New Book Deal!

I’ve been keeping it under wraps but a while ago, I signed a contract with Blydyn Square Books for the publication of my next contemporary novel, which is called Unraveling Caro Dunn. Ever wonder how publishers and authors choose book titles? I explain, and share some of the funny titles that were rejected, below. But first, more on the news:

I waited to share this new book deal because I wanted to know the publication date when I told you about it. Blydyn puts their manuscripts through extensive editorial review and editing before deciding on the release date. Makes sense, because some manuscripts need more work than others.

Anyhoo, I just found out the publication time frame: Unraveling Caro Dunn is slated for release in early 2027!

Yes, I wish that date were sooner, but that’s life in the publishing world. And a somewhat vague publication date is actually a good thing in this case. It reflects the fact that Blydyn Square Books, as a small press, has the flexibility to push books along faster than bigger publishing houses, which lock you into a specific release date and a precise pre-print schedule. So it could come out in February, but if they can do it in January, they will. I am very excited to work with Blydyn and trust them to get the book out as soon as reasonable. And I will of course keep you posted!

The Plot of “Unraveling Caro Dunn”

Here’s a sneak preview of the plot of Unraveling Caro Dunn.

Caro Dunn has been called many pejorative terms in her 63 years: Brat (by her mother). Selfish (by her best friend). Dragon lady (by another mom, irrelevant). Helicopter Mom (by her kids). Bitch on wheels, judgmental, control freak (by her staff). But none of those give the successful business owner and anonymous poster of scathing parenting advice pause. Some even give her satisfaction. How ironic, then, that a relatively mild insult sets in motion Caro’s own personal Butterfly Effect, triggering a series of revelations that will demolish her tightly constructed, fiercely protected tower of secrets, and expose the only characterization that can shred Caro to the bone.

Join Caro and her extended family in this comical and heartstring-tugging journey as she learns that when it comes to emotions, she still has much to learn.

Who Will Like It?

The manuscript has been compared to two very popular novels: A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman, and Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus. Why? Because Caro Dunn is an outspoken, cantankerous and lonely protagonist similar to Ove and Elizabeth Zott. Her story will appeal to people who loved watching those characters slowly open up to life and realize it’s okay to be vulnerable with those who love you.

Unraveling Caro Dunn also resembles the works of author Barbara O’Neal (When We Believed in Mermaids, The Starfish Sisters) in that it explores how secrets can break family and friends apart, but must be exposed for there to be any hope of staying together.

Choosing a Title

My original working title for the novel was 101 Ways to Screw Up a Kid, which I still love. It refers to the tongue-in-cheek social media posts Caro writes throughout the book. But my beta readers and I agreed that that sounded like non-fiction, or chick lit, which is a touch lighter than my subject matter. (Yes, like my previous books, this one deals with heavy issues alongside love and laughter. Sorry, Mom. Some day I’ll consider writing something “nice” as you have requested.)

So when I submitted the manuscript to Blydyn Square Books, I called it The Unraveling of Caro Dunn. Just last week, it was time to finalize the name. The publisher and I decided fewer words is always good, so we shortened it. I like the double meaning of Unraveling Caro Dunn: Is her family (and the reader) unraveling Caro and her secrets? Or is Caro in the process of unraveling, i.e. falling apart? (Spoiler alert: Yes to both!)

Want to know some of the other ideas that were tossed around? Unraveling, which is a great title, but already in use on at least nine other books. Caro, Unraveled. The Undoing of Caro Dunn. The Shame File. How Not to Be a Mother. And Mothers, Daughters and Other Inconveniences.

On a lighter note, The Trunk-or-Treat Wars was thrown out there, but that relates to one mere scene and isn’t representative of the entire plot. What’s Dunn is Done is fun and refers to a plaque in Caro’s office given to her by her staff in recognition of her my-word-is-final attitude. But that’s too vague for a book title. And someone threw out the option Held Together by Brownies. Really??

As for using an unusual name, Caro, in the title? That can throw readers for a loop, but hey — it worked out okay for Fredrik Backman with A Man Called Ove!

New Interview

I was recently interviewed on the Video Librarian blog about my last book, Beautiful and Terrible Things: A Novel. If you’d like to know more about the book Indies Today named Best Literary Read of 2024, click here to read the short interview.