Ryan Effgen Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Ryan Effgen is a published author.

His writing has been featured in Best New American Voices, Painted Bride Quarterly, Fiction Magazine, and other places. He has also gotten creative writing fellowships from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and George Mason University.

Ryan works an instructional designer. He is married and resides with his wife and children in Virginia.

Make Nice is a 2026 book by Ryan Effgen. If you have been looking for a dramatic book with plenty of moments of humor, this might be the right book for you.

This comedy features three different generations of a family, which include a snail scientist, a woman who will soon be divorced, her teen daughter, a con man, and their patriarch, who descent on a fancy Lake Michigan vacation island for the day.

The Pickford siblings show up at The Grand Hotel, which is a tourist paradise that features horse-drawn carriages, muddle cocktails, and nice white sweaters on the tennis court. Once they get there, they have the intention of spending this long weekend together making up and making nice.

Pete is the foremost expert in the nation on gastropods, also known as mollusks. He is excited to make his way around the lake and wade around looking for a rare Carthusian snail. Viv is still dealing with the revelation that her husband is gay but is keeping it a secret for now and is going to put on a strong face for her daughter. Then there’s Corey, the handsome grifter who has found five pounds of cocaine that he wants to sell to the first rich guy he finds that is dumb enough to buy it off him.

When Pete ends up falling for the beautiful mother of a local kid, other things start happening that are going to tip the vacation weekend into disaster. Viv’s daughter gets up to some classic teen trouble and Corey discovers that the wealthy guests aren’t so much interested in party drugs as they are in waffle cones and golf. What started out as an intent to have the family bond quickly becomes chaotic.

As time goes on, they all start wondering why their father wanted to bring them to this island resort at all. They also want to know why Corey, who they all see as the universal screw up, appears to be the only person out of all of them who knows the truth.

The secrets start spilling as former flames are fanned and an innocent snail even gets crushed by a hiking boot. This story is sometimes wise and sometimes funny. This debut from Ryan Effgen will have you laughing and show how even when your family brings out the worst in you they also will be the ones that can get you out of your shell. Read Make Nice by Ryan Effgen to savor every word!