Ben Reeves, EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT + Ariel Sullivan, BENEATH

Zibby chats with Ben Reeves about EVERYTHING WAS BEAUTIFUL AND NOTHING HURT, an imaginative and deeply moving novel about finding beauty in the brevity of life, as narrated by the one who knows it best: Death. Zibby and Ben explore how a story about mortality ultimately becomes a celebration of life, love, family, and the fleeting moments that make our time meaningful. Ben shares the inspiration behind his unforgettable protagonist, reflects on how parenthood transformed his perspective on time and loss, and explains why thinking about death can help us live more fully.

New York Times bestselling author Ariel Sullivan returns to the podcast to discuss BENEATH, a gripping dystopian novel that explores grief, survival, rage, and the resilience of the human spirit. She opens up about how her own journey through postpartum depression and therapy shaped the novel's emotional core, why she wanted to write an unapologetically angry female protagonist, and the healing power of confronting shame rather than running from it.

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