Host Jesse Jackson welcomes author and former teacher Sara Goodman-Confino to Set Lusting Bruce to talk Bruce Springsteen, fandom, and fiction. Sara shares her path from 21 years teaching to writing full-time, her Springsteen origin story rooted in hearing “Atlantic City” during a difficult college week, and her family’s deep reading culture. She recounts seeing Bruce live (including being pulled onstage in Charlottesville in 2012 with a “Can I dance with Jake?” sign), attending dozens of shows, favorite songs and albums (especially Born to Run and “Backstreets”), and sending Bruce a copy of her novel Don’t Forget to Write featuring a brief Bruce cameo. They discuss Sara’s focus on humorous, intergenerational stories with strong female characters and “Jewish joy,” including why she writes Jewish characters beyond suffering narratives and how her novels highlight the recentness of women’s legal and social limitations. Sara previews upcoming projects, including her June 9 release Off the Record about a young woman in a 1960s newspaper typing pool who uncovers a Cuban spy plot, plus a planned 2027 novel centered on the Beatles’ first U.S. concert after Ed Sullivan. Find more about her and her books here - https://saraconfino.com/
00:00 Welcome to Set Lusting Bruce + Meet Author Sara Goodman Canino
00:53 From Teacher to Full-Time Writer: Beyond the Palace Origins
03:54 Growing Up with Books & Classic Rock (and Early Bruce Memories)
05:24 The Springsteen Mix CD That Got Her Through Grief
10:13 Writing Strong Women & Finding Her Voice (Humor, Publishing, Historical Fiction)
13:29 Jewish Joy on the Page: Representation Beyond Trauma
16:28 Intergenerational Healing: The Mother-in-Law Story Behind Good Grief
19:24 New Release Spotlight: Off the Record—Jewish Romcom Meets Cold War Spy Thriller
23:00 Why the Early ’60s Still Matters: Women’s Rights, Research, and Remembering History
27:34 Why These Stories Matter (Especially for Younger Readers)
29:04 Next Novel Tease: The 1964 DC Beatles Show + A Photographer’s Big Break
31:12 Switching Gears to Bruce: The ‘Dance with Jake’ Sign & Getting Pulled Onstage
34:20 Counting Shows & Favorite Springsteen Songs (Born to Run, Backstreets, Sandy)
37:29 Have You Met Bruce? Mailing Him a Book + The New Jersey Cameo
39:27 Family Concert Memories: Dad, Uncle, and the Legendary Ticket Scores
42:46 What’s Next as a Writer: Secret Projects, Building an Audience & Future Horror Book
44:09 Thunder Road Debate: Does Mary Get in the Car? (Plus ‘Waves’ vs ‘Sways’)
44:58 Where to Find Sara: Socials, Website, Buying Options & Final Wrap-Up
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