She built an advertising empire on Madison Avenue. Then she walked away.

Manhattan, 1962. Josephine "Jo" Carmichael is the modeling world's reigning it-girl--until her career collapses and she's forced back to New York for her estranged father's funeral. When she discovers his prestigious Madison Avenue ad agency is drowning in debt, Jo shocks everyone by seizing the CEO role herself. Branded "the boss's daughter" in a male-dominated industry, she must outwit rivals, win back major accounts, and prove she's more than a beautiful face--before her family's legacy goes up in smoke.

Present day, Port Huron, MI. Alex Carmichael has always lived in the shadow of her legendary grandmother, who once ruled the New York advertising world before mysteriously abandoning it for a quiet life running a flower shop in Michigan. Now, as Alex puts her own dreams on hold to care for her sharp-tongued, aging Gran, Jo makes one final, unexpected request: a return trip to New York.

As past and present collide, grandmother and granddaughter uncover the truth behind Jo's sudden departure from power--and discover that ambition, sacrifice, love, and legacy are never simple. Spanning decades, The Making of a Mad Woman is a sweeping story of reinvention, family, and the courage it takes--for any generation of women--to claim the life they truly want.