Maddie Dawson Books In Order

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

Maddie Dawson is a literary fiction author best known for writing several bestseller novels. She was brought up in the south in a family full of outrageous storytellers who believed that the best story was the one that was more outlandish. In between the telling of over the top events and crazy stories, she had a routine life with the stories of love lives, people’s affairs, drunken funerals and shotgun weddings thrown in. There were also outlandish stories of rattle snakes coming out of toilets at night, dead people resurrected and miracles and ghosts. Given such an upbringing, it was not surprising that she would turn to a career as an author. However, she took a roundabout way to becoming one as she took on several jobs. She worked as an electrocardiogram technician, substitute English teacher, daycare worker, department store clerk, nanny, medical records typist, and wedding invitation company receptionist among others. She believes the best job she ever had was working for a psychiatrist typing up case notes. Much of the content the doctor dictated always seemed like great content for a novel.

Having been born with an appreciation for shelter and food, it did not take Maddie long to realize that it would be wise to couple journalism to her degree in English. She had never felt any passion for the news that her colleagues did and always felt journalist stories could be enhanced by a few fibs. Learning how to write without embellishing was tough and she soon left the world of zoning and planning commissions, political scandals and house fires to go write columns and soon after she was writing for magazines. In between chasing deadlines and bringing up her children which included tucking them at night, driving them to sports games, telling them stories and doing laundry she started thinking of writing a novel. Her topic would be how relationships and marriage can result in regret just when one thinks they are having it so good.

Maddie Dawson currently lives in Connecticut and since she is a full time writer she spends much of her time on her computer writing. She also likes to look out the window at the rhododendron, rosebushes and willow trees in her back garden. Dawson believes that the outrageous stories she listened to during her childhood have made her what she is today. Nonetheless, she has turned out a very normal woman with the cashmere sweater accidentally thrown into the dryer, dishes in the sink, missing toothpaste cap, sleep deprivation, laundry, deadlines, children and grandchildren. The best thing she loves about being a writer is that she gets to live different lives through the many stories she tells.

“The Stuff that Never Happened” by Maddie Dawson tells the story of the life and times of Annabelle McKay. She should not be complaining about anything since she has a stable marriage that she has been in for more than thirty years. She has two children and a loving husband with whom she makes passionate love one day every week. Many women are jealous of her since Grant her husband would never leave her for a younger woman or even cheat on her. But Annabelle is not so sure she wants to be Grant’s wife anymore since she never got over some man she had an affair with. During the early years of their marriage, she had gotten into a relationship with a man and her husband would be so hurt if he knew who it was. She had finally ended the relationship and mended her marriage with her husband. They had vowed to never speak of that tumultuous time but now that their children are out of the house, their marriage seems to be crumbling yet again. There is an ominous distance between them and she thinks back to the passionate and glorious days she had during her affair. When she has to go to New York to help her daughter who is pregnant she meets her old lover. She now has a second stab at love but needs to decide between the man who stood by her side at the toughest of times or the man who makes her legs quiver.

Maddie Dawson’s “The Opposite of Maybe” is the story of Rosie and Jonathan. They are a couple that has lived together so long that they know each other in an out. When Jonathan finally makes the long awaited marriage proposal and requests that they move across the country, she could not be happier. But then things go haywire and Rosie moves back home with the opinionated and irascible grandmother Soapie who raised her. But she now needs to find a way to fire Tony her grandmother’s unsuitable caregiver who has been letting her cheat at Scrabble, smoke and drink martinis. Rosie soon realizes that she got pregnant even though she is 44 and totally unprepared for motherhood. She has also been falling in love with the troubled and sentimental gardener Tony whose life is even more complicated. It is not until she learns of the tragic story of her mother that she wonders if she should let go of her fears and hope that the messy and big hearted life that awaits her is what was fated for her.

“The Survivor’s Guide to Family Happiness” is the story of Nina Popkin. She is a recently divorced, newly orphaned woman that is semiadrift and searching for her biological mother. She had spent years fantasizing that strangers could be related to her and since she is turning thirty five she wants the answers more than ever. In the meantime, Nina bursts into Lindy McIntyre’s life which is the last thing she needs at this time. She announces that she is her sibling and wants her to join her in the search for their mother. She is working on making her salon a success and also juggles running a beautiful home, three children not to mention some anxiety attacks. Nina wants to reassemble her family at all costs and in her search she stumbles upon a hard talking and guarded woman named Phoebe Mullen. Once they started sharing their secrets and stories, they become an unpredictable and messy family which is nothing like Nina ever imagined. But it is just the family that she may need. What follows is a tragic, ridiculous and transcendent journey that proves that DNA is not what makes a family.