Zibby discusses BLANK with Kyle Owens
[0:04]Welcome to mom's don't have time to be books with Zippy. I'm the host Zippy Owens.
[0:09]I am an author, my latest is blank, pub date March 1st, a novel.
[0:13]I'm also a podcaster, obviously.
[0:15]A publisher, a bookstore owner, and so much more.
[0:18]If you love books, you're in the right place.
[0:21]In fact, we call it the Zippyverse, or really, the LA Times called it the Zippyverse,
[0:25]and we're going with it.
[0:27]Go to Zippy Owens.com to learn more and follow me on Instagram at Zippy Owens.
[0:33]So this episode is coming out on Thursday, February 29th,
[0:38]which means that tomorrow my novel blank comes out.
[0:42]This is part of the blank week on mom's don't have time to read books,
[0:46]and today I am being interviewed by my adorable wonderful husband, Kyle Owens,
[0:52]who is the co-founder of Morning Moon Productions.
[0:55]They released a movie called Wildflower, which is available streaming on Hulu,
[1:01]and he used to be a tennis coach and a tennis pro and all the good things.
[1:07]And I thought he would be someone good to interview me about my book.
[1:12]So listen to us banter.
[1:14]And because blank comes out tomorrow, which I am freaking out about,
[1:19]I hope you will all get ready tomorrow to pop into your local independent bookstore.
[1:24]You can go in today and ask them to order it, so it's ready for you.
[1:27]You can go into tomorrow. You can find signed copies.
[1:30]I'll ever New York City on Boston.
[1:32]I'll be signing copies all over there.
[1:34]I'll be heading across the whole country doing tour events.
[1:36]And I hope you will follow along with me.
[1:38]I hope you'll buy it for your book club and read it.
[1:42]And thanks for coming along on this wonderful ride with me.
[1:45]I can't believe the book is coming out tomorrow.
[1:48]I really can't tonight. There's a big event at Bedford Playhouse.
[1:53]It's not too late. You can still snag a ticket with Annabelle Moynihan.
[1:57]And I hope you will come to that.
[1:59]And if you're anywhere near Bedford, New York, it's not that far.
[2:01]If you're in New York City, you can just hop in the car or take a train. Why not?
[2:04]And then tomorrow night, I have an event with Ariana Huffington girls right now.
[2:09]On Sunday, I'll be at Newtonville Books.
[2:12]You can still snag a ticket to that too.
[2:14]And I'll be with Hannah Halperin over at Thistle and Leake.
[2:17]So come to that and Tuesday. I'll be at P&D Network here in New York City.
[2:22]I hope that you enjoy this episode. I hope that you read and love blank.
[2:26]I hope that you tell friends because that is really how a book really takes off as if you tell a friend.
[2:31]And you like it enough that you recommend it.
[2:33]So I hope that that is the case for blank.
[2:35]I have wanted to be a novelist since I was eight.
[2:38]And now here it is. I'm 47 and a half.
[2:41]And I finally did it. And you are all going to be a part of it.
[2:44]Enjoy the episode.
[2:45]Welcome to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books with Kyle Owens.
[2:50]This week, interviewing Zibi Owens about her new book, Blank.
[2:55]Honey, how are you? Welcome to the show.
[2:57]Thanks. Thanks for having me.
[2:58]For all your territory that you're in here. Maybe we should have actually switched seats.
[3:02]I'm in the guest seats still, even though I'm the host.
[3:06]So I think we're going to just dive right in.
[3:08]Okay. You know?
[3:09]Yes.
[3:10]Do some questions about about blank.
[3:11]Great.
[3:12]It's all very exciting. Usually, usually I wing it.
[3:16]Today I actually, I took a minute and I wrote down a few questions.
[3:21]That is so sweet.
[3:23]Just putting in the time, love, putting in the work.
[3:25]Yeah.
[3:26]You know? Yeah.
[3:27]All right. So here we go.
[3:28]In no particular order.
[3:30]At one moment.
[3:31]Did you hear that?
[3:32]Now, like, are these even at that point?
[3:35]Not at least great.
[3:37]Kyle has a track record of not reading books that he discusses.
[3:41]I did read this book well to be fair.
[3:44]I read you an early draft.
[3:45]You read me an early draft of this book.
[3:48]And I was thoroughly impressed.
[3:51]I remember where I was pretty much in every scene that we read
[3:56]or that you read to me.
[3:58]Most of it was in LA.
[4:00]I remember.
[4:01]And most of it was in our living room there.
[4:04]And yeah, I mean, what's not to look?
[4:07]By this point, I would hope that many of you have read it
[4:10]or are about to start reading.
[4:12]And pretty much know the premise.
[4:14]And see, you know, it's genius.
[4:17]And I love it so much.
[4:19]Thank you.
[4:20]Well, you do take credit for the idea.
[4:22]That's going to be one of my questions,
[4:24]which had you come up with the idea, but I already knew.
[4:26]But it really was not you.
[4:28]It was really...
[4:29]I know.
[4:30]It is hard to see.
[4:31]The young lad.
[4:32]It's hard to say that it wasn't me.
[4:35]But I mean, I have a really great memory.
[4:37]You say that, but to you?
[4:39]I mean, I like the thing I do.
[4:41]I know you like the thing you do.
[4:42]It's a pretty good memory.
[4:44]I remember stuff.
[4:45]I remember birthdays.
[4:47]You know you are out there.
[4:48]If you get a birthday text for me.
[4:51]So why don't you tell how you think you came up with the idea
[4:54]for this book?
[4:55]I said something like, what if...
[4:58]In what context?
[4:59]And where were we?
[5:00]Well, because it's so outrageous.
[5:02]We were in New York.
[5:03]We were in an area.
[5:05]In a room where they say the magic happens.
[5:08]Which area?
[5:09]The bedroom.
[5:10]That's the bedroom.
[5:11]You've never seen cribs, I guess.
[5:14]But yeah.
[5:15]And you were like, you know, fishing around for some ideas.
[5:19]What if this?
[5:20]What if that?
[5:21]And I just thought, what's really outrageous?
[5:23]What's an idea that would just make you laugh?
[5:27]And that you would just be like, haha.
[5:30]No.
[5:31]And I said, why isn't she just handing it in blank?
[5:34]And you were like, oh my God, honey.
[5:38]That's genius.
[5:39]This is literally not what happens.
[5:41]No.
[5:42]I was with the dining room table.
[5:44]Okay.
[5:45]And what did you say?
[5:46]He said, why doesn't she just handed in blank?
[5:49]I love the idea of giving the crowd for this.
[5:53]It's going to be, you know, this incredible...
[5:56]Okay, actually, I wasn't even...
[5:58]We weren't even supposed to say his name.
[6:00]We weren't even supposed to say his name.
[6:01]We can cut...
[6:02]We can cut...
[6:03]We'll be a his name out.
[6:04]But, yeah, I know.
[6:05]You're just giving the credit, you know?
[6:07]Okay.
[6:08]We're all great.
[6:09]We're all great to disagree.
[6:10]All right.
[6:11]Well, this is all going so well.
[6:13]This is exactly how you want to do an interview.
[6:18]It should be like a course on an interview.
[6:20]All right.
[6:21]So now, I guess this is like kind of almost negates this question,
[6:25]but not really.
[6:26]So at what moment...
[6:28]And try to be serious about this, okay?
[6:30]These are real...
[6:31]Okay, okay.
[6:32]Okay.
[6:33]Okay.
[6:34]I think your fans are going to want to know the answers to.
[6:36]At what moment did you say to yourself,
[6:39]this is the idea.
[6:41]This is the concept, and these are the characters.
[6:44]Well, I think we've established when, perhaps,
[6:47]the two different versions of when I came up with the...
[6:50]When I realized that this idea would be a great book.
[6:53]The characters...
[6:55]That was a harder one.
[6:57]I just started writing this woman, Pippa.
[7:02]And I just tried to imagine what her life would be like.
[7:05]And I thought, well, it would be fun if she lived in LA
[7:08]because I'd like to be in LA all the time, even though I'm not.
[7:11]And what would her house look like?
[7:13]And what would her friends be like?
[7:14]And I just sort of went from there.
[7:16]All right.
[7:17]Well, that sort of brings me to the next question,
[7:19]which character in the book do you most identify with?
[7:23]And which character was the most challenging for you to connect with?
[7:28]I most identified with Pippa.
[7:30]And it was the hardest for me to connect with...
[7:34]When you were writing it, we were like,
[7:36]oh, you know, it's a little difficult for me to write about this character.
[7:39]Or to get into the head of this character.
[7:42]What was a challenging character for you?
[7:44]I mean, maybe Ethan.
[7:46]Because I couldn't totally understand all his motivations all the time.
[7:49]That's interesting, that's cool.
[7:51]All right. Well, you know, I always like to say there's a little truth in every joke.
[7:55]Would you say, you know, the same about novels in general?
[7:59]And is there any sort of any truth in this novel as well?
[8:04]I think there are emotional truths that pervade all novels.
[8:08]Because what it connects us to other people and to readers are the shared feelings that we all have.
[8:15]So those can be true.
[8:18]How you feel, how you feel in your happy, when you're nervous, when you're, you know,
[8:23]with your camp crush, something like that.
[8:26]So...
[8:27]The camp crushes.
[8:28]The camp crushes.
[8:29]All right.
[8:30]I think I've heard about a couple of your camp crushes.
[8:32]No, it's the time.
[8:34]I didn't even ask about them. Still not.
[8:36]But all right.
[8:37]So your podcast, which we're on, the mom's out of time reading books,
[8:41]how is the success of that show changed your life?
[8:46]It has changed my life completely.
[8:49]The show has led to everything else.
[8:52]And without the show, I wouldn't have started the in-person events in the living room,
[8:58]which led to book fairs and salons, which ultimately led to Zibi's bookshop,
[9:03]because that's basically what goes on there every day.
[9:06]And if it weren't for the podcast and ever would have met all of these authors,
[9:10]I never would have learned so much about writing and the process.
[9:13]And I knew nothing about it.
[9:15]I would have missed out on reading so many of these books,
[9:18]because I read a lot for, you know,
[9:21]I would read a lot even if I was not doing a podcast,
[9:24]but here I read competitively, essentially.
[9:27]I had access to the best books.
[9:30]And that's how it may become a better writer.
[9:33]And it's led me to meet amazing people and start new businesses
[9:38]and start my own publishing coming in.
[9:40]I don't know. It's led to everything.
[9:42]Yeah, no, absolutely.
[9:45]You know, your life has definitely taken some major leaps.
[9:50]I mean, I might say our lives.
[9:52]Our lives for sure, but this is a show about you here.
[9:55]So with that being said, which I love that people say that.
[10:00]Anyways, but your life has taken some incredible turns in the past few years as we just mentioned.
[10:06]How has it been for you to adjust to working with and becoming friends with some of your idols?
[10:15]That has been one of the best parts. I mean, I just interviewed Anakin Lin again this week
[10:20]on Monday or something and maybe it was last week. Well, whatever, it doesn't matter.
[10:25]And when we got on, we have become such buddies at this point that she got on and she's like,
[10:30]you know, the first time I didn't know who you were and I did this interview with you
[10:34]and we had a nice time or whatever. She's like, now I feel like I'm hopping on the Zoom with an old
[10:39]friend and I was like, I feel the same way. She sends me shoe suggestions and we forward each other
[10:44]stuff all the time and it's the craziest thing because I used to read her columns from early in
[10:49]her career and think, oh my gosh, I relate to this woman, whoever she is so much and I love what
[10:55]she's writing and the way that she's writing it and I kind of want to be this person but I love
[11:00]what she does and then I love her fiction and have just been following her career for so long
[11:06]and it is just as great as I imagine. She's really awesome and now we're like, you know,
[11:11]so it's great that sometimes when you read their books and you're like, oh, we would totally
[11:16]be friends. Turns out you actually would. You probably would be friends. So for people, a lot of
[11:21]people come out to me and they're like, oh, I feel like we're friends. We probably would be friends.
[11:25]We have a special cameo actually, an interruption from the scheduled episode.
[11:29]This would be my younger, my younger actor we were talking. My younger son is here. Okay, Kyle,
[11:37]things he came up with this idea. You think you came up with it? Tell us the story when you came
[11:41]up with the record straight. I did it because I have a memory of doing it and not because
[11:47]I remember reading things better. Years or Kyle's definitely mine. It's it's my soul. Since mine is
[11:56]better, I have a perfect story. So this was two years ago, two years ago, I'm king, you know,
[12:02]yep, got it. They use and we're on the rug on my floor. We had a carpet and then we're sitting on
[12:08]it, right? We're talking about books. It's said a really good idea. So it was amazing. And then
[12:13]you said, but then you changed like basically everything. So we were just sitting there on the carpet
[12:18]and all of a sudden you said, you should write a book about a book. No, no, no. We were just talking
[12:22]about book ideas and books. I said stuff, but I said stuff. What did you say? I forgot, but my memory is
[12:29]going to go. I remember it. I remember it. Yes. Okay. My case is that I have a memory for it and I
[12:38]can remember things better than Kyle. Okay. So you think we were sitting on the carpet and all
[12:42]of a sudden you said something and I said we're talking about books. And then I said an idea and
[12:47]you loved it and then you changed. I changed it to blank. No, it had something about book. What was
[12:52]the original idea you had? I don't know. You don't know. I know I had one. I thought we were at
[12:58]the dining room table. No. I feel like the truth is coming out here. No, no, no, no. I really
[13:07]okay. I mean, I didn't write it. I came up with the idea. Okay. Goodbye. Well, we love you and you're amazing.
[13:12]Thank you. That did not support my case. That did not support your case. Now, all right. So we
[13:21]were talking about your life has taken some incredible turns and you're now you're working with and
[13:26]friends with these authors that you've idolized for so long. And I know you mentioned
[13:32]Quinlan, but the list really goes on. It's really incredible and beautiful to watch for sure.
[13:37]Just getting back into writing. So as a young writer, because I don't know a lot of people know,
[13:42]but you actually published your, you know, your first book when you were nine years old,
[13:46]through your grandfather had a mini press book publishing company and published one of your
[13:51]books when you were nine. It's you've been writing forever. And I know it's had its ups and downs
[13:57]and whatnot. And it was just wondering as as a young writer, as so many are who listen to your show,
[14:03]was there ever a time when you thought about walking away or giving up that dream? And,
[14:09]and you know, it's hard to sell a book. So was there ever a time when you when you thought about
[14:13]walking away from it? Well, after off balance was rejected when I was 28 or something,
[14:19]it took me a really long time to get back to it. I did not try writing another novel for at least a
[14:25]decade. Wow. Okay. I wasn't sure I would be able to do it again. My heart was broken. But then
[14:31]I did. All right. And then it got rejected again. I do did. So speaking of the sort of rejections
[14:38]and whatnot. And, you know, once you became a published author, what has it been like? And
[14:44]in your, obviously, you're doing so much more, so much more that people are commenting on,
[14:48]what has it been like for you to start reading reviews of your work or your art for that matter?
[14:54]And how has it affected you positively and or negatively? The good reviews make my day
[15:02]really exciting. Make me very happy, like, elated. And a lot of reviews come in through email,
[15:08]because in the book at the end, I leave an email address for me. You did that in bookends. Are
[15:14]you doing that as well on blank? Yeah, it's actually the same email from bookends, but don't tell
[15:17]anybody. Yeah. So a lot of people who read bookends just like used it again. They're like, I'm back.
[15:21]I've read blank now, which is great. Yeah, it's really fun. So I get to hear from them directly,
[15:26]which is amazing. And then they're in the zippy verse. They are. They're now in the zippy verse.
[15:31]They didn't even know it. They didn't even know it. The bad reviews are not fun to read.
[15:37]You know, I'm really sensitive. So I try now not to read anything other than five star
[15:44]or four star review comments. Yeah. All right. I remember with you when we were sitting out by the
[15:50]pool, that's actually what I was just thinking. And how we were reading, you read all the comments
[15:55]out loud to me about bookends. Right. And they were so bad. They were so bad. It was funny, though.
[16:01]It was funny the way you read them. It was funny the way I read them. It was actually very
[16:04]depressing. It was depressing, but obviously the way I read them was funny, but it was it was just
[16:10]sort of just comical. I mean, people taking the time to write these horrible reviews.
[16:17]It's just absolutely. It was just crazy. And it was, you know, it was a lesson in not reading your own
[16:23]reviews. I'm not reading really just sort of, you know, going forward and not letting that dictate.
[16:30]So I mean, I know better than everyone. I was going to say almost it, but I really do
[16:35]who are really know better than everyone. How much work you put into this into all your different
[16:41]companies that you have? Because I see the, you know, the off the record hours that you're logging.
[16:47]So I just want to know like what motivates you to show up day after day after day and put in the
[16:55]tremendous amount of work that it takes to keep up the zippy verse, if you will, or zippy media,
[17:02]or zippy books to be publishing, zippy's bookshop, mom's time to read books, your own books,
[17:10]you know, what, what gets you up and, and gets you to show up every day? That's a great question,
[17:15]Kyle. I'll have to think on that. That's all I wanted. We could just do that. What motivates me?
[17:23]I think it's a lot of different things. One, I just happen to be a very driven motivated person.
[17:29]And my, it's part of my personality. It always has been. Two, I like you have had a lot of loss.
[17:36]And I realized in my 20s that, you know, life is short is not just something people say,
[17:42]but that at any moment, you know, we could drop dead. I mean, you and I both had dreams last night.
[17:48]I hate to even say that loud to like jinx anything. We both had dreams last night. Both not
[17:52]handwood. We both had dreams last night that we each individually died. And I was convinced
[17:57]all day today. I didn't tell you this. That some terrible is going to happen. So was I. Yeah.
[18:01]I was literally walking to that random soap store. Yeah. And I was thinking to myself,
[18:07]you're going to be like, yeah, I don't even know why he was going to that soap store.
[18:10]And I was thinking, I'm the only one who really knows why I was going to that soap store.
[18:13]Yeah. It was for soap, obviously. I guess people could if they could if they would. Yeah.
[18:18]They would have put that together. But anyway, and I'm like, okay, turns out we might die today.
[18:24]And you know what? I didn't change my behavior at all. I did all my emails. I confirmed all my
[18:28]tour events. I went to the event with the kids at the temple. I did all the stuff that I would have
[18:34]done. So basically, I live every day. Well, you know, we were at your bookstore in Santa Monica
[18:40]last weekend. And you were interviewing Joan Collins. And she said something that really stuck
[18:46]with me, which is live every day like it's your last, which people say all the time. But
[18:51]actually ended that was because someday it will be. And you know, I've been thinking about that
[18:58]lately that someday it will be and just just go for it and say yes to everything and just sort of
[19:07]sort of enjoy every every minute, which brings me to my to my last question, which is is almost
[19:13]sad because this has been so fun. But it's almost sad. He said, well, I mean, there are sad
[19:18]things. You know, he mean, like we could just keep talking and turn the night out. We could just
[19:23]keep we will. We might. Yeah. If we turn the microphone off. And that was it. We didn't
[19:29]stop it for the rest of the night. Which is also a possibility. But I just wanted to know a little bit,
[19:38]you know, it's been one year. Now it is now February 2024. So it has been one year since you've opened
[19:47]Zibi's bookshop in Santa Monica, California. And I was just wondering, you know, sort of just take
[19:54]us, take your fans through the three year of a dream come true of
[20:00]owning your own independent bookstore.
[20:02]And how cool it is and take us through the year real quick.
[20:06]It's almost good that it's in LA
[20:07]because I don't totally believe it.
[20:10]Like, because we're in New York.
[20:12]Because we're in New York most of the time.
[20:13]And then I go out there and I'm like, oh my gosh,
[20:15]this is so amazing.
[20:16]No, I'm kidding.
[20:17]I do a lot of work on email and calls and all of that
[20:18]to help run the store and everything else I need to do for it.
[20:21]But it's such a dream come true.
[20:23]It's just crazy.
[20:24]I go out there and I remember one time we went straight
[20:28]from the airport to the store and didn't even get to the house
[20:31]until like, I don't know, 11.
[20:33]And you said something like, we haven't even been home all day.
[20:36]And I'm like, I feel like I have been home all day.
[20:38]Like, when we get there and I go to the store,
[20:40]I feel just as at home, almost.
[20:42]I mean, I try not to wear a bathrobe or something.
[20:44]But I feel just as at home at the store.
[20:46]I love it.
[20:46]I love being surrounded by books.
[20:48]I love having so many amazing authors come to the store.
[20:51]I love when readers come in and we recommend books.
[20:54]And then they read the books, love the books.
[20:57]Come back from more books.
[20:58]I mean, it's just amazing.
[20:59]And it's also just an honor being part of this whole ecosystem
[21:03]of writers and publishers and bookstores
[21:06]and this whole little mini universe out there
[21:09]that keeps stories pumping out and keeps books being printed
[21:13]and being lovingly wrapped up in tissue paper
[21:17]and taken home and unwrapped like the gifts that they are.
[21:20]And I am just honored to play even a tiny role in all that.
[21:25]I do love that you wrap the books in brown paper bag,
[21:31]wrapping paper.
[21:32]I think that's it's called Crafts Paper.
[21:34]Is that what it's called?
[21:35]Crafts Paper and Twine.
[21:36]Super nostalgic.
[21:37]And it just gives it like this sort of small town bookstore vibe.
[21:44]And it's just so wholesome.
[21:46]Well, what is it like for you with our lives changing so much?
[21:50]I mean, when we got together, we had time for SoulCycle.
[21:53]Yeah, no, I think it's really about just evolving
[21:57]and embracing and enjoying it, you know?
[22:01]Yeah, it just changed is the really only constant in life.
[22:09]And our lives are ever changing.
[22:12]But what's nice is they're always, we're together.
[22:15]We're changing together, we're evolving together.
[22:18]You have your own company that you've built up at the exact same time?
[22:21]Yeah, I mean, not at warp speed like you, but yeah.
[22:26]And I think we both sort of have the same goal of just trying
[22:30]to share stories with the world.
[22:33]And for those of you who don't know, who are not an Instagram
[22:37]or who have been to the bookstore, but there's a mural
[22:41]on the side of the building that you had custom painted.
[22:44]And it says at the top of it, stories are best when shared.
[22:49]And I firmly believe that.
[22:51]And my goal is to obviously be sharing stories
[22:54]through film and TV.
[22:56]And in years or through books, whether it's your own books
[22:59]or the books you're publishing, and it's really beautiful.
[23:02]And I'm really, really proud of you.
[23:03]And I'm your biggest fan, even though it's always fans
[23:06]out there listening.
[23:07]But I'm your biggest fan.
[23:09]And I love you.
[23:09]And I just can't wait to see where it goes from here.
[23:12]Buckle your seat belts.
[23:13]Yeah.
[23:14]Who knows what's coming next?
[23:15]Buckle up.
[23:16]Buckle up.
[23:17]And you can get blank as a bespoke shop.
[23:20]You can.
[23:21]You can get signed copies of blank as a bespoke shop.
[23:23]Wow.
[23:24]And I'm sure you'll be doing an event there at some point soon.
[23:26]Hi, well, you're going to be there.
[23:27]I'm hoping God willing, March 21st.
[23:31]No, it's in your calendar.
[23:34]Yeah, I will be there.
[23:35]So come down and see me.
[23:38]Take a selfie.
[23:40]I'll be doing lots of events all over the place.
[23:42]You can go to any city pretty much any city at any time
[23:46]and find me.
[23:48]All right, well, thank you so much for letting me
[23:50]guest host.
[23:51]Thank you for being such an incredible guest.
[23:54]Oh, thank you.
[23:55]Here on Mom's time to read books with Kyle Owens,
[24:00]filling in for the Zibi Owens.
[24:04]Thanks, Sunny.
[24:05]Thank you.
[24:07]Thanks for listening to this episode of Mom's Don't
[24:09]Have Time to Read Books.
[24:10]Don't forget to follow me on Instagram at Zibi Owens
[24:13]and at Mom's Don't Have Time to Read Books.
[24:15]Also sign up for my newsletter at Zibi Owens.com
[24:18]and sign up for my virtual book club
[24:20]and meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week.
[24:22]Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at Texture Sound
[24:25]for the Sound Editing.
[24:26]And thank you to Morning Moon Productions
[24:28]for providing this fantastic intro and outro music.