Podcasts about eggcellent adventure

a conversation with Lisa Steele, author of Fresh Eggs Daily, TV host of Welcome To My FarmOn this episode of Eggcellent Adventures with Reec, we are joined with Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily. She has an enormous social media following that peaks into the millions. Her followers and fans are following her vast knowledge of chicken wellness supplies, recipes , flock hacks and more. Lisa is also the host of a nationally televised show named Welcome To My Farm and author of the best selling cook book “Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook”.Lisa gives so many farm hacks including how to keep snakes away! Tune in for another EGGcellent Adventure with Reec Swiney @BlackYardChickenz

Amanda of Peony Puff Silkies is a chicken breeder specializing in "Silkies". The breed stole her heart and now she has hundreds of birds in her award winning breeding program. Take a listen as she gives insight on breeding, genetics, shipping, marketing strategies and more! Her energy was as amazing as the interview itself. Here's another Eggcellent Adventure! 

This episode was WILD, literally! Branden Sanders of Sanders Wildlife came through and shared some of his Eggcellent Adventures as a certified wildlife rescue and rehab guru. Everything from endangered species of skunk that hitched a 12 hour ride in a tractor trailer, to a melanated coyote that went viral for breaking into homes just o make friends with pet dogs! We even got the feel-good origin stories of how he fell in love with wild life. I hope you're ready for this Eggcellent Adventure! 

A life changing, debilitating illness pushed this former inner city teacher in Wisconsin has transitioned to owner and proprietor of a massive farm that houses chickens, ducks, gats, cattle and multiple crops! Hear the conversation between Eggcellent Adventure's host, Reec Swiney, and Scarlett as they discuss her overcoming gastroparesis and battling lupus with raw goat milk! Scarlett, aka the melanin Milkmaid, has also turned her farm into a sanctuary for learning and caring for her entire community. This is a very special episode. 

Episode 417: We were cruising Netflix and we just had to review the short form series centered around our favorite eggy-boi, Gudetama. I honestly don't know what to write in this description...you should just watch it! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/anime-summit/message

Episode 3. features a conversation with Lisa Steele, author of Fresh Eggs Daily, TV host of Welcome To My FarmOn this episode of Eggcellent Adventures with Reec, we are joined with Lisa Steele of Fresh Eggs Daily. She has an enormous social media following that peaks into the millions. Her followers and fans are following her vast knowledge of chicken wellness supplies, recipes , flock hacks and more. Lisa is also the host of a nationally televised show named Welcome To My Farm and author of the best selling cook book “Fresh Eggs Daily Cookbook”.Lisa gives so many farm hacks including how to keep snakes away! Tune in for another EGGcellent Adventure with Reec Swiney @BlackYardChickenz

Ready for an Eggcellent Adventure? Let's explore the Egg Drop Challenge with ChatGPT

Do you like eggs? Well you're in for a treat as Flobo recaps "Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure" on Netflix! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/floboflix/support

Brandon and Sarah share their awe and admiration for the Englishman, Joby Pool, who stole a truck full of Cadbury Creme Eggs and almost got away with it. We just wish he'd picked a different candy. I mean, seriously. Those things are nasty.

The Bois were scrolling through Netflix and found that one of their favourite characters has it's own show. They like the character but will they like the show?

If someone doesn't speak your language, and you don't speak theirs, can you still find a way to communicate with them and make friends? That's the big question in today's episode, "MACHO'S EGGCELLENT ADVENTURE"!  When Empress Bawkarella of the planet Cluckatron catches a lift in the Mach Billion, everything goes great. That is, until the gang runs into a field of dangerous EGGsteroids! And with Scotty out doing a squeegee spacewalk to wipe off the windshield, it's up to Macho and Bawkarella to find a way to navigate the ship to safety together. But the Empress doesn't speak English and Macho doesn't speak Bawkish! It'll take patience and paying attention to social-emotional cues to get their messages across. And by the end, Bawkarella and Macho will be besties and Scotty won't be the only one who's a little bit bilingual! Bawk b'gawk, everybody! www.HowWereYouKind.Today 

Today, on The Goggler Podcast, Bahir and Uma watch and review Netflix and Sanrio's strangely surreal Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure.

Hello. Do you like eggs? Are you Canadian? Do you believe in the possibility of time travel? Answer us!!!The three eggsperts in nonsense are speaking about the vets, curtains, going to the tip, fancy meals, hot baths, your teas (dinners) as a kid, eggings in McCook (NE), Canadian accents, popular egg recipes of Canada, exploding ducks, time travel, there's a role-play featuring Henry VIII, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE! Oh, and....Tom's Audience Intercommunication is where you have your say... get in touch on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (@YourselfJasmine), or via email (symj@protonmail.com). You might get a Show Yourself Mr. Jasmine beer mat or a bag of Pete's frozen ratatouille!Eggtastic! Enjoy the show!

Episode 301 - Morn s01e18 - Brum and Des' Eggcellent Adventure

The latest episode of The Raw Verdict is now live for your listening pleasure! Your host and humble guide Keila Cash recaps the highs and lows from WWE's flagship show, Monday Night Raw. The Rundown Includes: Riddle channels his inner and outer Randy Orton, Becky Lynch drops a truth bomb on the Brooklyn crowd, Seth Rollins stomps Finn Balor, Vince McMahon solves the case of the missing Cleopatra Egg, Bobby Lashley destroys Rey and Dominik Mysterio, and Austin Theory faces Big E for the WWE Championship in the main event spot. Press play and FOLLOW me today!Follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wrestlesoaptopia/Follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ladywrestlingx

Writer and podcast host Doree Shafrir (Forever 35, Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure) returns to the show to talk about her first memoir: Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer. We talk about writing the memoir versus writing her novel Startup, growing disillusioned with journalism, switching her career focus from journalism to podcasting, missing New York, motherhood, infertility, Tik Tok, pandemic burnout, her shows, control and so much more. We also took your questions and did a round of Just Me Or Everyone. Past Appearances: 2017 (with Matt Mira): https://www.alisonrosen.com/2017/05/matt-mira-and-doree-shafrir/ 2018 (with Kate Spencer): https://www.alisonrosen.com/2018/09/kate-spencer-and-doree-shafrir-of-forever-35-were-raised-by-teen-magazines/   Products I Use/Recommend/Love: http://amazon.com/shop/alisonrosen Check us out on Patreon: http://patreon.com/alisonrosen This show is brought to you by: BETTER HELP: http://BetterHelp.com/BESTFRIEND (use code BESTFRIEND for 10% off) ROTHYS: http://rothys.com/alison (for $20 off your first purchase) Buy Alison's Book: Tropical Attire Encouraged (and Other Phrases That Scare Me)  https://amzn.to/2JuOqcd You probably need to buy the HGFY ringtone! https://www.alisonrosen.com/store/  

Doree Shafrir is a co-host of the podcast Forever35, the former executive editor of Buzzfeed, and the author of the new memoir Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer.”Right now I can make my living from podcasting, but I don't know what the advertising market for podcasts is going to look like in five years or even one year. The blog advertising market cratered. So one of the challenges of being my own ‘brand' is that I always do have to think about, what is the next thing? Because in my experience in media, nothing is ever good for too long.” Thanks to Mailchimp and The London Review of Books for sponsoring this week's episode. Show notes: @doree doree-shafrir.com Shafrir on Longform 02:00 Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer (Ballantine Books • 2021) 06:00 "The Hipster Grifter" (New York Observer • Apr 2009) 08:00 Shafrir's New York Observer archive 16:00 "Chuck Klosterman, the Author Photos" (Slate • Aug 2006) 24:00 Startup (Little, Brown and Company • 2017) 36:00 Shafrir's Buzzfeed archive 36:00 Rerun (Buzzfeed) 36:00 Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure (Matt Mira and Doree Shafrir) 37:00 Forever35 (Doree Shafrir and Kate Spencer) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For a long time, writer and podcaster Doree Shafrir didn't know if she wanted kids. “It wasn't a future that I fantasized about or necessarily saw myself doing,” she told me. But when Doree entered her mid-30s, she started to feel left behind as everyone around her was reaching major life milestones that she wasn't: getting married, having children, buying a home. It seemed impossible to catch up, feelings she explores in her new memoir, Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer. Doree did get married at 38, and realized she wanted kids. She and her husband, Matt, tried to get pregnant on their own for six months, but after seeing a specialist learned that IVF (in vitro fertilization) would be their best option to become parents. But the process presented new challenges at every turn—surgeries, failed embryo transfers, "miracle baby stories," and growing financial debt. Doree and I talk about how she dealt with these hurdles, why the couple chose to share their journey publicly on their podcast “Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure,” and whether or not they'll pursue having a second child.

In this exclusive audio excerpt from Doree's new book, THANKS FOR WAITING: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer, she talks about first learning that she and Matt would have to undergo fertility treatments in order to get pregnant and what inspired them to start Eggcellent Adventure. Download THANKS FOR WAITING at libro.fm, Audible or wherever you get your audiobooks.Audio excerpted from THANKS FOR WAITING: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer by Doree Shafrir, read by the author. Copyright 2021 by Doree Shafrir. Production Copyright 2021, Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Why We Love Doree & Kate: Doree Shafrir is a writer and podcaster. Her first novel, Startup, was published by Little, Brown in 2017, and she co-hosts the Matt and Doree's Eggcellent Adventure podcast with her husband. She is a former senior writer for BuzzFeed News and has also worked as an editor or staff writer at Rolling Stone, the New York Observer, Gawker, and Philadelphia Weekly, and has contributed to publications including the New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, and Wired. She lives in LA with her husband, son, and dog. Kate Spencer is the author of the memoir, The Dead Moms Club, published by Seal Press in 2017. Additionally, her work has been featured on Cosmopolitan, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, Esquire, Buzzfeed, Refinery29, Women's Health, Salon, The Huffington Post, and The Daily Beast. Previously, Kate worked as a Senior Producer, Writer, and On-Air Host at VH1 and is a longtime performer at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatre. She lives with her husband and two kids in Los Angeles.  On the Pod, We Discuss: How Kate and Doree formed a friendship and came together to start the Forever35 Podcast How the show has evolved since they started and how they've shifted thoughts around food and wellness How covert diet culture sneakily shows up in messaging and advertising in the name of “health” What self care looks like now for each of them in this current season Having a hobby just for the sake of enjoying it, and the impact it can have  Favorite advice and guests from past conversations they've had on their podcast How they approach booking guests for their show and what they look for How body inclusivity has played a role in how they approach their work Their forthcoming books: how they each came about and what to expect reading them The societal expectations and pressure for women around getting married and having children by a certain age The future of Forever35 and what they're hoping for And much more Helpful Links: Listen to the Forever35 Podcast  Follow Doree on Instagram Follow Kate on Instagram Follow Forever35 Podcast on Instagram Get Doree's new book, Thanks for Waiting: The Joy (& Weirdness) of Being a Late Bloomer Watch our free masterclass to learn 5 Simple Shifts to End Binge Eating Join our private Facebook group Set up a free breakthrough session to see if our coaching program is a good fit for you Learn more about our personalized Intuitive Eating coaching program

https://twitch.tv/PowersWarriorz

In this episode, I talk with Crystal about her and her husband's struggle with infertility. After her husband was diagnosed with a stage III varicocele and underwent surgery, Crystal and her husband began the IVF process. She beautifully describes what it was like to go through two failed transfers before needing a break. Listen in as Crystal so perfectly describes the emotional rollercoaster of going through this journey. As this episode was recorded, she was preparing for her 3rd transfer. Crystal, I wish you all the baby dust on transfer #3!! Thank you for sharing your infertility story

IT'S BABY QUEST! The show where Mike and Leah talk about the trials and even more trials of having a baby. Welcome to the third episode of our very interesting backstory. This week's topics include IVF, TTC, miscarriage, and one noisy vest! Send us your questions, comments, or just say hi on Instagram @BabyQuestPod  or Twitter @BabyQuestCast! It's confusing, I know!

Part 2 of Sonny and Lars's conversation about parenthood, IVF, and Jurassic Park. Listen to part 1 first! LINKS: Mike Hill Jurassic Park presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPjVgYDL6Y Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure - https://eggcellentadventure.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST GOLD Patreon - https://patreon.com/PodcastDotGold?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-gold-with-lars-casteen/id1497952837 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OhKwr2Yp1mEoJdqNhDyti Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-gold-with-lars-casteen

In honor of this year’s National Infertility Awareness Week (4/19 – 4/25), we’re doing a five-part series that highlights Resolve’s theme of ‘Changing the Conversation’. Over the past two years we’ve had conversations with people still experiencing infertility, people who have reached their end goals, people who’ve dedicated their lives to helping others, and people who are just entering this ever-expanding world of infertility.   We’re focusing these episodes on change, how our guests have changed since we last visited them, how their priorities have changed, and how their situation has changed. We hope by doing so we can do our small part to help change the conversation and enhance public understanding that infertility needs attention and to ensure others they aren’t alone in this journey.   Today, we catch up with Matt Mira and Doree Shafrir, hosts of the hit podcast “Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure”, and guests of ours from season one. When we last spoke, Matt and Doree were in the midst of their family building journey, one that included multiple rounds of IVF and a chemical pregnancy. A lot has changed since then (including the birth of a baby boy!), so we’re checking in to see what’s next for the couple.   Guest: Matt Mira and Doree Shafrir, hosts of Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure    Host: Lissa Kline, LCSW, Vice President, Provider and Member Services, Progyny  Be sure to check out Matt and Doree’s previous episode – Season 1, Episode 11.    For more information visit Progyny’s Podcast page, Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure, and  Progyny’s Education page for more resources on emotional support and awareness.    Be sure to follow us on Instagram, @ThisisInfertilityPodcast and use the #ThisisInfertility.     Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com.   

In which Eugene is live via satellite, make chickens appear out of thin air and travel through time. Genre: Fantasy - Comedy Trope: Protagonist discovers a magical ability Object: An Old Nokia Brick Phone Actor: David Tennant Theme: Man Vs. Nature

Steven Spielberg's 1993 classic Jurassic Park is certainly a thrill ride about getting eaten by dinosaurs, but it's also human story about the fear of parenthood and pregnancy. Sonny and Lars discuss their own experience becoming parents to see how closely it relates. LINKS: Mike Hill Jurassic Park presentation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHPjVgYDL6Y Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure - https://eggcellentadventure.com/ SUBSCRIBE TO PODCAST GOLD Patreon - https://patreon.com/PodcastDotGold?utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter&utm_campaign=creatorshare iTunes - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/podcast-gold-with-lars-casteen/id1497952837 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/4OhKwr2Yp1mEoJdqNhDyti Stitcher - https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/podcast-gold-with-lars-casteen

While Kate spent the morning grocery shopping, Doree was cooking batches of food for Henry and doing a step aerobics video from 1992. (As one does.) We also heard from listeners who had great suggestions for dealing with anxiety around food scarcity.Today's word of the day is: REST. Today's activity is: FOLLOW MARK KANEMURA ON INSTAGRAM.We are raising money for the LA Regional Food Bank! Donate to our fundraiser here: https://charity.gofundme.com/o/en/team/forever35here-for-you-podcasts. Every little bit helps. Thanks to everyone who has already donated!We are also hosting an Instagram Live PJ Party this Saturday night at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT. Follow us at instagram.com/forever35podcast to join us.Mentioned in this episode:America's Test Kitchen The Complete Baby & Toddler Cookbook: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781492677673Step Reebok: The Video 1992: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT3XM7W-xAwNPR Soothing Music playlist: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/13/815457669/isle-of-calm-stream-6-hours-of-soothing-musicJordan Page on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jordanpage/Mark Kanemura on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mkik808/HelloFresh: https://www.hellofresh.com/ (for an offer code, check out the show notes from last week's episode of Matt & Doree's Eggcellent Adventure) See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Christmas is near, and these episodes are getting later and later. In this episode we hope you enjoy our discussion on Important Disney Afternooniverse Release Dates, the latest Disney Heroes’ update, @PixelKitties DT17 Munchkin Overlay, and a fresh Frankly Speaking!   Notes If you love […]

Eggheads had opinions about what should be next for the pod, and after reading all of your emails and listening to your voicemails, we came to a conclusion, too. So: welcome to Season 2 of Matt & Doree's Eggcellent Adventure! It's the same Eggcellent Adventure you know and love, just now with pregnancy. Like, officially.To learn more, visit eggcellentadventure.com. To support us on Patreon, visit patreon.com/eggcellentadventure.This episode is sponsored by:Poshmark. Get $5 off your first purchase when you enter the invite code ADVENTURE when you sign up.Care.com. To save 30% off a Care.com Premium membership, visit Care.com/ADVENTURE and subscribe. Sign up for Grove Collaborative at Grove.co/mattanddoree and you will receive a $30 Mrs. Meyer’s gift set for free with your order of $20 or more. Brooklinen. Get $20 off AND free shipping when you use promo code ADVENTURE at Brooklinen.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris and Kristie return for a mini #MasterchefAU episode covering the last 3 nights, and it's all aboard the disaster train! Larissa has a winning pin strategy, Tessa and Tim fall victim to the big egg conspiracy, and Derek overstretches at the worst time. 

In this episode of the Rise Parenting Podcast, I sat down with a dear friend of mine who eloquently shared her experience with infertility. “I had a really hard time swallowing [IVF]. That's not how I wanted to get pregnant. That's not how I wanted it to be… There's this shame that comes from not being able to reproduce naturally. It feels like somethings wrong with me, somethings wrong with us.” - Claire In the United States, about 10 in 100 (6.1 million) women have difficulty becoming pregnant or sustaining pregnancy (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Social Media and platforms like Rise Parenting are creating safe spaces for women to share their stories, yet still so many women struggle through infertility alone. I was so grateful to Claire for sharing her story; women need to tell their stories for their own healing as well as to support those around them. Resources mentioned in this episode: Matt & Doree's Eggcellent Adventure - https://eggcellentadventure.com Infertility Etiquette - https://resolve.org/support/for-friends-and-family/ BAES (Bay Area Eggheads inspired by Matt & Doree's Eggcelent Adventure podcast) is a private group, but Bay Area locals are encouraged to connect. You can email Claire directly for more information - clairegschwartz@gmail.com Podcast Music: England by Pictures of the Floating World, License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/us/legalcode

This week, I talk to Doree Shafrir, a fellow writer, editor, and podcast host, and author of the novel Startup. Doree co-hosts Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure and the Forever35 podcast, and I’ve been such a huge fan of her podcasts, so I was excited to talk to her. Doree’s had a really interesting path that’s involved two master’s degrees; freelancing during the recession; working on staff at places like Buzzfeed, Gawker, and Rolling Stone; writing a novel; and launching not one, but two, successful podcasts in short succession. Doree’s now back to being her own boss, so we talked about: -What, specifically, writers should look out for in contracts -Why Doree always asks for more money on principle (and how she does it) -What maternity leave looks like when you’re creating the boundaries yourself Whether or not you’re a Forever35 fan like me, Doree is very calmingly wise and honest, and has so much great advice to offer. We didn’t have enough time to dive into the nitty gritty of how she produces the Forever35 podcast with her co-host Kate Spencer, but if that’s something you’re interested in, then I recommend you checkout their episode aptly titled How The Pod Sausage Is Made. Follow For Hire on Instagram: @forhirepodcastSign up for the For Hire newsletter: www.forhirepodcast.comSend me an email: rebecca@forhirepodcast.com  

Senator Fraser Anning was used to break an egg.

Matt and Doree (of the podcast Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure) are on their fifth round of fertility treatments and they’re both wearing a little thin. Getting pregnant isn’t always easy, but no one ever talks about that. Matt and Doree do talk about it. They’re open and honest and raw about the challenges infertility place on a marriage. But they’re also hilarious. It’s important to note that they have stayed hilarious through this entire insane journey of trying to make a small human.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://news.iheart.com/podcast-advertisers

It’s often crucial for people going through fertility treatments to have an outlet for their emotions. Today’s guests, Matt Mira, and Doree Shafrir have created their own outlet: their hit podcast Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure. Matt is a television writer (ABC’s The Goldbergs) and veteran podcaster, and Doree is an author (Startup), and together they share their story of male factor infertility, unexpected hurdles, and what it’s like to podcast their way through all of it. Today’s host is LaTisha Maxwell, Patient Care Advocate at Progyny. Guests include: Matt Mira, Doree Shafrir, and Dr. Natan Bar-Chama of RMA of NY. For more information, visit https://progyny.com/podcast/ and https://eggcellentadventure.com/ We have a new instagram page! Find us at @thisisinfertilitypodcast Have a question, comment, or want to share your story? Email us at thisisinfertility@progyny.com

Hi there friends! Thanks for tuning in! This week, we’ve got the wonderful Doree Shafrir (Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure) to talk about all her pup Beau! Renee tells us about Tug’s first sleepover and his new friend! Plus, a Mutt Minute on the Portuguese Podengo a dog that is both alliterative and excellent.   Snuggle a Setter and listen! Don’t forget to check out www.cipyd.com for more dog related fun!

PiCast Episode 77 - Adoptions an option 3 Revenge of the adoption   It’s been almost exactly 2 years since we started the Foster/Adoption process and Scott and Brittany are here to give an update! We are finally in the home stretch. We could get a call any day now so wish us luck and join us on our journey to grow our family!   If you have any Foster or adoption stories or advice, please let us know.   We also discuss a few other podcasts we like. If you are thinking about children and the IVF route is for you, check out Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure. They are a funny power couple going through the process and sharing it with the Podcast world. Also, the Foster Parenting Podcast was one that Brittany enjoyed.   We want to hear from you!   Contact us at PiDayCosplay@gmail.com Leave us a Voicemail on the Pi Line 626-66-PIDAY https://www.facebook.com/PiDayCosplay Follow us on Twitter & Instagram: @PiDayCosplay or Tumblr http://pidaycosplay.tumblr.com #PiCast #PiDayCosplay #PiDayWedding   On this episode: #Adoption #FosterFamily #FosterKids #FosterChildren #Family #ResourceFamily

Guess what? Doree's embryo transfer happened on Thursday! Yup, that's a week before her original date. You know what they say in IVF: don't ever plan anything because your plans will inevitably change. This week they also hear from listeners about panic attacks, "floating" boyfriends, and untreated diseases, and give advice about how to best support your surrogate and keep yourself distracted from all this infertility bullsh*%^t.To learn more, visit www.eggcellentadventure.com. To support the podcast on Patreon, visit www.patreon.com/eggcellentadventure. To leave a voicemail, call 413-461-BABY.Eggcellent Adventure merch is now available! Until October 12, order T-shirts, sweatshirts, and onesies (for babies... not grownups) at www.cottonbureau.com/products/egghead.This episode is sponsored by:Crane & Canopy. Visit craneandcanopy.com/adventure and enter code adventure to save 10% off your next bedding purchase.HelloFresh. For $30 off your first week of HelloFresh, visit hellofresh.com and enter EGGCELLENT30.Wonderbly.com. Go to wonderbly.com and enter your favorite little one's name for a full free preview of their story. Then enter code Adventure at checkout to get 15% off your order. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Take it from a peridot of a podcast, Hidden Gems are an absolute delight! This week the #LadyPodSquad queens from Film Roast podcast, Hannah and Julia, join us Sipping Sisters to sip through our favorite Hidden Gems. We cover TV, film and podcasts in our Hidden Gem discovery. We also embrace Middle Sister's affinity for sexy Steve Buscemi and play a fun game at the very end of the episode where it is revealed that Hannah sees her friends as boring. It's a snort-inducing good time and we hope you'll enjoy sipping this gem. Our top picks are listed below so you can refer back and create your own to-watch list! Let us know what Hidden Gems YOU love! Tweet with us @3SippingSisters or email us at sippingsisterspod@gmail.com Download, Subscribe, Review and Share us! Music by Patrick Lee Hidden Gems: T.V. Love (Netflix) Togetherness (HBO) Survivors (Netflix) Dear White People (Netflix) Heartland (Netflix) When Calls the Heart (Netflix) Anne of Green Gables (VHS-you can borrow ours) Party Down (where can we stream this! It's off netflix and we want to watch it ALL THE TIME) Shadow of Truth (Netflix-the Israeli true-crime series) The Stand-Ups (Netflix) Adam Ruins Everything (Netflix) My Strange Addiction (Rerun stations prolly) Santa Clarita Diet (Netflix) Sense8 (Netflix) Films- Mascots Drop Dead Gorgeous A River Runs Through It Tangerine Goodnight Mommy Frances Ha Grizzly Man The Hollow Raw Gidget Ronnie and Julie Grandma's Boy Wet Hot American Summer Attack the Block Highway The Wackness Podcasts/Non-Fiction- VICE News Tonight Free Sex Podcast Wine and Crime Faculty of Horror Twisted Sisterds Dori and Matt's Eggcellent Adventure

REALITY BYTES is a show about sex, love, relationships & dating in the digital age, hosted by Courtney Kocak & produced in partnership with JASH. The 3rd episode of season 2 features an eggcellent interview with married couple Matt Mira, writer on The Goldberg's & co-host of The Nerdist Podcast, & Doree Shafrir, journalist & author of Startup: A Novel, about their new podcast Matt & Doree's Eggcellent Adventure, which chronicles their quest to have a baby despite having "old eggs & dumb sperm" (their words; medical diagnosis: male factor infertility), meeting on Tinder, going public about fertility struggles in front of Sir Patrick Stewart (like you do) & how they keep the romance alive. Please rate & review to tell us what you love!

In Part Two of this interview the senior culture writer for Buzzfeed News and author of the debut novel Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly-anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She went on to work as an editor and staff writer for Rolling Stone, The New York Observer, and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip-smart debut novel is Startup, a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City “…that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve.” Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for the New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page and found myself lost in a beautifully-written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also co-hosts a podcast with husband and Nerdist alum, TV writer Matt Mira, titled “Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure,” described as an “…unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files, click subscribe to automatically see new interviews. If you missed the first half you can find it right here. In Part Two of this file Doree Shafrir and I discuss: The reality and frustration of writer’s block Why she made the revelatory move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener How the author manages stress (hint: HGTV) The city as muse Why done is sometimes better than good Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of Startup Doree Shafrir Writes: Part One Doree-Shafrir.com Meet Startup Author Doree Shafrir – Tour Dates Startup: A Novel – Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir is a culture writer for BuzzFeed Sex, Lies and Tech: How New Novel Skewers Startup Culture – Rolling Stone Episode 865: Nerdist Podcast – Doree Shafrir 24 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Write More – Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of Startup Doree Shafrir Writes: Part Two Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Hey. Welcome back to the Writer Files. I’m your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on another tour of the habits, habitats, and brands of renowned writers. In part two of this interview, the Senior Culture Writer for BuzzFeed News and author of the debut novel Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She went on to work as an editor and staff writer for The Rolling Stone and the New York Observer and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, the Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip smart debut novel is Startup,” a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for The New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page and found myself lost in a beautifully written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also cohosts a podcast with husband and nerdist alum TV writer Matt Mira, titled Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure, described as an unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility. In part two of this file, Doree and I discuss the reality and frustration of writer’s block, why she made the revelatory move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener, how the author manages stress (hint: HGTV), the city as muse, and why done is sometimes better than good. If you missed the first half of this show, you can find it in the archives on iTunes on WriterFiles.FM and in the show notes. The Writer Files is brought to you by the all the new StudioPress Sites, a turnkey solution that combines the ease of an all-in-one website builder with the flexible power of WordPress. It’s perfect for authors, bloggers, podcasters, and affiliate marketers, as well as those selling physical products, digital downloads, and membership programs. If you’re ready to take your WordPress site to the next level, see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress. Go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress now. That’s Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress. And if you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. The Reality and Frustration of Writer s Block Kelton Reid: Have you ever run up against writer’s block? Is that something you believe in or is it a myth? Doree Shafrir: I think writer’s block is totally real. Yeah. I mean there were … I went on book leave for two months from BuzzFeed. I really wanted to make the best use of my time because I knew I only had two months. The days during those two months that I wasn’t able to write anything were so frustrating because I was like, “Ugh, I have this time.” Some days, I would just sit in front of the computer, and I was like, “I don’t know where this is going, what to write.” I just felt so stuck. People say like, “If you’re stuck, you should just try to free write.” I think that that can be helpful. I also often find it helpful to just go on a really long walk, do something that takes you away from the actual writing. I find that it is very rare that just staring at a computer or being in front of the computer and surfing the Internet, that does not tend to break writer’s block. Kelton Reid: No. All right. Well, let’s talk about your workflow as a journalist and fictionist. Now, are you a Mac or a PC user? Doree Shafrir: I am a Mac user. Why She Made the Revelatory Move from Microsoft Word to Scrivener Kelton Reid: When you were writing the book, were you doing it in Word or Scrivener or something else? Doree Shafrir: Actually a combination. I started the book in Word, and then, probably … I was quite far along in the book when a friend told me about Scrivener. It changed my life. I don’t think I would’ve been able to finish the book if I hadn’t switched everything over to Scrivener. I was kind of a pain in the ass to switch everything, because in Word, it was one big document. Scrivener doesn’t detect chapter separations from a big document in Word, so I had to kind of manually put each chapter in, but once I did that, and I could have a split screen and have an outline and also be working on the actual text at the same time, that was very revelatory. Kelton Reid: I’ve heard this before that getting up to speed with Scrivener at first is a little painful, but then, it’s, again, like you said, a kind of a revelation. Do you have some best practices for beating that dreaded procrastination when you’re on a deadline? Doree Shafrir: I am a big proponent of I guess it’s the Pomodoro method where you set a timer for … I forget what Pomodoro actually … Pomodoro has a specific amount of time. It might be like half an hour, but I find it very useful to set a timer for a specified amount of time and turn off the Internet. I use the Freedom app and just focus. That can be in as small a chunk of time as 15 minutes. If I have a dedicated amount of time that I know at the end I will be allowed to look at Twitter and check my email, then I can focus, but I find it very difficult to focus with large unstructured blocks of free time. Kelton Reid: I forgot to ask you before, but do you stick on headphones or are you someone who prefers silence? Doree Shafrir: It depends where I am. When I’m working in my house, I usually don’t wear headphones. If I’m in a public place, like if I go to a coffee shop or somewhere else, I will listen to … There’s a Spotify playlist called Deep Focus that I listen to. I can’t listen to anything with words, so that music is sort of calming, like vaguely electronica, not stuff I would ever really listen to just on my own. But, I find this kind of ambient noise of it to be very helpful. How the Author Manages Stress (Hint: HGTV) Kelton Reid: I’m with you on the ambient. How does Doree Shafrir unplug at the end of a long writing day? Besides blackjack. Doree Shafrir: If you ask my husband, he would say I can’t unplug. I’m not great at relaxing. I find it very hard to relax. Although last night, I was like, “Okay, I just need to just chill out and not get … ” I was feeling very anxious, so I just watched a couple of episodes of House Hunters, and that calmed me down. Kelton Reid: It is very calming that the … I actually don’t find that calming. The house hunting is cool. I’m very jealous of every home on those shows. That makes me kind of anxious, because I’m like, “Oh, man. Look at that cool place.” Doree Shafrir: I also watch Tiny House Hunters. I’m not jealous of those living spaces. I also do yoga. I do Pilates. I try to stay active, and that definitely helps with stress and kind of unwinding. I also read a lot. That is also just kind of like getting lost in a good book is like very … It’s good to take myself out of the world for a little while. Kelton Reid: For sure, for sure. How would you define creativity in your own words? Doree Shafrir: I would say being imaginative, being curious, being expressive. Those are all hallmarks of creativity, I think. The City as Muse Kelton Reid: I think for a lot of writers, creativity is kind of the bedrock of what you do, but do you have something that makes you feel most creative or like a creative muse right now? Doree Shafrir: Hmm. A creative muse … Kelton Reid: Something that spurs your interest. Doree Shafrir: For Startup, New York was a muse for me. Because I live in Los Angeles now, it was interesting for me to have that distance on New York and to be able to romanticize it a little bit, which I was not really able to do while I was living there. Los Angeles, I kind of want Los Angeles to be a muse in a similar way, but I’m not quite there yet. I love living here, but I … Yeah. I’m not totally there yet. Kelton Reid: Interesting, interesting. I’ve heard the New York muse story often, actually, by some story fictionists such as Jay McInerney for instance. That is his muse, for sure. Just kind of plugging into the city. And it seems like when you’re in Manhattan or really anywhere in New York, but especially in Manhattan, there’s that … I don’t know, there’s that kind of spirit of New York that you don’t sense in LA. I mean I did live in LA myself. Doree Shafrir: Totally. Oh, okay. Kelton Reid: This vast sprawling mini-mall, but … Manhattan has this history and these ghosts that you don’t sense in LA, but … Doree Shafrir: Yeah. I mean I guess if I were like living at the Chateau Marmont, I might feel differently, but I am not, and that’s probably not going to happen. Kelton Reid: Is that why every cool rock star lives at the Chateau Marmont? Doree Shafrir: Yeah because I think it is one of the places in Los Angeles that has that kind of mystique and feels old even though compared to stuff in New York, it’s not that old, but it has that kind of mysterious, cool vibe. Kelton Reid: Yeah. And the ghost of John Belushi … Doree Shafrir: Yeah. Exactly, exactly. Kelton Reid:The Sunset Strip is probably the beating heart of that weird universe. Doree Shafrir: Totally. What Makes a Writer Great Kelton Reid: What do you think makes a writer great? Doree Shafrir: Oh, boy. What do I think makes a writer great? Certainly having imagination and being able to create characters and worlds and narratives that take people out of their worlds, like kind of what I was just saying. I think it’s really hard to write a book that people feel completely engrossed in. I always admire writers in any genre who are able to do that. Of course, unlike a purely mechanical prose level, there is a way of writing prose that I think is instantly recognizable to people who appreciate good writing. You want someone who feels original, who has their own voice, who doesn’t resort to clichés or standard writing tropes, and who has an original story to tell. Kelton Reid: Do you have a couple faves that are sitting on your nightstand right now? Or in your Kindle, I should’ve said? Doree Shafrir: I actually I’m one of those people who has been going back and forth, ebook and paper. I kind of appreciate both of them for different reasons. Certainly, traveling is a lot easier with an ebook. There’s just no question about that. Often, when I’m traveling, I will load up my Kindle with long books that I would not want to lug around. I also really appreciate a hardcover book. I think especially now that I have written a novel, I appreciate a hardcover book even more. There is something really powerful about being able to hold a book, a physical object in your hands. For someone like me who has worked on the Internet for so long, that was really powerful when I first was able to hold my book in my hands. It had this power that I wasn’t expecting. To answer your question, some books that I really liked recently. I loved Jami Attenberg’s last book, All Grown Up. I just thought it was so smart and funny and poignant, really well done. I really liked Viet Thanh Nguyen’s The Sympathizer. I thought that was such an amazing book. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s book, Americanah, I loved. What else have I … My colleague, Scaachi Koul has a book of essays coming out called One Day We’ll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter, which in my opinion is like the best title for a book of essays ever. Not just because I know Scaachi, but her book is just so good. I’m always a little bit skeptical of people in their 20s who write books of essays or memoirs, but she is so talented and so funny and so sharp. It’s such a good book. She is the daughter of Indian immigrants and grew up in Canada and has really smart things to say about race, and it’s in immigration, and Canada. It’s a really, really great book. Timeless Inspirational Quotes for Writers Kelton Reid: Nice, nice. All right. Before we wrap it up here, I could keep you all afternoon, I’m sure, but you have places to be. As most writers do, do you have a best love quote kind of floating over your desk or in your mind? Doree Shafrir: I don’t really have a quote like that, but I did … No, I saw that question on your list, and I was like, “Huh. Nothing really comes to mind,” But, I did once do a post for BuzzFeed called 24 Quotes That Will Inspire You to Write More. I actually worked pretty hard to find these quotes, but … Kelton Reid: I’m looking it up now. All right. We got it. I’ll link to it. Doree Shafrir: Okay. Cool. There’s Harper Lee saying, “I would advise anyone who aspires to a writing career that before developing his talent, he would be wise to develop a thick hide.” Kelton Reid: I love it. Doree Shafrir: Ray Bradbury, “Just write every day of your life, read intensely, then see what happens. Most of my friends who were put on that diet have very pleasant careers. Toni Morrison, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” So yeah, you know. All those kinds of quotes, I appreciate. Kelton Reid: I love it. I will link to it. I will link to it often. Before we wrap up with some advice to your fellow scribes, maybe we’ll do one fun one here. If you could choose any author from any era for an all expense paid dinner to your favorite spot in the world, who would you take and where would you take them? Doree Shafrir: It would definitely be Dorothy Parker because she’s just so fascinating and so funny and of a New York that I am fascinated by. I think I would take her to Keens Steakhouse in New York City, which is a very classic New York steakhouse. I would just kind of want to see what she was like in that environment. I think we would have a great time and probably get very drunk. Kelton Reid: That’s awesome. All right, I can picture it. Before you offer advice to your fellow scribes, we will mention the novel one more time. Startup. One of the most anticipated books of this year or any year, really, a hilarious debut novel that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. It’s a lot of fun. I’m enjoying it, get sucked right in, and it’s definitely a page turner. Doree Shafrir: Thank you. Why Done is Sometimes Better than Good Kelton Reid: Listeners, find Startup: A Novel. Can you offer some advice to your fellow writers on how to keep going, how to keep the ink flowing, how to keep the cursor moving? Doree Shafrir: I think really writing everyday, which is something that I don’t always do, but I try to do is really important. I think that quantity influences quality. I think that if you are so concerned with always having everything perfect, you’re never going to write anything. It’s better to finish something than to not finish something because you’re worried that it’s not good. Kelton Reid: Very good, very good. Thank you so much for taking the time to do this. Best of luck with finishing up your tour out there. Doree Shafrir: Thank you. Kelton Reid: We hope you come back and chat with us again sometime. Doree Shafrir: Yeah, I’d love to. Thanks for having me. Kelton Reid: All right. Cheers. Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, please subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. And you can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. Talk to you next week.

The senior culture writer for Buzzfeed News and author of the debut novel Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly-anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. Rainmaker.FM is Brought to You By Discover why more than 80,000 companies in 135 countries choose WP Engine for managed WordPress hosting. Start getting more from your site today! The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She went on to work as an editor and staff writer for Rolling Stone, The New York Observer, and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip-smart debut novel is Startup, a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City “…that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve.” Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for the New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page and found myself lost in a beautifully-written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also co-hosts a podcast with husband and Nerdist alum, TV writer Matt Mira, titled “Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure,” described as an “…unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility.” If you’re a fan of The Writer Files you can find us on Apple Podcasts, and please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. In Part One of this file Doree Shafrir and I discuss: The writer’s journey from Gawker content creator to buzzworthy debut novelist How her user-generated Tumblr got her a book deal Why she doesn’t own her personal domain name How to research and create a believable antagonist The challenges she faced making the shift from journo to fictionist Listen to The Writer Files: Writing, Productivity, Creativity, and Neuroscience below ... Download MP3 Subscribe by RSS Subscribe in iTunes The Show Notes If you’re ready to see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress — the industry standard for premium WordPress themes and plugins — just go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of ‘Startup’ Doree Shafrir Writes: Part Two Doree-Shafrir.com Meet Startup Author Doree Shafrir – Tour Dates Startup: A Novel – Doree Shafrir www.PostCardsfromYoMomma.com Doree Shafrir is a culture writer for BuzzFeed Sex, Lies and Tech: How New Novel Skewers Startup Culture – Rolling Stone Episode 865: Nerdist Podcast – Doree Shafrir 24 Quotes That Will Inspire You To Write More – Doree Shafrir Doree Shafrir on Twitter Kelton Reid on Twitter The Transcript How Senior BuzzFeed Writer and Author of Startup Doree Shafrir Writes: Part One Voiceover: Rainmaker FM. Kelton Reid: Greetings, and welcome back to The Writer Files. I’m your host, Kelton Reid, here to take you on another tour of the habits, habitats and brains of renowned writers. This week, the senior culture writer for BuzzFeed News, and author of the debut novel, Startup, Doree Shafrir, took a few minutes to talk with me about the early days at Gawker, her highly anticipated fiction debut, and her tips for getting words onto the page. The veteran online journalist started out at the Philadelphia Weekly before taking a position at Gawker in 2006. She then went on to work as an editor and staff writer for Rolling Stone, The New York Observer, and has contributed to publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, Slate, The Awl, New York Magazine, The Daily Beast, and WIRED. Her whip smart debut novel is Startup, a satirical skewering of startup culture in New York City, that proves there are some dilemmas that no app can solve. Vanity Fair’s Nick Bilton, former tech and business columnist for the New York Times, said of the book, “I was hooked from the first page, and found myself lost in a beautifully written fiction that so succinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality.” Doree also cohosts a podcast with husband and Nerdist alum, TV writer Matt Mira, titled Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure, described as an unintentionally hilarious journey through the world of infertility. In part one of this file, Doree and I discuss the writer’s journey from Gawker content creator to buzzworthy debut novelist, how her user generated Tumblr got her a book deal, why she doesn’t own her own personal domain name, how to research and create a believable antagonist, and the challenges she faced making the shift from journo to fictionist. The Writer Files is brought to you by the all the new StudioPress Sites, a turnkey solution that combines the ease of an all-in-one website builder with the flexible power of WordPress. It’s perfect for authors, bloggers, podcasters, and affiliate marketers, as well as those selling physical products, digital downloads, and membership programs. If you’re ready to take your WordPress site to the next level, see for yourself why over 200,000 website owners trust StudioPress. Go to Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress now. That’s Rainmaker.FM/StudioPress. And if you’re a fan of The Writer Files, please click subscribe to automatically see new interviews as soon as they’re published. All right, we are rolling once again on The Writer Files podcast, with a special guest, Doree Shafrir. I hope I am pronouncing that correctly. Doree Shafrir: Yeah, you did a great job. Kelton Reid: Okay. Cool. I heard you on Nerdist, so I was kind of listening for how they were pronouncing it. Doree Shafrir: Excellent work. Kelton Reid: I did my homework there. Yeah, Doree is a writer for BuzzFeed, a veteran journalist, and has this debut novel coming out that’s just getting a ton of buzz, Startup: A Novel. When you say the title of the book, are you saying A Novel after you say Startup? Doree Shafrir: Yeah. My husband and I have a podcast, and it kind of started as a joke, because it sounds sort of pretentious to say, “Startup: A Novel.” But it is on the cover of the book. It says, “Startup,” and then it says, “A Novel,” underneath. So we just sort of started calling it that, and now we can’t stop. Kelton Reid: Fun, fun. Doree Shafrir: You don’t have to use the whole official title when you refer to it. Kelton Reid: We’ll call it Startup from here forward- Doree Shafrir: Sounds good. Kelton Reid: … just to listeners. As you mentioned, you are no stranger to the podcast universe. You have your own podcast with your husband, and that one is Matt and Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure. Not an Easter themed podcast. Doree Shafrir: No. Kelton Reid: You can give it a one sentence explanation. It is hilarious, by the way. Doree Shafrir: Oh, thank you. So my husband and I are doing IVF, and so the podcast is about our quest to try to make a baby using science. We’ve done almost 30 episodes now. Kelton Reid: Wow, wow. Yeah, it’s a lot of laughs for something so interesting and seemingly serious. Definitely, my wife and I were listening to it last night and chuckling quite a bit. Doree Shafrir: Oh, good. The Writer s Journey from Gawker Content Creator to Buzzworthy Debut Novelist Kelton Reid: So, I’ll point listeners to that one. I’ll link to it in the show notes. But we’re here to talk about writing, and you have been a journalist since quite a while, and you are presently a senior culture writer at BuzzFeed. Doree Shafrir: Yes. Kelton Reid: You’ve been in a lot of different places. It looks like you’ve worked for Rolling Stone. I know you were at Gawker, like way back in 2006, and done a lot of … You ve contributed to a lot of kind of high profile places. So, I’d love to start out by finding out where you came from, how you became this buzzy debut novelist. I know this is not your first book, either, but it’s your first piece of novel, fiction. So, take us back, for listeners who might not be familiar with your journey as a writer, how you got your start from way back in the college days to buzzy debut novelist. Doree Shafrir: Yeah, so I was an English and History major in college, and worked on the school paper. I did take a fiction writing class in college, but I never really thought of it as my thing. I was always much more interested in journalism and creative nonfiction. After college, my first job in journalism was at Philadelphia Weekly, an alt weekly in Philadelphia, where I was the arts and entertainment editor. I did that for a couple years, and then I went to Columbia Journalism School and got a Masters degree in Arts and Culture Journalism. Kind of continually on the journalism frontier. After journalism school, actually, I did a of couple internships. I did one internship while I was in journalism school, and then another internship the summer after at Slate. Then after that, I got a job at Gawker, and that was in 2006. Gawker was very edgy at the time, and it was a very high profile job in a certain segment of … A very specific slice of the world, it was a high profile job, that world being New York media. It was a good way for me to kind of get my name out in the New York media world. I think in that regard, it was very useful. It also taught me to write fast and not be precious about my writing, because I had to produce so much stuff when I was there. That’s probably why I was there for less than a year, because it was an extremely exhausting, draining job. From there I went to the New York Observer, and I was there for a couple years. Then, in 2009, when the recession really got going, they laid off about a third of the staff, and I got laid off. I started freelancing, and freelanced for a little while. Then in the fall of 2010, I got a job at RollingStone.com, editing. From there I went to BuzzFeed, and I’ve been at BuzzFeed since February of 2012. How Her User-Generated Tumblr Got Her a Book Deal Kelton Reid: Wow, wow. Cool. You had a Tumblr that became a book, and that one, also kind of a … What was it? Emails from people’s moms? Doree Shafrir: Yeah, it was emails and texts from people’s moms. We called it Postcards From Yo Momma, which was sort of a random name, but it blew up. This was in 2008, and it was really the beginning of the whole user generated content thing, and Tumblr had really just gotten popular, and a lot of people were using it for this kind of purpose. The Tumblr just got really popular, really fast, and we got a book deal almost immediately. Again, it was very much of the time. This was actually right before the recession happened, so our timing was really good in that regard. But it was around the time of I Can Haz Cheezburger? got really popular, and Stuff White People Like, and Passive Aggressive Notes, all of these blogs that were of a similar ilk. Then our book came out a year later. We didn’t really do that much writing for it. We wrote little intros to each chapter, my coauthor and I, Jessica Grose, who’s now the editor in chief of Lenny Letter. She and I arranged the chapters by theme, and we collected all these emails and texts on different themes and wrote little intros for each chapter. Why She Doesn t Own Her Personal Domain Name Kelton Reid: Nice, nice. Now I’m going to find it, because I want to look at those emails. It sounds funny. You’ve got this great website, Doree-Shafrir.com, which I’ll point to, which links out to a lot of your writing, of course the book. Doree Shafrir: I should say, it’s Doree-Shafrir.com. Kelton Reid: Oh, I’m sorry, yes. Doree Shafrir: I somehow lost my own URL, and now some domain squatter wants like $2700 to get it back. I was just like, “No.” Kelton Reid: Let s take the hyphen. Doree Shafrir: Yeah. Kelton Reid: Okay. Well, let’s talk about this fantastic debut novel, Startup. It’s been called one of the most anticipated books of 2017 by lots and lots of cool outlets. I want to sum up what the book is about, but maybe I will let you kind of give the … Doree Shafrir: Sure. The book is told from three different perspectives, one of which is a 28 year-old app founder named Mack McAllister. In a lot of a ways, he’s a prototypical tech bro. He started this mindfulness app. He starts the book seemingly on top of the world. He’s kind of a prince of the New York tech scene. But he also is in desperate need of new funding for his company, or else it is in danger of going under. He’s one of the characters. There’s another character named Katya Pasternack, she’s 24, and she is a reporter at website called Tech Scene, that is all about the tech world. She has just been told by her boss that the metric that she’s going to be evaluated on is changing from just straight traffic numbers to impact and engagement, and this is making her very anxious, and she feels like she needs to get a big story to keep her job. The third character is a 36 year-old woman named Sabrina, who is married to Katya’s boss, and who also happens to work for Mack. She is one of the oldest people in the office. Her boss is 26 years-old, and her boss has also been sleeping with Mack. Everyone’s lives are kind of intertwined in a way that very soon comes to a collision, of course. Kelton Reid: Yes, yes. It’s got this satirical bent. Kind of gets into the cult of optimism, I guess, and of course different privacy issues, and lots of stuff that we all kind of face on a daily basis, so it’s very timely. Nick Bilton, Vanity Fair, said he was hooked from the first page, and found himself lost in this beautifully written fiction that distinctly echoes today’s bizarre reality. In that nice Kirkus review it was called, “A page turning pleasure that packs a punch.” It’s a lot of fun. I just started reading it, and I am hooked, seriously. Doree Shafrir: Oh, good. Kelton Reid: It just sucked me right in. Doree Shafrir: Great. Kelton Reid: Of course, I’m kind of laughing to myself at the very, very well thought out and almost pointed examination of this world. So it’s pretty cool. You’re out there, you’re touring, meeting readers and doing that whole fun thing. So, congratulations on all the buzz and press that you’ve gotten so far. Doree Shafrir: Thank you so much. How to Research and Create a Believable Antagonist Kelton Reid: Yeah, yeah. I want to talk about process, and how you put this debut novel together. I know you’ve talked about it in some other places. When you started to work on it, how much time per day were you kind of … I know, this seems like second nature for you, this kind of world and talking about these folks, because you’ve written about quite a bit of culture and tech stuff. But, how did you research this New York startup world? Doree Shafrir: It is a world that I have worked in. It’s also a world that I have written about, so I was kind of familiar with it from a couple of different perspectives. When I started working on the book, I realized that the perspective that I was the least familiar with was the perspective of Mack, the company founder. It was really important to me to portray him, not just authentically, but also sympathetically, which was tough because he’s kind of a douchebag. But, if you turn him into too much of a caricature, then I felt like readers would be like, “Why am I even reading this? What is the point?” I really wanted to make him seem three-dimensional. So, I put on my reporter hat and reached out to a bunch of company founders who I knew, and had them reach out to people. Around a dozen people were very generous with their time, and just sat down with me, off the record, and I just kind of asked them questions about what their lives were like, and the issues that they face, the struggles that they face, what they felt people didn’t understand about being a company founder, what their day-to-day was like, all that kind of stuff. That was super helpful, in terms of just getting inside of Mack’s head. The Challenges She Faced Making the Shift from Journo to Fictionist Kelton Reid: That’s cool. All right. It seems like fiction was a switching of the brain for you to kind of do that. But it is so well wrought. How did you make that shift? Or, maybe, what spurred you to make that shift into fiction? Doree Shafrir: When I started working on the book … I’m now a full time writer at BuzzFeed News, but at the time I was editing and managing, I wasn’t really writing at all. I decided that I needed my own special project that was separate from BuzzFeed. I went into it with zero expectations. I said, “You know what? I’m going to write for a month. I’m going to write every day, and I’m just going to kind of see what happens. At the very least, it will just be like a good exercise and a way for me to sort of dislodge some of those things in my brain that haven’t really been used for a while.” But, as I started writing, I realized that I didn’t really want to write about myself. It seemed exciting to try to make something up. As I kept going, it not only felt exciting, it felt really liberating. I’ve been a journalist for like 13 years, and that life is … You have to pay such close attention to accuracy and the facts, and a story is what you discover. You can’t change the outcome of the story. You can’t change what people say, you can’t change what people think. You certainly can’t change what people have done. So, to kind of suddenly be in control of all of that, in a piece of my own writing, was extremely exciting to me and liberating. I was able to go on that for a while, and then I realized … After a little while, I realized that I was really enjoying creating characters and creating their worlds, but that the plot wasn’t really going anywhere. I was like, “Oh, yes, plot. The actual story. I must think about that.” I actually knew the broad strokes of the plot from pretty early on, but I realized that I didn’t exactly know how to get from point A to point B. That was really the challenge that took me quite some time to overcome. I rewrote the first 100 pages, probably, 20 times, because it just felt like I wasn’t getting it right, and that if the foundation, if the opening of the book wasn’t totally solid, than what came after was just going to be bad. Finding a Productive Environment in an Unusual Place Kelton Reid: Well, I think what I found interesting about the story of you writing it was that you had tried to go to somewhere quiet, off the beaten path, as writers often do, at like writer’s retreats, but that you found solace, and your most productive place was somewhere noisy? Doree Shafrir: Yeah. To me be more specific, I have this romantic notion of what a fiction writer does, and in my head that was, go to a remote cabin somewhere and isolate yourself for weeks, and just sort of revel in solitude. I tried that, and not only did I get super lonely, but I also, I was not that productive. I found the solitude to be overwhelming. When I was at the very end of my book, we’re talking maybe three weeks before it was due, and I thought, “Oh, crap. I need to finish this.” I should also say, from the very beginning, there was never a question in my mind about turning it in on time. I had no interest in asking for an extension or turning it in late. Maybe that’s the journalist in me. Kelton Reid: Oh, for sure. Doree Shafrir: It was due on June 1st, and I was like, “I am turning this in on June 1st no matter what.” I was talking to a friend of mine, another novelist, and I was like, “You know, I m thinking maybe I’ll go to Palm Springs for a few days. I live in Los Angeles, it’s not that far.” She was like, “What about Vegas?” I was like, “You know, that’s actually not the worst idea, because you can get a really nice hotel room for not that much money.” I’ve gone to Vegas a bunch, it’s not that far. So I was like, “Huh. Let me look into that.” Then it turned out that the week I was going to go, I got a huge room at the Cosmopolitan Hotel for really cheap. So I stayed there for four nights, and I was super productive. I think that the combination of having … The hotel room itself was super quiet. It was like a refuge. But then I was able to go downstairs and play blackjack and do all- Kelton Reid: Unplug. Doree Shafrir: Yeah, exactly. Also, be around people, which I had been missing at the other places. Kelton Reid: Right, right. Doree Shafrir: I had my most productive week there. Kelton Reid: That’s cool. That’s cool. All right, well, for a journalist who’s been working beats forever, and now a fictionist, have you ever run up against writer’s block? Is that something you believe in, or is it a myth? Doree Shafrir: Oh, I think writer’s block is totally real. Kelton Reid: Thanks so much for joining me for this half of a tour through the writer’s process. If you enjoy The Writer Files podcast, please subscribe to the show, and leave us a rating or a review on iTunes to help other writers find us. For more episodes, or to just leave a comment or a question, you can drop by WriterFiles.FM. And you can always chat with me on Twitter @KeltonReid. Cheers. Talk to you next week.

Doree's book is (finally!) out on Tuesday, and she's stressed. Doree and Matt talk about what it's like to put IVF on hold for a couple of months, and they realize how much brain space it had been occupying for such a long time. They also reminisce about Boston and Matt lets his accent slip, and they hear from a listener who loves data maybe even more than doctors! And they have an update on the second bonus episode: only 23 MORE BOOKS TO GO. (!!!!!) This episode is sponsored by Harry & David. To get your mom that perfect Mother's Day gift, visit http://www.harryanddavid.com, click on the radio icon, and enter ADVENTURE for up to 30% off select gifts. To learn more, visit the newly designed Eggcellent Adventure website at http://www.eggcellentadventure.com. And don't forget to join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/eggcellentadventure. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Doree and Matt check in on their friends Marc and Chris to find out how things went with their surrogate, and also discuss gender selection, hot dogs, and the tour dates for Startup: A Novel, by Doree Shafrir. Only 300 more pre-orders to go until the bonus episode! To donate to the Eggcellent Adventure, visit http://www.eggcellentadventure.com/donate. Join the Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/eggcellentadventure. To leave a voicemail, call 413-461-BABY. You can also reach them at doreeandmatt@gmail.com or mattanddoree@gmail.com, or leave a message on their website. And please fill out the podcast survey at http://www.podsurvey.com/adventure. Thanks! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Matt and Doree find out how many of their embryos from last week's retrieval ended up getting frozen, and they settle in for the wait to find out the results of genetic testing. Then listeners weigh in on Maris and Daphne, and Matt and Doree give advice about what to do when you recently had a miscarriage and your direct report tells you she's pregnant. Doree also talks about which books she suggests taking on vacation, while Matt grows suspicious that Doree is writing emails into the podcast under a pen name. And of course, Matt gives fun facts about the Eggcellent Adventure donors! Please fill out the Eggcellent Adventure listener survey at http://podsurvey.com/ADVENTURE. It really helps! To learn more, visit http://www.eggcellentadventure.com. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Journal Dates: September 11-21, 2007 In this episode we mention the 2017 CrossFit Open, and Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure. Send us an email at sothisislove@yahoo.com.  Join the So This Is Love Facebook group here.  Visit the So This Is Love website. Music by: Josh Woodward & Chris Zabriskie

Journal Dates: August 21-24, 2007 In this episode, we mention the Girls Gone WOD podcast and Matt & Doree’s Eggcellent Adventure podcast.  Check them out at the links! Send Aaron and Leslie an email at sothisislove@yahoo.com.  Join the So This Is Love Facebook community here.  Find our So This Is Love website here. Music by: Josh Woodward … Continue reading "Episode 012"

Doree and Matt talk about Doree's new acupuncturist and why Matt will never try it, and they find out why it's an especially good time to go to Canada. Then Doree interviews an Eggcellent Adventure listener and her sister, whose children are half-siblings. Find out why! Join the Eggcellent Adventure Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/eggcellentadventure Email Doree and Matt: mattanddoree@gmail.com or doreeandmatt@gmail.com Call them with questions: 413-461-BABY To learn more or donate: http://www.doreeandmatt.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

It's the first show back after easter, so naturally the guys have an egg-pun competition. After bringing themselves round form the chocolate induced stupor they have been in for the last few weeks, the guys have the idea of filming themselves on air. Party poppers are involved. . .