For Nori Stedworth, the day couldn't get any worse. She
began her bad karma with a 2nd-degree burn on the top of
her mouth, followed by the typical rainy day truck splash
on her only suit. Thinking it can't get any worse, Nori
discovers her best friend in the tub with her fiancé, and
then her mom shows up for a surprise visit. To top it all
off, Nori's company is going under.
Nori's mother is tired of being second fiddle to her
husband, the town mayor of Ten Commandments. Her craft
career takes off when she finds herself a new friend and a
new hobby, bellybutton castings. Needless to say, Nori and
her father are not impressed. Nori's imaginary friend and
conscience, Gertie, reappears and seems here to stay.
After meeting Nori and accidentally switching laptops,
Mackenzie Randolph realizes that Nori and Gertie are the
answers to his prayers. Mac gives her a job at a radio
station, where Gertie tells it like it is, and it isn't
pretty for guys. Nori and Mac then start something they
know they won't be able to stop.
TALK GERTIE TO ME is a laugh-out-loud book that leaves the
reader wanting more. The stories intertwine perfectly
between mother and daughter and all loose ends are tied up.
All the characters are believable and funny, making the
story a delightful, easy afternoon read.
Two years ago Nori Stedworth fled the conservative
mentality of both her parents and Ten Commandments, Iowa,
for Manhattan. She loves her new life -- until one
devastating afternoon that culminates with the arrival of
her mother. Mom is suffering from middle-age meltdown. Her
only identity is as a wife and mother, but her husband is a
workaholic, and her daughter is halfway across the country.
Grandchildren would give her life new purpose. If only Nori
would come to her senses and marry town mortician and most
eligible bachelor Eugene Draymore.
To that end, Mom sets off to bring Nori home. But when she
meets Nori’s neighbor, her plans take an unexpected twist,
and she’s thrust headfirst into a career as the next Martha
Stewart. Suddenly, she’s a somebody in her own right and
reconsiders returning to her old life.
As a coping mechanism, Nori resurrects Gertie, her
adolescent imaginary friend. A laptop mix-up lands her
musings in the hands of Mackenzie Randolph, a talk-radio
station manager on deadline to boost sagging ratings or
lose his job. He knows he’s found the answer to his prayers
when he reads Nori’s make-believe correspondence.
And maybe he’s found much more.
Meanwhile Dad, with Eugene in tow, comes in search of his
AWOL wife. Tempers flare when Mom refuses to return home.
However, when she and Dad hear Nori on the radio, they
unite to “save” her from the corruption of both Mac and
Manhattan.