Welcome to this week’s edition of Jen’s Jewels, where we dive into the heartwarming and adventurous world of Megan Tady’s latest novel, BLUEBIRD DAY. Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Swiss Alps, this compelling story blends humor, heart, and high stakes as a mother and daughter tackle their estranged relationship amidst a whirlwind of skiing competitions and an unexpected avalanche. With themes of ambition, reconciliation, and the power of shared experiences, Megan offers readers a captivating tale of family, resilience, and self-discovery. Don’t miss this behind-the-scenes glimpse into her creative process and the inspirations that brought BLUEBIRD DAY to life!
Jen: What inspired you to write BLUEBIRD DAY? Are you a skier yourself, or did you have to dive into the world of competitive skiing through research?
Megan: I liked the idea of exploring a mother and daughter working through an estrangement, but I wanted to give them something to do together besides just hash out their grievances. Walls can unwittingly come down when you're working toward a shared goal—especially a physical goal that requires sweat and strength—which is why I chose a fitness contest as the impetus for getting them back together. And then, when their trip takes a turn, they have to actively work at getting out of Switzerland together.
I’m not a competitive skier, so I conducted a great deal of research for this book. I interviewed former Olympic skiers, read ski memoirs and other ski-racing books, watched documentaries, and just generally tried to steep myself in that world. As a former journalist, I love this part of novel writing.
Jen: Claudine and Wylie’s relationship is at the heart of the story. Which character do you personally relate to more—Claudine, the driven and ambitious mom, or Wylie, the anxious daughter trying to redefine herself?
Megan: Honestly, I resonate with both! The book alternates in POV from Wylie’s and Claudine’s perspectives, and I felt like I was pulling from my experience as a mom of a daughter, and as a daughter. I have a driven, ambitious side, and I can understand struggling to figure out how much you should push/encourage your kids, especially if you think you’re seeing untapped potential. And I can easily step into what it feels like to be a daughter trying to appease parents and being confused about choosing the right path.
Jen: Kipper, Claudine’s father and Wylie’s grandfather, plays a unique role in the story. He has been both a coach and a caregiver. How did his character shape the dynamic between Claudine and Wylie on and off the slopes?
Megan: In many ways, Kipper is an invisible character—he’s been dead for some time when Claudine and Wylie finally end their estrangement. But his imprint did shape their mother-daughter dynamic in a powerful way. Claudine desperately wanted to protect Wylie from Kipper’s domineering ways, but she also replicated them. He was her only parenting model, so she wasn’t able to fully break the mold even as she herself revolted against him. Claudine hands down a generational achievement mindset that puts success over wellbeing—not because she’s intentionally trying to hurt Wylie, but because she was taught that success would shelter her from life’s struggles. Wylie, in turn, bucks against Claudine’s control, not fully understanding that Kipper had a hand in this legacy, too.
Jen: The setting is a Swiss village, which you have beautifully described. Why did you choose Switzerland as the backdrop for this story? Have you visited the area in real life?
Megan: The setting is ripped from actual headlines. In 2018, an avalanche in Zermatt stranded 13,000 tourists for five days. I read news articles and filed away the idea, which came bursting back as I was writing this book. Essentially, the avalanche creates a sort of closed-room scenario, trapping Claudine and Wylie together so that they're forced to live in a small space and begin to learn about each other again. The avalanche is also a metaphor—everything seems to be crashing down onto Claudine and Wylie, and there's nothing either of them can do about it. It helped that I had visited Switzerland in my twenties, stayed at a youth hostel that inspired Hostel die Freude in my book, and attempted to ski down a glacier, only to be stymied with fear—similar to Wylie!
Jen: The novel explores themes of ambition, failure, and reconciliation. What message do you hope readers take away from Claudine and Wylie’s journey?
Megan: I hope they see a flawed mom and daughter who are working toward forgiveness and self-forgiveness, and that this process happens in fits and starts—it's not linear. Maybe they'll see a little of themselves in Claudine and Wylie, whether they've been under the thumb of a hard-driving parent or they're still struggling to parse out what they should do versus what makes them happy. And I hope they eat more pastries!
Jen: Writing about a mother-daughter relationship can be deeply personal. Did your experiences or family dynamics influence how you portrayed Claudine and Wylie’s bond?
Megan: Yes. My late mom and I went through periods of estrangement, and one summer we made a conscious choice to undertake adventurous physical challenges together—one per week for the entire summer. She lived in the Pacific Northwest, and every week we went hiking and canoeing, we drove mopeds around San Juan Island, trying to restore our bond amongst nature. I'm really proud of us for doing something so vulnerable.
Jen: The fitness competition adds an intriguing twist to their reunion. What inspired you to incorporate this element into the story? How did you balance the physical challenges with the emotional ones?
Megan: Growing up, I was an athlete, and I've always loved watching sports. Our household put a lot of currency on Olympians and GOATs, and I've always been curious about what it really takes to be the best in the world. I knew I'd make Claudine and Wylie elite athletes, but I wasn't sure what sport until I started researching downhill ski racing and found it was the most dangerous sport in the world. Hurling downhill at 90 mph takes a unique person, and as an author it gave me a lot to play with—both what Claudine loved about it, and what repelled Wylie.
In recent years, there's been a lot of attention on female athletes, and I am here for it! Same for the emphasis on mental health in sports. It's a much-needed discussion. The pressure to be the best means you're inherently striving for perfection, which is really such a ruthless pursuit on the body and the mind. And is it really in our nature to be that dialed in on one thing? To spend hours in a pool or on the slopes? I'm not so sure, but those questions were on my mind. In any case, I wanted to give validity to performance anxiety in elite athletes, and to remind us "average people" that they're humans, too.
Jen: BLUEBIRD DAY has moments of humor, heart, and self-discovery. Which part of the book was the most challenging or rewarding to write, and why?
Megan: Thank you for saying that! Dialing in those three elements—humor, heart, and self-discovery—is the most challenging and rewarding at the same time. Am I hitting the right amount of emotion on each page, the right amount of humor? Is the self-discovery natural, or does it come across as trite? It’s a challenging balancing act, and I also thrive on trying to calibrate it just right.
Jen: Do you have any favorite holiday traditions, especially ones that influenced the tone of this heartwarming tale?
Megan: My mom was an incredibly talented cake decorator. She designed elaborate and creative birthday cakes for me and my siblings—a waterslide cake, a soccer ball cake—and I happily gave this tradition to Calvin. I love seeing it live on in this book.
Jen: What’s next for you as an author? Can readers expect more stories about family dynamics or perhaps something entirely different?
Megan: I’m nearly finished with a first draft of novel three, and you can always expect that I’ll explore deeper relational issues with humor and frivolity.
Jen: Thank you for sharing an inside peek into your latest release, BLUEBIRD DAY. I loved it!
Megan: I’m sincerely grateful!
In this hilarious, heartwarming tale, mother-daughter skiing champs face the bumps in their own relationship when an avalanche in a Swiss village forces them together.
Alpine skiing G.O.A.T. Claudine Potts and her daughter, Wylie, have been bred for gold medal glory. They’re skiing their way to fame, but this gilded future is cut short when a fall forces Claudine’s retirement and Wylie’s debilitating anxiety sends her off the slopes.
With the collapse of their ski careers, their relationship falters and now it’s been years since Wylie and Claudine have even spoken. They live on opposite coasts, pursuing different passions, until a chance opportunity to pair up in a European fitness competition drives them back together. Can this duo survive snow-buried regrets and family secrets and have the happy reunion they’re hoping for?
Set in a dreamy Swiss village with a colorful cast of characters, Bluebird Day will make readers laugh and swoon, as Claudine and Wylie slalom through the complicated terrain of lost ambition, past mistakes, and mother-daughter love.
Women's Fiction Contemporary | Women's Fiction Family Life [Zibby Books, On Sale: December 3, 2024, Trade Size / e-Book, ISBN: 9781958506868 / ]
When the skiing had to stop
Megan Tady is the author of BLUEBIRD DAY, forthcoming from Zibby Books, and SUPER BLOOM, published May 2023, also via Zibby Books. SUPER BLOOM was awarded an IPPY Gold medal for Best Regional Fiction in the Northeast. She runs the freelance writing and editing company Word-Lift. Her writing has appeared in Woman's Day, Reader's Digest, The Huffington Post and Ms. Magazine, among others. Megan lives in Western Massachusetts with her family.
Jennifer Vido writes sweet romances set in the Lowcountry, earning acclaim as the award-winning author of the Gull Island series. Her debut novel, "Serendipity by the Sea," secured the prestigious Best First Book award from the New Jersey Romance Writers Golden Leaf Contest. In 2024, Vido's talent garnered further accolades, with Baltimore Magazine readers naming her Best Local Author in their annual Best of Baltimore poll, while the Baltimore Sun acknowledged her with an Honorable Mention in their Best of 2024 Author category. When not writing fiction, she interviews authors for her weekly Jen’s Jewels column, leads water exercise classes, and directs a legal nonprofit. Currently residing in Maryland, she and her husband are proud parents to two grown sons and a rescue dog named Fripp.
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