Would you walk away from the life that’s supposed to make you happy?

Denise Tanguay has it all—family, house in the suburbs, steady paycheck—but it no longer fits. She is fast approaching a midlife crisis fueled by rise-and-grind burnout, a recent cancer battle, and too many trips to her son’s principal’s office. In search of a new creative adventure, the former riot grrrl quits her comfortable suburban life and moves her family to the barren Joshua Tree desert to launch a vacation rental business.

They find stunning views and a unique community of creative free spirits—but the desert is not for the faint of heart.

From fighting off rattlesnakes and unregistered sex offenders to raising a teenager during the pandemic and launching an all-female band at age fifty-six, this hilarious micro-memoir of a working mom on the run unmasks the real stories behind the glossy photos and influencers making Joshua Tree famous.

Through authentic tales of desert beauty, absurdity, and grit, Welcome to Creosote Flats explores how giving up everything you’ve known can lead to discovering your true self.