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

My daughter and I are here for a special announcement, which is that Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books,

which is nominated for a Webby Award in the Arts and Culture category for podcasts.

So please, please vote by April 18th so that I can win the people's choice component of this award.

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Hi, I love my mom so much.

She's been working really hard for this podcast to be on Instagram.

And I also want you to know that I love her so please please please

vote for Zibia.

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This is Mom's Don't Have Time to Read Books and I love my mom so much.

Please vote for Zibio and one's Webby Awards.

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Webby Awards.com. Today's episode has been sponsored by Serial Box. Serial Box delivers addictive book content in short listen or read installments designed to fit into today's fast-paced mobile lifestyle. Switch between listening and reading with a single click picking up right where you left off. Learn more at

Serialbox.com. S-E-R-I-A-L-B-O-X.com. I am so excited to be interviewing Celeste Eng.

Celeste is the author of bestselling novels Little Fires Everywhere and Everything I Never

Told You, which were number one and number two Amazon bestsellers. A graduate of

Harvard University, Celeste received her MFA from the University of Michigan. She's the recipient

of the Pushcart Prize, a fellowship from the National Endowment of the Arts, the Massachusetts

Book Award, the Asian Pacific American Award for Literature, the ALA's Alex Award, and the Medici

Book Prize. Native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Shaker Heights, Ohio. She currently lives in Boston. Hi, Celeste. Thanks so much for coming on moms, don't have time to read books. Thank you so much for having me. I remember meeting you. I don't know if you remember. I came to a literary affairs event in Beverly Hills, maybe two years ago, a year I do remember that event that event because it was one of the most fun events that I've done. So it was really memorable. Oh, well, it was great. I remember making sure I was in L.A. so I could meet you. So now it's such a pleasure to be able to interview on Skype like this. Thank you so much for taking the time. Of course. So lots of questions. I have so much I want to know. First, can we talk about everything I never told you, your first novel? Sure. Okay. You open the novel with this sentence. Lydia is dead, but they don't know this yet. You then go on to illustrate the havoc that this death wreaks, obviously on the family, the mom, Maryland, the dad James, siblings,

Hannah, and Nate, when the 16-year-old and the family dies. So what gave you the idea to write

...