place to work from.” (Jessica, 31:57) “I just immediately assumed it was with a wrong Emma...went back to my work and then as I was working, I was like...wait a minute?” (Emma, 33:02)

6. Current and Upcoming Projects

[34:32-36:45]

• Arielle: Writing a nine-book trilogy of trilogies; prequel out in March, direct follow-up next October.
• Jessica: Working on a novel about four mothers entangled by a scandal with an OBGYN; due in December, out in 2027.
• Emma: Working on a contemporary novel about two sisters-in-law facing profound loss and self-reckoning, with a later deadline (“May 1st!”).

7. Advice for Aspiring Writers

[36:45-42:42]

• Find Support:
  “Find one person who believes in you and your work...It doesn't really matter. You just have to know that what you're doing is not insane and that your life's work was not crazy...” (Jessica, 37:04)

• Give Yourself Permission to Fail:
  “Every great story has already been told and it's true. The thing is we're all still telling them...But no one had ever said it the way I wanted to say it.” (Arielle, 38:01)

• Separate Inner Editor from Creator:
  “As much as possible, separate your inner editor from the process of writing...If it takes you this one to get to the next one that is more likely to succeed, then fine.” (Emma, 38:56)

• The group discusses the messy realities (misspelled words, clunky drafts, Microsoft Word annoyances), normalizing imperfection in the creative process.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Friendship as Love:

  “The real love story is one of friendship...It's really your job as a best friend to provide a safe landing place for the friend to come back to after they've made poor decisions, not necessarily to prevent them.”
  — Emma Knight (11:56)

• On Loss and Legacy:

  “I think it's a way to pay homage to the beauty of a relationship at its ending point...at the end, when it is actually quite tragic, it can be the most beautiful.”
  — Jessica Soffer (14:39)

• On Art and Humanity:

  “I thought the worst thing in the world could be if you got rid of art, because then what's the point of living?”
  — Arielle Sullivan (19:10)

• On Book Club Selection Realizations:

  “I just immediately assumed it was with a wrong Emma...went back to my work...”
  — Emma Knight (33:02)

• On Writing Advice:

  “Remind yourself that you're actually the power behind whatever you're doing because no one has lived your life and can tell the story where you can.”
  — Arielle Sullivan (38:01)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Panelist Introductions & Book Summaries – 04:47–06:49
• Theme of Love – 06:49–13:28
• Beauty in Storytelling & Settings – 15:47–20:38
• Origin Stories – 24:50–31:49
• ‘Read with Jenna’ Experiences – 31:49–34:32
• Upcoming Projects – 34:32–36:45
• Advice for Aspiring Writers – 36:45–42:42

Tone & Style

• The conversation is supportive, humorous, and vulnerable, with authors sharing both triumphs and insecurities.
• The tone reflects encouragement, gratitude for literary community, and sincere appreciation for both the craft and the business of storytelling.

This panel is a must-listen for both readers and writers, offering unique insights into writing, creativity, community, and the enduring power of stories to connect and transform.