On Tour 09/15/26-10/29/26 “Mall Goddess” by Marilee Dahlman

Release Date: August 6, 2026

About The Book:

Kylie Kaiser has spent twenty years keeping order in a mall that’s falling apart — mopping floors, patrolling corridors armed with hornet spray, and disappearing into the abandoned Kmart where she secretly sculpts her beloved PunkPiglets. Then the mayor announces the Fort Empire Mall is closing, and Kylie has one month to save the only place that’s ever truly been hers.

Complicating matters: the return of her high school sweetheart, Justin, and his ambitious wife, Wendi, who has a mayor-approved vision to turn the mall into a vertical farm. A steadfast new sheriff, Henry Sandoval, keeps showing up at inconvenient moments. And when a skylight crashes down on a mall gathering, Kylie suspects sabotage — right as her secret studio is exposed to the whole town.

Undeterred, Kylie rallies the mall’s eclectic community for a last-ditch “Punk Empire Extravaganza,” uncovering a web of political corruption along the way. Mall Goddess is a funny, fiercely original story about creativity, community, and the courage to believe in yourself.

Mall Goddess is a vibrant blend of humor, romance, and drama, exploring themes of art, identity, and the power of community. Join Kylie on her journey to transform a forgotten space into a beacon of creativity and connection, where love and integrity triumph over corruption and despair.

About The Author:

Marilee Dahlman writes fiction that celebrates reinvention, resilience, and the people the world tends to overlook — retired nurses, mall custodians, women who are done asking permission. Her debut novel, The Night Nurse and The Jewel Thief, introduced readers to a 65-year-old jewel thief in the making. Her second novel, Mall

Goddess returns to the Midwest of her own upbringing, drawing on her personal connection to 1990s central Iowa to tell the story of Kylie Kaiser — a mall custodian secretly building a punk-art empire out of an abandoned Kmart.

She writes with warmth, wit, and fierce affection for characters who refuse to disappear quietly — and, somewhere nearby, there’s always a cat.Marilee lives in Washington, DC with her playful Persian cats Pearl and Wilma. http://www.marileedahlman.com/

Social Media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/marileedahlman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/marileedahlman

X: https://x.com/marilee_dahlman

Book Blurbs:

“A paean to punk, art, and the power of community.” — Kirkus Reviews

“Mall Goddess is a heartfelt and refreshingly original story about creativity, resilience, and finding purpose in the most unexpected places.” — Sublime Book Review

“An amusing, uplifting tale…that showcases the capacity of an individual to confront powerful interests.” — BlueInk Review

Bloggers On Tour:

Sept. 15th- Lindas Book Obsession https://www.facebook.com/lindasbookobsession/

Sept. 22nd- Sarahs Bookstack https://instagram.com/sarahs.bookstack

Sept. 22nd- Books and Coffee MX https://instagram.com/booksandcoffeemx

Sept. 24th- Books Love And Understanding https://instagram.com/booksloveandunderstanding

Sept. 25th- Tammy Reads https://instagram.com/tammyreads62

Sept. 28th- Christina Luvs 2 Read https://instagram.com/christinaluvs2read

Oct. 5th- Crafty Jenn Reads https://instagram.com/crafty.jenn.reads

Oct. 8th- Reading Is My Remedy https://instagram.com/reading_is_my_remedy

Oct. 8th- Marilyn Goncalves https://instagram.com/marilynjgon

Oct. 9th – Rozier Reads and Wine https://instagram.com/rozierreadsandwine