Minisode: An Interview with "I Thought It Would Be Better Than This" Author Jessica N. Turner

Currently Reading

Meredith Schwartz

Allthebooks, Books, Read, Arts, Bookpodcast, Reading, Whatshouldireadnext, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2025

⏱️ 35 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Today’s spoiler-free minisode (the first one in years!) includes a conversation between Kaytee and author Jessica N Turner. Jessica is the author of multiple books. Her newest is I Thought it Would Be Better Than This, a memoir wrapped into self-help about dealing with disappointment in our lives. Tune in to hear about:

The process of writing a book that intricately details someone else’s story.
What it was like to pivot from more traditional productivity and self-help into memoir.
Finding love again.
The “soft” places we land when we are hurting.
Ways to be a witness and be with someone in their grief and disappointment.
Jessica’s own Current Reads.

Minisode show notes are not timestamped, but linked titles are below for you to peruse. These are affiliate links, which kick back a small percentage of your purchase to the podcast, which helps support the show!

Season 1, Episode 7: First time Jessica was on the show.

I Thought it Would Be Better Than This by Jessica N. Turner

Jessica’s website

The Fringe Hours by Jessica N. Turner

Stretched Too Thin by Jessica N. Turner

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

(Just want to point out here that just like our no-prep episodes, Jessica does this Current Reads section all off the cuff and I am suitably impressed!)

Moloka’i by Alan Brennert

Daughter of Moloka’i by Alan Brenert

Connect With Us:

Jessica can be found on Instagram at @jessicanturner or at her website

The Show: Instagram | Website | Email | Threads

The Hosts and Regulars: Meredith | Kaytee | Mary | Roxanna

Production and Editing: Megan Phouthavong Evans

Affiliate Disclosure: All affiliate links go to Bookshop dot org unless otherwise noted. Shopping here helps keep the lights on and benefits indie bookstores. Thanks for your support!

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Hi there, bookish friends. I am so excited to finally, after many years away, welcome you back to another
0:17.4	author interview episode here on Currently Reading. I'm thrilled to be joined
0:22.2	today by my dear friend now after many years of hanging out together online, Jessica Turner.
0:27.9	You can go way back to episode seven of season one to hear Jessica the first time she was on
0:32.6	the podcast. But today we are celebrating something new. Jessica, welcome back to currently reading, my dear.
0:38.9	Thank you so much for having me.
0:41.3	I always love to be in your company.
0:43.3	It's so delightful to get to spend time together.
0:46.0	And over the many years, we've had a lot of things in common.
0:49.5	But today, we are going to maybe get a little bit vulnerable because I would love for you to start this
0:55.3	episode out by introducing yourself a little bit to anybody who doesn't know you and telling us
1:00.1	about your brand new book. Sure. So like you said, my name is Jessica Turner, Jessica N Turner
1:07.0	online. And that N is very important if you look me up online because JessicaTunner.com
1:12.5	is a porn site, Katie. Oh no. Not ideal. And especially when you've got a new book out and lots of
1:18.9	people are looking you off. I had a reporter this week say, hey, I missed the N and your dot com. And that was a
1:24.5	big mistake on my work computer. I was like, yes it was. So Jessica and
1:29.4	Turner, my full-time work is as an influencer. I like to say that I help busy women with
1:34.8	decision fatigue make decisions, whether that's decisions for what to wear or where to go with
1:40.3	their families on vacation or how to navigate hard things. And how to navigate hard things is really the topic of my brand new book that has just
1:49.4	released this week called I Thought It Would Be Better Than This, Rise from Disappointment,
1:54.2	Regained Control and Rebuild a Life You Love.
1:56.8	And it is one part memoir, one part self-help, and tells the story of my 16-year marriage ending
	...

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