Laura Dickerman, HOT DESK: A Novel
Totally Booked with Zibby
Zibby Owens
4.5 • 644 Ratings
🗓️ 10 September 2025
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Zibby chats with debut novelist Laura Dickerman about HOT DESK, a rollicking, sparkling, and utterly funny publishing-world satire with a romantic twist. Laura shares how a one-sentence idea from her brother sparked the story of two rival editors forced to share a desk, leading to unexpected competition, secrets, and… love. She also talks about her memories of interning at The Paris Review, her thoughts on humor in fiction, the surprising inner workings of the publishing industry, and what it feels like to debut with a novel after years of teaching, parenting, and writing in the margins.
Purchase on Bookshop: https://bit.ly/4gdpA0k
Share, rate, & review the podcast, and follow Zibby on Instagram @zibbyowens!
** If you enjoy recommending things you love and even earning from it, you have to become a creator on ShopMy! You'll be able to see that your recommendations matter. Click my referral code here to learn more! ***
** Want another secret podcast? If you sign up for my Z.I.P. Membership program, you'll get access to an exclusive podcast called Zibby's Show Notes, the behind-the-scenes of everything! Head to zibbyowens.com/subscribe to sign up.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hi, listeners. We have totally booked live coming up this fall, and I hope you'll be a part of it. |
| 0:06.0 | We have three events in New York City, September 19th, 25th, and 30th, in New York, where I'll be doing six interviews live each day. |
| 0:14.0 | We also have a petite retreat in Greenwich on October 4th. |
| 0:18.0 | Go to Zibbimedia.com and event or and or event bright and search the events |
| 0:23.7 | and please come. I can't wait to meet you in person. |
| 0:29.2 | Hi, this is Zibi Owens and you're listening to Totally Booked with Zibi. |
| 0:34.6 | Formerly, moms don't have time to read books. In my daily show, I interview |
| 0:38.7 | today's latest, best-selling, buzziest, or underrated authors and story creators, whose work |
| 0:44.7 | I think is worth your time. As a bookstore owner, publisher, author, and obviously podcaster, |
| 0:51.3 | I get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my |
| 0:55.4 | time curating the best books so you don't have to. Stay in the know, get insider insights, |
| 1:00.8 | and connect with guests like I do every single day. For more information, go to zibbymedia.com |
| 1:07.1 | and follow me on Instagram at Zibby Owens. |
| 1:16.0 | Laura Dickerman is the author of Hot Desk, a novel. |
| 1:21.7 | Laura has an MA in fiction from NYU and an MA in English from Middlebury College's Breadloaf School of English. |
| 1:23.7 | She has taught high school English at the Hopkins School, the Collegiate School, and Germantown |
| 1:28.6 | Friends. She was an intern at the Paris Review many, many years ago. At her lowest point, |
| 1:33.6 | she spent a month temping for her youngest brother who was critical of her photocopying skills. |
| 1:39.0 | She has been a book club leader, tutor, and recipient of an N-E-H grant. She lives in Atlanta |
| 1:44.0 | with her husband. They have two |
| 1:45.4 | grown daughters. Hot Desk is her first novel. Welcome, Laura. Thank you so much for coming on |
| 1:50.1 | Totally booked to talk about Hot Desk, a novel. Congratulations. Thank you so much. Thank you so much |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Zibby Owens, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Zibby Owens and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.