I’m Ann and I think everything is funny and a little bit sad.
I write about women, with a good sense of humor, who do too much in a world that asks too much from them. I write about you and me.
“USA Today bestselling author and Tall Poppy Writers founder Ann Garvin is a lot like the heroines in her novels — plucky and flawed; charming and fiercely loyal; funny to beat the band, even (or especially) when the music gets dark.”
~ Maggie Ginsberg, Madison Magazine
A road trip can drive anyone over the edge—especially two former best friends—in my funny and poignant novel about broken bonds, messy histories, and the power of forgiveness. Think Little Miss Sunshine meets Thelma and Louise.
“A Charming exploration of female friendship and cancer’s uncanny ability to put perceived slights into perspective. A Testiment to the Power of One’s Own voice and the mistruths in the stories we tell ourselves, and an introspective, heartwarming, and witty farce.” -BOOKLIST
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.
Come Sit By Me
5-minute Podcasts
When you have a question, know there is no one right answer but want an answer anyway.
What if you had a best friend who knows a lot about life. Who is a professor of exercise physiology and health psychology? Who is a nurse and a novelist, and an entrepreneur? What if she had the best stories, advice you can use about food, moving, life. She was good about keeping her answers short. Unscripted. Informal. Often funny, always real information you can trust. Full Stop.
Books
“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
“I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around is ferociously funny, perfectly pitched, and weighted with the stuff of life.” ~ Wiley Cash, New York Times bestselling author
“The Story of a woman who had everything, lost everything, and now wants to shoplift the rest….The Dog Year is hilarious, poignant and heartbreaking.” ~ Jacquelyn Mitchard, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“On Maggie’s Watch shows how we thrive, how we go on, in a life that’s neither perfect or fair. Ann Garvin writes with humor and compassion.” ~ Luanne Rice, New York Times bestselling author