Ann Garvin, author of four self-described “funny and sad” novels, will release her fifth book There’s No Coming Back From This on Aug. 1.
Garvin, originally an RN and professor, got her start in writing entirely on a whim. In 2004, she entered the Wisconsin Book Festival writing contest and won second place.
“I was so shocked and thrilled that I began thinking this is something I could do. I didn’t have a lot of skills so I had to learn how to craft a book,” Garvin says. “But I was really lucky. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be a writer.”
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Many of Garvin’s books draw inspiration from Midwest ideals and characters, and her new novel is no different.
There’s No Coming Back From This follows Poppy Lively, a single mother on the verge of losing everything after her accountant embezzles all of her tax money. An old flame and hotshot Hollywood producer gives Poppy a job in costumes on a film set, so she leaves the Midwest for Los Angeles. Unfamiliar with the entertainment business, Poppy must deal with the world of stardom and unexpected corruption in the city while proving herself to the moviemakers and stars around her.
Also unfamiliar with the details of costumes in the entertainment business, Garvin worked with many professionals in the field – from Reese Witherspoon’s personal dresser to the Oscar-nominated costume crew of Dune – to understand the intricacies of the profession.
After publishing her first novel, Garvin says it was hard to find enough readers to keep her book deal afloat. In 2013, she created Tall Poppy Writers, a collective of female authors and readers who support each other’s books and the presence of women in the publishing industry.
“There are more female authors, but male authors get 45% more money than women do. This marketing co-op is specifically for female authors to help find readers and keep their voices strong. Over time we have changed the culture of the book world because authors support each other all the time now,” Garvin says.
Tall Poppy Writers group of female authors, and their subsequent readers, have formed a collective so that women don’t have to do all of the work on their own.
“It’s because [women] are so amazing and capable, they take on too much and people ask too much of them. Other people who also feel that they do too much, I hope that they get me and my characters.”
There’s No Coming Back From This will be out on Aug. 1. For more information on Ann Garvin and Tall Poppy Writers, visit anngarvin.com.
