Podcast Summary: Totally Booked with Zibby — “Stalkers and Shameful Actors in the Book World” with Jenna Blum

Date: January 21, 2026
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Jenna Blum, author of Murder Your Darlings

Episode Overview

In this episode, Zibby Owens interviews bestselling author Jenna Blum to discuss her latest thriller Murder Your Darlings. They delve into the realities of the publishing world, the creative process, romantic heartbreak, and Blum’s foray into multiple narrative perspectives. The conversation is energetic and honest, shedding light on the intersection of art and commerce, the struggles and joys of a writing career, and the tightrope walk between fiction and lived experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Book Synopsis and Inspiration

• Murder Your Darlings centers on Sam, a mid-career novelist on the brink, a charismatic male author, William Corwin, and a mysterious stalker, “the Rabbit.” As bodies pile up, suspicions twist between love, ambition, and danger.
• Jenna Blum [06:34]:
  “It really is kind of a look at how far people will go for their writing careers and also how far people will go for love.”

2. Narrative Perspectives and Voice

• The novel shifts between Sam, William, and the Rabbit’s first-person perspectives, as well as Sam’s agent’s emails.
• Jenna Blum [08:07]:
  “I got to just, instead of opening a vein and bleeding, I just got to unpack my life…what being a writer is really like. And I basically told the truth within the rubric of fiction.”
• Blum describes the joy and ease of writing the Rabbit, a character who “is so easy and so fun in her really frightening way.”

3. The Realities of the Publishing World

• Zibby and Jenna exchange candid anecdotes about the pressures of book tours, sales, industry consolidation, and author expectations.
• Zibby Owens [09:47]:
  “You talk about the pressure to meet the sales, exceed the sales from a previous book and the expectations of the industry…you really go through it.”
• Jenna highlights the “uneasy intersection between art and commerce,” emphasizing how creativity’s magic can turn to despair under commercial pressures.
• Jenna Blum [10:31]:
  “When the chips are down…you always have the chance to go back to the desk and start over. And if it’s something you love, it will get out there and find an audience.”

4. Mining Life for Fiction (Blurring Boundaries of IP)

• Jenna shares her approach to using real-life inspiration versus invention, acknowledging the lack of clear “IP rules” and advocating for authenticity where true questions burn.
• Jenna Blum [12:11]:
  “Where are the IP rules? If only we just got issued those when we sat down…Writers tend to write autobiographically...I tend to write from questions that have been really difficult to answer.”

5. The Search for Love and Its Impact on Writing

• Blum discusses patterns in her own love life mirroring her fiction—often chasing unavailable men and wrestling with priorities.
• Jenna Blum [13:30]:
  “I have always wanted two things in my life, and one was to be a writer...and the other is to find love and have this lasting partnership. The writing part has not eluded me…But I'm still looking for the partnership.”
• The discussion turns to discerning healthy relationships and choosing oneself.

6. Crafting Suspense and Plotting vs. Pantsing

• Jenna reveals she’s an “unashamed plotter” with detailed outlines, especially as she crossed from historical to thriller genres.
• Jenna Blum [21:13]:
  “This is my first thriller…I needed to sit down and really game this out. So I had on the whiteboard in my study a whole very elaborate outline of how the plot should go.”
• The value of having writer friends for structural feedback and “story mastery.”

7. Building Community: A Mighty Blaze and Literary Support

• Jenna and Zibby reminisce about the lockdown-formed literary communities (A Mighty Blaze and Zibby’s own empire), supporting authors and readers virtually.
• Jenna Blum [24:01]:
  “I feel like your empire and then ours...they're like the pandemic puppies of the literary world.”
• Blaze continues with new show ideas (“Coming of Rage”) and projects to elevate writers.

8. The Role of Humor and Joy in the New Book

• The thrill of writing freely, especially out of the confines of historical fiction.
• Jenna Blum [28:33]:
  “I laughed every single day when I wrote it…I think William is so awful that he’s really funny. The rabbit kind of speaks truth to power...I hope they read it and feel less alone.”

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On the heart of the novel:
  “Why would a woman…who has a career that she has worked her whole life for…go down the rabbit hole for love?”
  – Jenna Blum [12:50]

• On rom-com fantasies versus reality:
  “You’re supposed to, like, have a few little red flags and ignore them, and then you live happily ever after…But you have to choose yourself first.”
  – Jenna Blum [15:10]

• On shifting genres:
  “You hide your Voice Petticoat behind 1940s clothing…now you are writing in your true voice and you are pulling no punches.”
  – Jenna’s agent (via Jenna) [29:50]

• On the author community’s impact:
  “When I’m interviewing for Blaze or working on Blaze, it helps me sink a taproot down into that pure creativity.”
  – Jenna Blum [25:21]

Important Timestamps

• [06:34] Jenna summarizes Murder Your Darlings and introduces its major characters.
• [08:07] Discussion on narrative perspective and character voice.
• [10:31] The intersection of creativity and commercial pressure in publishing.
• [12:11] Conversation about real-life inspiration and fiction’s boundaries.
• [13:30] Jenna shares her personal “pattern” with love and ambition.
• [21:13] Jenna on plotting thrillers and learning the genre’s demands.
• [24:01] Zibby and Jenna on building author-support communities during Covid.
• [28:33] Jenna reveals her hope for joy and connection through her new novel.

Final Reflections

Jenna Blum and Zibby Owens offer a raw and often humorous look behind the curtain of the writing life—its anxieties, ambitions, and absurdities. Blum’s Murder Your Darlings serves as both a love letter and a cautionary tale about the book world, imbued with suspense, biting wit, and emotional truth. Listeners are left simultaneously enlightened and entertained, reminded of the importance of literary community, discernment in love, and, above all, telling one’s story in a true voice.

Upcoming:

• catch Jenna at Zibby’s Palm Beach Retreat (January 31st–Feb 2nd)
• look for Blaze’s “Coming of Rage” show and Jenna’s tour—with possible rabbit-ear photo ops!

(This summary omits promotional spots, advertisements, intros/outros, and focuses solely on the main content of the episode.)