ONLINE: Amy E. Reichert, Ann Garvin

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Kelly Johnsen

Wisconsin author Amy E. Reichert.

You had us at journalist who can see ghosts. That's one plot point of The Kindred Spirits Supper Club, the new novel from Amy E. Reichert about a writer whose current circumstances lead to a return home to Wisconsin Dells. Reichert will be in conversation with another Wisconsin-based writer, Ann Garvin, whose latest novel is I Thought You Said This Would Work. It's a humor-laced road trip tale of former friends brought back together on a mission for another friend with cancer. Register here for the Crowdcast livestream, hosted by Mystery to Me.

press release: Join Mystery to Me for a lively (and we're betting HILARIOUS) evening with Amy E. Reichert and Ann Garvin as they discuss their latest novels, THE KINDRED SPIRITS SUPPER CLUB and I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK.

About  The Kindred Spirits Supper Club

Jobless and forced home to Wisconsin, journalist Sabrina Monroe can tolerate reunions with frenemies and kisses from old boyfriends but not the literal ghosts that greet her in this heartwarming tale of the power of love and connection from acclaimed author Amy E. Reichert. For Sabrina Monroe, moving back home to the Wisconsin Dells-the self-described Water Park Capital of the World-means returning to the Monroe family curse: the women in her family can see spirits who come to them for help with unfinished business. But Sabrina has always redirected the needy spirits to her mom, who is much better suited for the job. The one exception has always been Molly, a bubbly rom-com loving ghost, who stuck by Sabrina's side all through her lonely childhood. Her personal life starts looking up when Ray, the new local restaurateur, invites Sabrina to his supper club, where he flirts with her over his famous brandy old-fashioneds. He is charming and handsome, but Sabrina tells herself she does not have time for romance-she needs to focus on finding a job. Except the longer she is in the Dells, the harder it is to resist her feelings for Ray. Who can turn down a cute guy with a fondness for rescue dogs and an obsession with perfecting his deep-fried cheese curds recipe?

 When the Dells starts to feel like home for the first time and with Ray in her corner, Sabrina begins to realize that she can make a difference and help others wherever she is.

About I Thought You Said This Would Work

Madison resident  Ann Garvin has won legions of fans who adore her compulsively readable novels. Her previous book, I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around, was a USA Today bestseller, and Publishers Weekly praised, “Garvin's wit and sensitivity keep her in full control of the emotional subject matter. Pinpoint details and realistic characterizations of Tig's internal strife firmly situate readers in this eccentric, endearing story of a family coming together to face the ravages of Alzheimer's.”

In her new novel, I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK (Lake Union Publishing; May 1, 2021), Ann Garvin has written a delicious novel (think Little Miss Sunshine meets Thelma and Louise) in which three frenemies risk their sanity on a cross-country road trip with an enormous Great Pyrenees dog in a dilapidated VW camper all for the mutual love of a best friend in the hospital.

Kristy Woodson Harvey, USA Today bestselling author of Feels Like Falling says, “No one captures the human condition in all its complexity, humor, and magnificence quite like Ann Garvin. I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK is a relatable story about the complexity of female friendship, its evolution through the years and the people who are always there no matter what. In the pages of her approachable and inspirational new novel, Garvin is at the height of her distinctive, transportive storytelling powers.”

And Karen Karbo, author of the New York Times bestseller Yeah, No. Not Happening, adds, "Ann Garvin navigates the twists and turns of female friendship like few writers working today. I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK is at once profound, hilarious, and ridiculously entertaining. Her best novel yet, I didn’t want it to end!” 

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.

Buckle your seat belts and get ready to race through this whip smart, vivaciously funny, and tender story with a cast of lovably imperfect characters readers will adore. If you would like to take a look at I THOUGHT YOU SAID THIS WOULD WORK, you can easily access the e-galley here: I Thought You Said This Would Work. If you would prefer an ARC, please let me know. I can send a physical copy to your preferred address. If you would like to schedule an interview with Ann Garvin, I’d be happy to arrange that for you. In addition to being a bestselling novelist, she is also the founder of the Tall Poppies women’s author collective — an organization committed to helping women writers find readers.