The Premise

Jeniffer is joined via Warwick’s Books by prolific writer Alice Hoffman. Hoffman is most known for her book, Practical Magic, which was made into a film of the same name. The Invisible Hour is her latest novel and she talks about how it came about. You’ll learn how her own past has informed the stories she tells, and how that shapes the women that populate her fiction. You’ll also learn a little bit of history and discover how it can repeat itself.

The guests so nice, we had them twice! Because their last episode was one our most listened to, Dan and Sandy from Smith Publicity are back. They share inside information on the publishing world and discuss the new tools and processes that have come about in the changing digital landscape of the industry.Learn more about Smith Publicity here.

Sophie Mackintosh’s debut novel, The Water Cure, was nominated for the 2018 Man Booker Prize. Now, her latest novel, Cursed Bread, inspired by a mass poisoning that actually happened, has been nominated for the Women’s Prize for Fiction. She’s a writer who uses similar themes, and she’s realized she has a style. In this episode she talks with Jeniffer via Warwick’s Books about that, her process in writing Cursed Bread, and more. https://www.warwicks.com/book/9780385548304

Shelby Stanger is another podcaster, author, and big adventurer. Truly. She adventures for a living pretty much. And she inspires others to find their own adventure through her journalism, podcasting, and now her book! Will to Wild was just released on June 6th and she came to talk about it with Jeniffer and Chad. Get ready to be inspired to be a little more fearless and maybe get adventurous! Find out more about Shelby and buy her book below. https://shelbystanger.com/https://shelbystanger.com/will-to-wild

Words are KishaLynn Elliot’s superpower. She uses that superpower to tell stories, educate, and inspire. She’s an author, speaker and Vice President of Operations and Evaluation at The Monarch School. She’s also a 2023 TEDxSanDiego speaker on Education. She talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her work and her mission to educate and empower unhoused youth and more. You can see her speak virtually(in-person tickets are sold out) at TEDxSanDiego on June 11th, 2023.  https://www.childishthebook.com/https://blaac.life/https://monarchschools.org/https://www.tedxsandiego.com/

Jesse Leon is a San Diegan, TED X speaker, Harvard graduate, consultant and survivor. Jeniffer speaks to him about his memoir, I’m Not Broken, and the story of his past that it covers. Jesse is the embodiment of resilience and living proof that you can come out on the other side not just unbroken but thriving.  https://www.jesseleon-author.com/

Gina Simmons Schneider, PhD, is a Psychotherapist and expert in coping skills. And she used this expertise to write a book about dealing with the common anxieties and stressors we all face in the modern world. Listen to her speak with Jeniffer and Chad about Frazzlebrain and maybe learn a thing or two. https://frazzlebrain.com/https://www.warwicks.com/book/9781949481624

This episode comes to you via Warwick’s Books. Jeniffer speaks with the author of Wandering Souls, Cecile Pin. Her much praised debut novel was longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction 2023, and she’s been compared to Joan Didion by Kirkus Review.Wandering Souls tells a story, inspired by Cecile’s own family’s experiences, of the struggles of immigrating to the UK in the aftermath of the Vietnam war. Cecile talks about her writing process, the personal parts of her novel coming together, and where she got the intriguing title—it’s a bit harrowing. She also shares how, despite the setting and circumstances, it’s a story, ultimately, of hope.  https://www.warwicks.com/book/9781250863461

San Diego author, social justice activist, and Pushcart nominee Madhushree Gosh is today’s guest. She talks with Jeniffer and Chad not only about her book, Khabaar: An Immigrant Journey of Food, Memory and Family, but food and the politics around it, and politics in general. You may come away believing that we need less talking and more eating if we want to solve the world’s problems. https://www.warwicks.com/book/9781609388232

For all you Gen X folks out there, this week's guest doesn't really need an introduction. Because she's Susanna Hoffs!  But did you know Susanna is also an author? Jeniffer talks to Susanna about her book, This Bird Has Flown, via Warwick's Books.  Buy Now

Walter Green is a man on a mission. He’s the author of, This Is The Moment, a mentor, lecturer and is involved in many nonprofits. He’s all about gratitude. His philosophy is that if you have something to say, why wait? Say it NOW. Listen to Walter explain what that means and how he came about this idea and its subsequent movement. You’re in for an inspiring and illuminating story.https://www.justsayitnow.org/

In this episode Jeniffer and Chad are joined by guest Deborah Larkin. Deborah is the author of A Lovely Girl. The novel is part true crime drama, part memoir. Because Deborah was there at the time the crime and subsequent trial took place, seeing it all through the eyes of a ten year old. Oh, and her father was the court reporter! She tells Jeniffer about her writing process, the details of the ripped-from-the-headlines story, and how this unique book all came together. 

Tom Rob Smith speaks with Jeniffer via Warwick’s books about his latest novel, Cold People. Tom is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, and creator of the Child 44 trilogy. In this episode they discuss how he crafted the world of Cold People and blurring the lines of what constitutes Science Fiction. There’s talk of made up food and drink, love at first sight, and the characters that inhabit the world of the book and situations they face within it. There’s also a Q&A at the end, so stick around to find out answers to reader and listener questions. 

Laura Cathcart Robbins is back! Laura has been on The Premise before to talk about her own podcast, The Only One in the Room. You can check it out here.  In this episode she’s here to talk about her memoir, Stash: My Life in Hiding.Laura talks with Jeniffer and Chad about her writing process, and how she got published. She also talks about the events in the book and reads a passage. She's got that part down, because she also read for the audio version of her own book! Fun Fact: Laura an Advisory Board member for, and participant in, the San Diego Writers Festival. Here's the official book description for the curious:After years of hiding her addiction from everyone-from stockpiling pills in her Louboutins to elaborately scheduling withdrawals between PTA meetings, baby showers, and tennis matches-Laura Cathcart Robbins settles into a complicated purgatory.She learns the hard way that privilege doesn't protect you from pain. Facing divorce, the possibility of a grueling custody battle, and internalized racism, Robbins wonders just how much more she can take.Now, with courage and candid openness, she reveals how she managed to begin the long journey towards sobriety and unexpectedly finding new love. Robbins harrowingly illustrates taking down the wall she built around herself brick by brick and what it means to be Black in a startingly white world. With its raw, finely crafted, and engaging prose, Stash is the story of just how badly the facade she created had to shatter before Laura could reconnect to her true self.

Mark is an expert on the wacky world of conspiracies and bunk science, but his background is in theater, which is apropos since today’s conspiracies are absolutely theater! He tells Jeniffer how his interest in conspiracy theories all started with Art Bell’s late night radio show and just grew from there. They do a deep dive into the QAnon conspiracy, what it’s all about, where it started, the true believers that support and promote it, and just how dangerous this absolutely bats**t crazy conspiracy has become. 

Suzanne is another writer who was working in an entirely different field before she decided to take a chance and try her hand at something she’d always wanted to do. She shares the story of that journey with Jeniffer and Chad, and offers some good advice for aspiring writers. She’s living proof that with talent and perseverance it’s totally possible to write successful novels and do big things like breaking into the world of screenwriting—and having your script optioned for a movie! 

Although there’s an obvious nod to Shakespeare in All’s Well, the protagonist of Awad’s latest novel was inspired by her own experience with pain and her feelings about being ignored and not taken seriously. She talks with Jeniffer about how that experience informed her latest novel, the characters she created, and how and why she chose the setting for this particular story. And of course, there’s discussion of the author’s writing process and how it all came together to create the full story.

Eve and Rosie both get a chance to discuss their writing processes, note the similarities and differences, and realize there’s really no wrong way to write. There are also similarities between their books. They’re both about family and relationships, the settings loom large, and they both question how well we really know those close to us. If you’re a fan of peeking into the writer’s process and love details on the genesis of ideas, and how stories are shaped, you’re going to love this episode. And if you like lovely British accents then you’ll really be happy. 

Anastasia Zadeik is a writer, editor, and storyteller. Dedicated to helping writers bring their stories to the page, stage, and screen. She serves as Director of Operations for the San Diego Writers Festival and sits on the board of the literary non-profit So Say We All. She regularly performs in narrative non-fiction showcases, and her work has appeared in The San Diego Decameron Project, The Literary Vine Review, and Shaking the Tree: Brazen. Short. Memoir. She lives in San Diego with her husband and their empty-nest rescue dog, Charlie. Blurred Fates is her first novel.WebsiteBUY THE BOOK

In this episode Jeniffer and Chad talk with Jane Friedman about how she got started doing what she does. And she does a lot! Mostly, she’s an expert on the publishing industry and a guide for helping authors understand it. You’ll learn a lot of valuable information in this one. And because this podcast is actually pretty fun, you’ll also get to hear their opinions on fonts, artistry, Amazon and where the industry is headed. Jeniffer also gets Jane to open up a bit about weird jobs and bourbon preferences. WebsiteThe Hot SheetFacebookTwitterInstagram