Nora Roberts, IDENTITY

[2:07]Zibby Owens: Hi. I'm Zibby Owens, and you're listening to Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. This thirty minute podcast features a new author interviewed by me every single day, three hundred and sixty five days a year for about thirty minutes. I am also the publisher for Zippy Books, which publishes 12 books a year in fiction and memoir. Our books are already out now. You can check it out on zippybooks.com. And we have a magazine called Zippy Mag where we have lots of wonderful essays and lifestyle features. That's at zippymag.com. We have classes at zippyclasses.com. And I recently opened a bookstore in LA called Zibby's Bookshop at 1113 Montana Avenue at 11th Street in Santa Monica. I hope that you are able to enjoy some of our other offerings, but this here podcast is the basis of all of it and started in 2018,

[3:00]Nora Roberts: and no matter what I do, this is basically my favorite thing. Enjoy.

[3:08]Zibby Owens: Nora Roberts is the author of Identity.

[3:11]Nora Roberts: You've probably heard of her because she is a number one New York Times bestselling author. Nora was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, the youngest of five children, and worked briefly as a legal secretary. She was stuck in a blizzard in February 1979 and decided to try another creative outlet when snowed in with a three and six year old with no kindergarten respite in sight. She was born into a family of readers and was always making up stories. So she took out a pencil and notebook and began to write down a story. Her first book, Irish Thoroughbred, was published in 1981. She got married in 1985, and has opened a bookstore, traveled the world with her husband and done amazing things. She has written a bazillion books, and recently, The New Yorker called her America's favorite novelist. This is, by the way, the bio on her website. If I count, she has five scrollable pages of books. She's written a lot of She's very famous. I'm sure you all know her already. Enjoy my episode with Nora. Welcome, Nora. Thank you so much for coming on Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books to discuss your latest book, Identity and Your Career and all the good things. Well, thanks. Thanks for having me. Nora, I can't get over how many books you've written, how many books you've I don't know how you're keeping this up. I need to know all the secrets. This is just you're just amazing. You're like a one woman wonder over there. No. Well, it's no secret. You just work. I work every day, you know, like a regular job, six to eight hours a day. And I have a pretty fast pace that's just, like the draw, it's just wiring. I'm disciplined. I love my work. I love being a writer, and I work at it a lot. I guess those are the tips. Oh, that's about it. Tell listeners about identity. Well, identity Morgan, the main character, is a bartender, and she also works as an office manager. She's very focused and driven. She wants security, and she has her little house, and she wants to expand it. She so she works really hard. She works two jobs. And someone seals her identity and gets her in tremendous debt by doing that. And I don't wanna give too much away, but she ends up having to go where her grandmother and mother live in Vermont. She had to give up her house. She had she lost everything. She has to start over. She's a really good bartender. And when I was writing it, I did a lot of research on bartending, and it's that's a job. It's a lot more than mixing drinks. A lot more. So that was really interesting. And she just she has to rebuild her life. She's a really strong woman and finds more strength, and it's also a family thing with three generations of women living in the same house and leaning on each other and learning from each other. And, of course, there's the romance in there because it's something I do. So she finds she finds herself and she finds a new start. But the guy who who stole this identity is also a murderer, and he missed her. So he's kind of, you know, the one that got away. So you have that weaving through it that he's sort of determined to take care of her in his I once interviewed Chris Bagelian, the author, who said all of his books have a sense of dread in them. Do you feel because I feel that sense of, like, oh, no. What if he comes after her? He got the roommate, but it's not, like, the main prize. What if? Is that the type of sort of anticipatory tension? Do you try to instill, like, or is that just you pick and choose which books to add that into? Certainly, if I'm writing a suspense, you better have a sense of dread, or there's no suspense. So, yeah, it depends on the the kind of book I'm writing. But for identity, yes, you definitely wanted a sense of dread and what she was fighting against and the trauma she had lived through Yep. And was trying to recover from. And, as I said, she's a very driven person, so she was determined to make this new life even, you know, initially, she was just I've lost everything. Yeah. I've lost everything. Everything I worked for, all the money, I'd say, the house I worked for, it's all gone, and I have to start again. But she does. And then you've got this crazy guy, you know, who's sort of determined to he just didn't wanna miss one. I mean, it's almost sort of a metaphor for life itself. Right? You can get stripped down, you have to rebuild, and yet there's always something out there that you can't control that may or may not come and get you. Right? Yeah. Something's gonna try to kick you in the ass every Yeah. Yeah. Did you ever get your identity stolen or anything like that, or where did this idea come from? Oh, thank god. Boy, it can it's really horrible. You know, there's so many elements to it, your bank account and your credit and your bills that you think are paid that aren't and taxes and mortgages. And it's really, really a terrible thing to have to live through and have to solve and you have to pay the lawyer fee, you know, because you need a lawyer to help you dig out of this. And, you know, she managed to, but she had to sell her house. Had to she lost everything she had worked for because somebody decided to go after her. What piece of this was the original germ of the idea? Well, yeah, the identity theft, I guess. What would happen if? Yep. And why would he do it? And where is the dread and suspense going to come from to weave through? Because once that's done, you figure, okay, now she's gonna rebuild her life, but that's that's not enough of your writing as suspense. Right. But the original germ of an idea, if I recall correctly, was, okay, there's this hardworking woman who has this happened to her, what does she do next? How does how does she survive this? So why do you write with two names? Like, why did you choose a pseudonym for some of your books? Well, because I I do write fast. And my publisher at the time suggested it, and I didn't wanna do it. My agent suggested it, and I didn't wanna do it. The CEO called me up and said, Nora, you need a hobby. I don't want a hobby. I just wanna write my books. And so I finally said, if I could write something different, well, I would try it. And so the in death books under Rob are different. I mean, they're set in the near future. She's kind of a dark, difficult woman, homicide lieutenant in when it starts in 2058 in New York. And so I could play with that futuristic, not too far in the future, but just enough to play with speculative fiction and and explore this deeply troubled woman who was so such a dedicated police officer. And then you, you know, you have murderers all the time, and then Brooke walked across the page. And, okay, there you go. That's that's pretty perfect. I've really only planned it as a trilogy, but it it worked. And then I love writing them, so so I continue. How long does each book take you to write? As long as it as long as it takes. Every time, as long as it takes. There is no average, there's no, well, this is this book, you know, it's this many pages, so it's going to take me x number. How do you know? How do you know how it's going to flow? How do you know what's going to happen? How do you know if you get sick? Or you just have a few days where something won't come, or you have a few days where it's rolling like crazy. I don't worry about how long it takes. Okay. But I mean, why does that matter? What really matters is this the best book you could write at this time? That's what matters, not how long it took you. You're absolutely right. I guess I was just trying in my head to think about how is she writing all these books? How long on average must it take her? Like, when does she I don't know. I'm just I write four books a year, pretty much regularly four books a year, two Robs, Robert's standalone and one of the books in a trilogy. The others are reissued, so I don't write them again. They just reissue them. So it's four books a year, which is a lot. But it's not like insane. And a lot of people just think I write like 10 books a year. No, I don't. I couldn't possibly. I find your your whole story just so inspiring that you were at home with your kids and needed an outlet and correct me. This is, you know, what I've heard. So if I'm wrong, you know, correct me. But and so in a blizzard, you started writing, and then you fell in love with it. And now you have 500,000,000 books in print. It's staggering. That's that's pretty much it. Yeah. And that you took your your deep knowledge of boys and men from your own, like, family of origin of being the fifth and the only girl and having two sons and being able to write the male character perhaps in a better way than most women as a result. I sure yeah. I sure do know guys because I've been outnumbered by them my entire life. Yeah. So And I did fall in love. Always loved to write and I always liked to make up stories. But I just never thought about doing it for a living because I thought everyone made up stories in their heads. And I just figured, well, every you know, everyone must do that. And that that blizzard, when you're stuck in the house with two preschoolers for a week, and the chocolate supply is dwindling, and it's just, it was, you know, it's really hard. I thought I've I've got to do something besides play Candyland, you know, for the fifteen hundredth time. And I just started writing in a notebook, and it's like, this is so cool. This is so much fun. And so I just kept at it.

[14:06]Zibby Owens: Amazing. Today's episode is sponsored by Quince. Summer always makes me rethink what I'm reaching for every day. Lighter fabrics, better materials, pieces that just feel good the moment you put them effortless. That's why I keep coming back to Quince. They focus on high quality essentials. Think breathable linen, soft organic cotton, washable silk, but without the luxury markup. It's that rare balance where everything feels elevated, but still easy. Quince has beautiful everyday pieces like 100% European linen pants, dresses, and tops with styles starting at $32. Their denim is soft and easy to wear. I wear my jean jacket all the time. And their organic cotton sweaters are perfect for layering on cool summer nights. Everything at Quince is priced 50 to 80% less than similar brands. Quince works directly with ethical factories and cuts out the middlemen, so you're paying for quality, not brand markup. And it's not just clothing. Quince has really become a destination for elevated essentials across home, kitchen, bedding, and beyond, making it easy to bring a more premium feel into everyday life. In addition to my jean jacket, I recently got a white tank top dress with a beautiful cotton skirt that is absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait for it to be warm enough so I can wear it every day, but it has been a cool spring. Elevate your summer wardrobe. Go to quince.com/zippy for free shipping on your order and three hundred and sixty five day returns. Now available in Canada too. That's quince.com/zippy for free shipping and three hundred and sixty five day returns. Quince.com/zibby.

[16:29]Nora Roberts: So I feel like you probably have more books in print than most people in the world. What have you learned from that? Like, what do you get from your fans, from the books itself? Like, how does that feel to you, and and what have you gotten out of it the most? Besides money? A lot of money. Besides a lot of money. You know, it's amazing to be able to do something you love every day and make a living out of it. And when my kids were little and I was a single parent, I could stay home and make a living. I could stay home. That is a gift. That is I didn't have to okay. I've gotta go to work. I've gotta get childcare. I've gotta do this and that. I could stay home and make a living. So I was there for the kids and doing something I loved and making a living. And that that is amazing to me that that I was able to do that, that I I was fortunate enough to be able to do that. I love to write, and I'm able to do that every day. And even when it's hard, and it's always hard, and it can be incredibly frustrating. But you're sitting there, probably in your pajamas, if most of us are honest, and you're creating something out of your head. Wow. What fun how much fun is that? And then someone's going to read it. Someone somewhere in the world right this minute is sitting on the john reading one of my books. I guarantee it. Is that fascinating and wonderful? I'm I'm, you know, I'm I'm a very lucky woman. I work hard, but that still, you have to figure there's some luck involved there too, timing and just right place, right time. And the the readers are incredibly supportive and enthusiastic, and I adore them and I value them very much. And hopefully, they understand that I have to write what I write. I can't write to please reader Jane because reader Mary is saying, but that's not what I want to read. So I write what works for me and hope that it works for them. That's a great attitude. And I read that your second marriage was someone came to fix your shelves and then you married him. Oh, yeah. I hired him. Yes, I did. I needed a carpenter. I wanted this doorway turned into a bookshelf. And that's what I initially hired him for, what, thirty eight years ago. I'm not I would have to do the math. And he, kept finding other things he could do. And I needed those things done. And I ended up marrying him because what is better than having a guy who can fix your toilet on Sunday? It's better than marrying a millionaire. Right? Someone who can deal with issues as they come up as as any homeowner knows and you can fix it. That's amazing. My husband can't do that, but he can cook. And so I feel like that's another problem. Cook, but he does the dishes. Oh. Right? It's, you know, shared shared chores. But, yeah, marrying a man who can cook, that's a big one too. It's a big one. I feel like that was a big win. It's my second husband. Yeah. Also also remarried. When you're not writing, what do you like to read? Or do do you like to read? I'm assuming you do. I shouldn't assume. Oh my god. If you don't like to read, what do you what how do you think you're reading? Don't know. I just I was like, maybe she doesn't. I mean, of course you do, but I don't know. I should I should have phrased it differently. That's all. Yeah. I grew up in a family of readers. Again, very fortunate. Our house was full of books all the time. You read whatever you wanted to read. I never remember anyone, either of my parents saying, no. You can't read that. That's not appropriate. You just read. Right now, I'm reading John Zamford's latest, righteous pray, and it's wonderful. And I'm so excited because it has Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers in the same book. It's like he wrote it just for me. I just like to read good books. No specific genre, you know, I will only read in this. I think the book I read before this was Stephen King's fairy tales. I love Stephen King. He's the great American colorist. And then I read other birds by Sarah Addison Allen. These are the she's a treasure. Yeah. That was beautiful. Those yeah. That's beyond that, I can't remember. But I oh, I love to read. I love stories. I love TV. I love movies. Me a story in whatever form it comes. I'm the same way. I opened a bookstore recently, and I know that you had done it. Yeah. Yeah. Twenty odd years ago. Yes. Well, good luck to you. I mean, we need more good bookstores. Thank you. Yeah. I opened it in Santa Monica, California, even though I'm from New York, but it's fine. Do you have any tips on that owning starting a bookstore and all that? I think it's really, really customer service is everything. Everything. I don't run the bookstore. I don't work there. We have the most wonderful staff. Those ladies, they happen to be all female, but they are creative and customer service is key. You call in, they're gonna talk to you. They really they love books and they they work it. I mean, I think when you work in a bookstore, you should love to read, and you should be able to answer questions about books. You're not selling cans of soup. You know? If you're working in a soup store, you should love soup. So you know how to speak to the clients or customers. True. And so what's your next book gonna be about? I'm writing, next year's hardcover right now. What is it? Again, I'm not sure, but it takes place in Appalachia, Eastern Kentucky. And it starts when the heroine, the main female character, is about 12. She has a younger brother. They're staying with their grandmother on her little farm for a couple of weeks and terrible things happen and we move from there. But most of the book will take place in Eastern Kentucky in a little area I made up. I mean, it's you know, it is Appalachia, so we have and I've looked up a lot of interesting food because you wanna you know, when you have a meal, you want it to be authentic. And their grandmother makes soap and candles, and that's also a lot of research. But we have a really, really terrible bad guy because you want that sense of dread again. And I'm about halfway through the first draft and just about to introduce the main male character, a love interest, because she had to go through obviously, she can't be 12 and have I love her. I draw the line. Different type of book. Yeah. Not as much in line with the research at Yankee Candle or wherever you were wherever you were getting your information. You started out saying that being a bartender that you learned from that research that it's way more than mixing drinks. Is the what is the underside of the things we don't know about bartending that you learned? Oh, I got well, first, I think they could all be psychologists. Mhmm. Because you have to read people. Plus, you're managing the back bar and the speed rack, and you have to know, alright, when to cut somebody off and how to do it without causing a big you know, a terrible thing. You have you're basically managing a business as a bartender even though you don't own the business, but you're in charge of that area and that and you have to know how many bottles of this do we have, how many bottles of this, and you have to clean up and you have to prep for the next day and what are the garnishes. Someone says they want some esoteric drink, you know, most bartenders should know how to make it and to make it right there and then. But you also have to be able to you have to like people, and you have to be able to talk to them and know when they don't wanna talk and when they do need to talk. And it's a lot. Other than the physical labor, it's a lot of mind stuff. Yeah. Interesting. Do you have a favorite drink? Do you have a go to drink? I like Vuve Clicquot. Oh, nice. And I like a really good margarita. Awesome. That's about it for me. Yeah. I have a policy that I can never turn down a glass of champagne if it's offered no matter where I am. Yeah. Right? So that's that's one of the rules I live by. Yeah. I agree with that. Yeah. Why not? Life is short. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? I think anyone who wants to write should sit there by the chair and start writing. You should write what you love to read. Because if you're looking, oh, I'm going to study the market and this genre or subgenre or whatever is hot right now. Well, if you don't love it, how are you going to write it? Well, and by the time you do, that trend has passed. So you're behind the wheel. Write what you enjoy reading. Or why would anyone else enjoy it? If you didn't enjoy it, why would anyone else? Write every day, even if it's for twenty minutes, sit down and write because it's a habit. And you have to develop the habit. Drive, discipline, desire. You have to have the three Ds or talent won't get you anywhere. You have to be driven to work. You have to have the desire to tell a story. If you don't, and you have to have the discipline to sit your butt in the chair and your fingers on the keyboard, or if you write in longhand, however the process works for you. But if you don't do it, if you just keep saying, Yeah, I'm going to get to that, you're never going do it. Yeah, this is like the anti procrastination technique. You give so many people say, well, I I have to wait for the muse. Well, you know, screw that. There is no muse. There is no muse. It's up to you to sit down and write the book. Tell the story. Understood. All right. Well, Nora, thank you so much. Thanks for coming on. Thanks for talking about identity. Congratulations. And congratulations on your whole career and I love it. It's just so awesome to hear it from yourself. It's just so cool. Congratulations. Oh, thank you so much. Thank you. All right. Good luck on your bookstore. Really, really good luck. Thank you. I'll need it.

[27:50]Nora Roberts: Don't know, but I think you can do it. Thank you. I appreciate it. Okay. Take care. Bye bye. Thanks for listening to this episode of Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books. Don't forget to follow me on Instagram Zibby Owens and momsdon'thavetimetoreadbooks. Also sign up for my newsletter at zibbyowens.com and sign up for my virtual book club and meet lots of authors on Zoom every other week. Thanks so much to Steve and Ryan at Texture Sound for the sound editing and thank you to Morning Moon Productions for providing this fantastic intro and outro music.