Alli Hoff Kosik on Writing Christian Influencers with Heart in Too Blessed to Stress

This week on Pen Pals, Krisserin and Kelton sit down with debut novelist Alli Hoff Kosik to discuss her buzzy new novel, Too Blessed to Stress — a sharp, funny, and unexpectedly tender story about Christian influencers, megachurch culture, and the complicated women behind perfectly curated feeds.Alli shares how a pandemic-era fascination with influencer culture inspired the book, why she wanted to approach her characters with empathy instead of judgment, and how social media, capitalism, faith, and performance intersect online. They also discuss writing motherhood into real life, balancing creativity with burnout, MFA programs, multiple POV novels, and the challenge of building a writing life while raising small children.Plus: Secret Lives of Mormon Wives comparisons, parasocial internet rabbit holes, writing routines, podcasting, and whether Krisserin and Kelton actually sound the same.Books Mentioned in This EpisodeThe Other Valley by Scott Alexander HowardThe Giver by Lois LowryPrep by Curtis SittenfeldSuch a Fun Age by Kiley ReidCome and Get It by Kiley ReidMaame by Jessica GeorgeLove by the Book by Jessica GeorgeConfessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie KinsellaLong Bright River by Liz MooreNightshade by Eli RaphaelFind Alli Hoff KosikWebsite: Alli Hoff Kosik Official WebsiteInstagram: @allihoffkosikSubstack: https://allihoffkosik.substack.com/Podcast: Is This a Thing? with Abby WolfeBuy Too Blessed to Stress on Bookshop.orgWrite to us: [email protected] us:Instagram: @penpalspodTikTok: @penpalspodYouTube: @PenPalsPodSubStack: penpalspod.substack.comFollow Krisserin and Kelton:TikTok: @krisserin, @keltonwrites Instagram: @keltonkin, @keltonwritesKelton's Substack: ShangrilogsKrisserin's Substack: krisserin.substack.comMusic by Golden Hour Oasis Studios