Synopsis

After a shattering disappointment, Tabitha must find new ways to get up—and stay up. In this sequel to Tabitha, Get Up, she faces a determined antagonist and a possible new love, or the return of what appeared to be lost love. She must save the world’s best bar, contend with diabolical twins and a persistent mystical vision, survive a former cowboy campground, refuse to count her blessings, and at last walk down the aisle again, although not in the way she anticipated. Tabitha continues her forays into philosophy—how to survive disaster, defy humiliation, and build a life where optimism may be renewed, whenever it needs to be renewed, which is by the minute.

Amazon * Sagging Meniscus Press

Excerpt

THE BOX

The mail carrier drops off a box for me with the apartment manager. Pandora opened a box and the world’s ills came flying out. That’s true. But generally any box I open is something I’ve ordered for myself.

Inside the box: a piece of fabric and a note.

From the desk of Mallorie Godling

author of the Cowfka Gone a Tubbin’ series and numerous books for children

and the memoir-in-progress Out of Pain Great Feeling Comes

Dear Tabitha,

I hope you know that I don’t harbor any ill feelings toward you regarding my cancellation of the contract.

As you might know, I had initially approved of your vocal abilities. However, when I tried out some of the audio files on a few objective listeners their negative responses proved fatal to our original tentative agreement. Cowfka is a sweet creature. However, you voiced him, as one person I trust declared, as if he “formerly worked for the Kremlin.” As for the extended author’s bio and acknowledgments, those who care deeply about me advised me to find another narrator. Your voice is uncommonly flat and reedy, almost impossible to listen to. Your salvia is audible. As a token of good will, however, I am enclosing Cowfka, the primary merchandise tie-in with the book series. I hope you’ll remember Cowfka with affection. You had a chance and failed, and I was proud to offer you that chance. No hard feelings on my part. I’m off to a fabulous dinner party.

Sincerely,

M

I pull out what might be Cowfka. My first thought: this must be a puppet, Cowfka is so flat.

I turn her over. “Let’s Get Clean!” is printed on the creature’s abdomen. Maybe she’s supposed to be a washcloth? It’s like something you’d throw at an accused witch on a dunking stool.

About the Author

Lee Upton is a multi-genre author who was named a semi-finalist for the 2026 Thurber Prize in American Humor Writing for her comic novel Tabitha, Get Up. A sequel, Tabitha, Stay Up, is forthcoming in September 2026. She is also the author of the literary mystery Wrongful (2025) and the dystopian thriller, The Withers, which will appear in June 2026. Her poetry has appeared in the New Yorker, Poetry, Agni, and in many other magazines as well as three editions of Best American Poetry.  A volume of her new and selected poems is forthcoming in 2027 from Saturnalia Books.

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