Amanda Eyre Ward, THE LIFEGUARDS: A Novel

2022-07-07 · 29:21 · Amanda Eyre Ward · Podcast Audio

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[0:02]Hi, I'm Sivi Owens, the creator and host of the award-winning podcast that you're listening to right now

[0:07]Thank you so much. Called moms. Don't have time to read books

[0:10]It is a daily podcast

[0:12]365 days a year and each day we talk to an author about all of the things related to their career

[0:18]Their book their life and more in 30 minutes or less because who has time?

[0:22]I am now an author myself

[0:24]Although I wasn't when I started this podcast and you can get my new memoir book ends

[0:29]A memoir of love, loss, and literature wherever books are sold starting July 1st and my children's book princess charming

[0:36]You can learn more about me at zimbyones.com

[0:39]But really you're here to learn more about the authors and that is what we're going to do

[0:43]Also be sure to check out all the other podcasts in the zcast podcast network

[0:49]You can learn more at zcastnetwork.com and definitely check out those shows as well

[0:58]Amanda Airward is the author of the lifeguards a novel

[1:02]She's also the author of sleep toward heaven. How to be lost love stories in this town forgive me close your eyes

[1:08]The same sky the nearness of you and the jet setters her best-selling novels have been featured in people magazine

[1:15]The New York Times and more and Amanda's work has been optioned for film and TV and translated into 15 languages

[1:21]By the way, the jet setters was a Reese's book club pick

[1:23]She lives in Austin, Texas and O-Ray, O-Ray Colorado

[1:28]Amanda writes of every morning and spends afternoons with her children

[1:31]Welcome, Amanda. Thank you so much for coming on mom's turn out time to read books to discuss the lifeguards a novel

[1:37]Thank you so much for having me and I loved being in your apartment once, but now I'm in the little cottage behind my house where I write

[1:46]Oh, that's so nice that you have a place like that to go to

[1:49]Well, I have a kind of crazy story about it. That's very I used to write in the house in a closet where I feel comfortable making things up

[1:57]And then the pandemic happened. So we had this garden shed renovated it

[2:02]It's my wonderful little oasis

[2:04]And I said to my elderly next door neighbor

[2:07]Oh, I renovated the garden cottage and she said you mean the cat house

[2:13]Wait, sorry one. She said all the people who lived there before you had 35 cats in that shed

[2:19]So welcome to the cat house

[2:22]Oh my gosh

[2:25]So I just kind of you know ignore that and and call it my garden cottage in any time I can

[2:30]So here I am in my garden cottage

[2:32]I love it

[2:33]Well, I love that you have a whiteboard behind you for inspiration and

[2:37]Flodding and all that yes, and a big board over here with cards. You know what?

[2:44]This area is neat

[2:46]I use index cards to plot actually so they're all up on the board over there

[2:50]Huh, wait, so take me through the press. We are going to talk about the life great

[2:54]Take me through the writing process start to finish. What do you do when you first get to talk about it?

[2:58]And I can talk about the life part. Yeah, take it talk about it. Yes. Okay, so

[3:03]What I do when I start thinking about a book is I will see the characters in my mind and for the lifeguards

[3:10]It was three moms in Austin and their three 15-year-old sons who are lifeguards

[3:15]And then I'll just see various scenes in my mind like the moms drinking margaritas

[3:20]I saw the boys biking home after something very terrible has happened

[3:25]I see all these scenes

[3:26]So then I have a huge pile of index cards here

[3:29]And I'll give a color to each character and then I'll just jot down on them

[3:34]I don't know why this says trampoline this must be for my new book to peacocks a scene on a trampoline

[3:40]But I'll just kind of jot down trampoline or scene with the moms or the underground

[3:45]doomsday bunkers because one of them is a real estate agent showing underground doomsday bunkers

[3:51]And then I'll lay them all out and I know the three act structure and for any writers in the audience

[3:57]There's a wonderful book called the weekend novelist and it lays out the three act structure

[4:02]So I'll lay it all out and I'll say oh that needs to be the midpoint or plot point one or the climactic scene

[4:09]So I have this illusion of a novel

[4:11]I mean in front of me it just looks so easy. I just need to write all the index cards

[4:15]And I actually have a little envelope

[4:17]And I'll bring them with me when I go to a cheap motel to write and I'll say I'm writing these three index cards

[4:23]So but when I sit down to write I can write any card I want out of order

[4:29]So George Saunders one of my favorite writers said it's like holding your hand over the burner to see which one is hot

[4:36]And then whichever scene is hot. I'll sit down to write it and say it's a plane trip where they're supposed to land in Paris

[4:42]I'll then go into my cat house

[4:45]Or as I call it the garden cottage

[4:48]And I'll start writing that scene on a plane

[4:50]But then I let sort of the magic take over

[4:52]So if somebody hijacks the plane and it lands instead of in Paris and Morocco

[4:58]Then I have to throw away all the cards and figure out what the heck they're doing in Morocco

[5:03]So it's this interplay between listening to the characters do what they want and imposing some sort of structure on it

[5:11]And if I didn't have this illusion of a plan of a like if I just write all these index cards I'm done

[5:17]I would go insane

[5:18]So I have that illusion and it looks fantastic on my writer's board and I even behind me put the dates that I'm going to write

[5:25]Certain scenes so I have some structure and then I let it take me where it will during the writing process

[5:32]Wow

[5:34]You know, I don't know do you know Andrew Sean rear who wrote less? Yeah, I just got the less is lost or okay

[5:40]So he's a friend of mine for graduate school and I don't have less is lost

[5:44]And I just got it

[5:46]Okay, I don't know for me and I'm gonna call him when we're done

[5:50]But I do have it to send it to you and you can send it back to me

[5:54]I'm not gonna read it quite yet anyway, so yes, yes

[5:57]All right

[5:59]But anyway, I explained my writing process to him in an interview and he said that is insane

[6:06]So it might not be everyone's writer's process with the index cards and the magical thinking, but it's what works for me

[6:13]I love that so how often do you actually

[6:17]Stick to them like how many times did the plan land in Morocco, for instance

[6:21]You know, I mean with the lifeguards

[6:24]I have to tell you it was really hard because it's my second thriller and with a thriller

[6:30]You have the plot that has to happen and then you have the characters who want to do what they want to do

[6:36]Especially fully formed characters, you know, they're they might want to get on a plane to Morocco

[6:42]So with a character driven novel like my previous novel the jet setters

[6:45]They could kind of do what they wanted and one of the characters missed the ship because he got drunk in Rome

[6:51]And you know, he had to figure out and that that's all okay

[6:54]But with a thriller, you know with the lifeguards. It's these boys arrive home

[6:58]They've found a body on the green belt near my house, which was another weird thing writing a book set

[7:04]In my neighborhood

[7:06]It's also weird to have a book published that's set in your neighborhood, but anyway

[7:10]I had all the time to be a hundred times they wanted to do other things

[7:15]And it was really hard because you know if a character has to go somewhere to find a clue

[7:20]And then they decide that day. No, they're leaving town, which is what happened

[7:24]Liza the character of the single mom decides to pack her car and leave town

[7:28]She can't leave town. She has to connect with the sexy cop

[7:33]Salvatore

[7:34]So, you know, it's it was really hard and especially the climactic scene of the lifeguards

[7:39]Was so difficult and I wrote it so many times that in fact your advance copy has a different ending to the end to the eventual hardcover

[7:49]Oh my gosh, well, I'm very sorry about that

[7:52]Nobody loves that. They were you know

[7:55]I said it wasn't quite done and it went to

[7:59]Advanced copy and it wasn't done and so the the actual hardcover has a different ending so

[8:05]Yeah, that ending was so hard and it's exactly that issue

[8:10]You can tell, you know, all the characters had to assemble in a certain place for a certain thing to happen

[8:14]I also had to call Paul and McLean who just finished a thriller and ask her how do you do the day new mom

[8:21]Climactic being in a thriller and she walked me through what the heck Anna had taught her to do no

[8:28]Yes, I have it all written down my notes. I don't know what we do without each other honestly

[8:33]Oh my gosh, you want to know what she said? Of course. Yes. Yes

[8:37]So, okay in the end of a thriller in the climactic scene you obviously have to get the major players in a confined space

[8:45]So I don't know if you read Paula's thriller. I did. Yes, so fantastic. So she was that characters in the room with a killer

[8:52]Fine is in a room also with a killer as it turns out and you have to get that then then she said to focus on the physicality

[9:01]So like in mine

[9:02]I had to have the feeling of the chair

[9:05]Underneath her fingers the buttery leather of the chair and sort of then you have to have the protagonist in the antagonist

[9:12]Recognize that they're actually the same the same

[9:15]That was something I never thought of which happens in both our books and really any thriller

[9:20]Sort of trapped in there and you see oh, I'm really the same as this marker in its own way

[9:24]Okay, and then they have to take action to sort of write the

[9:28]Right the wrongs which happens in both of ours and every thriller and yeah, that was really helpful

[9:35]For me to have that advice from her of all people you'd think who would give the author of the Paris wife is the expert on thrillers

[9:42]But yes, so no, I love it. Where was it when the stars go dark? Is that what it was called when this? Yeah, okay

[9:47]No, that was great. That was I know and she was I remember interviewing her before it came out

[9:51]And she was so nervous to be switching genres, and I'm like who cares if it's a great book and you're a great author

[9:56]But they're so much in Kauai with Christina

[10:00]and just became, we have a huge tech stream going

[10:03]with Meg Wall.

[10:03]It's our about book titles and things like.

[10:05]No way.

[10:06]Wait, okay.

[10:07]I wanna hear more about this.

[10:08]Who is on your tech stream?

[10:08]So it's Meg.

[10:09]Okay.

[10:10]Where's my phone?

[10:11]I'll tell you, it's Kauai gals

[10:12]because one day Lisa Sharkey was leading a yoga class.

[10:16]So she started a, who's at HarperCollins, do you know?

[10:19]You really know all the Kauai gals.

[10:22]I'll pull it up.

[10:22]Okay.

[10:23]So it's Michelle Tesla, my agent, Jonathan Franzen's agent,

[10:27]Susan Gollum.

[10:28]Yep.

[10:30]I can't see, I don't know how to use my phone

[10:32]to look into it is, but Christina Paula,

[10:35]you should really be on there.

[10:36]You should be fine.

[10:37]Yeah.

[10:38]It's just this incredible group of women.

[10:40]So Whitney Sharer.

[10:42]Yeah.

[10:43]So I want to have all of you like for dinner.

[10:45]Could we, could I like invite the Kauai gals

[10:47]over or something?

[10:48]Could we do like a group?

[10:49]Party's in New York all the time.

[10:51]Actually, we had a party at Lisa Sharkey's house.

[10:53]Oh my gosh.

[10:53]Okay.

[10:54]Or just invite me, you know.

[10:55]Okay.

[10:56]Perfect.

[10:57]Yes, we'd love to.

[10:59]Sure.

[11:00]I could do like a little event, like welcome the Kauai gals

[11:01]or something.

[11:02]I know.

[11:03]You should come to Kauai.

[11:04]We actually had Hawaiian food, which Lisa Sharkey got.

[11:07]Oh, and I'm Carrie Farron from our mom's, isn't it?

[11:11]It wasn't Kauai gals.

[11:13]It's really fun.

[11:14]And I wrote a children's book with my daughter.

[11:16]And we named it after Jonathan Franzen essay called

[11:19]Save What You Love.

[11:20]And it's about, it has not found a publisher.

[11:22]But my daughter and I wrote a book about saving everything

[11:25]in your own backyard as a way of sort of feeling

[11:28]like you can do something to save the world.

[11:30]You can catalog all this is what the friends and essays

[11:33]about cataloging every bug, every animal.

[11:36]And then you figure out, okay, do I plant these for butterflies

[11:39]or whatever you save your own little sanctuary.

[11:42]And so I was able to go through Susan and say,

[11:45]I don't know, Jonathan Franzen,

[11:46]to see mine if I use his title and he was honored.

[11:49]Wow.

[11:50]So it's, do you need, do you have you tried to sell it?

[11:54]The children's book?

[11:55]Yeah, we got a children's book.

[11:57]I wrote it with a friend of mine

[11:58]who's a fabulous children's book author.

[12:00]And we tried to sell it.

[12:01]Yeah. And they wanted it to be a multi-generational story,

[12:05]which it's not.

[12:06]It's a mom and her daughter.

[12:08]So I don't know.

[12:09]Oh, zimmy books.

[12:10]You don't do children's books.

[12:12]We do not.

[12:13]We do not.

[12:13]I can barely keep my head on straight with what we're doing.

[12:15]But I know, but I have had other people say they're looking

[12:20]for great children's books.

[12:21]So we'll offline.

[12:22]Thank you so much.

[12:23]But you know, in terms of honestly not having time for stuff,

[12:26]and I know you know this, I also have three kids.

[12:29]And I try to be religious about writing in the mornings

[12:33]and not doing absolutely anything else.

[12:35]And if I have a dentist appointment that day

[12:38]will be certain things, but I'll say,

[12:40]my brain is going to be in this space.

[12:42]I'll describe the green belt hike that day

[12:45]because I know that my brain's a little bit offline.

[12:47]I can do that.

[12:48]And then I go to motels, as I said, or fancy hotels,

[12:51]or my friend's empty houses,

[12:54]when I really need to figure something out.

[12:56]When I really need to put that climactic scene together.

[12:58]So it's, I'm very, very religious about that.

[13:02]So what is your time?

[13:04]What is your deadline?

[13:06]Like what is your window that you were?

[13:07]Okay.

[13:08]So normally, I mean, before kids, no, forget before kids.

[13:12]No, no, no, forget before kids.

[13:15]Okay, okay, okay, moving on, moving on.

[13:17]Am I sometimes graduating from high school?

[13:18]So it's been 18 years.

[13:19]I shouldn't say forget it,

[13:20]that I'm sure there are people listening

[13:21]who do not have kids.

[13:22]And that would probably be useful too.

[13:24]I was just like joking that it.

[13:25]And I used to not really sleep.

[13:28]I'm an insomniac and I've had to get better

[13:31]about making sure I sleep.

[13:32]But the kids get off to school.

[13:34]In an ideal world, my husband will do the morning.

[13:36]He often does and I come straight here or upstairs

[13:39]at my house and I write first thing.

[13:42]However, many pages or whatever scenes I've assigned myself,

[13:46]while I'm still in that sort of dream state.

[13:49]And then I'm done.

[13:51]And then by afternoon, I read a great essay once

[13:54]and I'm forgetting the name of the author

[13:55]about how when she picks up her kids from school,

[13:58]she's still kind of underwater with seaweed in her hair.

[14:01]And I love that.

[14:02]And I actually have a hard time

[14:04]with the transitioning to chatting with moms after school.

[14:07]Because I am often thinking about really complex,

[14:10]sometimes dark topics.

[14:12]I'm still in that fictional world.

[14:14]Although I don't often go till three o'clock.

[14:16]Now I try to go for a walk.

[14:18]Another thing Andy Greer told me is to go out to lunch.

[14:21]Because as he said, it's kind of a lonely life.

[14:24]And I am an introvert, so that's great.

[14:27]But I've started making plans at least once a week

[14:30]for a beautiful lunch at this Italian place around the corner.

[14:33]I'll even contact writers I don't know and say,

[14:37]hey, like Meg Gardner is the thriller writer in town.

[14:40]I just said, hi, I'm a writer in town.

[14:41]Would you like to have lunch?

[14:42]And so I have this wonderful network

[14:45]just from having a big pasta lunch once a week.

[14:47]And it's such a treat.

[14:49]But other than that, I really am working,

[14:52]I'm in the world of the books.

[14:53]And then after school, as you know,

[14:56]the kids come thundering home, everything goes crazy.

[14:59]I'm kind of a mom who's in the corner,

[15:01]flipping through a New Yorker and eavesdropping.

[15:03]That's what I've done.

[15:04]And I love it.

[15:05]And it helps to remind me, because some days,

[15:07]the writing's going well.

[15:09]Some days, it's not.

[15:10]I've had books that were on the Times Bestseller list.

[15:13]And I've had books that went nowhere.

[15:14]But all of that, I feel very lucky to be reminded

[15:18]by 305 every day that there's a whole world

[15:21]that could care less about my books

[15:23]and my children and their friends.

[15:26]And I just love it going to water parks and just being mom.

[15:30]Do you feel like the books that made the list and the ones

[15:32]that made the list were actually that much better?

[15:37]Or do you feel like there's just some unknown element

[15:41]that made those books succeed when the other ones did

[15:44]and they're all equally the same caliber?

[15:47]No, obviously I think about this a lot.

[15:49]And it's really funny as my career has gone on

[15:52]and we'll see a book like, like I did,

[15:55]I published, I don't know if it's back there.

[15:56]Yeah, close your eyes.

[15:58]Which way does my hand go this one?

[16:01]Like a few weeks before gone, girl.

[16:03]And it's a very similar book.

[16:05]And it was just like, wow, who knew?

[16:08]And I try not to think about that stuff anymore

[16:10]because it drives me insane.

[16:12]But I will say, the Jet Center was picked by Reese

[16:15]and then it went to the Bestseller list.

[16:16]And that is why it went to the Bestseller list.

[16:19]And also, who knows, she would have picked that one.

[16:23]It's just sort of, it's a dysfunctional family

[16:25]on a Mediterranean cruise.

[16:27]And it was inspired by less because both Andy and I had been

[16:31]writing, yes, we were friends in graduate school.

[16:33]Lude, hang out watching Parker Posey movies

[16:36]trying to get a short story in a very fancy lit magazine.

[16:40]He succeeded, I did not.

[16:42]And then we just kept writing and writing.

[16:44]And less is hilarious.

[16:47]And it's very much his personal voice.

[16:49]And it really inspired me to say, maybe I don't need

[16:52]to be writing about apartheid or children at the border,

[16:56]which are topics I have been taking on.

[16:58]And I think I sort of wanted to be important.

[17:01]And I had this idea, honestly, from a very male MFA program,

[17:05]I was the only woman in my class.

[17:07]And I thought, I want to impress everybody.

[17:10]I went to Williams.

[17:11]I'm supposed to be this really.

[17:12]But me, they're going to be a pediatrician, a judge,

[17:15]or a very important author.

[17:18]And as the years have gone by, and I turned 50,

[17:21]I think my internal life as a mother actually

[17:24]is more important if not as important

[17:27]as all the other topics we're talking about.

[17:29]As war apartheid, kids the border, mothers

[17:32]on the other side of the border.

[17:34]So the jet setters really was my first book

[17:37]where I kind of said, this is for me and my people.

[17:42]I actually, it's a really tangled family story,

[17:45]dealing with addiction and mental illness.

[17:47]They're on a cruise ship, which is something

[17:49]I wanted to do with my kids.

[17:51]It's actually a crazy story.

[17:53]I did a vision board because I saw an Oprah video.

[17:57]It said, imagine what you want.

[17:58]So I'm flipping through a travel magazine

[18:00]and there's a cruise ship balcony.

[18:02]And I thought, I'm sitting there in my hot kitchen

[18:05]in a bathrobe, like, that's where I belong,

[18:08]not in this kitchen.

[18:10]Number one, mom, bathrobe from TJ Maxx.

[18:13]I belong on the cruise ship.

[18:14]So I also thought, oh, I need a number one

[18:17]times best seller to get there.

[18:19]And I had this sort of epiphany, like, wait a minute, why?

[18:22]Why do I need a number one, you know, money?

[18:24]So I found a cheap cruise ship.

[18:26]I thought, I'll set an awful lot of cruise ship.

[18:28]I emailed my editor, she said she loved the idea.

[18:31]I told my wonderful husband,

[18:32]I'm taking our savings and I'm taking the boys

[18:35]on a cruise from Athens to Barcelona.

[18:37]And I did it.

[18:38]That was number one on my vision board.

[18:40]And I got it.

[18:42]And then I wrote the book.

[18:43]And then I got paid for it,

[18:44]which barely paid all the plane tickets.

[18:47]And then re-spicked it.

[18:48]And then I got to the best seller list.

[18:50]So it was such a great lesson to really focus on the immediate,

[18:54]you know, and how you can get there

[18:57]without waiting for the important people of the world

[19:00]to say that you deserve it.

[19:03]And so I, you know, I sort of,

[19:05]and when I got on the best seller list,

[19:07]I felt like I deserved it.

[19:08]And that's years of therapy.

[19:10]I'm out of my crazy book about a cruise ship.

[19:13]I'm proud of it.

[19:14]It deserves it.

[19:15]Anyway, so I actually, that's my only answer

[19:18]to that question is that the feeling of success

[19:22]is writing the book only you can write.

[19:24]And I could only write the lifeguards.

[19:26]It's my neighborhood, it's moms, it's anxiety.

[19:30]I think it's important and I'm really proud of it.

[19:33]So I think if I continually focus on that

[19:36]and not how the book does commercially,

[19:38]then I can't lose.

[19:39]That's amazing.

[19:40]That is like the most inspiring, no, I'm serious.

[19:44]I'm gonna like replay that, you know, people should,

[19:47]I don't know.

[19:48]I don't even know how you bookmark on a podcast,

[19:50]but if I could bookmark on a podcast,

[19:52]it would be right there.

[19:53]I mean, just surround ourselves, right?

[19:55]With people who make us feel like what we're doing matters

[19:59]at like our families.

[20:00]our friends and we read great books and we love great books and we try to do that you know and

[20:04]also redefine our definition of great because I think what we're doing as moms who are trying to

[20:10]write and read is just as important as anything else. Now to mention that there is also a school

[20:17]of thought that like you should not be writing about kids on the border or apartheid, right? Absolutely.

[20:23]So maybe it's all coming back to sort of writing what you know or not being afraid to expose

[20:30]the drama of the everyday. Yes exactly and I will say you know I spent a year interviewing the

[20:37]kids and not to get into that topic and I all you know a lot of the book is a white lady reckoning

[20:42]with this stuff but but the life part has a character a mom who's Mexican-American and becomes

[20:48]an American citizen and that you know I have a lot of friends in that situation in Austin and

[20:54]I had a sensitivity reader that who was incredibly helpful with making sure it was right

[21:00]and you know the boys there was a lot there were a lot of issues and when you're tackling

[21:05]tough topics that matter to you you might hit some trip wires and I am fine with doing that

[21:11]but I have to say I was thrilled when my biggest book was white people on a cruise ship

[21:15]drinking too much Chardonnay I was like this is my story I have every right to this sparky

[21:21]it was a little bit of a relief because it's complicated now and I think it's important to put

[21:26]forward to all people who don't necessarily have access easily not like I had easy access to

[21:32]the publishing machine you know I worked incredibly hard too and I grew up you know without a

[21:36]ton of money but you know we all deserve to tell our stories whatever they are so true what was it

[21:42]like the part about getting picked by race after that whole situation oh my gosh so there I have this

[21:49]and it you know they okay so I had finished a chapter of the lifeguards or something I had done

[21:56]something with my work where I felt like I could go down the street to the relaxed day spa where

[22:00]you can get a cheap shoulder round like 30 bucks it's the best thing ever I put in my binaural

[22:06]beats headphones and tip a lot and it's the best so I went and got that and turned off my phone

[22:13]so I turned my phone back on after my back rope treat and there were five messages from random

[22:19]house which does not have been to you know I talked to my editor kerosies are all the time she's

[22:24]wonderful but I don't often get five calls from her so I listened to the messages and they just

[22:30]kept saying call us back fellas back so I could call them back from my car and they all assembled

[22:35]in the room Kim heavy and Jennifer Hershey and I've been with Valentine random house for 20 years

[22:41]so they said you know race fit your mom and she gets the chance on her and then she's

[22:50]caratold me at the sales meeting when they announced it a guy said I've been selling Amanda for

[22:55]20 years and it's finally her because it's often debut novelist and it was pretty great to be this

[23:02]push-in 50 author and but I wasn't allowed to tell anyone and so I didn't I told my husband

[23:10]I told my kids who didn't care or know anything about it and then I just sat on it and I went

[23:15]and I went to Kauai actually I was just the plus one of my agent I wasn't big enough to be on the

[23:20]staff I was just kind of like helping out and but we knew that mine was gonna come out and be

[23:26]really big and it was glorious I got to meet Reese we had the same coffee mug from Target in our

[23:32]Zoom call Reese's whole team is incredible I went to LA and did all that stuff and it's just been

[23:39]a dream it's been like I'm in a dream that's amazing yes amazing and I love you know I've

[23:45]been reading all her books every pick all along the way I'm just reading true biz right now

[23:50]have you read that I haven't read that yet huh it's so wonderful it's set in the world of deaf

[23:55]Americans and it's all it's set at a boarding school for deaf students but you learn a lot about

[24:00]like there's a different sign black sign language that came up through history there's the whole

[24:05]divide between people who want cochlear implants and those who just want to exist in this

[24:10]sign language world it's just fascinating but yeah amazing oh my gosh I am so impressed by you in

[24:18]every way shape or form I feel like any goal you have you will achieve I bet like what is your

[24:24]working I am on say tell me tell me your workout yeah do you work out I work out oh yeah no I'm just

[24:31]curious because I'm wondering if you apply like all this I laugh bigger and organization

[24:36]for your professional life I mean literally I feel like a few things I get my writing and my family

[24:42]um the workouts know I walk the dogs a lot I have a wonderful hot yoga studio down the street

[24:48]that I started going to but you know I know do a lot of that I do what I want to do but I'm not

[24:55]good at making a plan so no my work ethic goes towards two things I love it not really it I mean

[25:02]I have this house that I love so much in Austin and it's filled with IKEA furniture my friend came

[25:08]over from party and said oh where do you put your table linens like what I don't have table linens

[25:14]I Instacart everything I don't really cook I mean I just you know the house is filled with Instacart

[25:20]things that I'm like good luck kids so now I have a beat up car that needs to be cleaned I

[25:25]really get I get the two things that's that's it wow well that is fascinating I love that oh

[25:31]I mean I shouldn't do more to be honest I know no no no no no no no I mean in terms of workout

[25:37]I google like oh this seven minute like I just saw the time seven minute joy workout that looks fun

[25:43]that looked fun and I said like oh I should play that I didn't play it yeah I read a ton

[25:49]because I have a 10 year old who doesn't want to watch the crime shows I want to watch

[25:54]I can't really watch TV because I'm always with her so I read a ton and now started listening

[25:59]to books and that's been really fun so yeah I'm very into listening especially when I'm

[26:05]going through seasons where I'm driving a lot more or walking across the park home or something

[26:11]I'm always like where am I going do I have anything downloaded what's in my library I know I just

[26:16]started doing that like the longer books that I don't have the sort of presence of mine you

[26:20]know it's eight my daughter goes to about 8 30 or 8 31 she has some stuff about that okay

[26:27]okay and then it's my time and I often don't want to open the new Jonathan Franzen I love

[26:33]Jonathan Franzen but I don't want to go there so I find myself on Apple news and you know you do

[26:39]your own algorithm look at I am like it's either Pete Davidson or missing children I have done

[26:45]that to myself that's what I think Davidson and missing children and menopause so I feel like

[26:53]you know so but when I started listening yeah I can listen to the more I just finished a book called

[26:58]Trust which was fantastic and the new Julia glass I can't wait to listen to you do you do

[27:04]it all Harvard yes let me out yeah those sorts of books to be honest are going to do better with

[27:09]listening for me so I haven't gotten into it I literally two weeks ago decided to do that because I

[27:14]I was sort of thinking that I missed that deep reading in my life and it's really hard for me

[27:20]to ever get that's a good idea maybe I'll download Julia Glass's book and make that next

[27:25]my next one yeah yeah yeah we should schedule a walk and talk about it sounds amazing I wonder if

[27:31]there's I mean they should do like audio book clubs you know listen they must have that but

[27:36]don't do that we're not doing that no no okay okay okay okay okay I'm stopping stuffing okay

[27:41]okay this is amazing I feel like next time I have like something I need solved I am coming to you

[27:48]especially oh my god no I love it I just I'm so impressed oh look what else I can't wait to start

[27:56]oh he's fake awesome nobody gets out of life oh my gosh I don't know her I'm just a huge fan

[28:03]and I just went over to book people because I had bought a bunch of books and never picked them up

[28:08]oh my god here's you an idea of my life I really want to get down to book people that was like one

[28:13]of my I'm gonna come down at some point maybe for but let me know let's do an event I would love to

[28:18]oh my gosh a brighter crew here yeah okay I love and come and that would be so fun I would love

[28:24]it maybe in the fall or something yes fantastic all right I'm in thank you this was so much fun thank

[28:30]you thank you wonderful day you too I'm gonna go up okay yes okay I'm gonna go do what I was

[28:37]gonna say I'm gonna go get my coffee to match the giant I'm gonna go for a run I was like oh god no

[28:43]no no I'm gonna go pop all this makeup and yeah I'm probably reading about be David's

[28:50]okay I have a great day bye thanks for listening to this episode of moms don't have time to read

[28:56]books don't forget to follow me on instagram at zibi Owens and at moms don't have time to read

[29:01]books also sign up for my newsletter at zibi Owens.com and sign up for my virtual book club and

[29:07]meet lots of authors on zoom every other week thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at texture sound

[29:12]for the sound editing and thank you to morning moon productions for providing this fantastic intro

[29:16]and out trim music