The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison: "Normal Family" with Chrysta Bilton

In this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison, Jennifer has the incredible opportunity to chat with world-renowned author, Danielle Steel, on her newest novel “A Mother’s Love”. Danielle and Jennifer discuss her astounding career including publishing 218 books internationally, her writing process, and what is behind Danielle's technique that makes each of her characters unique, relatable and leaves readers feeling happy and fulfilled with each and every one of her stories. 

In this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison, Jennifer has the incredible opportunity to chat with world-renowned author, Danielle Steel, on her newest novel “A Mother’s Love”. Danielle and Jennifer discuss her astounding career including publishing 218 books internationally, her writing process, and what is behind Danielle's technique that makes each of her characters unique, relatable and leaves readers feeling happy and fulfilled with each and every one of her stories. 

In this unforgettable memoir, Sarah LaBrie opens her novel "No One Gets to Fall Apart" with a devastating phone call from her grandmother—her mother was found on the side of the road, in the midst of a psychotic episode brought on by schizophrenia. Despite the incredulous journey that follows to discover the history of mental health in her family while juggling her own struggles, Sarah remains incredibly optimistic leaving Jennifer to ask just how she does it. Find out how the failure of one of Sarah's novels ultimately led her to find and pursue her true desire and why we should, too in this memorable episode of The Bookshelf of Jennifer Morrison.

Imagine getting a call as a teenager that your mother has gone to rehab and all she's left you is a $20 bill, your little sister, and several pets to take care of. That's only one of the many stories Crysta Bilton tells in her memoir, "Normal Family: On Truth, Love and How I Met My 35 Siblings". Yes, you read that right, along with growing up with her lesbian mother who was an alcoholic cult member, Chrysta discovers her biological father was a serial sperm donor and decides to host a "reunion" with dozens of her siblings. Jennifer dives in with Chrysta to relive her misadventures, past relationships that shape us, and how Chrysta was able to find peace with her mother through her writing. 

The third time is indeed a charm as author Melanie Finn joins Jennifer once again to discuss one of her earlier novels, "The Gloaming". This story follows Pilgrim Jones after her husband leaves her for another woman, she's involved in an accident in a small town in Switzerland, tragically leaving 3 children dead. Filled with guilt, Pilgrim escapes to Africa, befriending a series of locals dealing with their own pasts. The town also seems to be spooked by the presence of a spirit, and Pilgrim can't shake the feeling she is being followed. Jennifer and Melanie discuss defining the line between authors' personal experiences and fiction, the discomfort in feeling the ambiguity in the good and evil of characters, and how accepting wasting time writing may be the best thing you can do. 

On this episode, Jennifer is joined by friend and singer-songwriter, Taylor Goldsmith, lead singer of the band Dawes. Brought together by their mutual love of our book of the month, "Pay As you Go", the two have the opportunity to discuss the novel with author Eskor David Johnson. A rollercoaster of an epic, the story follows Slide on his tumultuous journey to find an apartment in the fictional city of Polis. Eskor, Jennifer and Taylor share their creative influences on bringing worlds to life whether it be through writing, film or song.

In this episode, Jennifer is joined by Nora Lange, author of the novel "Us Fools". Auspiciously timely, Nora's story focuses on the relationship between two sisters growing up in the rural mid-west during the farming crisis of the 1980s. Often isolated, the sisters educate themselves and learn from one another as they ultimately escape to Chicago, facing a seemingly failing world. Nora and Jennifer discuss the parallels in "Us Fools" to raising daughters in our society today, and the importance of cultivating your own trauma story in order to experience re-growth. 

In our Season 3 opening episode, Jennifer Morrison joins her THIS IS US co-star Griffin Dunne to discuss his new memoir, "The Friday Afternoon Club". From getting expelled the day before his stage debut, to memories with Carrie Fisher, you'll find out why 3 years on set with Griffin wasn't enough to hear all the stories he has to tell. With a family interwoven deep into Hollywood history, the behind the scenes of his writing is just as intriguing and spectacular as the book itself. 

Motherhood, ghosts, intergenerational trauma—find out how these themes serendipitously fit into Jennifer's life while starring in THE PENELOPIAD at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago and coming across the novel, MOTHER DOLL by author Katya Apekina. Jennifer and Katya discuss how these themes and storytelling devices help audiences process life decisions, dealing with grief, and taking on new roles (in more ways than one), in our exciting 20th episode of THE BOOKSHELF with Jennifer Morrison. The Bookshelf with Jennifer Morrison is brought to you by ⁠Apartment 3C Productions⁠, and our amazing sponsors. Use the code JENSBOOKSHELF at the links below for special discounts offered exclusively for our listeners. AMIA: Get 30% off your purchase Link: www.helloamia.com AMIGO Coffee Roasters: Get 15% off your purchase Link: ⁠⁠www.amigoroasters.com⁠⁠ BEAM: Get 35% off a subscription or 15% off your purchase Link: ⁠⁠shopbeam.com/jensbookshelf⁠ SEED: Get 25% off your first order Link: https://seed.com/ FREDA: Get 15% off a one-time purchase - *exclusions include Brooke x Sam Wennerstrom collab boot. Link: https://fredasalvador.com/en-ca

An avid fan of theatre, each season Jennifer features a play for the book club—stories that transport, inform, and inspire and this selection is no different. Join Jennifer in conversation with barrister-turned-playwright-turned-novelist: Suzie Miller, writer of the Olivier AND Tony Award-winning play, "Prima Facie". Suzie shares how the state of the legal system compelled her to tell this powerful story, how she made the transition from fighting in court to writing on the page, and what we can do to elicit real change for justice in our future.