Kristy Woodon Harvey, THE SUMMER OF SONGBIRDS

[1:21]Zibby Owens: 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, and 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 Zippy'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,

[2:12]Kristy Woodson Harvey: and no matter what I do, this is basically my favorite thing. Enjoy. Christy Woodson Harvey makes her, I don't know, fourth, fifth, third. She's always on this podcast. I love her. The Summer of Songbirds is her latest novel. Kristy is the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly bestselling author of 10 novels, including Under the Southern Sky, the Peachtree Bluff series, The Wedding Veil, and The Summer of Songbirds. Her Peachtree Bluff series is currently in development with NBC with Christie as co writer and co executive producer. She is the winner of the Lucy Bramlett Patterson Award for Excellence in Creative Writing, a finalist for the Southern Book Prize, and her books have received numerous accolades, including Southern Living's Most Anticipated Beach Reads, Entertainment Weekly's Spring Reading Picks, and Katie Couric's Most Anticipated Reads. She is also one of the cofounders of Friends and Fiction. Welcome back, Christy, for your like a hundredth time on Moms Don't Have Time to Read Books to discuss The Summer of Songbirds, your latest novel. Congratulations. Oh, thank you so much for having me. And I'm so excited to be here. And I was actually thinking this morning how talking to you about my book is always really great, because it makes me be like, Oh, that's what it was about. Yeah, that's really good. I meant to do that. Perfect. I have to say thank you so much for putting me in the acknowledgements. That was so sweet. Really, really. Have done, oh my goodness, you've done so much. You've been so supportive of me and my books and man, I'll never forget it. Especially during that, you know, twenty twenty year when we were all in those trenches. I mean, it was tough and you really turned it out for all of us. I thank you for that. Oh my gosh. Of course. This book is so perfectly timed. I mean, I'm literally dealing oh my gosh. In fact, I should write this down. I forgot to schedule like the camp pickup stuff. But as I'm getting ready to send the kids to sleep away camp and getting everything ready and diving into this such scene specific, like, such a visual and immersive camp experience is really awesome. So I know you talk a lot about getting stranded and like explain, please, getting stranded in the water for real and being like, oh, yeah, well, I guess our kids are gonna find us. Let's go back. Tell me the whole thing. Yes. I mean, this was so funny. Well, so I will say, you know, as you well know, being a writer, a lot of times a book comes out and you wrote it a long time earlier, you know? So I was actually, I actually started this book the summer of twenty twenty when my son was not able to go to summer camp. And instead we all went to family camp and it was this really fun thing. We all stayed in, you know, the cabins with no air conditioning and all the things. And it was wonderful. We had a ball and wanted to get out of the four walls of our house. So we were thrilled and I had kind of been playing around with the idea. I love summer camp. I grew up going to summer camp. And so I've been playing around with the idea of writing a book about summer camp. And it seemed really resonant at the moment because summer camps were really struggling during the summer of twenty twenty. And a lot of them did end up closing down because they lost an entire year of funding. And so I thought, oh, this, you know, this would be kind of fun, but I was just toying with And I didn't really have like a fully formed idea yet. So I was in a sailboat with two friends and one of my friends, she's a really expert sailor. Like she started a sailing program here in Beaufort where we live, that is very popular and has gone on and on and on. And she was one of the star sailors at this camp where we were. And so we take the sailboat out and because there's so many people, you know, going out at the same time, they don't have enough radios for everyone. And they're like, oh, well, we're not even going to send you with a radio because you know, you'll be fine. You're with Millie. And we're like, okay, great. So we go out in this sailboat and we get really far away from camp and the wind just dies. And you know, it doesn't matter how good of a sailor you are. You know, we're in a little like sunfish. So the wind dies. You're, you're stranded. There's nothing to do. So we're sitting there and I was like, well, so you guys, I was thinking about writing a book about camp. And she tells this story about being, you know, like 14 years old and being out in the sailboat and a big water spout came up like a tornado on the water. And she was with friends and they had to jump and abandon the boat and the really super cute sailing and boys sailing instructor came out and like saved them. Like their boat was like crushed on the rocks I mean, it was like really serious. But then she was talking about, you know, everyone being like, oh my God, you know, you got saved by like the hot sailing instructor. And I was like, this is exactly what I need. Like, this is perfect camp book water. And so we just sat there for like two hours and we told all of these camp stories. And finally we got rescued by a very nice girl, not by the hot sailing instructor, but unfortunately. And you were not freaking out at all being stuck? We were not freaking out too much because when we had a paddle so we were like, we could paddle to shore, and we didn't know exactly where we were, but we knew we were somewhere in between the boys camp and the girls camp. So like eventually, you know, we would survive and the weather was perfect. So we weren't worried about that. And we did figure we knew, I mean, our husbands and our children knew that we were going sailing. So we were like, eventually they'll realize that we didn't come back. Now it might take a while because they're at camp. So everyone's off doing activities and having fun, but we're like, eventually someone will realize that we have not come back. My gosh. But they did. Eventually they did. Every so often, I'm always like, if something were to happen to me right here, how long would it take people to figure it out that I was here anyway? Yeah, it's exactly right. Yeah, it's exactly right. Well, your book has it's not just fun and camp and, you know, there are some deeper themes going on here and loss and, you know, tragic car accidents. And there's a lot as with all your books, you know, it seems like it's a fun jaunt, but then there are always deeper things that, like, keep you thinking. So talk about sort of how you put all this together for this book and what it means to sort of grow up and miss your parents. And, you know, there is that homesickness that camp evokes immediately. And sometimes you can get your home back, but sometimes it's like a permanent state of homesickness. No, that's see, that's what I'm saying. What a great parallel camp homesickness and missing your parents forever. Yeah. So one of the things that also really kind of sparked the idea for the story, I wanted to write about these three best friends who met at camp and had known each other forever, but, you know, I also really wanted to write about that kind of friendship that you have from childhood that has really been through hard things, which is like a theme of this book is these women who, you know, started doing each other's hard things when they were little girls and they still do. They take on these tasks for each other that are really hard for one of them, but really easy for the others, which I think is so brilliant. I was like, man, I wish that I had someone in real life that would do like, because we all have friends that will find something really hard and they don't find it hard at all. And you're like, Gosh, if we could just compartmentalize our lives, this way it would work really well. Yeah, if you could get this hard things email thing going, could you put me on that so that- just get this going. Get this going. We'll send the things out and it'll be fine. And we'll just be super, we'll be even more efficient and productive. But yeah, so I really liked the idea of that. And just, I do think there's something special about friends that have known you your whole life that they understand you in a way that you can't recapture, you know, because I think the older we get, the better we get at pretending that things are okay. And I think Daphne, one of the protagonists is a perfect example of that. I mean, she has this, you know, successful life and by all accounts, she's got it all together. Like she's a single mom, she's a successful attorney, she's doing really well, but she does carry a lot of scars from losing her mother in a sort of tragic way. And her mother, she loses her mother to addiction. And then she has a little bout of that herself in her twenties and sort of lives in this fear that, that she could become her mother and she has this son and, and all of these things. And her friends are very instrumental in not only helping her out of a bad situation, but also kind of being the people to remind her that, you know, she's not her mother, but, you know, of course things get complicated because it wouldn't be a book if they didn't. Everybody in this book has secrets. And as those secrets kind of come to light, it does end up changing the tenor of the story and the nature of these friendships. And I do think, you know, it changes these friendships forever. And I think that's part of, that's another one of those things that I wanted to be really honest about, because I do think when you've been friends with people from the time you're a small child, it is more like a sisterhood in some ways, and you're not gonna go your entire life and just be perfectly happy because if you are, that's probably not a real deep relationship. There are gonna be those things that you don't agree with. There are gonna be times that you hurt each other and you're gonna have to get through that. And I do, you know, sometimes those things end up being jailbreakers for a relationship, but I think sometimes they end up making you stronger, which is the case with these women. And also let's go back to Daphne and how she ended up even becoming a mother. And you had a very funny scene of her getting together with Steven. Right? That's his name. Yes. And she was what, like 23 and he was 25. And they have like basically a quick dalliance and ends up with Henry. Yes. And she like is absolutely and she's been in this like very serious relationship and she's been like, Oh, I just am not really sure that I want this. And then ends up getting pregnant and she's actually 25 and he's 20 Oh, sorry. Sorry. You're right. Oh, no, no. That's totally fine. I'm just saying, which I think makes it even funnier. Cause she's like, oh great. Well, I couldn't commit to this like serious, wonderful man. Now I'm pregnant with this surfer 23 year old child. This is fantastic. Who ends up being like a great weekend dad. He ends up being amazing, you know? And I, and I think they kind of raise each other in a lot of ways. And Steven is like the person that she needs in her life at that time for so many reasons. And he is such a good dad and he's such a good co parent for her, but I think he brings that lightness to her life that she really needs because she has been through a lot. And so she can tend to get a little more serious and get a little bit in her head. And now I love him. I've actually gotten a lot of letters from readers. Like, can you make him like the hero? Mean, next month, we love Steven and I love him too. So he could totally end up in another book because I adored him. And there were parts of me that were like, maybe there's something here. You know, this story could have gone a lot of different ways, but I do love him. And I think he brings out some things in her that, that she really needs at the time. And I do think that's life, right? You know, the irony and the spots in our life that we can't predict what's going to happen. And she is definitely a planner. She's got it all planned out and she's got it all figured out. And she's really terrified when she finds out that she's pregnant with Henry, but she ends up being an incredible mom. Henry, in a lot of ways sort of saves her from herself because she realizes like, oh, you know, I'm not the mother that my mother was. I'm not, you know, the parent that my father was, and, and this is great. And Henry kind of saves her in so many ways. And he does influence most of her decisions in this book, which I think is kind of natural for, you know, us as mothers, our children obviously factor into our decisions in really big ways. But I think she had moments where maybe underestimates Henry, like he's very young, but I think she places maybe some more importance on her decisions in his life when really he's very young and very happy and very settled and situated. It's all going to be fine. It's all going to be fine. And tell me more about June and how you came up with her story. Yeah. So June was one of those characters that when I started the book, I really was just thinking that Daphne and Lanier, these two best friends. We're kind of going to be our main POV characters. But then when I really thought about, you know, Daphne and I wanted her to have someone in her life that was kind of her rock and her constant. And that is her aunt June and aunt June owns camp Holly Springs. She is when there is a camper when she was young and it's kind of this place that she and her sister both loved and they lose their parents in a really sad sort of sudden accident. She's actually getting ready for the funeral. And the priest of the funeral says, I just want you to think about the last place that you felt safe and happy. And all she can think about is summer camp. And so she takes every single thing that she has, everything that she's gotten from her parents. And she buys this failing, falling apart summer camp, because it's the only place that she can think of that she feels safe and happy. And so again, it's a totally rash decision. It's a bad one. It ends up costing her her relationship. It ends up costing her a lot of her friendships. She kind of throws herself into this summer camp in a way that she starts to realize throughout this book is maybe not healthy. And then maybe she has really avoided her life by, you know, hiding away at this wonderful place that her dreams were made of as a child. And so she was a really interesting character. And again, she's someone that I think I could do more with, like someone that I really would like to know more about. She has a lot of scars, you know, from all the loss that she's had, she feels responsible for her sister's death. She thinks that if she had been there, if she had been more present, that that wouldn't have happened. And she carries a lot of guilt about, well, I won't give spoilers, but she carries a lot of guilt about her relationship with Daphne, her niece, even though she has been her safe place in a lot of ways, but she's failed her in some ways too, that kind of come to light in the book, which again is just real. You know, we all do our best and I think June does her best. I really wanted to see her point of view because I wanted to sort of feel how it is to have put your entire life into something and to realize that you're probably going to lose it. And that, you know, is it your fault? Is it not your fault? You know, whatever, it doesn't matter. But she feels so much responsibility because she knows that for hundreds, if not thousands of little girls, she has been the safe place in the escape and this camp has changed their lives. And she knows if it goes away, like that's going to end. And so she feels kind of in a desperate situation, but she's one of those people that doesn't want to bother anyone. And so when Daphne and her friends are like, no, no, no, no, might, we might go down, but we're not going down without a fight. You know, she definitely finally has some people in her corner and she's really touched by that. And it ends up changing her life in a really big way. Think it, I think she doesn't actually realize what an impact she's had on so many people's lives until she is in danger of it all falling apart. And all of these people rally around her to save this place that she loves the very most. But it's also a wake up call for her because she realizes that moving forward, maybe, maybe she does need to open herself up to the possibility that this camp is not the only thing in her life. I feel like June would be friends. Have you read Carly fortunes Every Summer After the New One? I have not read the new one yet. No. I've read the I've read Meet Me at the Lake, but I haven't read No. No. Meet Me at the Lake is the new one. Meet Me at the Lake is the new one. I've read Every Summer After. I haven't met Meet Me at Lake. So her mother passes away in like the first couple pages, like, so I'm not giving anything away, but she has run this resort, like by a lake for a very long time and it's her whole identity. I don't know, the two of you should do an event or something. Yeah. I mean, and I do think it just goes to show, I mean, there are these places that define us. And I think when I wrote this book, I was like, that's what I want people to remember. It wasn't camp. It wasn't. I just, I wanted people to read something and be like, I remember that place when I was a kid where I just felt free and like alive and like the world was just out there waiting for me to grab it. And that's what I want people to think of. It's not, oh, remember your days at summer camp? Cause obviously everyone didn't go to summer camp and not everyone loves summer camp. They did go. So it's not even really about that. It's just about that, like really specific moment in time that we kind of all wish we could go back to and we can't, but we can remember it, you know? And that's, that's nice. That was so nice. You wrote that in the, in the book for people to remember, keep that in mind, relate to. It's awesome. 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[22:14]Kristy Woodson Harvey: So Friends and Fiction, let's talk a little bit about that as well because you just continue to, like, grow this platform. And in the book, you say, like, you have a 100,000 members now. Like, tell me about growth. That's, what's so nuts. I mean, thinking, oh my gosh. I mean, yeah. So when I wrote the acknowledgements of that book, the book, it was probably true. I think we just crossed 160,000 members this week. And it's like, you know, there's so many things in my life that I feel like I've worked so hard for. And sometimes it just feels like, just like you're just trudging, you know, there are these things that you're just like really trying to make happen. And sometimes they work and sometimes they take off and sometimes they don't. And frenzied fiction was just this thing that was like, wait, what? And it continues to be like, wait, what? Like, how? What? I mean, it's been great. And I mean, putting on a show every week and it's work. I mean, it's not, you know, it doesn't just happen, but we love it because we get to, you know, spend time talking to amazing writers and authors and interacting with all of these readers who are just finding each other on this page. And, you know, it started as, again, like we were talking about earlier, it started again as this kind of like, oh my gosh, it's the pandemic. We can't tour. What are we gonna do? Let's try to bring readers together. And it has continued for, you know, over three years now, which is just really, really shocking to us. And I think what's been really gratifying is to now be able to go out into the world and be able to see these people that have been in this group who have like found each other and made friends and read new books and all of these things because of this group, which I know is something that I'm sure you can relate to as well. Like being able to meet these people that, you know, you've kind of been hanging out with behind the scenes, but to see them in real life, it's very impactful. It really is. Well, it's easier to think of people as just an email address and not like, this is the person who got dressed in the morning and went and drove her car and da da da. And like now these emails, where they fit in their lives and how important they are. Right. That's true. That's true. Wait, how did you grow from 100 to 160 in like a minute? That's what I'm saying. You don't know? I mean, yeah, people can't see me. We're not on video. I'm struggling. Like, we don't know. I mean, and that's what's so unbelievable is that it's like, I mean, we're showing up every week or, you know, a few times a week, do a live show every Wednesday night at 7PM that then transforms onto the podcast. And then we do a podcast episode every Friday, but like, we're not, I mean, and I guess that's what I'm saying, you know, for so many things, especially, you know, when you're putting out a book and you're doing so much with the publicity and the marketing and, and, know, the advertise, like how are the advertising dollars gonna be spent? And they're all these components that are going into it. And this is just this thing. And it just has kind of taken on a life of its own because, I mean, we show up and we do the show and we plan the show and we love it, but we're in terms of like growing this audience, we're never really doing anything. That's amazing. That's so great. That's crazy. It's crazy. And very unusual. I will say there are not a lot of things in my life that have been, you know, that have really kind of happened organically like that. So it's been really great. When you think about marketing, this is your ninth book or your tenth book? Ninth book, right? Tenth book? It's my tenth book. Tenth book. So nine What have you learned for all the authors who are out there trying to sell their own books? Like are some of the things that like, by the tenth book, this is what you've learned to do well, or this is really what works in terms of reaching readers or I don't know, anything related to the process of getting the word out or touring or just like any tactical advice you have? I still have no idea. You know, I think when I started out 10 books ago, I was like, okay, I have this debut novel and there's not going to be a ton of fanfare around it. Like I have a good publisher, but you know, it's definitely a debut. And my real focus was like, okay, who will read my book and talk about it? I mean, that was it. And it was like every blogger, every Bookstagrammer, every well Bookstagram wasn't even a thing really. I mean, was, this was 2015. I mean, that was, it was really blogging. Like book blogging was a big thing. And, you know, Facebook was a big thing. I mean, it still is, but I really think that those individual relationships have been the things still to this day that get my book out there. It is the Bookstagrammers that take a picture and it is the podcasters like you who invite me on their podcast. And it is individual people every day who are saying you should read this book. And that is true. I mean, I've, you know, I've never had a big book club pick. I've never had some huge, haven't been in people magazine, you know, there's never been like this one huge thing that has really helped. It's just been like little by little growth and maintaining those relationships. And that's why I like, I really mean it. I mean, I say it in every book and I think people it like, oh, thank you to all the people that get my book out there, but I really truly mean it because like, that's why I'm still here at 10 books later is because, you know, individual book influencers and individual readers are the people who, who read my book and share them with their friends. And, and that's it. And I do tour a lot. I do tour a lot. And I, I will actually say when I look, when I think about friends and fiction and the most tangible impact that it's had on my career, The touring is the place where I see it the most, because you always know that you're going to have people show up in a big way for an event because there are these little groups and pockets of friends and fiction readers all over the place. And so that has been the most tangible and incredible way that I've really been able to see that group kind of show up. But I do, you know, people have different opinions about touring. I think there's something really special about going out and talking about your book in person and signing someone's book and taking your picture and giving them a hug. And I mean, I do think that those relationships are important. And so for me, you know, it's still something that I really prioritize and I care about a lot and I think is important, but it's, yeah, I mean, I think I'm a good example of just organic steady growth and, you know, no fireworks, no major, major things, but I still am here and I still get to do what I love to do and I'm really grateful for it. That's amazing. So it's really inspiring, you know? It's awesome, really awesome. And I feel like your books just keep getting better and better, you know? Thank you. They're all so different, but whether it's friendship or relationships or, you know, I feel like you take us to all these different places, like inside an office and now in a camp cabin. Like, I just feel like I'm like in your backpack just like falling you around. Like, where are you gonna take me? It's fun. Oh, that's nice. Well, thank you. And obviously, I mean, yeah, that means a lot because you do want to keep getting better, right? I mean, that's the hope is that like, okay, well, you know, every book I write, I'm like, okay, I want this book to be better than the book before. And that is very important to me. I hope it works out. I hope readers feel that. I'm never phoning it in. I'm not like, okay, well, I'm just going to coast through this one. I do. And weirdly enough, I mean, I know this is going to sound crazy. It's my tenth book. It's a book about these three friends and this summer camp, it should have been really easy to write. But the summer of songbirds was honestly one of my harder books, which I can't really explain why that is. Maybe because it was twenty twenty, maybe because it was like a harder time, but I felt like I edited that book more than anything else, including The Wedding Veil, which was this like historical contemporary novel with all these things going on and these four points of view, like that should have been my hardest book, but I really think The Summer of Songbirds was, which is bizarre. Oh my gosh. But it's fabulous. What is your next book? What are you working on or what's coming out next? I'm super excited. So my next one is, well, it's either going to be Where the Sky Meets the Sea or Where the Sea Meets the sky. Can't decide. I had where the sky meets the sea, but now that I'm finishing edits, I kinda like where the sea meets the sky. You do too. Okay, that's good. So we'll say we decided it here where the sea meets the sky. I think it flows better. Okay. Okay. That's good to know. I don't even really know how to talk about this book yet, except that it's two points of view. It's a grandmother that you're seeing from the 1930s through the 1970s. And then her granddaughter who she's never met, who finds out that her mother still owns her grandparents' house. She has no idea. And she ends up going back to presumably put this house on the market and sell it. And then starts to piece together that something else happened there that she's never really known about. And so you're getting to see kind of this granddaughter uncover her grandmother's life sort of in real time through her house and her things and her friends and her stories. And it's set in Beaufort where I live. So that's been really fun. And it's actually, I can't tell you how, because it gives away the ending of the book, but it's actually inspired by something that happened in my family to a story for my great aunt and uncle who I never knew. And it's something I've wanted to write about for a long time, but I didn't exactly know how I was gonna write about it. And I don't know, I think the story just sort of, it finally kind of came to me and I was like, yes. And then on the flip side of The Summer of Songbirds, it's been one of the easiest books I've ever written. Because I think I had sat with it for so long that when I sat down to write it, I was like, yep, this is it. I know it's gonna happen. So it was, it's great. I can't wait for it to come out. I'm really excited about that one. When does that come out? April 2024, maybe the thirtieth, maybe the twenty third. We're kind of like going back and forth. So we'll see. But, but April 2024. So yeah, it's, and it's crazy. It's not that long. They actually just told me, they were like, oh, you'll get home from tour on July 25 or something. And we'll have advanced copies of your next book on August 1. And I was like, oh, great. It's amazing. Maybe I'll, I'm gonna, my own novel is coming out next March. I can't wait. I know. So I can cross paths. So are you, are you, is it turned in? Is it buttoned up? It's going into copy edits this week. Awesome. Okay. You're right. Just do my last last tweaks. I want to come to Beaufort and have you show me all the houses you put on your Instagram. Well, you've got to come to Beaufort. That will be perfect. You should come for your book. Oh yeah. We'll work that out. I would. I totally would. Yeah. I want to see because all the things you post, I'm like, I want to go to that house. I want to live in that house. Like, I want to buy this house. I want to like spend the night here. It's a sweet little spot. It is not unusual for people to come here and then be like, oh, I need to buy a house. I'm staying. I'm not gonna leave. And that's, that's what happened to us. We came here for, we had a house here, but we came here for a quote a year. And then we were like, oh yeah, we're just going to stay. We're going to figure this out. So that's how we got to Beaufort. We just decided not to leave and that we were going to figure it out. Where were you before again? I know, I know We were in a little town called Kinston. It's like an hour and a half away. It's not that far away, but, but, know, even being close by, you still have to figure out like, okay, like job and life. Fortunately, fortunately, you you and I can kind of do our jobs from anywhere. So that's good. That is nice. And I'm like, okay, the summer's coming. Now what? Know. Let's get outside a little bit. Are you reading anything great? Oh my gosh. Yes. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. And I'm not just saying this because she's one of my best friends. I have about 75 pages left of the Paris daughter by Kristen Herman. And I picked it up. It was, I was like super busy. I'm trying to get my edits done. I have a million things to blurb. It was like not, it was not next on my TBR. And I was like, I'm just gonna, I'm just gonna peek at it. Cause you know, I'm talking about it and people are asking me about it. And I sat down and I was like, I'm just gonna read like the first two chapters. And I read like a 100 pages straight. And then I was like, okay, I have got to go. This has been one of those books that like, I've picked it up twice and I'm like two seventy six pages. My gosh. It's so good. It's so immersive. And it's, it is, you know, she writes world war II fiction really, really well, but this is the backdrop of world war II, but this is really a mother daughter story. And it's really fascinating. And there's, you know, a lot about love and loss and the psychology behind that and the things that it makes people do anyway. It's, it's fantastic. So I've got like last night it was like eleven and I was like, okay, I only have like 75 pages left. I can totally finish this. And I was like, nope, I'm going to wait till tomorrow. It was like, put it away. I had a really hard internal struggle, but it's fantastic. Gosh, I've read a lot. I can't wait to read your book. So please send that to me. I'm like, have I read lately? That's great. Do you ever do this? You're like, all I do is read and then people ask me when Yes. I'm reading the book And I never, I never know what to say, but you had a great answer. Yeah. Okay. Good. Anyway. Well, Chrissy, I know you're off to go support your friend, so which is amazing. Congratulations on the summer of Songbirds. So great. Thank you. This is gonna be such a hit, of course, but really wonderful. And I don't know. I feel like you should pair this with, a screening of Are You There? God, It's Me, Margaret, and we have the whole, like, camp camp with book and, you know, it's like total throwback. It's amazing. I love it. Well, thank you for having me and thanks for all your support for all these books. Really appreciate it. Course. All right. Bye. All right. Bye.

[36:33]Kristy Woodson Harvey: and thank you to Morning Moon Productions for providing this fantastic intro and outro music.