"Basically, if there is a book in you that just has to come out, I'm your surgeon? Mid-wife? Sorcerer? Shrink?" notes prolific ghostwriter Valerie Frankel. "Whichever metaphor works for you, that's the best one ever." Val knows what it takes to discover the story in a life well-lived—and, how to reach for just the right metaphor to ensure that the story lands in just the right way. As the author or co-author of over 50 books, including dozens written in collaboration with some of our leading performers, personalities, and change agents, she's emerged as one of publishing's leading ghostwriters, with five New York Times best-sellers to her credit. She's also an accomplished novelist, memoirist and book-doctor—a writer who's been helping to shape our national conversation for the past twenty years. That conversation started with a decade-long stint at Mademoiselle, where Val worked as articles editor, while building her freelance career as a contributor to Good Housekeeping, Self, Allure, Glamour, Parenting, and pretty much every major woman's magazine on U.S. newsstands. On the side, she found time to launch her career as a novelist, publishing her first novel, A Deadline for Murder, and a series of popular YA novels, including Fringe Girl and Fringe Girl in Love, as well as the critically-acclaimed memoirs It's Hard Not to Hate You and Thin is the New Happy. One of Val's very first celebrity collaborations was with the iconic Joan Rivers—an outrageously funny primer on the ins and outs and nips and tucks of plastic surgery called Men Are Stupid... and They Like Big Boobs. (Such a great title!) She also helped to write two novels with Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi, who burst onto the pop culture scene with the MTV's ground-breaking (and head-scratching) "Jersey Shore" reality series (A Shore Thing, Gorilla Beach), as well as books with comedian Sebastian Maniscalco (Stay Hungry), "Dallas" star Linda Gray (The Road to Happiness is Always Under Construction) and "Real Housewife" Aviva Drescher (Leggy Blonde). Most recently, Val made a bunch of noise with a series of books that shined meaningful light on what it meant to live and work in the orbit of our former president: Ivana Trump's Raising Trump, Omarosa Manigault Newman's Unhinged, and Stephanie Winston Wolkoff's Melania and Me—all national best-sellers. Learn more about Valerie Frankel: Website Twitter Please support the sponsors who support our show. Misfits Market (WRITERSBONE) | $15 off your first order  Film Movement Plus (PODCAST) | 30% discount Libro.fm (ASTOLDTO) | 2 audiobooks for the price of 1 when you start your membership Wizard Pins (WRITERSBONE) | 20% discount