CHARLEMONT — Easthampton author Megan Tady invites the community to a literary après-ski party at Berkshire East Mountain Resort on Saturday, Jan. 25, to celebrate the launch of her second novel, “Bluebird Day.”

“It is about two alpine ski racing champs, a mother and a daughter, and they have been estranged for a few years,” Tady said. “The mother, Claudine, was an Olympian and the daughter, Wylie, was poised to follow in her footsteps. The daughter Wylie ends up getting performance anxiety and quits the sport to go to art school.”

Wylie’s decision creates a rift between the pair, Tady said. After a few years of not seeing each other, the two meet again at a Swiss ski competition, and are forced to confront their differences and work through the challenges of their relationship when an avalanche leaves them trapped in a Swiss village.

While Claudine and Wylie explore their relationship and learn to forgive each other, they also go on individual journeys of self-discovery. Tady said one of her favorite parts of the novel is when Wylie steps away from diet culture and discovers a love of food, particularly Nutella crepes.

“My character Wylie has always lived a life where she denies herself what she loves,” Tady said. “We’re in such a world where you have to achieve, achieve, achieve, so she restricts her diet and exercises at a high level, but when she gets to Switzerland she begins discovering and eating these pastries.”

Tady said “Bluebird Day” is about growth, forgiveness and the challenges of parenthood.

“The book is really about forgiveness and self-forgiveness,” she said. “You can maybe be a perfect skier, but you can’t be a perfect parent.”

Tady herself is admittedly not a skier, but she said Wylie’s fears and anxiety relating to skiing were a result of her own experience skiing on a glacier in Switzerland.

“I was terrified and I felt like my legs melted under me. I was so anxious. I had never felt this kind of fear before,” Tady said. “It took me two hours to get down the mountain and I haven’t been able to ski since. It’s like this fear is embedded in me, so I was able to play with that with my character Wylie.”

Despite her own fears, Tady said she chose alpine skiing as the basis for her story because she wanted to write about strong female athletes. Skiing is dangerous and challenging, and after doing research and speaking with former Olympic skiers, she knew she had to write about it.

“Women have always been doing amazing things in sports, but people are noticing it more,” Tady said. “I wanted to choose a sport that was dangerous and thrilling. As I was thinking what that sport could be, it became downhill ski racing.”

Tady said writing “Bluebird Day” was a rewarding challenge, and a vastly different experience from writing her first novel, “Super Bloom.” “Super Bloom” took her eight years to write, during which time she was also working as a freelance writer and editor, raising two children, and searching for an agent and publisher. While writing “Bluebird Day,” on the other hand, Tady already had an agent, an editor and a publishing contract. She said her team was incredibly helpful in working out the plot and developing the storyline, but having a contract meant she had a deadline to meet.

“I had to write with pressure and a ticking clock,” Tady said. “Because of that pressure cooker, I was immersed in the story and it brought out so, so much.”

Saturday’s celebration at Berkshire East will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. The event is free to attend and will include a question-and-answer session with Tady, a performance by The Hyannis Sound a cappella group and a raffle.

Prizes include ski gear and themed merchandise such as a J Skis T-shirt, a Skida headband, a ski-themed bottle of Wolffer wine, a Small Oven Bakery gift card and four tickets to Berkshire East. Raffle tickets can be earned by buying copies of “Bluebird Day” or by donating to the Community Action Pioneer Valley’s fuel assistance program.

Tady said she did not want to have a party be all about her and her book, and she wanted to have an element tying the event back to the community. She said Community Action does great work locally and she wants to support it.

“I really respect the work that Community Action is doing to make sure that our friends and neighbors in the Pioneer Valley are warm this winter,” Tady said.

All are invited to the book party, Tady said. You do not need to be an avid skier.

“You don’t have to be a skier to enjoy the novel, you don’t have to be a skier to enjoy the lodge,” Tady said. “Everyone is welcome.”

Reach Madison Schofield at 413-930-4579 or mschofield@recorder.com.