Hi, I'm Zivie Owens, and I am the host of this podcast. Moms don't have time to read books.

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Zibby Readers. Jess H. Gutierrez is the author of a product of genetics and day drinking,

a never coming of age story. She, a never-coming-of-age story.

She is a speaker and former journalist whose work has been published in Northwest Arkansas Times, Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette, Siloam Springs Herald Leader, and the Free Weekly.

She has earned several awards from the Arkansas Press Association, and this is her

debut memoir essay collection, which is published by Tiny Reparations Books. Welcome, Jess. Thank you so

much for coming on Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books to discuss your book, a product of genetics and

day drinking, a never- of age story. Congratulations.

Yay, thank you. I'm so excited to be here. I'm so excited to have you. Oh, my gosh. Your book is so funny. I was just, you know, saying this before we got on, but I am 47 and everything in the book

is like a walk down memory lane. There's every reference to things I had totally forgotten about

and things I hadn't. And like, anytime you start a book with Cheap Trick, I'm like, yes,

I was in it for journey and all the stuff. And anyway, congratulations. Tell listeners about the book.

Oh my gosh. So this is, it's a coming of age story. It just kind of has all of, it's funny because it's a memoir. It's a memoir essay collection, but I really feel like it's a shared experience. The stories are about me, but it's about growing up. I was born in 1982, so I'm the very beginning of the millennials. And I was raised by my boomer mom who you know was listening to cheap trick and journey

and in fact my mom growing up she told me that my real dad was steve perry from journey and I believed

it like imagine my disappointment you know my you know I was just when I finally found out I was like

mom and you know but that was the, when I finally found out, I was like, mom, and you know, but that was

the generation that raised us. So this whole book is about, you know, riding our bikes to gas

stations 12 miles away that we had no business doing that. And, you know, things like smoking

candy cigarettes and the music that we listen to and the fashion and glamour shots and my

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