Thar She Blows: An author talk and book signing with Susan Emshwiller

Join us for a conversation with Susan Emshwiller as she discusses her novel, Thar She Blows, a finalist in 2023 Independent Author Award and The Wishing Shelf Book Award 2023. Books will be available for purchase at the event. 

Caught in a redundant housewife existence, Ann never leaves her beige suburban home, her schlubby do-nothing son Brian is directionless after graduating high-school, and it looks like nothing will ever change. But when Brian is swallowed by a whale and Ann receives a garbled phone call from him, she is determined to find that monstrous beast and rescue her son. Experts, her ex, the press—everyone thinks she’s crazy—but she’s committed to her worthy quest. Except, how do you find a whale that has a boy living in it? Their story intertwines with a PTSD-plagued father who has abducted his daughter, a Native Alaskan State Trooper, a Norwegian family, and a Bottle. Both Brian and Ann battle their skeptical inner voices in an inspiring journey of self-discovery, reinvention, survival, and sacrifice. As mother and son face epic adventures, they encounter unlikely allies from across the globe and might just find each other. Yet the ultimate danger is closing in… Devilishly funny, heartbreaking, thrilling, this epic whale-of-a-tale combines absurdist speculative fiction with intimate family dynamics.

Susan Emshwiller is a produced screenwriter (including co-writer of the film Pollock), a filmmaker, a published playwright, novelist, teacher, artist, and short story writer. Her first novel Thar She Blows debuted in 2023, with her second All My Ancestors Had Sex appearing this April. Other writing can be found in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Independent Ink Magazine, Black Heart Magazine, Gone Lawn, Smoky Blue Literary and Arts Magazine, and Anchala Studios Flash Fiction. Ms. Emshwiller was a set decorator for many years in Hollywood and a featured actress in Robert Altman's The Player. Her feature film, In the Land of Milk and Money, a wild social satire, garnered awards and rave reviews at festivals in the US and internationally. Susan has taught screenwriting at North Carolina State University, Osher Life Long Learning Institute at Duke, the Met Theatre in Los Angeles, and in conferences and festivals around the country. She lives with her husband and dogs in Santa Fe NM where she enjoys inventing stories and backyard contraptions.

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