Latest Books The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

The Business Trip is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia.

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?

Jessie Garcia took a few minutes to discuss her latest novel, The Business Trip:

What do you hope readers will take away from this book?

I hope they have a lot of fun reading this. My goal was to keep readers engaged and guessing throughout. I have always enjoyed books where you’re trying to put clues together, so I set out to write one like that with my debut novel. I have also been told that this book is good for a discussion of the assumptions we make about others (and assumptions are usually not accurate, of course!)

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

It’s a very unique format. There are ten POVs as you see things unfold from many angles, but almost all readers say they are not confused. I think telling a missing person’s story from the perspective of so many left behind is also different. 

Was there anything new you discovered, or surprised you, as you wrote this book?

Yes! I am a “pantser”—write by the seat of my pants—as opposed to a “plotter” who has it all figured out, so a lot of the book surprised me. I had the basic germ of the idea and I just started writing to see where the characters would take me.

No spoilers, but what can you tell us about your book that we won’t find in the jacket copy or the PR material?

It will give you a fun inside peek into the world of TV news as I have worked in that field for decades. There are also parts of me in both of the female main characters. I grew up in what was considered the less fortunate part of our school district like Jasmine, but became a traveling executive like Stephanie. 

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

Biggest challenge: I had more than 10 POVs at first! We cut the POVs of three other characters. I guess I went a little overboard 🙂 Biggest opportunity: making a name for yourself (hopefully) with a debut. As they say, you only get one chance to debut.

What’s the one question you wish someone would ask you about this book, or your work in general?

Two things. I’ve been told that I write fast. I had the first draft of this in less than six months while working full-time as a television news director. I would like to share more about my process. I also started as a nonfiction author and it would be fun to share the journey to publication and changing to fiction. 

Jessie Garcia is an award-winning sports journalist who has risen the ranks in television news, first as an anchor/reporter, then to newsroom management. She is the News Director at the CBS affiliate in Milwaukee. Her non-fiction books My Life with the Green and Gold: Tales from 20 Years of Sportscasting and Going for Wisconsin Gold: Stories of our State Olympians won Midwest Book Awards, and her documentary Leaps and Bounds: The Men Who Changed Track and Field was featured in over a dozen film festivals. She also taught journalism at four universities. A native of Madison, WI, Jessie has two adult sons and resides in Milwaukee with her husband, dog and cat.