Novelist Brenda Janowitz joins Dara Levan for an honest, funny conversation about her leap from women’s fiction to young adult fiction, her new book The Introvert’s Guide to Kissing in Europe, and the grief, parenting, and midlife changes shaping her life and work. They talk about finding joy after loss, raising teenagers in an overwhelming world, and the pressure authors face to become their own marketers. A thoughtful conversation about creativity, connection, publishing, and the healing power of a good story. 0:00 - Intro 1:14 - Why Brenda pivoted genres 4:52 - Parenting and emotional triggers 7:46 - Grief behind a dedication 10:30 - Becoming the family’s anchor 13:40 - The story behind the title 18:21 - Finding joy during hardship 22:26 - Parenting reveals personal fears 25:51 - Integrity in hard conversations 30:03 - Authors carrying every role 33:55 - Publishing’s changing landscape 36:28 - Outro RESOURCES:   Brenda Janowitz <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Janowitz">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brenda_Janowitz</a> <a href="http://www.brendajanowitz.com/">http://www.brendajanowitz.com/</a> <a href="https://www.instagram.com/brendajanowitzwriter/">https://www.instagram.com/brendajanowitzwriter/</a>     Dara Levan / Every Soul Has a Story: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/">https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/</a>Website: <a href="https://www.daralevan.com/">daralevan.com</a>

How Grief, Parenting, and Change Shape Our Stories | Brenda Janowitz

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