Bummer Bummer Bummer!

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN; Yes, I am a writer, but  right here, right now, I will admit defeat. 

Having to describe Ann Garvin is impossible. Impossible! 

When you walk into a room of people, and hear the laughter, that’s where Ann Garvin is. When you walk to a classroom and hear the students applaud, that’s where Ann Garvin is. When you walk into a bookstore and every seat at the event is taken, that’s an Ann Garvin event. If you are a person who needs a kind word, or guidance, or a new sense of direction, or empowerment, or just a place to vent, Ann Garvin, is your girl. She is the dearest friend, the most joyful confidante, the most talented author, an absolutely life-changing, gloriously marvelous inspiration for us all.  

Her newest book, BUMMER CAMP,  is out today!  And just from the brilliant title you know it’s fantastic and hilarious.

Ann is the founder and heart and genius behind the iconic and unmatched Tall Poppy Writers. Which you should know about. 

And she has had some interesting experiences. One of which is below. And read on for the giveaway! 

Six Million Views and Nobody Called

   By Ann Garvin

 

I published an essay on ageism and dating, and it went viral with Six Million interactions on X/twitter. I'm not bragging; I was and am still stunned by it. I usually get a solid 10 likes on a really good day, so this was an extraordinary moment in an otherwise ho-hum social media life.

 

To get my head around the idea of six million interactions, I Googled, What country has six million people living in it? Apparently, Denmark is that country, but I can't say that it helped me all that much. I tried to picture Denmark, home of the Little Mermaid, the term Hygge, and bicycles galore, but six million Danish people--I couldn't imagine it.

 

You hear about articles going viral. It always seems a bit like watching someone win a Powerball lottery. They get the car they always wanted, go on a vacation, and if there's something unusual about them, they end up on The Today Show or at least Late Night with Seth Meyers. I thought about what I might say to Seth, Jenna and Hoda. I wondered what I would wear if I had the right shoes, if I should buy something glittery or stay on brand and go in my favorite Gap jeans. I'm a writer, they won't expect false lashes, will they?

 

I wanted to tell someone who might be impressed. My friends barely register social media as something other than a waste of time.

 

I knew they would say something like, "Oh, I took all those sites off my phone. That's nice. Are you still writing that same book or are you on to another one?"

 

I don't blame them.  Writing as a career can feel very hard to understand in terms of publication dates and editing that goes on forever.

 

That left my kids. They'll understand, I thought,  and will be in awe of their mother, who has done what so many kids on TikTok have done.

I sent my daughter this text.

 

Me: I'm currently going viral on X/Twitter for that essay I wrote about dating and ageism.

Meg: Hiii, is it OK if I call you back later tonight or tomorrow? I haven't had alone time in ages, and I'm just decompressing.

Me: OK. Good for you.

 

I blinked and thought, no problem. I have another daughter.

 

Me: Hey Juls. I'm going viral. Six million views. It's incredible.

Julie: Slay.

Me: Slay.

 

If there's one thing you can count on, it's your kids to keep you humble.

 

Secretly, I thought that someone would surely see my virality and contact me with an opportunity of some sort. An interview request from Kelly Clarkson, Wisconsin Public Radio, or a coupon for two for one chicken breast at Festival Foods.

 

I'll break the suspense and tell you what did happen. I got three emails from men asking if I'd like to date them. I got a lot; approximately one thousand people saying they liked my essay and that it was great that I wrote it. I sold nineteen books, got a cramp in my re-fresh finger, and went to bed early. 

 

After I pulled my head out of the over-expectant clouds, I realized what had happened was wonderful. So many people read my work and interacted with me, and that was enough. More than enough. Something few writers ever achieve, and I feel so incredibly lucky to have had that out of the clear-blue-sky moment. I didn’t buy a glittery dress. I didn’t have to shave my legs for television, and I was reminded yet again, that readers is what I long for– and when they show up it feels like a party just for me.

 

HANK: Ohhh….what a story! Ahhhh. I love it and I hate it. It’s hilarious and terrible. And all of you MUST read the essay, it’s your assignment for the day! 

But Ann is now in full promo mode–and to that end, she’s offering a giveaway! One lucky commenter will win a copy of BUMMER CAMP! Whoo hoo.

Just tell us: did you go to summer camp? What ONE thing do you remember about it? And if you didn’t go, did you want to? 

And we’ll announce the winner later this week!

BUMMER CAMP 

Two sisters scramble to save their family’s legacy in a funny, huge-hearted novel about grandiose plans and summers to remember by the author of I Thought You Said This Would Work.

Cat McCarthy has spent years extricating herself from the family business―an increasingly run-down theater camp―and all the drama contained within it. At thirty-seven, she’s putting the final touches on a new life as she renovates her dream cottage and awaits her first child. Does it worry her that the McCarthy legacy is in the hands of her disastrously irresponsible sister, Ginger? Sure. But the camp’s not Cat’s problem anymore.

Then a series of frantic text messages pulls Cat back to center stage. Ginger has handed the reins to a crackpot motivational speaker, Bob Durand, and his scheming wife, Elaine. The couple’s plan to rebrand the camp as a “rehab” for anxious adults has nearly bankrupted the McCarthys. And now the Durands have skipped town days before investors arrive for a fundraising gala that could determine the camp’s future.

As Cat and Ginger wrangle a cast of lovable misfits and underdogs to save the camp, the sisters rediscover the importance of family, belonging, and holding fast to sweet summer memories.

Ann Garvin, PhD, is the USA Today bestselling author of There’s No Coming Back From This, I Thought You Said This Would Work, I Like You Just Fine When You’re Not Around, and other funny and sad novels about people who do too much, in a world that asks too much from them. Ann teaches in the low-residency master of fine arts program at Drexel University and lives in Wisconsin with her anxious and overly protective dog, Peanut. She is the founder of the Tall Poppy Writers and is dedicated to helping authors find readers and vice versa. For more information, visit www.anngarvin.com.