Chapter 160: Nita Prose on mastering manuscripts and making Molly the Maid
Release Date: 05/01/2026
3 Books With Neil Pasricha
Hey everybody, Welcome to Chapter 50 of 3 Books! We’re going to hang out on a hotel room couch in Vancouver for a little bit of calm. I am very excited to have you on the couch beside me and the absolutely incredible . Who is Marcus? Well, if you’re in the business world, you’ve probably heard of him. Why? Well, he’s written books sitting on every executive’s bookshelf and his assessments and work are used everywhere. Marcus Buckingham is a global researcher and thought leader focused on unlocking people's strengths, increasing their performance, and pioneering...
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Happy Buck Moon, everyone! As we sink into the summer heat, I'm thrilled to welcome Jon Klassen on 3 Books! Jon is a Canadian born, LA living author and illustrator whose darkly humorous, minimalist storytelling has helped define contemporary children’s literature. In 2016, Jon concluded his breakout book series ‘’, which features ‘, ‘, and ‘’ ‘This Is Not My Hat’ was the first book to ever win both the and the . Jon’s books have now sold over 12 million copies (!) and he might be the most...
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I sat down with at the Sherbourne Health Centre on the east side of downtown Toronto, an area of the city sometimes known for its challenges with drug abuse. Who is Dr. Andrea Sereda? She is a family physician who practices street outreach medicine and provides care through the in London, Ontario. She works with the emergency safer supply substitution program, prescribing hydromorphone, an opioid used by injection drug users to reduce the risk of contaminated street drugs. Wait! What? Yes, on the face of it, Dr. Andrea Sereda gives drugs to drug users but there is a...
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Happy Strawberry Moon, everyone! As we ease into summer and the hydrangeas and garden roses begin blooming here in Toronto, I find myself struck by the awe and beauty that quietly surrounds us each day. There’s so much science behind how we experience the world. My guest on this moon’s chapter of 3 Books has spent his career proving just that. Join me in welcoming one of the world’s leading experts on happiness and human potential, a Harvard-trained positive psychologist and researcher whose has been watched over 30 million (!) times, and a genuinely warm human I am proud to call a...
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On a pair of folding lawn chairs on his front porch in Toronto's Roncesvalles neighborhood, I sat down with my friend Michael Bungay Stanier. Michael’s mind is like a box that you open and a whole bunch of springs suddenly fly out in all directions. Here’s a bit of to give you a taste of this guy: “I’ve never quite fit the traditional mold, and honestly, I think that’s been the advantage that has shaped my life. Smart and successful don’t have to look one way. But making space for that – for different voices, different ambitions, different ways of moving through...
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Happy blue moon, everyone! Yes, it is indeed the second full moon of the month which brings us a second May chapter of 3 Books. This one features an author I’ve been hoping to have on our show for years. Join me in welcoming the Booker Prize–winning novelist, deeply philosophical storyteller, and one of Canada’s most distinctive literary voices ... Mr. Yann Martel! Yann is best known for ‘, the global phenomenon that won , sold over 15 million copies worldwide, and was later adapted into an . Born in Salamanca, Spain in 1963,...
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Nestled into a beautiful century-old brownstone in Park Slope, Brooklyn, I spoke with the amazing —a preacher of love, letting love in, sending love out, and using that as a way to deepen our connection with ourselves and our children. Who is Dr. Laura Markham? She’s a Columbia-trained clinical psychologist, founder and editor at , author of including my favorite, a parenting expert, and a life-changer for many, many families—including mine. (You’ll hear what my wife Leslie thinks at the beginning of this chapter!) Dr. Laura Markham translates...
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Happy , everyone! Up in Toronto we're experiencing a wonderful blooming, a beautiful , and lots of slowly-getting-warmer days as we inch towards summer. With this warm spring breeze I’m thrilled to welcome our latest 3 Books guest: a luminous force in publishing, a powerhouse editor-turned-author, and a wonderful storyteller ... the one and only ! Today Nita is best known for her mystery series which features three main titles and a holiday edition—‘,’ ‘,’ ‘,’ and ‘’—which have collectively sold over 2 million copies. Raised in Ontario’s Simcoe County, Nita began...
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Happy new moon, everybody! Today we fly down to the hills of Calabasas, California, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, where I sat behind a microphone at a walnut desk across from the one and only Rich Roll. Rich went to Stanford and Cornell and was a national athlete in swimming before his career was cut short by a decade-long struggle with alcohol—eventually landing him in jail and rehab. On the eve of his 40th birthday, as he walked up the stairs he was left totally winded… and decided it was time to make a change. The next day, Rich overhauled his life. He switched to a 100% vegan,...
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We welcome global gallivant and raging bibliophile Eve Harlow on 3 Books! Born in Russia, raised in Israel, living in Canada and the U.S., is a talented actress best known for roles in , , and her current star turn as Dr. Ingrid Derian in , the medical-mystery thriller inspired by stories of Sherlock Holmes. Somehow between her busy acting schedule, Eve finds time to read a book a week. She's a library junkie, a reading phenom, and posts stacks of her latest reads between red carpet shots and behind-the-scenes clips from...
info_outlineHappy Flower Moon, everyone!
Up in Toronto we're experiencing a wonderful blooming, a beautiful bird migration, and lots of slowly-getting-warmer days as we inch towards summer.
With this warm spring breeze I’m thrilled to welcome our latest 3 Books guest: a luminous force in publishing, a powerhouse editor-turned-author, and a wonderful storyteller ... the one and only Nita Prose!
Today Nita is best known for her Molly the Maid mystery series which features three main titles and a holiday edition—‘The Maid,’ ‘The Mystery Guest,’ ‘The Mistletoe Mystery,’ and ‘The Maid's Secret’—which have collectively sold over 2 million copies.
Raised in Ontario’s Simcoe County, Nita began her career by contributing to literary magazines, became a production editor with HarperCollins, and then became a Senior Editor at Doubleday.
She then held the lofty publishing position of Vice President and Editorial Director at Simon & Schuster Canada and oversaw titles by authors like Rupi Kaur (@rupikaur_), Kate Morton (@katemortonauthor), Iain Reid (@tidydissolve), and... me!
Nita was the editor of my book on resilience ‘You Are Awesome: How To Navigate Change, Wrestle with Failure, and Live an Intentional Life’ which came out in 2019 and my book on gratitude and community ‘Our Book Of Awesome,’ which came out in 2022.
Nita has since left publishing to write full-time and today her phenomenal career and perspectives offer a true publishing and writing masterclass.
Tune in as we discuss: What does an editor actually do? How do you get a job in publishing? What writing routines structure Nita’s stories? Why might you keep the novel you're writing a secret from your long-term partner? How do you write an allegory? And (of course!) which 3 books most shaped her life?
We talk about creating characters grounded in emotional truths, measuring success within the labyrinth-like writing industry, the importance of reading across genres, and much, much more.
Let’s flip the page to Chapter 160 now...