Hi, this is Zibi Owens, and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibby. Formerly, moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview today's latest, best-selling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators, whose work I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, I get a comprehensive

look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't

have to.

Stay in the know, get insider insights, and connect with guests like I do every single day.

For more information, go to zibbmedia.com and follow me on Instagram

at Zibby Owens. I recorded this episode with Heather Amy O'Neill at our Zibby's Greenwich

retreat, which was so much fun. And we had a bunch of authors come and Athena Books hosted us

for a bunch of talks and then we all had lunch next door. We'll be doing more of these in the future,

but was so honored to have Heather there. Let me tell you more about her. Heather, Amy O'Neill,

is the author of the Irish Goodbye, a novel, which is the Jenna's book club pick. Heather is a poet,

a teacher, and the assistant director of the Sackett Street Writers Workshop. She lives in Brooklyn

with her wife and two sons. The Irish Goodbye is her first novel. Welcome, Heather. Thanks

so much for coming on Totally Booked. Thanks for having me. You're thrilled to be here.

Congratulations.

Since we booked this podcast and everything, the Irish Goodbye became a read with Jenna Pick.

So exciting.

Very exciting.

Well, you must have known about this for a long time.

I found out in May.

Whoa.

Yeah, so I've been holding it as a secret, essentially, for five months.

My editor, Serena, called me and told me, and I was just shocked and thrilled. And I think I screamed. My older son came into the room to make sure everything was okay. And I went to tell him, and Serena was on the other line saying, you can't tell anybody. And I was like, oh gosh, okay. So they did let

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