Tallulah West is a young, talented furniture designer, but no one knows it yet. The huge chip she carries on her shoulder keeps weighing her down, and she can’t seem to move forward with her life. Now we all have our issues, but Tallulah is a bit more self-destructive than most. She is very angry with her father for finding another woman soon after her mother’s death, and to spite him, she takes an admin job with a second rate designer rather than follow in his footsteps at his highly acclaimed design firm. Her life is not about what will make her happy, but what will make her father unhappy.
Despite her strained relationship with her father, Tallulah does have people to lean on. She has her charismatic, always-knows-the-right-thing-to-do, buddy, Nick, who tries his best to stop her from screwing up. And there’s also her drama queen, wannabe-actress girlfriend, Hannah, who shows up on her doorstep for an extended stay and brings some craziness into their lives.
Shortly after Hannah arrives, Tallulah is unexpectedly fired from her dreaded job. She considers striking out on her own, but there is the rather large obstacle of financial capital, and she can’t possibly ask her father for help. Resigned to putting her ambitions on permanent hold, Tallulah rediscovers a forgotten gift from her mother that could be the key to making her dreams come true. As Tallulah works to rebuild her life and bring her designs to fruition, she also gains the strength and courage to open up and take some chances of the heart. Finally, after lots of hard work and hard knocks, Tallulahland is looking like a nice place to live.
About the author: Lynn Messina is a freelance copy editor for a variety of magazines, including Metropolitan Home and Weight Watchers. Until recently, she worked regularly at In Style, which served as inspiration for her first novel, Fashionistas.
