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Ann Garvin

(Ann Wertz Garvin)

Ann Garvin is an Easterner who lives in the Midwest and a fiction writer who makes a living as a scientist and educator. While working as a nurse she completed her PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in exercise psychology publishing extensively in the area of exercise, mental health and media and later became a prize winning short story writer.
Decades of teaching health and studying what makes people tick proved a perfect backdrop for her novels I LIKE YOU JUST FINE WHEN YOU'RE NOT AROUND (Tyrus), THE DOG YEAR & ON MAGGIE'S WATCH (Berkley Penguin). Ann, a natural storyteller, is a sought after speaker and educator at conferences where writing, health and human nature is discussed. Founder of The Tall Poppy Writers & Co-Founder of The Fifth Semester.

Genres: General Fiction

New and upcoming books

September 2024

Bummer Camp

Novels

   On Maggie's Watch (2010)
   The Dog Year (2014)
   I Like You Just Fine When You're Not Around (2016)
   I Thought You Said This Would Work (2021)
   There's No Coming Back from This (2023)
   Bummer Camp (2024)

Ann Garvin recommends

Let's Pretend This Will Work (2024)
Maddie Dawson
"I challenge you to read the first page of Let's Pretend This Will Work and not shut off your camera during Zoom meetings, cancel dinner plans, and stay up late into the night to finish it. It's that good. If you're not reading Maddie Dawson, you're not laughing, sighing, or living right."

Death in the Details (2024)
Katie Tietjen
"Death in the Details by Katie Tietjen is part true crime, part historical fiction, and, in a nutshell, a propulsive page-turner filled with twists and turns. In Tieiten's debut, she created Maple, a woman who can't be trifled with based on the innovative woman who changed the face of forensics science. Set time aside for this one. You won't be able to figure it out and you don't want to be interrupted."

The Last Caretaker (2023)
Jessica Strawser
"The Last Caretaker is the best kind of book: important, surprising, brave. You'll want all your friends to read it."

All We Could Still Have (2023)
Diane Barnes
"With wry precision, Diane Barnes tackles what it's like to be in a good marriage stretched to its very limits by desire, betrayal, and the definition of family. All We Could Still Have begs the question: Does deep struggle always signal a red flag to the end? Or, is it the very foils of being human that turn a good marriage into a great one? I read this book in one night, holding my breath until the very last line."

Unleashed Holiday (2023)
Victoria Schade
"Adorable dogs, sparkling chemistry, snowy fun, and a host of quirky characters keep Unleashed Holiday light and lively. The couple's palpable attraction serves up enough tension for readers who love a frothy rom-com punctuated by a little bit of disobedience. You'll love it."

The Christmas Wager (2023)
Holly Cassidy
"This book is for you if you love a good tussle, a spark of romance, and a competition of wills and skills. This isn't your typical Rom-Com, it's a Rom-Competition, and I'm here for it."

La Vie, According to Rose (2023)
Lauren Parvizi
"Filled with vibrant characters and family dynamics, La Vie, According to Rose is one woman's story of leaving guilt, fear, and old patterns behind while reaching for a new life, love, and future - in Paris, no less! I loved it, and I know anyone who picks this book up will, too."

The Better Half (2023)
Alli Frank and Asha Youmans
"The Better Half sizzles with sharp observations and even sharper wit from the first page to the delicious end. Alli Frank and Asha Youmans are a formidable team skewering the culture that forces women into roles while writing characters who both embrace, eschew, and finally succeed in their own powerful way."

Graceland (2023)
Nancy Crochiere
"Brimming with mischief and mystery, Nancy Crochiere's Graceland is as heartfelt as it is hilarious. This generational road trip pulls you in with speed and locks you in for the ride - much like the feisty force of nature, Olivia, who models for her daughter and granddaughter living life with vigor despite fears and challenges. Make time in your schedule because you won't be sleeping until you finish this charming gem of a novel."

The Book Haters' Book Club (2022)
Gretchen Anthony
"This sparkling novel starts with high energy and unique characters that move from one surprise to another."

She's Up to No Good (2022)
Sara Goodman Confino
"A heartfelt and endearing story where generations of women do what women do best - keep one's feet firmly planted while simultaneously moving forward with love."

Welcome to the Neighborhood (2022)
Lisa Roe
"We need Lisa Roe's side-eye on navigating a new marriage, a quirky child and a fresh start for everyone, with neighbors who put it all at risk. Warm, funny, heartwarming, and heartbreaking."

Truth and Other Lies (2022)
Maggie Smith
"Keenly observant, tense, and smart, Smith unravels the complexity of being a journalist in a time where loyalty, motherhood, and the medium itself are in a constant state of flux. Truth and Other Lies has everything you want in a book and more."

Darling at the Campsite (2021)
Andy Abramowitz
"Reminiscent of the best of Jonathan Tropper and Mathew Norman, Darling at the Campsite is a deep dive into heartbreak through the funny and wise eyes of author Andy Abramowitz. What starts out as a story of one guy’s loss of a high school love turns into a fertile and relatable tale about the lengths we go to protect ourselves from future pain—and end up finding our truer selves instead. I was envious all the way through and wished I’d written this wonderful book."

Agatha Arch is Afraid of Everything (2020)
Kristin Bair
"A singular and relatable story that’s ideal for fans of Where'd You Go, Bernadette. Kristin Bair is a fresh new voice in women’s fiction."

Queen of the Owls (2020)
Barbara Linn Probst
"Barbara Linn Probst captures the art of being a woman beautifully. Queen of the Owls is a powerful and liberating novel of self-discovery using Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, art, and relationships as a guide."

This Won't End Well (2020)
Camille Pagán
"Camille Pagán writes with deep compassion for her characters and for all of us who try so hard to do the right thing by the people we love. Annie, the protagonist at the center of her latest novel, is no exception. Quirky and occasionally clueless, charming and vulnerable, Annie’s so real that you’ll want to make her your best friend by the time you’ve reached the last page. This Won’t End Well is Pagán at her finest—capturing readers with warmth, honesty, and keen observations about keeping love simple in a complicated world."

The Vanishing Year (2016)
Kate Moretti
"The Vanishing Year will live in your mind long after you put the book down."

Chance Harbor (2015)
Holly Robinson
"The heart, intrigue, and secrets of Shakespeare but is written with the sensual prose or our time."

Dear Carolina (2015)
Kristy Woodson Harvey
"Kristy Harvey is a natural."

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