Jen and New York Times best-selling author, Phaedra Patrick, discuss “The Little Italian Hotel” and how finding a way through heartache can look wildly different from one person to the next.

Phaedra was a self-taught writer who almost gave up on her dream before she had a breakthrough with her runaway hit, “The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper.” In her darkest moments she always reminds herself, “When I don’t feel confident, I just tell myself that I can always feel determined instead.” With that boldness in mind, she writes novels to make people feel good about themselves and want to connect with others.

Particularly compelling moments between Jen and Phaedra include:

Phaedra’s incredible story of teaching herself to write and dealing with rejection in the beginning of her career
The author's insights on the challenges women face on putting themselves first
Phaedra’s reasoning on the open ending of the book
Why connecting with others in warm and gentle spaces can lead to healing