On Thursday, May 25th at 4:00pm PDT Warwick's will host Megan Tady as she discusses her new book, Super Bloom, in conversation. Megan Tady is a writer and editor who runs the company Word-Lift. When she's not scrutinizing copy, she can be found stocking her free neighborhood library, challenging anyone to a dance-off, or stewing over how Portlandia stole all of her jokes. She's hard at work on her next novel, Champions for Breakfast, which will also be published by Zibby Books. She's a corn-fed Nebraska gal who now lives in a quaint New England town with her husband and two kids.
In this sparkling, heartwarming debut set at an iconic Vermont spa, massage therapist Joan Johnston struggles with grief. She's lost the love of her life early into their relationship and questions her path forward when she encounters a new client, the firebrand romance novelist Carmen Bronze. Can a quirky assignment from a demanding, eccentric author help Joan rewrite her life?
Massage therapist Joan Johnston can't seem to get her life back on track. She's wallowing in grief over the accidental death of her boyfriend, Samuel, and her Eeyore attitude is now seriously jeopardizing her job at Apex Inn & Spa, a Vermont institution, as well as her friendships. Then a new client, Carmen Bronze - famous for her bestselling romance novels as well as her crazy demands and flaming temper - offers Joan the chance to pay down her massage school debt and get back in her boss' good graces at work. All Joan needs to do is funnel Carmen insider dirt for her next book, which is set at a spa. Joan's not sure, but she's out of better options and takes the deal.
As the task unexpectedly reawakens a dormant talent in Joan, she's irresistibly drawn to writing her own romance novel - one based on her relationship with Samuel that stretches into the bright future they didn't get to share. Writing seems to be the therapy Joan so desperately needs, and her heart begins to open to unlikely friendships, workplace injustice, and even a new romance.
But it's not that easy, especially with the intensity of Carmen breathing down her neck. When Carmen discovers what Joan has been up to, she snatches Joan's hand-written manuscript and claims it as her own, leading Joan's new motley crew of friends to hatch an audacious (and hilarious) plan to get it back.
A heartfelt look at taking second chances in life and in love, Tady's uplifting debut will have readers rooting for Joan on every page - as well as laughing out loud at her one-of-a-kind wit.
Meghan Riordan Jarvis is a podcast host (Grief Is My Side Hustle), two-time Tedx Speaker, and psychotherapist specializing in trauma and grief and loss. After experiencing PTSD following the deaths of both of her parents, Jarvisfounded Talking Point Partners to help employers address complex emotions such as grief in the workplace. Jarvis is currently at work on Can Anyone Tell Me Why: 25 Essential Questions About Grief and Loss, which publishes with Sounds True Media in 2024. Originally from New England, Jarviscurrently lives in Maryland with her husband and their three children, where competing piles of LEGOand books cover most surfaces of their house.
