Coming early 2026!
Rowan wants two things—to be a painter and to leave Iowa in her past.
Growing up in a single-parent house in a small Iowa town, Rowan knows it doesn't take much for a domino to tip. In a matter of weeks Rowan gets rejected from her dream college. Tip. Struggles to finish her high school painting portfolio. Tip. Breaks up with her boyfriend. Tip. Then, unexpectedly, her father dies. Crash.
Krista enjoyed a nomadic life and never planned on being a mother.
Passing through a small Iowa town, Krista fell in love with Daniel and was unsure whether she should stay or go. When she finds out she’s pregnant, Krista commits. Daniel’s mother never liked Krista and saw an opportunity to get Krista to leave. For fifteen years, Krista moved around the country and kept her word, staying out of Rowan’s life.
Rowan leans on Andrew, local tattoo artist and friend, to navigate the grief of her father’s passing, discovering herself as an artist, and finding a way out of Iowa.
When Krista received a letter about Daniel’s death, she is eager to make things right with Rowan.
Alli Parrett’s debut novel, On The Way To Chicago, asks whether the familial bond can traverse time as well as physical and emotional distance.
Publications
“Uncentered” - Tulipwood Books
“Stone Fruit” - Whiskey Tit Press
“Against the Sun” - Farside Review
“Severing” - Papeachu Press
"In an Onsen" - Passengers Journal
"Stay Away From Windows" - Farside Review
"It Just Takes One" - Allium Magazine
"Ovarian Instinct" - For Women Who Roar
"Velveeta" - Daily Drunk Mag
"Separation Squared" - The Bookends Review
"The Tower Bells" - Sunspot Literary Journal
"Resolute" - Crab Fat Magazine
"The Lottery House" - The Write Launch
"Single Malt Decisions" - From Glasgow to Saturn
"Strangers in a Croft House" - From Glasgow to Saturn
Bio.
Alli (she/her) is a queer prose writer and holds a Masters in Creative Writing from University of Glasgow. Her work is featured or forthcoming in Allium Journal, Passengers Journal, The Farside Review, From Glasgow to Saturn, The Write Launch, Crab Fat Magazine, Sunspot Literary Journal, The Bookends Review, and The Daily Drunk Mag. Though Alli was born in Illinois, she’s spent much of her adult life in the Pacific Northwest and Scotland. Alli lives in the Puget Sound region with her partner and three dogs.
Recommended Reading: Olive by Emma Gannon, Luster by Raven Leilani, Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam, Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, Difficult Women by Roxane Gay, The Round House by Louise Erdrich, The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang, Know My Name by Chanel Miller, Vacuum in the Dark by Jen Beagin, Dominicana by Angie Cruz, There There by Tommy Orange, The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, Lot by Bryan Washington, The Infinite by Nicholas Mainieri, After You'd Gone by Maggie O'Farrell, Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera, Burn it Down by Lilly Dancyger, Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, You Exist Too Much by Zaina Arafat, Real Life by Brandon Taylor, Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart, Halsey Street by Naima Coster…
*All of these have links to bookshop.org (with one exception) which is a company that supports indie booksellers. Please consider ordering books from them or your local bookstore rather than Amazon.
**This is not a complete list of great books. Message me if you want more recommendations or check out Goodreads if you're curious about what I'm reading now.