Hitting the road with Ann Garvin...plus a book giveaway

 

We're pleased to welcome Ann Garvin to CLC today. Her latest novel, I Thought You Said This Would Work, sounds like a lot of fun and has a vibrant cover with a summer feel to it. Ann has one copy to share with a lucky reader!

Ann Garvin, Ph.D. is the USA Today Bestselling author of  I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around, The Dog Year, and On Maggie’s Watch.  She is in the process of writing Falling In Love Is The Easy Part which will launch in 2022.

Ann worked as an RN and after receiving her Ph.D taught Exercise Physiology, Sport Psychology Nutrition, Stress Management, and Global Health for thirty years in the University of Wisconsin system. She currently teaches creative writing at Drexel University in their low residency Masters of Fine Arts program and has held positions at Miami University and Southern New Hampshire in their Masters of Fine Arts Creative Writing programs.

Ann is the founder of the multiple award-winning Tall Poppy Writers where she is committed to helping women writers succeed. She is a sought-after speaker on writing, leadership and health and has taught extensively in NY, San Francisco, LA, Boston, and at festivals across the country. (Bio adapted from Ann's website.)

Visit Ann online:
Website * Facebook * Twitter * Instagram

Synopsis:
A road trip can drive anyone over the edge—especially two former best friends—in bestselling author Ann Garvin’s funny and poignant novel about broken bonds, messy histories, and the power of forgiveness.

Widowed Samantha Arias hasn’t spoken to Holly Dunfee in forever. It’s for the best. Samantha prefers to avoid conflict. The blisteringly honest Holly craves it. What they still have in common puts them both back on speed dial: a mutual love for Katie, their best friend of twenty-five years, now hospitalized with cancer and needing one little errand from her old college roomies.

It’s simple: travel cross-country together, steal her loathsome ex-husband’s VW camper, find Katie’s diabetic Great Pyrenees at a Utah rescue, and drive him back home to Wisconsin. If it’ll make Katie happy, no favor is too big (one hundred pounds), too daunting (two thousand miles), or too illegal (ish), even when a boho D-list celebrity hitches a ride and drives the road trip in fresh directions.

Samantha and Holly are following every new turn—toward second chances, unexpected romance, and self-discovery—and finally blowing the dust off the secret that broke their friendship. On the open road, they’ll try to put it back together—for themselves, and especially for the love of Katie. (Courtesy of Amazon.)

“Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, I Thought You Said This Would Work kept me reaching for tissues—from laughing so hard. This book is a pure delight.” 

—Colleen Oakley, USA Today bestselling author of You Were There Too

“Laughter, tears, and an unforgettable cast of characters: I Thought You Said This Would Work has everything I love, so it’s no surprise that I adored this novel. Ann Garvin’s latest, about three unlikely allies on the road trip to end all road trips, is the sort of life-affirming story we all need right now. I can’t recommend it highly enough.” 

—Camille Pagán, bestselling author of This Won’t End Well

“Ann Garvin knows how to find the ooey-gooey center of your emotions to make you laugh, cry, and hoot in appreciation. I Thought You Said This Would Work celebrates female friendship in all its complicated glory. Read immediately, curled up with a furry friend and hot cup of coffee.” 

—Amy E. Reichert, author of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

What is a favorite compliment you have received on your writing? 
My favorite compliment is when someone compares my writing to one of my heroes like Nora Ephron or Erma Bombeck. I know I'm nowhere near as talented as either of them, but I'll take even a whiff of the notion that we are similar. 

Who do you relate to more in your novel, Samantha or Holly?
I am more Samantha than Holly. I'm not as timid, nor quite as conflict-avoidant but I know what grief is and I know what it's like to lose a friend and not know why. I love both of their weaknesses and I love that they were willing to grow. 

If I Thought You Said this Would Work was made into a movie, who would you cast in the leading roles?
I almost don't dare to think of it, you know? But, I would love it if Tina Fey played Samantha and Amy Pohler played Holly. I think Kirsten Wiig would be so funny as Summer Silva and the wonderful Katie should be played by someone really balanced and lovely. Maybe...Merritt Wever.

What TV series are you currently binge watching?
I'm watching The Handmaid's Tale. I can't look away. Season four is a barn burner. 

What have you learned about yourself during the pandemic?
So much. I learned that I am a solid extrovert who fuels her writing by exposure to people. I learned that I did way too much for wayyyy too long and the Pandemic forced me to quiet down. I learned that I have a lot of anxiety about other people getting ill. I was a nurse and wanted to help. The best I could do what dust off my license and give vaccinations and that was wonderful. 

What is something that always makes you happy?
The sun. A sunny day, no matter what. I am a hot house plant who needs the lemon yellow rays to live. 

Thanks to Ann for visiting with us and for sharing her book with our readers.

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Giveaway ends May 18th at midnight EST.