IT’S PUB DAY FOR ZIBBY’S ANTHOLOGY! In honor of the big day, we’re releasing a special episode in which Zibby is interviewed…by her four kids! This is one episode you won’t want to miss (and don’t forget to pick up your copy of Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology, out TODAY!). All proceeds go to the Susan Felice Owens Program for COVID-19 Vaccine Research. Join for her launch party and fundraiser tonight at 7 pm EST. More info here!

Transcript:

Zibby Owens: Today is a very special episode of “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books” because I’m here with three of my kids. I’m going to loop in the last one also. My book is coming out today! It’s called Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology. Sixty-plus authors from my podcast contributed original essays to the book. This is probably a mistake, but I thought it would be fun for my kids to interview me for my podcast on pub day.

Child: Pub day?

Zibby: Pub day is the name of the day when your book comes out, kind of like your birthday.

Child: Ooh, so where’s the presents?

Zibby: There are no presents. Actually, you should get me presents. What are you going to get me? They’re off to the store.

Child: This thing. She believed she could, and she did.

Zibby: Aw, that’s perfect. My little guy has given me a framed saying. She believed she could, so she did.

Child: That was in our house already.

Zibby: That was in our house already.

Child: I gave you a book.

Zibby: My daughter gave me The Scaffold Effect by Dr. Harold Koplewicz, which is a perfect parenting book. Wait, you guys, one at a time. You said you wanted to go first. Now I’m holding the “Moms Don’t Have Time to Read Books” poster and a book in Korean. Go ahead. First up is my littlest guy.

Child: Hi.

Zibby: Hi. Do you have any questions for me about my book?

Child: What’s it called?

Zibby: Good question. It’s called Moms Don’t Have Time To: A Quarantine Anthology.

Child: What’s quarantine about?

Zibby: That’s another good question. Most of the essays were written during the quarantine from the coronavirus pandemic, COVID-19. A lot of people wrote these essays during the pandemic. They all released them on my website at first, We Found Time, during the pandemic. That was a great question.

Child: Interesting.

Zibby: Thank you. Any other questions?

Child: Is there any animals in the book?

Zibby: That is good question. Are there any animals in the book? I’m going to have to go back and look closely at the book to see.

Child: Except for that lovey I threw over the lamp in that photo.

Zibby: I’m trying to think if any of the essays are about animals or about how much someone loves their dog.

Child: There’s an animal on your cover.

Zibby: There’s an animal on the cover?

Child: Isn’t there?

Zibby: Let me think about it. That’s a great question. Anything else? These are really good ones.

Child: Is it black and white or color?

Zibby: The inside is black and white. The cover is color. Another good question. Anything else? Last question.

Child: Last question, is there any moms in the book?

Zibby: There are lots of moms in the book, including me. I wrote a few essays in the book. It’s true. There are some dads in the book as well. Thank you for my interview. That was so cute and amazing. Thank you. Now my thirteen-year-old daughter is up.

Child: She has a twin.

Zibby: And she has a twin.

Child: But he’s at boarding school.

Zibby: He’ll go later.

Daughter: What happened to We Found Time?

Zibby: That’s a great question. I decided to stop We Found Time after about two or three months of running it during the pandemic when I thought that maybe people didn’t have as much time anymore because I thought things might be going back to normal, which of course they were not. I decided to stop doing the magazine. Then in September, I realized, wait a minute, there’s so many great essays on We Found Time, I should try to make them into a book.

Daughter: How many books do you think you have behind you?

Zibby: How many books do you think I have behind me? What do you guys think?

Daughter: Can I estimate?

Zibby: Yes, you may.

Daughter: I’d say about 102, 200.

Zibby: I think maybe more than that.

Child: I’m going to say something.

Zibby: Please do.

Child: I have a question. .

Zibby: That’s a great question. There are about three hundred books, I think, behind me.

Daughter: Who was your first interview you ever did?

Zibby: The first interview I ever did was with my friend from business school whose name is Lea Carpenter.

Child: Is she your friend?

Zibby: Yeah, she’s my friend. She’s an author. She’s a screenwriter. She’s amazing. She wrote a book called Eleven Days and Red, White, Blue.

Child: Do you mean carpenter ?

Zibby: Yes, that’s what her name would mean, but she’s not really a carpenter.

Daughter: What was your last interview you did?

Zibby: The last interview I did, I’m trying to think of who I even interviewed today. It’s been one of those days.

Daughter: I know. I know exactly who you interviewed.

Zibby: Oh, it was Dr. Koplewicz, which is why my book is on my table. Any other questions? This is great.

Daughter: No.

Zibby: Nothing?

Daughter: Oh, I have a question. Why is there no lamp shade over the lamp?

Zibby: There is no lampshade on the lamp on my desk because I needed more light when I was on Good Day LA this morning. This is being recorded before February 16th. Today, when you’re listening to this, it’s February 16th. Thanks for the good questions. Now last up, my seven-year-old daughter.

Child: Who is pretty annoying.

Zibby: She is not annoying. Now sitting here is my seven-year-old daughter.

Child: Me and her get in fights a lot.

Zibby: Yes, you do, but you also play and have a lot of fun a lot. Do you have any questions for me?

Child: Do you like your book?

Zibby: I love my book. I love that all these authors took time to write essays for my book. They’re really good.

Child: How many pictures of you are in this book?

Zibby: That’s a good question. One. My little guy is now on the bed with a lampshade on his head. Any other questions for me?

Daughter: I have a question. Is this your first book you’ve ever written?

Zibby: This is not the first book I have ever written. Also, I didn’t totally write this book.

Daughter: What was your first book you ever did?

Zibby: I edited this book. The first book I ever did, I was nine years old. My grandparents published it for me. It was called Finders Keepers, Losers Weepers and How the Donut Got Its Hole. Seriously. Any other questions?

Child: Yes, yes, yes.

Zibby: Tell me.

Child: Can I look at the book?

Zibby: You may.

Daughter: Do you plan on drinking a gallon of water like everyone else in your family?

Zibby: I do not plan on drinking a gallon of water a day.

Daughter: Or half a gallon like I do?

Child: Excuse me, what book is this? Is this a photo album or a book?

Zibby: It’s a photo album.

Child: Okay. I have another question. Actually, not a question.

Zibby: A comment?

Child: Actually, a question. Why is your book so long?

Zibby: Because there’s so many essays and also because my acknowledgment section and my introduction are also pretty long. Any other questions? We’re going to wrap it up.

Child: Yes, I have a question.

Zibby: Tell me.

Child: Where is that dress you’re wearing on the cover?

Zibby: It is in my closet.

Child: What is this book about?

Zibby: It’s a collection of essays about all the things moms don’t have time to do.

Child: Moms don’t have time to eat.

Zibby: That’s right.

Child: Why’d you start this? Because you weren’t a mom before you wrote this?

Zibby: I started this because I wanted other people out there, not just moms, but other people to know that they weren’t the only ones having the same thoughts and feelings.

Child: I have a question. Why is there a book with a spoon and fork on it?

Zibby: It was supposed to be a menu.

Child: Oh. Why can’t they just write menu on it?

Zibby: I don’t know.

Child: I have a question.

Zibby: What’s that, sir?

Child:

Zibby: What’s your question?

Child: Why is the girl on the cover peering over?

Zibby: On the cover, it’s two of the kids who are currently being my interviewers.

Child: reading comic?

Zibby: I don’t know. In case you’re wondering if there’s another book coming, there is. My two sons will be on that cover. My two daughters are on this cover. Should we say goodbye? Anything else?

Children: Bye!

Child: Hope you all enjoyed the .

Zibby: Wait, you guys, do you even know what the world anthology means, by the way?

Children: No.

Zibby: An anthology is a collection of essays. This book, I didn’t write the whole thing myself. It’s an anthology.

Children: Bye!

Child: I hope you drink a lot of water each day. Mom only drinks a little water each day.

Child: I don’t know whoever’s listening to us, so please don’t do anything.

Child: Download Zibby Owens. Username is Zibby Owens.

Child: Please Roblox. It’s such a fun game. Right, sis?

Child: Oh, yeah.

Children: Bye!

Zibby: Now I’m here with my thirteen-year-old son who’s away at boarding school. He’s going to ask me a few questions too.

Son: Mom, what was the reason for you writing this book?

Zibby: I collected a lot of these essays because I wanted to make people who are home during the pandemic feeling alone and isolated feel better. Now it’s a way for everybody just to connect and not feel alone.

Son: Did you feel like what you did this quarantine was really effectful for some people, and helpful?

Zibby: I hope it was helpful for people. People told me it was, so that made me feel good.

Son: That’s good. What was your motor? What kept you going this entire time with keeping every interview every week, every couple days? What kept you going? What was your reason?

Zibby: That’s a great question. You stumped me. What’s the reason for my motor and why I do all these interviews? I’m really just trying to help people. It’s really fun. I have the best time doing it. I learn a lot. I feel like I’m contributing to the world outside of my home. I just love it. I guess that’s why.

Son: That’s great.

Zibby: Thanks. You can’t go yet. One more question. Anything you actually want to know about the book or me or writing or whatever. Today’s the day that the book comes out. That’s when this episode releases.

Son: Why’d you write a second? Your first hasn’t come out. Why’d you write the second already?

Zibby: Because it’s going to be great. Because there’s so many more things that moms don’t have time to do. There was so many authors who I wanted to include. There were sixty in the first one. There’ll be over fifty in the second. I just want to keep hearing from authors. I love authors. They’re amazing. The more content I can put out the world, I’m a messenger for everybody’s stories. It makes me feel good. Anything else?

Son: Has there been anything that really made it hard to keep going sometimes, made it a little bit troublesome?

Zibby: Anything that’s made it a little troublesome to keep going? You. No. It’s been a lot with trying to spend time with all you guys and do everything I’m doing, but it’s worth it. I hope I’m showing you that when you find something you love, you just throw your whole self at it. Hopefully, that’s a good example or else it’s just a giant waste of time.

Son: It could be a little bit of both.

Zibby: Thanks for the Zoom.

Son: No problem. Love you, Mom.

Zibby: Love you.

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