Marissa Stapley

Marissa Stapley is the New York Times bestselling author of Lucky, the first Canadian book to be a Reese’s Book Club pick, and several other internationally bestselling novels, many of which have been optioned for television and translated into several languages. She has worked as a journalist, magazine editor, and creative writing teacher. She currently resides in Toronto with her family.

Website: marissastapley.com
Instagram: @marissastapley

FESTIVAL BOOK

The Lightning Bottles 

Jane Pyre was once half of one of the most famous rock duos in the world, the Lightning Bottles, alongside her soulmate, Elijah Hart. The Lightning Bottles emerged from the Seattle grunge scene in the early 90s and took the world by storm.

And then everything came tumbling down. Elijah vanished at the height of the band’s fame, and, in the ensuing five years, Jane became the most hated (and least understood) woman in music. She was never as popular with fans as Elijah was, but her reputation hit rock bottom after his disappearance.

In a last-ditch attempt to get away from it all—the fans, her heartbreak—Jane decides to rent a house in remote Germany. But when her new teenage neighbor turns out to be a Lightning Bottles superfan claiming to have information that might solve the mystery of what happened to Elijah, Jane realizes she can’t leave her past behind. The unlikely duo embark on a road trip around Europe, chasing clues in the cities where, before everything went wrong, the Lightning Bottles played to teeming crowds of adoring fans and were at their happiest.

The story of two misunderstood outsiders brought together by their shared passion for music interwoven with flashbacks to Jane and Elijah’s love story and their rise to fame during the grunge era, The Lightning Bottles is a poignant and gritty love letter to music—and a searing look at what happens when the stars we idolize come crashing back to earth.

GET THE BOOK

Owl’s Nest Books | Calgary Public Library | Audio

BE CURIOUSER

• Author Marissa Stapley’s Lucky break came from Reese Witherspoon. –The Globe and Mail
• When my mother was dying, I wanted to stop writing altogether. She wouldn’t let me. The books I wrote are her gift to me. –Marissa Stapley, Toronto Star
• Interview with Marissa Stapley. –CBC The Next Chapter