Hi, I'm Zibi Owens, and you're listening to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books.

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i'm really excited to be interviewing camille pegan who is the number one Kindle bestselling author of five novels, including the upcoming I'm Fine and Neither Are You. Her novel Life and Other Near Death Experiences was recently optioned by Jessica Chastain's production company Freckle Films. A journalist specializing in women's health, Camille has been on staff at several national publications and was most recently the health editor Real Simple. She has contributed to Oh, the Oprah magazine, The New York Times, Glamour, and many other magazines and websites. She currently lives with her husband and two children in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Lizzie from Momsdon't Have Time to Read Books. Hi, how are you? I'm good, how are you? Hanging in there. We have another snow day. Oh, no.

Yes, this is Daisy. Hi, how are you? I'm good. How are you? Hanging in there. We have another snow day.

Oh, no.

Yes, this is day seven.

Oh, my gosh.

It's nuts.

It's not ever like this.

I cannot remember a single other year where it's been like this.

So, yeah.

It's snowing here too, but not, I mean, schools are still still on. I'm envious. I know. Well, I'm really honored you're coming on the show. I love your books. Oh, thank you. I really just love your whole sort of messaging and everything. So anyway, I'm excited to interview. Well, it's right back at you. I love your podcast. I'm super excited about this. Oh, thanks. So if you don't mind, let's start at the beginning of your fiction writing career. Right. You said on your website that you wrote your first novel, The Art of Forgetting 10 years ago after your daughter was born when you had a dear friend battling a terminal illness, which I'm so sorry about. Oh, thank you. You wrote on your website, even before I typed the end, I knew I wanted to do it again and again and again. So I'm curious, what was it that made you love writing your first novel so much that you wanted to keep doing it? Well, I always wanted to be a novelist. I think just from a really early age, when I realized that people did that.

Sounds amazing. I think I'd like to be one of them. But I studied English in school and college and went into journalism and just kind of put it on the back burner. I was thinking about being practical and I enjoyed journalism.

And I think my friend's illness just reiterated the facts.

And it's cliche, but it's true that life is short and I really wanted to make it happen

while I had a chance.

And then my friend also, as she was dying, encouraged me.

I said, I have this idea for a book and she said, you have to go for it.

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