Sally Franson – författare

“Sally Franson is a world class entertainer. She can finesse a serio-comic moment in a way that leaves you catching your breath. Deft and delicious, this book is a flat out delight machine. A heart opener, a page turner, and a true ‘originell!' I laughed out loud, I ugly cried, and I never, ever wanted it to end." -- Meg Ryan, actor, writer, director

A charming, wise, and laugh-out-loud funny novel following an American woman competing on a Swedish reality show in an attempt to discover her roots.

Paulie Johansson has never put much stock in the idea of family: she has her long-term boyfriend Declan and beloved best friend Jemma, and that’s more than enough for her. Yet one night on a lark, she lets Jemma convince her to audition for Sverige och Mig, a show on Swedish television where Swedish-Americans compete to win the ultimate prize: a reunion with their Swedish relatives. Much to her shock, her drunken submission video wins her a spot on the show, and against Declan’s advice Paulie decides to go for it.

Armed with her Polaroid camera, a beat-up copy of Pippi Longstocking, and an unquenchable sense of possibility, Paulie hops on a plane to Sweden and launches into the contest with seven other Americans, all under the watchful eye of a camera crew. At first, Paulie is certain that she and her competitors have nothing in common besides their passports and views their bloodthirsty ambitions with suspicion. Yet amid the increasingly absurd challenges—rowing from Denmark to Sweden in the freezing rain, battling through obstacle courses, competing in a pickled herring eating contest—Paulie finds herself rethinking her snap judgments about her fellow countrymen, while her growing attachment to her Swedish roots increases her resolve to win the competition herself.

Grappling with long-held notions of family, friendship, and love—not to mention her feelings for the distractingly handsome Swedish cameraman who’s been assigned to follow her around—Paulie starts to reconsider her past and rethink what she wants for the future. A fish-out-of-water tale filled with warmth, optimism, and wit, Big in Sweden is at its heart a love story: love for family, friends, country, and—most importantly—oneself. 

"If you devoured Pippi Longstocking as a kid, you will not be able to turn away from Big in Sweden. Reading this hilarious, heartfelt book was even more fun than watching reality television. I absolutely loved it!" — Jessica Anya Blau, author of Mary Jane

With "elements of The Bold Type, Mad Men, and The Devil Wears Prada" (Entertainment Weekly), a young woman navigates a tricky twenty-first-century career--and the trickier question of who she wants to be--in this savagely wise debut novel.

At 28, Casey Pendergast is not where she thought she'd be. Sure, she's killing it at her high-paying advertising job, but when she thinks about the idealistic English major she used to be, she can't help the nagging feeling that perhaps her best friend Susan is right - Casey is a sellout who's traded her dreams for a high-rise condominium, expense account, and designer handbags.

When her boss assigns her to a lucrative new campaign to lure acclaimed authors into becoming content creators for corporations, Casey doubts that her literary idols will buy into this particular brand of capitalism. But determined to give it her best shot, she begins her trek across America, only to find herself stunned by how easily these writers agree to compromise their work and integrity in exchange for some extra cash. As she grapples with her own conscience, and falls in love with one of the authors she's courting, Casey begins to question just how much she's willing to sacrifice to chase material success.

A witty and razor-sharp coming of age story perfect for our time, A Lady's Guide to Selling Out is a winning debut novel about a young woman navigating career, love, and friendships, all while redefining success on her own terms and figuring out who she really wants to be.

With “elements of The Bold Type, Mad Men, and The Devil Wears Prada” (Entertainment Weekly), a young woman navigates a tricky twenty-first-century career—and the trickier question of who she wants to be—in this savagely wise debut novel.

At 28, Casey Pendergast is not where she thought she’d be. Sure, she’s killing it at her high-paying advertising job, but when she thinks about the idealistic English major she used to be, she can’t help the nagging feeling that perhaps her best friend Susan is right – Casey is a sellout who’s traded her dreams for a high-rise condominium, expense account, and designer handbags.

When her boss assigns her to a lucrative new campaign to lure acclaimed authors into becoming content creators for corporations, Casey doubts that her literary idols will buy into this particular brand of capitalism. But determined to give it her best shot, she begins her trek across America, only to find herself stunned by how easily these writers agreeto compromise their work and integrity in exchange for some extra cash. As she grapples with her own conscience, and falls in love with one of the authors she’s courting, Casey begins to question just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to chase material success.

A witty and razor-sharp coming of age story perfect for our time, A Lady’s Guide to Selling Out is a winning debut novel about a young woman navigating career, love, and friendships, all while redefining success on her own terms and figuring out who she really wants to be.