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Short bio (72 words)
Christine Gunderson is a former television anchor, reporter, and Capitol Hill press secretary, a suburban mother of three, and the debut author of Friends with Secrets, releasing in July of 2024 from Lake Union.
She currently lives just outside Washington D.C. but grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota. She loves Jane Austen, sailing, and Star Wars, and she can drive a tractor, a skill yet to be useful in her daily life.
Full bio (130 words)
Christine Gunderson grew up on a fourth-generation family farm in rural North Dakota where she read Laura Ingalls Wilder books in her very own little house on the prairie.
She’s a former television anchor and reporter and former Capitol Hill aide. She currently lives in the Washington D.C. suburbs with her three children, Star the Wonder Dog, and a very patient husband.
When not writing, she’s sailing the Chesapeake Bay with her family, playing Star Wars monopoly, re-reading Jane Austen novels in the school pick-up line or unloading the dishwasher.
She thanks you from the bottom of her heart for reading her book and loves to hear feedback and ideas from readers. You can contact her at www.christinegunderson.com or sign up for her newsletter, Notes on Love and Laundry.
Friends With Secrets
Media gallery
Taglines
15 words or less/90 characters or less
| A perfect mother with an imperfect past, an unlikely friendship, and a very big secret. |
10 words or less/50 characters or less
| Motherhood, mayhem, and murder. |
Blurbs
30 words or less/100 to 200 characters
| In a witty and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship and the haunting impact of secrets. |
Praise for Friends with Secrets:
| “Funny and poignant, Friends with Secrets is a feel-good book about balancing motherhood, friendship, and career.” —Liz Talley, USA Today Bestselling Author of Deconstructed |
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| “Christine’s genius lies in the minutiae of the mundane, rendered through her hilarious lens. From exersaucers toys to chipped mugs, you will feel seen.” —Camilla Monk, Author of Spotless |
Book description
Amazon description (172 words)
In a funny and suspenseful debut, Christine Gunderson explores the myth of the perfect mother, the bonds of female friendship, and the haunting impact of secrets.
What you see isn’t always what you get.
Take Ainsley. The gorgeous mother of two lives a picture-perfect life with her husband, Ben―aspiring politician and heir to a candy fortune―in suburban Washington, DC. But in reality, Ainsley is terrified someone will figure out who she really is and where she came from.
Nikki’s fighting to keep afloat as a stay-at-home mother of four, subsisting on chicken nuggets and very little sleep. She’s a mess on the outside, and inside yearns for the validation―and the paycheck―of the television news career she left behind.
When a dangerous figure from Ainsley’s past becomes a coach at her kids’ school, she fears the worst and confides in Nikki, spilling every detail of her former life.
Together, they devise a plan to expose the coach and safeguard their kids. But can they protect their own lives―and their new friendship―in the process?
Book information
- Genre: Women’s fiction
- Subgenres/keywords: friendship, motherhood, children, politics, suburbia
- Publication Date: July 16th, 2024
- ISBN-13: 978-1662522710 (paperback)
- Retail Price: USD $3.99 ~ $12.49 (price may vary depending on formats and distribution platforms)
- Format: E-book, 5.5*8.5 Paperback, Audiobook
- Page Count: 434
Distribution
Book Club Discussion Questions
- Do you think society has unrealistic expectations for women in general and mothers in particular? If so, where do you think those expectations come from?
- At its core, this is a book about friendship. Do you feel it’s more or less difficult to make new friends as we become older?
- In what ways is making a new friend similar to or different from starting a new romantic relationship?
- Nikki and Ainsley both have supportive spouses, yet they still have a deep need for a close friend. What needs do friends fill in our lives that spouses or romantic partners do not?
- Can you think of any recent examples where girls or women were dismissed or not believed when they came forward with allegations of misconduct?
- Do you feel this book accurately portrays the challenges of modern parenthood? What’s accurate? What may be missing?
- Are you more like Nikki or Ainsley? What are the challenges of disorganization and what are the challenges of perfectionism? Which do you think is harder to overcome? At what point should we strive to change and “improve,” and at what point should we learn to accept ourselves as we are?
- What do you think of Ainsley’s secret? How would you feel if you had a similar secret? How would you or others would react if you found out a friend, colleague or fellow parent had a similar secret?
- This book discusses issues of class. Would be difficult for someone from a lower income background to “fit” in an upper middle-class environment? What are the challenges they might face? Do you feel you have contact with people from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds in your daily life? Or do you feel that our society is becoming increasingly stratified by class, income, and education level?
- Ainsley is happy at home with her children while Nikki feels trapped. How do their personalities, backgrounds, and occupations make the choice to work or stay home different for these two women? Do you feel women are judged for the decisions they make? Why?
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