1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Hey fam, Hello Sunshine. Today on the bright Side, we're 2 00:00:06,400 --> 00:00:09,879 Speaker 1: talking murder mystery. Best selling author and the June pick 3 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,959 Speaker 1: for Reese's Book Club, Ali Condy is here to discuss 4 00:00:13,000 --> 00:00:16,280 Speaker 1: her new novel that's creating lots and lots of buzz. 5 00:00:16,720 --> 00:00:19,880 Speaker 1: It's Thursday, June twentieth. I'm Danielle Robe. 6 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:22,680 Speaker 2: And I'm Simone Boyce and this is the bright Side 7 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,120 Speaker 2: from Hello Sunshine, Simone. 8 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,200 Speaker 1: Today, We're joined by best selling author Ali Condy, and 9 00:00:30,680 --> 00:00:33,600 Speaker 1: she's known for her wildly popular young adult book series 10 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,879 Speaker 1: and recently she released a new murder mystery. The Internet 11 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,360 Speaker 1: is a Blaze. It's called The Unwedding and it is 12 00:00:40,440 --> 00:00:44,360 Speaker 1: a June Reese's Book Club pick. Everything about this book 13 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,320 Speaker 1: and the story behind it is giving Lemonade by Beyonce. 14 00:00:48,080 --> 00:00:51,840 Speaker 1: Let me explain. Author Ali had a twentieth wedding anniversary 15 00:00:51,840 --> 00:00:55,320 Speaker 1: trip planned, and obviously this is supposed to be romantic 16 00:00:55,440 --> 00:00:59,920 Speaker 1: and relaxing and a celebration of her commitment to her 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:03,120 Speaker 1: and his commitment to heart. But in a twist of 18 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:06,560 Speaker 1: terrible fate, she and her husband get divorced and she 19 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:08,920 Speaker 1: finds out that he's still going to go on the trip, 20 00:01:08,959 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: but he's going with another woman. So Ali decides she's 21 00:01:13,280 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: going to go on a trip too, and she arrives 22 00:01:15,200 --> 00:01:18,120 Speaker 1: at this hotel and immediately finds out that there's a 23 00:01:18,160 --> 00:01:20,800 Speaker 1: wedding going on. Can you imagine how gutting that would be? 24 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 1: So brutal? Oh my gosh, this is such a wild backstory. 25 00:01:25,080 --> 00:01:27,319 Speaker 1: I can't believe it. But here's the bright side. Okay, 26 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:30,880 Speaker 1: Allie's sitting at the bar by herself, people watching, and 27 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:34,560 Speaker 1: her imagination is taking over, and she thinks, what if 28 00:01:34,600 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: there was a murder here and I was the only 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,440 Speaker 1: person that could solve it. You know what's funny is 30 00:01:39,440 --> 00:01:41,280 Speaker 1: that's not the kind of murder I'd be thinking about 31 00:01:41,280 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: on a trip like that. But I'm glad that she 32 00:01:42,880 --> 00:01:47,119 Speaker 1: has an imagination because that moment inspired her to write 33 00:01:47,200 --> 00:01:50,640 Speaker 1: and publish what has become her first murder mystery, and 34 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:53,000 Speaker 1: now she's the June pick for Reese's Book Clubs. So 35 00:01:53,400 --> 00:01:55,559 Speaker 1: talk about turning your mess into your message. 36 00:01:55,680 --> 00:01:58,760 Speaker 2: I mean, I'm so excited to hear all of this 37 00:01:58,960 --> 00:02:02,200 Speaker 2: in her own words, because stories like this where someone 38 00:02:02,280 --> 00:02:06,160 Speaker 2: took life's bitter lemons and turned it into sweet, sweet lemonade, 39 00:02:06,200 --> 00:02:09,200 Speaker 2: they're always so epic, right, Danielle Hm. I mean it's 40 00:02:09,240 --> 00:02:11,680 Speaker 2: such a universal experience, right, Like, if you've been on 41 00:02:11,720 --> 00:02:14,639 Speaker 2: this earth long enough, it's going to happen to you. Danielle. 42 00:02:14,720 --> 00:02:16,440 Speaker 2: Can you think of a time when you turn something 43 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:19,880 Speaker 2: tragic into magic? Anything come to mind? 44 00:02:20,240 --> 00:02:22,320 Speaker 1: Yes? And mine also has to do with a man. 45 00:02:22,760 --> 00:02:25,680 Speaker 1: My ex boyfriend years ago broke up with me on 46 00:02:25,720 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 1: a beach in Cabo, and then subsequently we spent the 47 00:02:29,600 --> 00:02:32,520 Speaker 1: next ten days together with both of our families there, 48 00:02:33,040 --> 00:02:37,080 Speaker 1: which was brutal, and I had to move out and 49 00:02:37,120 --> 00:02:38,840 Speaker 1: I was so broke and I didn't know how I 50 00:02:38,960 --> 00:02:42,280 Speaker 1: was going to move into an apartment, And that whole 51 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:46,799 Speaker 1: experience set me on like an amplification of my career. 52 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,080 Speaker 1: I started sending out cold emails and started doing digital 53 00:02:50,120 --> 00:02:54,040 Speaker 1: media work and moved into and decorated my own apartment. 54 00:02:54,680 --> 00:02:58,320 Speaker 1: And previously I had found a pro con list that 55 00:02:58,360 --> 00:03:01,960 Speaker 1: he made about me, and one of the cons was 56 00:03:02,000 --> 00:03:04,680 Speaker 1: that he felt like I couldn't just like get stuff done. 57 00:03:05,360 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: And that year I got the most done ever. I 58 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:10,400 Speaker 1: did a triathlon, I made the most money I had made, 59 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:11,440 Speaker 1: and I was. 60 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:15,720 Speaker 2: Really sticking it to him getting dumped on a beach 61 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:18,239 Speaker 2: in Cabo with all of your family watching. That sounds 62 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,760 Speaker 2: like the beginning of a great novel. To me, I've 63 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 2: always wanted to write a novel about it. But let's 64 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,480 Speaker 2: talk to somebody who's actually done it. We are here 65 00:03:25,680 --> 00:03:26,679 Speaker 2: with the June. 66 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: RBC pick Ali Condy. She's talking love, marriage and mystery. Ali, 67 00:03:32,240 --> 00:03:33,560 Speaker 1: Welcome to the bright Side. 68 00:03:33,960 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 3: Thank you, Thank you so much for having me. 69 00:03:36,600 --> 00:03:39,600 Speaker 2: Ali. I was really struck by the real life inspiration 70 00:03:39,800 --> 00:03:42,480 Speaker 2: behind this book. I mean, did you have anyone specific 71 00:03:42,480 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 2: in mind when you were writing this murder mystery? That 72 00:03:46,920 --> 00:03:51,080 Speaker 2: is such a great and perfectly loaded question. Yeah, I 73 00:03:51,120 --> 00:03:54,480 Speaker 2: mean clearly I did. Like as you mentioned, you know, 74 00:03:54,520 --> 00:03:55,440 Speaker 2: we'd been divorced. 75 00:03:55,760 --> 00:03:57,320 Speaker 4: It was clear I wasn't going to be going on 76 00:03:57,360 --> 00:04:00,480 Speaker 4: the twentieth anniversary trip with him, and yet still somehow 77 00:04:00,480 --> 00:04:04,320 Speaker 4: it hurt. Everything I was reading was saying, get yourself 78 00:04:04,360 --> 00:04:07,080 Speaker 4: out there, be comfortable, being on your own, all of that, 79 00:04:07,240 --> 00:04:10,280 Speaker 4: and I thought, absolutely so I took myself on a 80 00:04:10,320 --> 00:04:13,040 Speaker 4: trip and it was just harder than I expected. I 81 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:16,760 Speaker 4: did miss him. I particularly missed my children. That's the 82 00:04:16,760 --> 00:04:19,240 Speaker 4: hardest part of divorces. You're no longer with them all 83 00:04:19,279 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 4: the time, and as a parent and a mother, that 84 00:04:22,480 --> 00:04:23,480 Speaker 4: feels very foreign. 85 00:04:23,480 --> 00:04:24,600 Speaker 3: It feels completely wrong. 86 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:27,240 Speaker 4: I still haven't gotten over that part, but I realized, oh, 87 00:04:27,240 --> 00:04:30,280 Speaker 4: I shoot, everyone else is here with someone else. And 88 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,520 Speaker 4: I was used to being alone on book tour. I 89 00:04:32,520 --> 00:04:34,359 Speaker 4: thought I could handle it just fine. But I also 90 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:37,080 Speaker 4: didn't have the purpose of book tour. So it was 91 00:04:37,200 --> 00:04:39,719 Speaker 4: just me eating food, kind of looking at my phone, 92 00:04:39,800 --> 00:04:44,040 Speaker 4: looking around, and yeah, that inspiration for the main character. 93 00:04:44,160 --> 00:04:46,800 Speaker 4: That's pretty much the opening scene of the book is 94 00:04:47,240 --> 00:04:49,520 Speaker 4: how I was feeling. And then, of course I didn't 95 00:04:49,560 --> 00:04:52,600 Speaker 4: solve any murders. None of that happened, but I did 96 00:04:52,640 --> 00:04:55,680 Speaker 4: start looking around and paying attention and feeling sorry for myself, 97 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,240 Speaker 4: kind of like, oh. 98 00:04:57,560 --> 00:04:59,360 Speaker 3: They're so happy, look at that couple. 99 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 4: And then it deteriorated pretty quickly into well, I don't 100 00:05:03,240 --> 00:05:05,040 Speaker 4: think they're going to make it. You know, you start 101 00:05:05,360 --> 00:05:08,400 Speaker 4: you start being pretty honest with your assessments of everyone 102 00:05:08,400 --> 00:05:10,640 Speaker 4: around you, and you often when you're traveling, you do 103 00:05:10,760 --> 00:05:13,000 Speaker 4: have kind of that whole microcosm of human life, like 104 00:05:13,040 --> 00:05:15,080 Speaker 4: there are people who are super happy, there are people 105 00:05:15,160 --> 00:05:19,240 Speaker 4: who look miserable, different family groupings, different couples, different ages 106 00:05:19,320 --> 00:05:22,360 Speaker 4: of couples, all of that, and so as the weekend progressed, 107 00:05:22,360 --> 00:05:24,960 Speaker 4: it got more and more fun, the people watching, and 108 00:05:25,000 --> 00:05:27,160 Speaker 4: pretty quickly I had the thought, oh, man, if there 109 00:05:27,160 --> 00:05:29,360 Speaker 4: were a murder here, I'd be the only one who 110 00:05:29,360 --> 00:05:31,880 Speaker 4: could solve it because I'm the only one who's been 111 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,240 Speaker 4: noticing everybody else, because I don't have anyone else to 112 00:05:35,240 --> 00:05:36,039 Speaker 4: pay attention to. 113 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,760 Speaker 1: Well, what did you discover about yourself in the writing process, 114 00:05:39,800 --> 00:05:42,320 Speaker 1: because to me, it felt like there was a little 115 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: bit of therapy here, even though it is a novel. 116 00:05:46,240 --> 00:05:47,880 Speaker 3: Yeah, I mean absolutely there was. 117 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,200 Speaker 4: And you know, I have kids, and I'm really conscious 118 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,000 Speaker 4: of how how I talk about the book, so you know, 119 00:05:53,040 --> 00:05:55,960 Speaker 4: their dad is a great dad. I'm not trying to 120 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 4: in any way take him down or shame him or 121 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:00,800 Speaker 4: make him look like any thing bad at all. 122 00:06:00,880 --> 00:06:03,960 Speaker 3: But the pain was real. And you know, this book is. 123 00:06:03,880 --> 00:06:07,440 Speaker 4: Coming out now, but I've been remarried for almost a year, 124 00:06:07,880 --> 00:06:09,800 Speaker 4: and so the book always comes out a little bit 125 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 4: past the experience if you are writing anything that you're 126 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:15,799 Speaker 4: kind of going through the time. But in that sense, yeah, 127 00:06:15,880 --> 00:06:17,680 Speaker 4: I mean it feels like I definitely wouldn't have had 128 00:06:17,680 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 4: the idea to write this particular murder mystery without that experience. 129 00:06:22,440 --> 00:06:25,720 Speaker 4: I wouldn't have had the idea to kind of go 130 00:06:25,839 --> 00:06:28,360 Speaker 4: for it. I don't think, because I don't know if 131 00:06:28,400 --> 00:06:30,680 Speaker 4: you guys have experienced this. I hope you haven't, but 132 00:06:30,760 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 4: I think we all have where you lose something really, 133 00:06:33,800 --> 00:06:36,600 Speaker 4: really profound and then it almost feels like you have 134 00:06:36,680 --> 00:06:40,039 Speaker 4: nothing left to lose. Yes, and so in the past, 135 00:06:40,080 --> 00:06:42,960 Speaker 4: where I might I might have been precious about it, like, oh, 136 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:45,080 Speaker 4: it'll be so embarrassing if I write this book and 137 00:06:45,120 --> 00:06:47,600 Speaker 4: it doesn't do well, or oh, I should stay in 138 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:50,480 Speaker 4: my lane and write young adult or children's books, which 139 00:06:50,480 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 4: I love and still plan to write. 140 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:54,360 Speaker 3: Instead, I thought, well, the worst has. 141 00:06:54,279 --> 00:06:56,960 Speaker 4: Already happened, you know, I don't It's fine if I 142 00:06:57,040 --> 00:06:58,120 Speaker 4: fail at writing a book. 143 00:06:58,839 --> 00:07:00,840 Speaker 3: Harder things than this exist in the world. 144 00:07:01,400 --> 00:07:03,880 Speaker 1: Your main character, Ellery has had more than one rough 145 00:07:03,920 --> 00:07:06,520 Speaker 1: patch in her life. Why did you want to center 146 00:07:06,640 --> 00:07:08,839 Speaker 1: your main character in tragedy like that? 147 00:07:09,480 --> 00:07:12,360 Speaker 3: I think she's also centered in a lot of joy. 148 00:07:12,720 --> 00:07:15,440 Speaker 4: But yeah, this is her tragedy era, right, and so, 149 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:20,480 Speaker 4: but it's not her first tragedy era. And unfortunately, and fortunately, 150 00:07:20,520 --> 00:07:23,600 Speaker 4: I guess for character growth and for personal growth, we 151 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:25,920 Speaker 4: don't have a quota, right, Like, we don't have a 152 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:28,480 Speaker 4: quota of bad stuff that happens to us. I think 153 00:07:28,520 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 4: when I was growing up, I felt like, Oh, everyone 154 00:07:31,840 --> 00:07:34,080 Speaker 4: probably has one or two really bad things happen, and 155 00:07:34,120 --> 00:07:37,239 Speaker 4: that is just not the case at all. I learned 156 00:07:37,280 --> 00:07:39,320 Speaker 4: that pretty early on when I was a high school teacher, 157 00:07:39,440 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 4: Like some kids would come to me and I felt like, Oh, 158 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:44,120 Speaker 4: my word, you're twelve and you've already met what I 159 00:07:44,120 --> 00:07:46,200 Speaker 4: feel like should be your quota for life. And then 160 00:07:46,280 --> 00:07:49,280 Speaker 4: some that's just not the way life works. And so 161 00:07:49,440 --> 00:07:51,320 Speaker 4: I was kind of showing like, she's been through some 162 00:07:51,360 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 4: hard stuff, but also it might keep coming, and so 163 00:07:55,040 --> 00:07:57,040 Speaker 4: how do you deal with that? How do you keep 164 00:07:57,120 --> 00:08:00,000 Speaker 4: moving forward even when some hard things have already happened 165 00:08:00,160 --> 00:08:04,080 Speaker 4: to you? And the same thing is true wonderfully of joy. 166 00:08:04,120 --> 00:08:07,480 Speaker 4: There's also no quota in that. Yeah, And so even 167 00:08:07,520 --> 00:08:08,120 Speaker 4: when you're. 168 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,080 Speaker 3: Down and out and the darkest thing you can think. 169 00:08:10,880 --> 00:08:14,280 Speaker 4: Of has happened, you will be there's that great phrase, 170 00:08:14,320 --> 00:08:16,440 Speaker 4: surprised by joy, and you will be. There will be 171 00:08:16,480 --> 00:08:19,480 Speaker 4: things that happen that keep happening that are great too. 172 00:08:19,600 --> 00:08:22,000 Speaker 4: So I wanted to show that a little bit as well. 173 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:26,400 Speaker 1: ALI Something that my friend group has been discussing over 174 00:08:26,440 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: the last few years as some people have gotten married, 175 00:08:29,200 --> 00:08:35,160 Speaker 1: is keeping their maiden names versus taking their married name. 176 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:40,680 Speaker 1: And I found this particularly interesting because you posted about 177 00:08:40,679 --> 00:08:44,080 Speaker 1: the emotional struggle with wanting to put your maiden name 178 00:08:44,120 --> 00:08:46,440 Speaker 1: on the book after your divorce, but you were told 179 00:08:46,559 --> 00:08:50,559 Speaker 1: no because your identity as an author had already been established. 180 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:54,559 Speaker 1: How did you deal with that? 181 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:57,360 Speaker 3: That was tricky. I love that you noticed that post. 182 00:08:58,240 --> 00:08:59,880 Speaker 4: So when I got married, I mean, I've been dating 183 00:08:59,880 --> 00:09:02,120 Speaker 4: the same guy since I was eighteen, and I entered. 184 00:09:01,880 --> 00:09:04,920 Speaker 3: That marriage at the ripe old age of twenty one. Wholeheartedly. 185 00:09:05,960 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 4: There's no way I thought that I would not have 186 00:09:08,160 --> 00:09:10,600 Speaker 4: this name for the rest of my life. And then 187 00:09:10,640 --> 00:09:12,480 Speaker 4: I had a baby at twenty four, so it pretty 188 00:09:12,520 --> 00:09:15,720 Speaker 4: quickly also became connected to my children. 189 00:09:15,960 --> 00:09:17,520 Speaker 3: I made that connection. Honestly. 190 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,440 Speaker 4: I made that decision in a sort of pure of 191 00:09:20,520 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 4: heart way. But yeah, the ramifications were tough because I 192 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:26,480 Speaker 4: asked if we could change it back to my maiden name, 193 00:09:26,520 --> 00:09:30,240 Speaker 4: which is Ali Braithwaite, which is a little unwieldy, but 194 00:09:30,280 --> 00:09:32,199 Speaker 4: I also liked it. I was that person for a 195 00:09:32,240 --> 00:09:36,480 Speaker 4: long time, and I did completely understand the publisher's decision. 196 00:09:36,800 --> 00:09:38,120 Speaker 4: We all at the end of the day, we all 197 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:39,880 Speaker 4: want to sell books. We all want to make sure 198 00:09:39,880 --> 00:09:42,040 Speaker 4: that the book is successful, and I'm not trying to 199 00:09:42,080 --> 00:09:44,600 Speaker 4: sabotage that, but it became a. 200 00:09:44,559 --> 00:09:46,360 Speaker 3: Second choosing of that name. 201 00:09:46,559 --> 00:09:49,920 Speaker 4: While I can go by Ali Braithwaite in my private life, 202 00:09:50,640 --> 00:09:52,840 Speaker 4: my public life has to be Ali Condy. And so 203 00:09:53,440 --> 00:09:56,200 Speaker 4: I kind of made my peace with that thanks to 204 00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,560 Speaker 4: as many things in my life, friends coming through and 205 00:09:59,600 --> 00:10:02,000 Speaker 4: saying so some wonderful things I hadn't thought of myself. 206 00:10:02,040 --> 00:10:06,080 Speaker 4: But another author who's been very successful said, you know 207 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,319 Speaker 4: that name. I don't think of your husband when I 208 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:10,199 Speaker 4: think of that name. When I think of your name, 209 00:10:10,240 --> 00:10:12,320 Speaker 4: I think of you. I don't think of any association 210 00:10:12,480 --> 00:10:15,280 Speaker 4: with anyone else. And I realized, oh, there's this whole 211 00:10:15,320 --> 00:10:18,520 Speaker 4: professional sphere. They don't know him at all. This is 212 00:10:18,559 --> 00:10:20,880 Speaker 4: all me, and that then I suddenly felt like a 213 00:10:20,920 --> 00:10:24,160 Speaker 4: really exciting space to step into, like, oh, yeah, I 214 00:10:24,240 --> 00:10:27,160 Speaker 4: built this sort of you know, and spouses are supportive, 215 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,240 Speaker 4: they're great, But I built this independent of him, and 216 00:10:29,280 --> 00:10:31,200 Speaker 4: that wasn't a space he ever really chose to come 217 00:10:31,240 --> 00:10:34,720 Speaker 4: into with me, and so that felt freeing. 218 00:10:35,080 --> 00:10:37,079 Speaker 3: And then I also realized the. 219 00:10:37,040 --> 00:10:40,400 Speaker 4: Connection with my kids, I want that connection and I 220 00:10:40,400 --> 00:10:44,240 Speaker 4: think naming is about connection. Sometimes people choose new names 221 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:46,439 Speaker 4: because they don't feel connected to. 222 00:10:46,400 --> 00:10:48,360 Speaker 3: The name their parents gave them, and that's great. 223 00:10:48,440 --> 00:10:51,040 Speaker 4: And at this point I realized, oh, the connection's not 224 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:54,280 Speaker 4: about an ex spouse anymore. It's about my readership and 225 00:10:54,360 --> 00:10:56,280 Speaker 4: my children. So that felt good. 226 00:10:57,160 --> 00:10:59,920 Speaker 1: There is a legacy that you're building for your kids. 227 00:11:00,200 --> 00:11:02,480 Speaker 1: And I have never met your ex husband, so all 228 00:11:02,520 --> 00:11:04,000 Speaker 1: I know is Ali Kandy. 229 00:11:06,120 --> 00:11:08,040 Speaker 3: Well there I go. Yeah, so that feels great. 230 00:11:09,120 --> 00:11:11,600 Speaker 1: You know, there's this sentiment from the book that I love. 231 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:16,000 Speaker 1: The main character Ellery says, everybody has a shadow. So 232 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:17,960 Speaker 1: there's a light and there's a shadow. What does the 233 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:18,640 Speaker 1: shadow mean? 234 00:11:19,800 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 4: The shadow is just to me, it's the part that 235 00:11:22,360 --> 00:11:26,280 Speaker 4: everyone would just prefer to keep hidden. And that doesn't 236 00:11:26,280 --> 00:11:28,720 Speaker 4: even necessarily mean that the shadow is a bad thing, 237 00:11:28,880 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 4: but it's the part of you that you feel like 238 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 4: it's best to keep this to myself or I don't 239 00:11:34,120 --> 00:11:37,160 Speaker 4: totally want other people to see this until I trust them. 240 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:39,760 Speaker 4: And sometimes it is a dark thing too. You know, 241 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,959 Speaker 4: I've met people who have some dark secrets, and right 242 00:11:43,040 --> 00:11:45,640 Speaker 4: I've met people who don't, but they're very private about 243 00:11:45,640 --> 00:11:47,080 Speaker 4: certain parts of their life. 244 00:11:47,160 --> 00:11:48,920 Speaker 3: And so that's kind of what I was thinking of. 245 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:51,600 Speaker 4: Everybody does have a shadow, and for the purposes of 246 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:53,960 Speaker 4: a murder mystery. Is that shadow a dark thing? Or 247 00:11:54,040 --> 00:11:56,760 Speaker 4: is that shadow just the part they want to keep hidden? 248 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,000 Speaker 4: And what does that mean as she's trying to figure 249 00:11:59,040 --> 00:11:59,840 Speaker 4: out who might be a. 250 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:02,520 Speaker 2: Ca I love it. I think we should have more 251 00:12:02,559 --> 00:12:05,120 Speaker 2: shadows in the world. I want to see more people's shadows. 252 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 2: I agree, Yeah, like I can think of so many 253 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:10,959 Speaker 2: famous people. I'm like, I want to see what your 254 00:12:10,960 --> 00:12:11,720 Speaker 2: shadow looks like. 255 00:12:12,400 --> 00:12:14,320 Speaker 1: We need to take a quick break, but we'll be 256 00:12:14,440 --> 00:12:14,960 Speaker 1: right back. 257 00:12:15,200 --> 00:12:31,800 Speaker 2: Stay with us. We're back, So Ali. One of our 258 00:12:31,840 --> 00:12:34,719 Speaker 2: special treats that we like to give our Brightside bessies 259 00:12:35,080 --> 00:12:38,480 Speaker 2: is a reading from the author herself. So we've selected 260 00:12:38,480 --> 00:12:40,600 Speaker 2: a passage that we would love for you to read 261 00:12:40,640 --> 00:12:43,440 Speaker 2: to us. Can you go ahead and give us some context? 262 00:12:43,920 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 4: Yeah, I'd love to do that. And I love this 263 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,480 Speaker 4: passage that you suggested that I read. It's not one 264 00:12:49,559 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 4: I've been able to read a lot because I can't 265 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:53,760 Speaker 4: get through it without crying. So we'll see how this goes. 266 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:56,320 Speaker 4: But it is one of the few passages in the 267 00:12:56,360 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 4: book that is taken directly from real life. So in 268 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:03,800 Speaker 4: this passage. She has a son named Ethan, and they 269 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,440 Speaker 4: have been on a family vacation prior to the divorce 270 00:13:06,520 --> 00:13:09,760 Speaker 4: to Universal Studios and had a really wonderful time and 271 00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,319 Speaker 4: he ended up getting one of the Harry Potter wands 272 00:13:12,679 --> 00:13:14,800 Speaker 4: and that's been kind of his favorite thing since they've 273 00:13:14,800 --> 00:13:18,440 Speaker 4: returned from this trip. And then it's now post divorced, 274 00:13:19,120 --> 00:13:22,760 Speaker 4: and they go on a little drive. She and her son, Ethan, 275 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 4: they live in Colorado, and there's a lot of beautiful places, 276 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,600 Speaker 4: and he has her taken to one of those beautiful 277 00:13:28,640 --> 00:13:32,360 Speaker 4: places and something else happens, and so that's the setup 278 00:13:32,400 --> 00:13:35,160 Speaker 4: for this scene. So again Ethan is the child and 279 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:39,719 Speaker 4: the main character is the mom. After they'd returned from 280 00:13:39,720 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 4: the trip, Ethan asked her repeatedly to take him to 281 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,720 Speaker 4: a lake up in the mountains that they sometimes visited. 282 00:13:45,280 --> 00:13:48,720 Speaker 4: It was a beautiful spot, blue water, perfect green pines, 283 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:51,960 Speaker 4: a sandier beach than you usually found in Colorado, a 284 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:54,600 Speaker 4: long wooden dock stretching out into the water from which 285 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:58,120 Speaker 4: you could launch kayaks or paddleboards. The day she'd finally 286 00:13:58,160 --> 00:14:00,679 Speaker 4: gotten around to taking Ethan had been mum. After their 287 00:14:00,720 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 4: trip to California later in the year, when the air 288 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,079 Speaker 4: and water were cool bordering on cold. There hadn't been 289 00:14:07,120 --> 00:14:10,280 Speaker 4: many people at the lake. Ethan had climbed out of 290 00:14:10,280 --> 00:14:13,200 Speaker 4: the car with a sense of purpose. Wait for me, buddy, 291 00:14:13,320 --> 00:14:15,480 Speaker 4: she said, trying to make sure she had her keys 292 00:14:15,520 --> 00:14:18,600 Speaker 4: and phone, But he was off, stalking intently out onto 293 00:14:18,600 --> 00:14:21,360 Speaker 4: the dock, since he had a pension for jumping into 294 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:24,760 Speaker 4: bodies of water. Fully clothed, she hurried after him, worried 295 00:14:24,800 --> 00:14:26,960 Speaker 4: he'd gotten it into his mind to go for a swim. 296 00:14:28,080 --> 00:14:29,920 Speaker 4: But Ethan stopped at the end of the dock and 297 00:14:29,960 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 4: turned to look at her. It was then that she 298 00:14:32,240 --> 00:14:34,920 Speaker 4: saw he was holding his wand she hadn't noticed that 299 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:37,240 Speaker 4: he'd brought it in the car. His blue eyes and 300 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:39,280 Speaker 4: the blue tshirt he was wearing in the blue water 301 00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:42,600 Speaker 4: behind him all brightened and deepened one another, and she thought, 302 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:48,640 Speaker 4: this is impossibly beautiful. He is impossibly beautiful, mom, Ethan said, 303 00:14:48,760 --> 00:14:50,760 Speaker 4: urgency in his tone. Mom. 304 00:14:51,000 --> 00:14:54,040 Speaker 3: To her surprise, he handed her the precious wand mom, 305 00:14:54,360 --> 00:14:58,000 Speaker 3: turn me into a fish, Oh, Ethan, she said, her 306 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,480 Speaker 3: heart breaking. I can't. 307 00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:04,160 Speaker 4: I'm so sorry. No, Mom, he said, you can. It 308 00:15:04,240 --> 00:15:06,880 Speaker 4: built and built the urgency in his voice. Then the 309 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,640 Speaker 4: distress the break in her heart until she thought they 310 00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 4: would both shatter inWORD or outwards. She didn't know, but 311 00:15:12,840 --> 00:15:15,680 Speaker 4: neither of them could bear this much pain, this much want, 312 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 4: this much failure. Mom Eth had kept saying, tears in 313 00:15:19,480 --> 00:15:22,600 Speaker 4: his eyes, Mom, please please. 314 00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 3: Turn me into a fish. When he finally realized that 315 00:15:26,080 --> 00:15:28,640 Speaker 3: she couldn't. Oh, how she hoped he didn't think it 316 00:15:28,680 --> 00:15:31,320 Speaker 3: was that she wouldn't. They got back into the car 317 00:15:31,360 --> 00:15:35,040 Speaker 3: and drove home. They wound down the forest roads in silence, 318 00:15:35,240 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 3: both of their faces tears stained. She hadn't seen the 319 00:15:38,720 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 3: wand since he had never asked to go to the 320 00:15:41,560 --> 00:15:44,600 Speaker 3: lake again, she had thought that day that it was 321 00:15:44,640 --> 00:15:48,040 Speaker 3: the worst she could possibly fail. Somewhe she'd been so 322 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:49,200 Speaker 3: absolutely wrong. 323 00:15:50,480 --> 00:15:54,160 Speaker 1: Thank you for that. Ali. Before you read, you said 324 00:15:54,160 --> 00:15:57,640 Speaker 1: that you usually cry when you read that passage. What 325 00:15:57,760 --> 00:16:00,000 Speaker 1: special meaning does it hold for you? 326 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 5: Well? 327 00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:03,560 Speaker 4: I tried not to read it too much because it 328 00:16:04,040 --> 00:16:07,560 Speaker 4: was a real experience that happened, and I'm not it's 329 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:13,320 Speaker 4: hard to revisit. Frankly, my son is neuro divergent and 330 00:16:13,360 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 4: we had that experience post divorce, and like I mentioned earlier, 331 00:16:17,680 --> 00:16:19,600 Speaker 4: it's one of the few real experiences I put in 332 00:16:19,600 --> 00:16:22,560 Speaker 4: the book, and that was just such a feeling that 333 00:16:22,720 --> 00:16:26,560 Speaker 4: day of he desperately wanted this thing, and he truly 334 00:16:26,640 --> 00:16:28,960 Speaker 4: thought I could grant it to him. He thought he 335 00:16:29,040 --> 00:16:31,360 Speaker 4: had all the elements there, he'd brought the wand we'd 336 00:16:31,360 --> 00:16:34,400 Speaker 4: gotten to the place, and then he was asking me 337 00:16:34,440 --> 00:16:38,360 Speaker 4: to transform him into something else, take him away from this, 338 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:40,760 Speaker 4: and there was I could not do it, you know, 339 00:16:40,800 --> 00:16:43,600 Speaker 4: there was no way for me to do that. And 340 00:16:43,720 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 4: as a parent, I mean, that's one of the hardest things, 341 00:16:46,960 --> 00:16:50,040 Speaker 4: is when you disappoint your child or when they desperately 342 00:16:50,080 --> 00:16:53,160 Speaker 4: deeply want something and you cannot give it to them, 343 00:16:53,240 --> 00:16:55,120 Speaker 4: even though you would love to be able to do that. 344 00:16:55,840 --> 00:16:59,120 Speaker 4: And so that's tricky for me to revisit because that 345 00:16:59,280 --> 00:17:02,680 Speaker 4: was a hard and that he really wanted that for me, 346 00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 4: and I didn't give it to him, and it became 347 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:07,680 Speaker 4: a little bit of a you know, a stand in 348 00:17:07,760 --> 00:17:09,760 Speaker 4: for all of the things he wanted, like an intact 349 00:17:09,840 --> 00:17:13,560 Speaker 4: family and different things that I also really wanted that 350 00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:17,040 Speaker 4: I also was unable to give him. And so that 351 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,120 Speaker 4: that feeling is still kind of with me. Frankly, there's 352 00:17:20,119 --> 00:17:21,879 Speaker 4: still some things that I wish I could provide that 353 00:17:21,920 --> 00:17:22,920 Speaker 4: I can, and as a parent. 354 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 3: That's really tough. 355 00:17:24,880 --> 00:17:27,560 Speaker 2: It's so hard. What do you say to your kids 356 00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:32,120 Speaker 2: in those moments, because it is really hard whenever your 357 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:33,960 Speaker 2: kids want something that you can't deliver. 358 00:17:35,680 --> 00:17:38,920 Speaker 4: Yeah, I kind of have to I have to acknowledge 359 00:17:38,960 --> 00:17:43,400 Speaker 4: that it's a valid want. You're not wrong to want this. 360 00:17:43,400 --> 00:17:47,359 Speaker 4: This makes sense that you want this to kind of 361 00:17:47,359 --> 00:17:49,439 Speaker 4: teach them to be able to do that for themselves. Like, 362 00:17:49,480 --> 00:17:52,040 Speaker 4: it's okay to want things. And often the things that 363 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:54,840 Speaker 4: you want are really good, and you still can't have 364 00:17:54,920 --> 00:17:57,520 Speaker 4: them because someone else is making a different choice or 365 00:17:57,560 --> 00:18:01,800 Speaker 4: the circumstances don't allow it. And then sometimes you can 366 00:18:01,840 --> 00:18:04,840 Speaker 4: acknowledge I want that too, but you don't want to 367 00:18:04,840 --> 00:18:07,440 Speaker 4: put yourself in there too much. You know, it's about 368 00:18:07,480 --> 00:18:10,560 Speaker 4: their want, not about yours. And then I say, I 369 00:18:10,600 --> 00:18:13,240 Speaker 4: can't fix it, but I can sit here with you 370 00:18:13,320 --> 00:18:16,040 Speaker 4: in the wanting. We can be here together, and then 371 00:18:16,280 --> 00:18:19,360 Speaker 4: what's something else that we can control that we can 372 00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:22,320 Speaker 4: maybe do. Sometimes that's the next step, and sometimes the 373 00:18:22,359 --> 00:18:25,239 Speaker 4: next step is not that. Sometimes the next step is 374 00:18:25,280 --> 00:18:28,520 Speaker 4: just Okay, we're still sad. Nothing's going to fix this, 375 00:18:29,160 --> 00:18:29,840 Speaker 4: and we'll just. 376 00:18:29,880 --> 00:18:32,000 Speaker 3: Be here in the sadness for a few minutes and 377 00:18:32,040 --> 00:18:34,080 Speaker 3: not try to move past it till already. 378 00:18:35,560 --> 00:18:38,399 Speaker 2: Ali, have you ever thought about being a parenting coach? No? 379 00:18:38,760 --> 00:18:42,680 Speaker 2: I was like, that was amazing. I learned so much 380 00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 2: just in that fifteen second SoundBite. 381 00:18:45,920 --> 00:18:48,360 Speaker 3: Oh gosh, that's so kind of you, Simone. 382 00:18:48,400 --> 00:18:51,480 Speaker 4: I'm muddling my way through like everyone else, but I 383 00:18:51,520 --> 00:18:52,800 Speaker 4: do really care about. 384 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:54,439 Speaker 3: It, so I hope that counts for something. 385 00:18:55,200 --> 00:19:00,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, totally. I think the sitting with is the hardest 386 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:02,040 Speaker 2: thing for adults and children to do, but it's the 387 00:19:02,080 --> 00:19:03,280 Speaker 2: best thing that you can do. 388 00:19:03,520 --> 00:19:06,360 Speaker 1: Oftentimes we need to take a quick break. But when 389 00:19:06,359 --> 00:19:10,520 Speaker 1: we come back, Alie answers your burning questions about the 390 00:19:10,600 --> 00:19:19,800 Speaker 1: unwetding and her writing process, and we're back. 391 00:19:20,200 --> 00:19:22,320 Speaker 2: All right, Allie, are we ready to get to some 392 00:19:22,359 --> 00:19:23,280 Speaker 2: listener questions? 393 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:25,520 Speaker 3: Yes, yeah, that would be great. 394 00:19:25,720 --> 00:19:28,280 Speaker 2: Okay, First up, we have a question about the setting 395 00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:29,719 Speaker 2: of the book from Karen. 396 00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:33,120 Speaker 3: Hi, Allie, this is Karen from New Jersey. 397 00:19:33,480 --> 00:19:35,560 Speaker 6: I'm a big thriller fan, so I picked the book 398 00:19:35,560 --> 00:19:39,439 Speaker 6: copy right away and I'm loving it. It is so 399 00:19:39,440 --> 00:19:42,760 Speaker 6: so good I can hardly put it down. I love 400 00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:45,240 Speaker 6: that the book was set in Big sur It feels 401 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:48,119 Speaker 6: like you have a big personal connection to this location. 402 00:19:48,840 --> 00:19:51,760 Speaker 6: How do you choose the settings for your stories and 403 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,320 Speaker 6: how much research goes into that detail. 404 00:19:55,520 --> 00:19:58,080 Speaker 4: Oh, thank you, Karen. I'm so glad you're liking the book. 405 00:19:58,520 --> 00:20:01,040 Speaker 4: And you're right, Big Sir is a special place for me. 406 00:20:01,560 --> 00:20:04,320 Speaker 4: It's a place that I first discovered with friends, and 407 00:20:04,359 --> 00:20:07,400 Speaker 4: so it's been a place I could return to without 408 00:20:07,720 --> 00:20:10,720 Speaker 4: sort of any residual memories or sadness other than having 409 00:20:10,760 --> 00:20:13,960 Speaker 4: been there with friends, which feels really great. And I 410 00:20:14,080 --> 00:20:17,800 Speaker 4: chose that setting because this is a locked room mystery 411 00:20:17,960 --> 00:20:19,400 Speaker 4: or a locked resort mystery. 412 00:20:19,720 --> 00:20:20,720 Speaker 3: There's been a mud. 413 00:20:20,520 --> 00:20:22,520 Speaker 4: Slide and the characters can't get out, and so the 414 00:20:22,560 --> 00:20:25,159 Speaker 4: main character is kind of called upon to solve this 415 00:20:25,280 --> 00:20:28,040 Speaker 4: murder mystery, and the absence of any real authority figures 416 00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:31,080 Speaker 4: and biggsur has that happened all the time where there's 417 00:20:31,119 --> 00:20:34,560 Speaker 4: mud slides, people do get helicoptered out of their luxury resorts, 418 00:20:34,760 --> 00:20:37,040 Speaker 4: and so it didn't feel like stretching things too much 419 00:20:37,080 --> 00:20:40,800 Speaker 4: to have that happen choosing that setting. I also love 420 00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:45,280 Speaker 4: settings where the natural world sort of bumps up against 421 00:20:45,880 --> 00:20:48,800 Speaker 4: man's desire for a high thread count, right like where 422 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:52,480 Speaker 4: we've got this edge of the world's setting, but also 423 00:20:52,680 --> 00:20:54,560 Speaker 4: people trying to have luxury. 424 00:20:54,119 --> 00:20:55,119 Speaker 3: At the end of the world. 425 00:20:55,720 --> 00:20:58,720 Speaker 4: I think it's just a very interesting place that we're in, 426 00:20:58,760 --> 00:21:01,400 Speaker 4: us human beings, where where we're trying to. 427 00:21:01,320 --> 00:21:02,560 Speaker 3: Push that limit a little bit. 428 00:21:02,600 --> 00:21:05,520 Speaker 4: And one of the other reasons is it's so beautiful 429 00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:08,080 Speaker 4: and it's so dangerous, and that felt like a great 430 00:21:08,080 --> 00:21:09,200 Speaker 4: place to have a murder. 431 00:21:10,000 --> 00:21:13,160 Speaker 1: Okay, I really like this. Next question, we're getting into 432 00:21:13,240 --> 00:21:16,440 Speaker 1: a little more detail on Ali's pivots. 433 00:21:16,840 --> 00:21:19,879 Speaker 7: Hey, Ali, I'm Alicia from North Carolina and I consider 434 00:21:19,920 --> 00:21:22,560 Speaker 7: myself a super reader. I average about one hundred and 435 00:21:22,560 --> 00:21:26,359 Speaker 7: seventy five to two hundred books per year. I'm a professor, 436 00:21:26,480 --> 00:21:29,439 Speaker 7: so I use the young adult books to help me 437 00:21:29,480 --> 00:21:33,159 Speaker 7: stay connected and engage with the students that I teach. 438 00:21:33,800 --> 00:21:37,800 Speaker 7: Of course, I loved your Match series and I was 439 00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:41,120 Speaker 7: very excited when I saw that you now have written 440 00:21:41,240 --> 00:21:44,680 Speaker 7: a adult a fiction and mystery book. And I fell 441 00:21:44,720 --> 00:21:48,080 Speaker 7: in love with the unwedding. You did such a great. 442 00:21:47,960 --> 00:21:49,200 Speaker 1: Job with Ellery. 443 00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,639 Speaker 7: I was able to connect with her as a woman 444 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,919 Speaker 7: in a middle age and things don't go as you plan. 445 00:21:56,760 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 7: So this leads to my question, was it struggle for 446 00:22:00,640 --> 00:22:04,200 Speaker 7: you to switch to the adult fiction and which genre 447 00:22:04,359 --> 00:22:07,359 Speaker 7: is harder for you to write. I'll look forward to 448 00:22:07,440 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 7: your response. 449 00:22:09,400 --> 00:22:11,960 Speaker 4: Thank you, Alicia, that's a very fun question, and thank 450 00:22:12,000 --> 00:22:15,680 Speaker 4: you for the kind words about matched. It wasn't a struggle, 451 00:22:15,760 --> 00:22:18,520 Speaker 4: and it totally was. So it wasn't a struggle in that, 452 00:22:18,720 --> 00:22:20,880 Speaker 4: as I alluded to earlier, I come to the book 453 00:22:20,920 --> 00:22:24,439 Speaker 4: from the character standpoint, so that didn't feel different. It 454 00:22:24,520 --> 00:22:26,600 Speaker 4: felt like, oh, here I am again with a character 455 00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:28,480 Speaker 4: that I want to get to know better and that 456 00:22:28,560 --> 00:22:31,880 Speaker 4: I want to explore a plot with. So that felt 457 00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,480 Speaker 4: very similar and not scary. But then it did feel different. 458 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,880 Speaker 4: It felt different because I was talking about different things. 459 00:22:39,240 --> 00:22:41,879 Speaker 4: You know, kids go through hard stuff and they have 460 00:22:42,000 --> 00:22:44,719 Speaker 4: the full realm of human experience pretty early, love and 461 00:22:45,160 --> 00:22:48,760 Speaker 4: jealousy and hard things happening and all the big feelings. 462 00:22:49,119 --> 00:22:50,639 Speaker 3: But when we've lived longer. 463 00:22:50,359 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 4: We've had maybe more of a variety of those, and 464 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:56,440 Speaker 4: so I could talk about divorce and disappointment and long 465 00:22:56,480 --> 00:22:57,400 Speaker 4: marriages and. 466 00:22:57,359 --> 00:22:59,119 Speaker 3: Just a different sort of toolbox. 467 00:22:59,560 --> 00:23:01,800 Speaker 4: But then that felt a little scary to try to 468 00:23:01,840 --> 00:23:04,120 Speaker 4: do right by all of that. And then, of course 469 00:23:04,160 --> 00:23:07,040 Speaker 4: I was totally intimidated to write a murder mystery because 470 00:23:07,040 --> 00:23:08,840 Speaker 4: I'm such a big fan of the genre. I've been 471 00:23:08,840 --> 00:23:12,000 Speaker 4: reading them since I was a child, and I thought. 472 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:13,159 Speaker 3: Oh, this is hard to do. 473 00:23:13,240 --> 00:23:16,320 Speaker 4: Well, I really want to take this seriously and make 474 00:23:16,359 --> 00:23:19,879 Speaker 4: sure that we care about the characters and their motivations 475 00:23:19,920 --> 00:23:22,280 Speaker 4: and so the mystery makes sense. And so that was 476 00:23:22,359 --> 00:23:24,960 Speaker 4: something I took very much to heart and was new 477 00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:25,240 Speaker 4: for me. 478 00:23:25,560 --> 00:23:29,840 Speaker 2: Yeah, all right, We've got one final question from Josie. 479 00:23:30,119 --> 00:23:35,040 Speaker 2: She wants an inside scoop on your writing approach. Hi, Allie, 480 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:36,080 Speaker 2: I'm Josie. 481 00:23:36,119 --> 00:23:39,119 Speaker 5: I started reading your matched books and he got me 482 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,760 Speaker 5: to learn about the YA genre, and now I'm trying 483 00:23:41,800 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 5: to become a writer. And I noticed that with your writing, 484 00:23:45,359 --> 00:23:48,280 Speaker 5: I become immersed into the world and I just feel 485 00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:50,439 Speaker 5: like I'm a part of the world. How do you 486 00:23:51,320 --> 00:23:55,200 Speaker 5: write those type of scenes? Like what is your technique? 487 00:23:55,280 --> 00:23:59,520 Speaker 5: How do you get it to become that detailed and 488 00:23:59,560 --> 00:24:01,320 Speaker 5: that easy need to read? 489 00:24:03,119 --> 00:24:05,560 Speaker 4: Joseie, that's a great question, and I'm so excited that 490 00:24:05,600 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 4: you're going to be a writer. I can't wait to 491 00:24:07,440 --> 00:24:11,920 Speaker 4: read what you've written. I think with writing descriptions sometimes 492 00:24:11,960 --> 00:24:14,320 Speaker 4: it comes to me pretty immediately. And maybe you've had 493 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,280 Speaker 4: this experience too, where you sit down and it just 494 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:21,520 Speaker 4: it flows. It feels lush, and it feels easy to describe, 495 00:24:21,520 --> 00:24:24,960 Speaker 4: and it feels like it's just flowing. And those are magical, 496 00:24:25,320 --> 00:24:28,480 Speaker 4: magical writing moments, and I definitely have those, and sometimes 497 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:31,919 Speaker 4: those are pretty pretty automatic, and then other times it 498 00:24:32,040 --> 00:24:35,359 Speaker 4: is just like pulling teeth. And so what I've learned 499 00:24:35,440 --> 00:24:38,840 Speaker 4: to do is I scaffold for later. And what I'll 500 00:24:38,880 --> 00:24:40,680 Speaker 4: do is I'll think I'm trying to write this scene. 501 00:24:40,720 --> 00:24:42,239 Speaker 4: I can picture it in my mind, but it's not 502 00:24:42,280 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 4: coming out on paper, and I'll just put the bare 503 00:24:45,040 --> 00:24:49,360 Speaker 4: structure of it there. She's in a forest. There's a smell, 504 00:24:50,320 --> 00:24:53,240 Speaker 4: this is happening. The trees are here. Just all the 505 00:24:53,280 --> 00:24:55,560 Speaker 4: little details that I can, even if they're not coming 506 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 4: to life, like there's juniper berries on the ground, the 507 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,880 Speaker 4: sky is pink, it is seventy five degrees. 508 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:03,280 Speaker 3: And so I'll just try to put. 509 00:25:03,200 --> 00:25:06,080 Speaker 4: In every little bit of framework that I can, and 510 00:25:06,119 --> 00:25:09,040 Speaker 4: then sometime later, often it happens after I've gone on 511 00:25:09,040 --> 00:25:10,919 Speaker 4: a hike or a run, or I've been outside for 512 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:14,880 Speaker 4: even five minutes, I'll go back and flesh out that framework. 513 00:25:14,920 --> 00:25:17,280 Speaker 4: I'll feel like, ooh, I have a little peeing of inspiration. 514 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,119 Speaker 4: I can go back and write that setting now, So 515 00:25:20,200 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 4: that would be my most concrete advice, But it sounds 516 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:26,200 Speaker 4: like you're doing pretty great already. You're already thinking about 517 00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:27,159 Speaker 4: the right things. 518 00:25:27,840 --> 00:25:30,720 Speaker 2: I'm always so impressed by the questions that we get 519 00:25:30,720 --> 00:25:31,600 Speaker 2: from our bright Side. 520 00:25:31,480 --> 00:25:33,480 Speaker 3: Oh my gosh, yeah, those were great. 521 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 1: Also, can we talk about the super reader, Alicia? One 522 00:25:37,480 --> 00:25:40,920 Speaker 1: hundred and seventy five to two hundred books a year. Incredible, 523 00:25:41,119 --> 00:25:46,800 Speaker 1: so impressive. That is amazing, incredible, Alie, thank you so much. 524 00:25:47,400 --> 00:25:49,440 Speaker 3: Oh, thank you both for having me. It's been such 525 00:25:49,440 --> 00:25:49,840 Speaker 3: a delight. 526 00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,440 Speaker 4: I've been listening to the podcast, and like so many 527 00:25:52,520 --> 00:25:54,920 Speaker 4: of your listeners, I already felt like you were my friends. 528 00:25:55,119 --> 00:25:57,480 Speaker 4: You guys are wonderful and I love the community. 529 00:25:57,640 --> 00:26:00,000 Speaker 2: That's an honor for us to hear that. Thank you. 530 00:26:00,119 --> 00:26:03,040 Speaker 1: You were a bestie before, but you're an official bestie now, Ali, 531 00:26:03,200 --> 00:26:03,919 Speaker 1: thank you for that. 532 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:05,439 Speaker 3: Oh, thank you. 533 00:26:06,760 --> 00:26:09,480 Speaker 2: Thanks so much to our bright Side besties Karen, Josie 534 00:26:09,520 --> 00:26:13,000 Speaker 2: and Alicia for sending in their questions. Ali Condy is 535 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:15,920 Speaker 2: the author of The Unweedding, which is Reese's Book Club's 536 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:18,960 Speaker 2: June selection. So go pick up a copy. It's available 537 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:20,399 Speaker 2: now wherever you get your books. 538 00:26:25,560 --> 00:26:28,879 Speaker 1: We're talking with the summerya pick from Reese's book Club. Next. 539 00:26:29,280 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: Author Alexin Ferrell Falmuth will be with us later this month, 540 00:26:32,560 --> 00:26:35,800 Speaker 1: so send your questions to Hello at the brightside dot com. 541 00:26:36,320 --> 00:26:39,280 Speaker 1: Listen and follow the bright Side on the iHeartRadio app, 542 00:26:39,320 --> 00:26:43,160 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Simone Boye. 543 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:46,600 Speaker 2: You can find me at Simone Voice on Instagram and TikTok. 544 00:26:47,240 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: Danielle Robe on Instagram and TikTok. That's ro Ba. 545 00:26:51,280 --> 00:27:04,160 Speaker 2: Y see you tomorrow, folks. Keep looking on the bright side.