In this Writer's Digest award winner , the film "Adaptation" meets the novel “ Bridget Jones's Diary” in a mind-bending tale, when a depressed divorcee and striving screenwriter searches for new love and Hollywood fame. But wait: Is a serial killer stalking her and her daughter? Narrated by the editors, the heroine's letters, and brief screenplay scenes , this story's dynamic format begins as Merry Mayfield, a midlife Columbia University film school grad, relocates to Austin, Texas, after a devastating divorce and the loss of both parents. Through her diary-like notes to her adored professor, you’ll share Merry’s pains, passions, and joys — especially for the charming teacher who inspires Merry’s love for existential drama and film. As she resists her brother’s demands to forgo screenwriting for a sales career, Merry wallows in too many martinis, sexual adventures with Mr. Wrongs, and brazen acts that lead her to trouble. Between Merry's rants about the meaning of life and absurdist drama, her domineering brother and evangelical sister-in-law incessantly try to exorcise Merry’s demons. Even more offbeat characters drift into Merry’s world, such as two wild hairdressers, an arrogant theater producer, a hard-loving art dealer, her ex-husband pro-golfer, a neighbor who inspects elevators, and a shy journalist. As Merry struggles to parent her three unhappy teens, she naively dates a stalker until he angrily sets his sights on her oldest daughter. What happens next will shock and surprise readers who love a multi-format tale that unwinds with a wry smile. “Reader tip: Be sure to read the Foreword and Afterword chapters to appreciate this story's ironic (and surprising) turn.” — J.K.K., reviewer Backstory received an honorable mention for contemporary fiction in the 2021 Writer's Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards. “ Telling part of the story with the script format was a very interesting concept. It was different and … entertaining all the way around.” — Judge, 9th Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards . "Telling part of the story with the script format was a very interesting concept. It was different and ... entertaining all the way around." — Judge, 9th Annual Writer's Digest Self-Published E-Book Awards. What genre is BACKSTORY ? The terms describing genre are so narrow, I did not want to limit BACKSTORY to one genre or the other. And so I call it, "an experiential thriller," hoping that readers will experience my protagonist's high, lows, hopes, dreams, fears, sorrows, despair, and joys, while also enjoying a fun read. For literary purposes BACKSTORY fits the genre " literary suspense " because the story uses an unusual format and frequent references to literature, theater, and film. But it also has a suspenseful subplot. Then again, BACKSTORY fits well into " women's fiction ," which is often described as a story about a woman's emotional journey. That doesn't mean men wouldn't like it, since women's fiction might have action/thriller elements, but the heroine's capacity to overcome the rising tide is what makes the story meaningful. I don't want to add spoilers. But I think BACKSTORY borders on " metafiction ," a term that means, "a form of fiction that emphasizes its own constructedness in a way that continually reminds readers to be aware that they are reading or viewing a fictional work." (Source: Wikipedia) Regardless of your favorite genre, authors spend years dreaming up endings. So please honor an author's craft by relishing the ending s/he created, without peeking at it first. Thanks very much for reading BACKSTORY. Please follow me on Amazon and Goodreads for news and opportunities about giveaways. The e-book version of BACKSTORY also includes a free chapter of Pat Dunlap Evans's mystery-thriller OUT AND IN. Pat Dunlap Evans was born in Michigan but at age two, her family moved to San Antonio and later Dallas, Texas, where she was an age-group swimming champ. At South Oak Cliff High School, Pat was a high-kicking officer in the renowned Golden Debs drill team and typed copy as co-editor of the school newspaper. She won a scholarship to attend Southern Methodist University. An early marriage and the birth of three children plunged Pat into the world of motherhood, until the kids were mature enough for her to complete her bachelor's and master's degrees in English at University of Missouri, Kansas City. The latter degree offered an emphasis in creative writing, which sent Pat on her way to novel writing. Pat's first husband was a quarterback with the SuperBowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs. She used her experiences as an NFL wife for background in the novel Out and In: a mystery-thriller. After the long marriage ended, Pat stressed her way as a single mom through a career in advertising, PR, and marketing posts in Dallas and Austin. A second marriage to Dr. Bill Evans of Austin enabled Pat to focus on her true love of writing. Pat has published four nove