jessa hastings, author of the magnolia parks universe, doesn't follow the rules

OMFG — Jessa freaking Hastings is on So Into That this week!!!!!Jessa is the brilliant author of the Magnolia Parks book series, and whether or not you’ve read them, I know you’ll love getting to know her and hearing about her path to mega-book-fame.I can’t stop thinking about the unwavering faith that Jessa had in herself that these books would someday be a success, despite so many people telling her no along the way. If you’ve ever wanted to put something out into the world but hit speed bumps along the way, I know her story will be as inspirational to you as it is to me. Whether you’ve read Magnolia Parks or not, you’ll love getting to know Jessa and hearing her talk about “downloading” ideas out of thin air, blacking out while writing, what she reads and watches for inspiration, and navigating the wild world of “Bookstagram” and “BookTok” where everyone’s a critic.Also – if you haven’t read the books; heed my spoiler alert about 15 minutes from the end!We also get into:* Where Jessa gets her ideas* Trusting her instincts, self-publishing, and going viral* The DMs she gets from her very invested fans* Drawing on her personal experience with grief to write Magnolia’s book 5 experience* Trying to get spoilers out of Jessa — “Will there be another wedding? Will someone die?!”* The meaning of the last sentence of Book 5* What Jessa’s so into (and out on) right nowLinks: * Jessa’s Instagram* Buy the Magnolia Parks books here* Pre-order my book hereListen to this episode on your favorite podcast app: This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit whattocook.substack.com/subscribe