Kevin and Danielle Jonas, THERE'S A BEACH IN MY BEDROOM
[0:02]Hi, I'm Zippy Owens, and you're listening to moms don't have time to read books.
[0:06]This 30 minute podcast features a new author interviewed by me every single day, 365 days
[0:12]a year for about 30 minutes.
[0:15]I am also the publisher for Zippy Books, which publishes 12 books a year in fiction and
[0:21]memoir.
[0:22]Our books are already out now.
[0:23]You can check it out on zippybooks.com.
[0:26]And we have a magazine called Zippy Mag, where we have lots of wonderful essays and lifestyle
[0:31]features.
[0:32]That's at zippymag.com.
[0:33]We have classes.
[0:34]It's a B-Classist.com.
[0:36]And I recently opened a book store in LA called Zippy's Bookshop at 1113 Montana Avenue
[0:43]at 11th Street in San Monica.
[0:45]I hope that you are able to enjoy some of our other offerings.
[0:49]But this here podcast is the basis of all of it and started in 2018.
[0:54]And no matter what I do, this is basically my favorite thing.
[0:58]Enjoy.
[1:04]Kevin and Danielle Jonas are co-authors of There's a Beach in my bedroom.
[1:09]This is the second time they've come on the podcast.
[1:12]The first time was there's a rock concert in my bedroom.
[1:14]This is quite a happening bedroom.
[1:16]Kevin Jonas is one of the Jonas brothers.
[1:19]He is a father, actor, investor, philanthropist, and one third of Grammy-nominated multi-platinum
[1:26]pop band Jonas Brothers.
[1:28]He was born and raised in New Jersey, where he resides with his wife and two daughters,
[1:31]Elena and Valentina.
[1:33]Danielle Jonas is a mother, TV personality, actress, and founder and designer of jewelry
[1:38]company Danielle Jonas Coven.
[1:40]She was also born and raised in New Jersey, where she resides with her husband and two daughters,
[1:45]same daughters, Elena and Valentina.
[1:47]Enjoy.
[1:48]Welcome back to Momstone of Time to Read books, Kevin and Danielle.
[1:51]Thanks for coming on and showing us how to have a beach in our bedroom.
[1:55]We, you know, everything but the sand as it were.
[1:58]Yeah.
[1:59]You know, it's, it's really good that we're doing another one, we're so excited to work
[2:01]together obviously on it and the first one over so well, they asked us to do another
[2:05]one.
[2:06]So we really, you know, really excited about it and truthfully, this one's actually like
[2:11]more my favorite, you know, I think this one deals with disappointment and what happens
[2:15]when plans don't go the way they're supposed to and things change and that happens a lot
[2:20]in our life and we'll be sure so many other parents and families lives.
[2:23]So hopefully it's something that everyone can relate to.
[2:26]We can't relate to that, right?
[2:27]Can we?
[2:28]Exactly.
[2:29]Going your way.
[2:30]No.
[2:31]Oh, like this.
[2:32]Exactly.
[2:33]Yeah.
[2:34]Exactly.
[2:35]Again.
[2:36]No, I love in the bug how even though, well, why don't you say what the book is about?
[2:40]Well, the book is about dealing with disappointment and the what in the book we actually
[2:44]set up where everyone was planning on a huge beach day in a family day on the day off,
[2:48]which is something all the poetry that during the summer, but as you know, I was living
[2:52]on the east coast, you know, about the better the most it can rain and thunderstorms
[2:56]can happen.
[2:58]When that happens, you're not going to the beach, right?
[3:00]So if someone's looking forward to it so much on in the book, the character is so excited
[3:04]to go, but she can't now because it's raining.
[3:06]So they make a beach in the bedroom.
[3:08]They have a hope picnic set up, the games, the activities, there's a nod to Daniel's jewelry
[3:13]business in there with the beads and the bracelets and it's really cool.
[3:16]I loved the seashell jewelry.
[3:18]That was a nice touch.
[3:19]That was awesome.
[3:22]I wonder if there are, are there more collaborations in the work with the jewelry and the book?
[3:26]Is there going to be a box set or some way to sell the bracelet with it?
[3:29]Yeah, we talked about it and we're trying to work it out.
[3:31]We wanted to do something like that.
[3:33]We'll see.
[3:34]We'll maybe we can figure it out a little, we'll try to do what we can.
[3:37]We should definitely do some beach towels because the illustrations in this book are so fun
[3:41]and colorful and happy and summery and everything.
[3:44]Tell me about working with your illustrator and how that all has gone down.
[3:47]That was super important to us like doing the pictures and because that's going to get
[3:53]the attention of the kids and it gets my attention to if it's a cute, colorful and so
[4:00]it was a big part of it going into it.
[4:03]So Courtney of course, she now that totally, she definitely got our voice in art form right
[4:11]away.
[4:12]The minute we saw her drawings up Bella and Emma, we're like, yeah, this is it.
[4:16]I've just felt right to us to felt like this is what we wanted to say.
[4:20]Excellent.
[4:21]Well, some of the disappointment from not being able to go to the beach brings the parents
[4:26]to their knees as it were throwing different suggestions as we often do and we're trying
[4:31]to walk from.
[4:32]Let's do this.
[4:33]How about that?
[4:34]Well, no, how about this?
[4:35]And of course, most parents can say, how about do you want to have a jam session with dad?
[4:39]Right?
[4:40]That was one of the things.
[4:41]Do you actually do that?
[4:42]Like Daniel, let's go down.
[4:43]We've got to be referring on.
[4:44]We actually just found an old video today of our daughters with some guitars like jam
[4:50]driving out in the house and singing their own songs.
[4:52]So they were younger, but it was in the program arts.
[4:54]Are you youngest?
[4:55]Just watch for first, tooth last night.
[4:57]So it's starting to happen.
[4:59]She's starting to a lot of no longer be our baby, but she'll all be okay.
[5:03]I feel like there's a book in that, you know, tooth fairy got to use that.
[5:07]Yeah.
[5:08]You're right.
[5:09]Next up.
[5:10]Next one.
[5:11]Do you already have a next children's book or you just focus on what I think we're just
[5:16]focusing on one at a time right now, but you never know.
[5:19]We really enjoy doing this and our girls love doing it with us and so we'll see what happens.
[5:24]Do they come to events?
[5:25]I have my stage here.
[5:27]We definitely have the events where we're going to be going on a big tour starting in August.
[5:32]And so we're going to try to travel as much as we can as a family or school starts.
[5:36]But yeah, we try to be together as much as we possibly can.
[5:38]That's amazing.
[5:39]When you all go to the beach as a family, what does a typical beach day look like?
[5:43]Like do you go all day?
[5:44]Where do you like to go?
[5:45]Do you pack the cooler?
[5:47]Like what?
[5:48]We are the additional Jersey Shores.
[5:51]We really are.
[5:52]We enjoy it.
[5:53]We like to stay down there at least the night because I hate getting in the car all
[5:58]sandy and all like all that.
[6:00]We'll deal with it.
[6:01]But yeah.
[6:02]It's so hard.
[6:03]And I also feel bad for the kids, like I don't care, but like to sit in like the stickiness
[6:10]and everything.
[6:11]I don't know.
[6:12]I was just good.
[6:13]It drives me crazy.
[6:14]It drives me crazy.
[6:15]You're always in traffic.
[6:16]So it's always like a long drive.
[6:18]And you know, they're very into the water.
[6:21]He builds great sand castles.
[6:23]I'm a big believer that everyone should have biggles at the beach because what
[6:27]it's the best when the bathing suit that tons of carbs, you know, so like, but we
[6:32]always hit the biggle shop on their way to the beach, load up with as many things as we
[6:35]can bring.
[6:36]And then we go to the beach.
[6:37]It's great.
[6:38]It's just sick.
[6:39]I actually have never had biggles on the beach.
[6:40]It's a little bit less than that.
[6:42]Yeah.
[6:43]It's great.
[6:44]I mean, I don't know.
[6:45]I've been missing out.
[6:47]Yeah, that's funny.
[6:50]The good thing though, about a day at the beach is they're so tired.
[6:53]Like you fight all year long to get them in bed on time, and then they can't keep
[7:01]their eyes open past like dinner is the greatest thing ever.
[7:05]Yeah.
[7:06]I like should I not have said that was so great.
[7:08]No, I don't know.
[7:09]I think they're good.
[7:10]Listening is probably like, yeah, of course it's great.
[7:14]You know, our bedtimes have stretched at like two hours at this point.
[7:17]I'm like, there's a bedtime and then there's the hour long trying to figure out why
[7:21]we're not in bed bedtime.
[7:22]Yeah.
[7:23]Very true.
[7:24]Danielle, do you have any tricks?
[7:25]Bedtime tricks?
[7:26]Oh, I don't know.
[7:27]I don't.
[7:28]I just feel like they do listen to me more than you.
[7:31]Yeah.
[7:32]Because I'm like, you know, like, the biggest thing that really does work in parents who
[7:37]always says to me is give them like a race, like a bet you can't get up those steps
[7:43]before me.
[7:44]They always buy it.
[7:46]They always do.
[7:48]It's great.
[7:50]That's true.
[7:51]Timing, timing you, like how long it's to get, yeah, I'll time you go.
[7:57]My brother says that when we were kids back when the world was a little bit safer, I guess.
[8:01]I don't know.
[8:02]I told him that I would time him to go to the move.
[8:05]This is really dating me.
[8:06]I don't even know why I'm telling the story.
[8:07]I would time him to go to like the local movie theater, which was like two blocks away
[8:10]in New York City to buy tickets and then come back.
[8:13]So he went and like ran and got all these tickets.
[8:16]He was like 10 or something.
[8:17]And then he came back and this is going to make me sent here.
[8:19]Well, I promise I was a nice older sister, but not in that moment where I was like,
[8:23]what do you mean?
[8:24]I didn't tell you that.
[8:25]I have a time.
[8:26]Oh, man.
[8:27]Wow.
[8:28]That's not that bad.
[8:29]We played hide and go seek one time with my brother and he went up into the attic and we
[8:33]forgot we were playing hide and seek.
[8:36]Oh, that's awesome, y'all.
[8:40]I need somehow we all grow up and it's OK.
[8:43]And you know, my brother is fine.
[8:45]And I don't know, my therapy is pretty great.
[8:48]Yeah, it's great.
[8:48]Yeah, we've worked through it.
[8:49]Obviously, it still comes up now.
[8:51]We're like in our 40s, but it's fine.
[8:52]That's good.
[8:53]We can wear it's fine.
[8:56]Oh, my gosh.
[8:57]So tell me about how you to write these books together.
[9:00]What does it look like?
[9:01]Are you sitting at your dining room table, like coming up with the, like,
[9:04]tell me the whole thing.
[9:05]You know, it really just is a collaborative effort.
[9:07]You know, we went through like a bunch of ideas of like how we could like
[9:09]of topics and themes or we'd love to, you know, cover.
[9:12]And then we worked with our publishers and obviously Courtney and we just
[9:15]really kind of worked through it and got the ideas and put it on paper.
[9:19]It's pretty kind of straightforward.
[9:20]It's kind of like a little bit of a churn and then it was there.
[9:23]It was pretty awesome.
[9:24]OK, collaborative effort.
[9:25]That's great.
[9:26]No fights about any words, anything like that.
[9:28]No, really, we really spent a lot of time working on the first book with Courtney
[9:32]about the visuals.
[9:32]So once that was locked, it was pretty straightforward to move it over to this book because
[9:37]the characters were there.
[9:38]So it was merely a change in the environments and other things.
[9:41]All right.
[9:42]So after your first book came out and you went through the whole publishing journey and
[9:45]are you familiar with the music world, what, like blew your mind about the whole process in
[9:49]a good or bad way?
[9:50]It's really not that much different.
[9:51]You know, it's like any other project.
[9:53]It's about what you get to it and also you get back out of it, you know, I think for us,
[9:58]we, I was actually really.
[10:00]the oddly busy last time we had the book coming out
[10:02]because I was in the middle of doing a season,
[10:04]filming a season of a TV show in LA.
[10:06]So I was flying back and forth on weekends
[10:09]to do the press days and then trying to fill,
[10:12]it was like a lot of back and forth.
[10:13]So luckily, I won't be doing that this time.
[10:15]Yeah, but you're doing the tour stuff this time.
[10:17]But yeah, but I won't be on tour the yes, yeah.
[10:19]So it won't be, they'll have a nice banjo eye off.
[10:23]The only thing I have in July is this book, which is great.
[10:26]That's good.
[10:27]It's fun to tour in the summer
[10:27]because everyone's traveling.
[10:28]Yeah, that's, yeah, that'll be great.
[10:30]Is there a stop in particular
[10:32]that has any significance or you're really excited about?
[10:35]Yeah, we're starting the tour at Yankee Stadium
[10:37]on August 12th of 13th.
[10:38]So those two shows are always wild.
[10:41]Gotta be insane.
[10:42]I'm really looking forward to it.
[10:44]Wow.
[10:45]Yeah.
[10:45]Aim low, you know.
[10:46]Yeah, you stay low.
[10:47]You know, why not?
[10:49]It wasn't good enough, but we'll do another one.
[10:52]Exactly.
[10:53]Twice in a row.
[10:54]Oh my God.
[10:55]Do you feel like collaborating professionally
[10:58]helps your marriage or hurts your marriage?
[11:00]I think it helps.
[11:02]It helps.
[11:02]We like to work together.
[11:03]Yeah.
[11:04]I do it.
[11:05]I love it.
[11:06]Because we get to spend more time and then we have pressed it,
[11:09]right?
[11:09]So we'll have to go to the city and like have a whole day.
[11:11]But then at least we have to go in early the night before
[11:13]and have date night.
[11:14]So we like turn it over and so it works out for us.
[11:17]Yeah.
[11:18]Mandated babysitting.
[11:19]Yeah, thank you.
[11:20]Because it's work.
[11:20]We have to go.
[11:21]Okay.
[11:22]Yeah.
[11:24]That's nice.
[11:26]If each of you could pick someone else you would like to
[11:29]co-write a book with, who would it be?
[11:32]I think you and your sister should write a book together.
[11:34]I have to, I love to see that.
[11:36]I think that's what she should do.
[11:38]I can say it in the same answer.
[11:39]I've written a book with my brothers.
[11:40]It's not out yet.
[11:41]We're still finishing it and working on five years.
[11:44]That's a very interesting journey.
[11:46]But we've been through many iterations of it.
[11:47]Sometimes it takes, sometimes it's fast.
[11:50]Like with our books and sometimes it's very slow.
[11:52]Thanks a lot.
[11:53]What would you write about with your sister?
[11:54]Daniel.
[11:55]Mm-hmm.
[11:56]I never thought of this, actually.
[11:59]Growing up in ages.
[12:00]I'm thinking to you.
[12:01]No.
[12:02]Love you.
[12:03]I don't know.
[12:04]You're putting this on the spot, right?
[12:05]Probably.
[12:06]I am.
[12:07]I'm sorry.
[12:08]I mean, that's definitely a thing.
[12:09]Yes.
[12:10]Because we're very, each one of them has earned it.
[12:12]That you're very family oriented.
[12:13]But each one of you has a very different outlook.
[12:15]They'd have a good podcast, I do believe that as well.
[12:17]Cool.
[12:18]I do believe that three of them should have their own podcast.
[12:20]But that's just me.
[12:22]I've been saying it for a while now.
[12:24]Better jump on that before the podcast market gets saturated.
[12:29]Thank you.
[12:30]Thank you.
[12:31]Thank you.
[12:32]I've kept it.
[12:33]Thank you.
[12:34]That was funny.
[12:35]So what are you excited about?
[12:36]Aside from the book and the summer, what else is coming up on the horizon?
[12:40]I know you always have all sorts of projects in the works.
[12:42]Yeah.
[12:43]Really.
[12:44]I have a kind of fame coming out next to a couple of weeks.
[12:47]It's so cool.
[12:48]June 26, our second season.
[12:50]It's a tour.
[12:51]The album just came out.
[12:52]This book, but very busy.
[12:54]Been very busy for a couple of months now.
[12:56]Just happy to be home for a minute.
[12:57]I'm ready for some vacation with a family.
[12:58]We're going to our own beach for a little while.
[13:00]And so that'll be nice.
[13:01]Yeah.
[13:02]Wonderful.
[13:03]And I know in the book, there are disappointing events.
[13:06]And sometimes you do feel like your characters that,
[13:09]even though you know it's upsetting,
[13:11]you just can't kick that sad feeling.
[13:13]Even though you know it's like, OK, fine, yes.
[13:16]But I still feel so sad about this.
[13:18]And I just can't get rid of it.
[13:19]Tell me about times maybe you've
[13:20]felt that way about something.
[13:21]I just recently had to deal with it.
[13:23]Honestly, we were on vacation.
[13:25]I was finished all the press that we had for everything
[13:27]for the, for the, sorry, for our album coming out
[13:29]and everything.
[13:30]We were on vacation for a week when to Disney.
[13:32]And that's what you do.
[13:34]What do you want to Super Bowl?
[13:35]You know what I'm doing?
[13:36]It's a, but I'm doing two shows in the middle of it.
[13:39]And of course, I love doing the shows,
[13:40]but I really want to spend time with them
[13:41]because I've been away a lot.
[13:42]So things I just really could not move
[13:45]and it was part of the schedule.
[13:45]But it was disappointing that I had to leave
[13:47]but helping them understand that.
[13:49]She said that that's such an amazing.
[13:50]And they were even, I mean, that was a sad too.
[13:53]But like, even though the girls were upset inside a room
[13:57]or like, I would say like,
[13:59]oh, he's gonna leave, but mommy's gonna sleep in bed with you.
[14:03]And she made the best of it.
[14:04]The girl time and I'll get to go to dinner with you guys,
[14:08]just me and you and then my family was with us.
[14:11]And so we try, I try, but like I do still,
[14:15]I love that the book kind of shows
[14:17]you still can have those feelings
[14:19]and necessarily it doesn't have to go away
[14:22]but you can deal with the better.
[14:23]Yeah.
[14:24]And your feelings are never diminished.
[14:25]It's about how you operate through them.
[14:28]Very true.
[14:29]Yes.
[14:30]Like when you're disappointed that your guest host
[14:32]leaves in the middle of the podcast
[14:34]so that he still...
[14:35]It's because you have to get more interest in guests.
[14:42]Do you have any questions?
[14:44]Do you have any questions?
[14:45]Yes.
[14:48]I'm striking out with the schedule.
[14:50]Yeah.
[14:50]Summer has begun.
[14:52]Yup.
[14:54]Do you have any advice for aspiring creative types
[14:58]of all kinds?
[14:58]Children's book authors, musicians, anyone
[15:00]who's trying to pursue a dream?
[15:02]I love it.
[15:03]Pursuit a dream.
[15:03]I think, you know, we got lucky because of our background.
[15:07]Right?
[15:07]But I think just right what you love, right?
[15:09]You know, and that's what we did here.
[15:10]We didn't want to try to do anything like more prolific
[15:12]than it was.
[15:13]We just wanted to tell stories
[15:14]that we've understood and that we've been through.
[15:16]So are you gonna ever write a book on marriage?
[15:19]Oh, what do you think?
[15:19]I don't know.
[15:20]That would be pretty awesome.
[15:21]We could.
[15:22]We could start it now.
[15:24]13 years, here we go.
[15:26]We're really crazy.
[15:27]Yeah, it's been good.
[15:28]You know, I think for us writing a book
[15:31]about anything together or just working on any project
[15:34]together is fun, because I just do my best friend
[15:36]so it's more time with her.
[15:40]Well, I feel like there are all these new books
[15:41]coming out about marriage
[15:43]and what regular happy marriages look like.
[15:45]And you know, it should previously been so under wraps.
[15:49]Right? All the books are about horrible betrayals
[15:51]and all this stuff.
[15:52]Yeah.
[15:53]But it's also good for people to come out and say like,
[15:55]this is it's working.
[15:56]And you know, yeah, some days we fight and we also
[15:59]got married young.
[16:00]So like, it could have worked and it could have like,
[16:03]you know, told it backfire, but luckily we grew together
[16:06]and sometimes you grow apart when you're growing up
[16:09]and you're, you get married so young.
[16:12]Totally.
[16:12]But we did good.
[16:14]Yeah.
[16:15]Yeah.
[16:16]OK, any last questions from you?
[16:19]No.
[16:20]What?
[16:20]Do you have any questions?
[16:22]One question.
[16:23]Oh, gosh.
[16:24]OK.
[16:26]You're fired.
[16:28]Oh, you're doing wrong.
[16:29]OK.
[16:29]Well, I think the book is great.
[16:31]I think I am going to make a beach party in the kids room
[16:35]next time.
[16:36]It is raining.
[16:37]Yes.
[16:38]Even parents and tools, not just to read the book,
[16:41]but read the book and then have the party.
[16:43]Yes.
[16:43]So there we go.
[16:44]It's a two-fer.
[16:45]Thank you so much.
[16:46]Thank you.
[16:47]Thanks for coming on.
[16:48]I'll see you soon.
[16:49]Bye.
[16:50]Bye.
[16:51]Bye.
[16:52]Bye.
[16:54]Thanks for listening to this episode of Moms Don't Have Time
[16:57]to Read Books.
[16:58]Don't forget to follow me on Instagram, at Zebioans,
[17:01]and at Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.
[17:03]Also sign up for my newsletter at zebioans.com
[17:05]and sign up for my virtual book club
[17:07]and meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week.
[17:10]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan.
[17:11]I'm going to get a textured sound for the sound editing.
[17:14]And thank you to morning moon productions
[17:15]for providing this fantastic intro and how trim music.