A charming tale about one woman who embraces a family curse, laying bare the dreams we give up—and the chances we take to get them back.

Mary Mulligan has two problems: her wisdom teeth…and everything else. Her only daughter is moving overseas. Her husband would rather go golfing than spend time with her. And Mary’s left to wonder why she abandoned her career ambitions when loneliness is all she has to show for it.

Plus her teeth really, really hurt.

But that’s one problem she can fix—never mind the stories that say if she gets her wisdom teeth removed, the last thirty years of her life will be erased. In fact, Mary wouldn’t mind if the Mulligan curse were actually true.

Turns out, it is.

The world around her hasn’t changed, but Mary is suddenly twenty-four again, with the life she once dreamed of still ahead of her. As she embarks on this new beginning, Mary comes to realize that those dreams aren’t nearly as important as everything she once had. If only she knew how to get it all back.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Lake Union Publishing, February 2025

“True to her style, Diane Barnes has written a relatable, character-driven, introspection-inducing tale about life and its two middle letters: if. This book club novel is also part fantasy and magic–that blend to make The Mulligan Curse a fun and cozy read.”
—Asha Youmans, co-author of Boss Lady (with Alli Frank)

“When Mary Mulligan becomes the unwitting victim of a family curse, she has the once in lifetime chance for a do-over, but hindsight is always 20/20. Heartfelt and whimsical, The Mulligan Curse is a reminder that the grass is not always greener on the other side and that sometimes happily ever after is already growing in your own backyard.”
—Laura Barrow, bestselling author of Call the Canaries Home

In their attempts to have a child, a husband and wife must contend with personal desires, crossed boundaries, and broken trust as they reimagine what it truly means to be a family.

Nikki and Kyle Sebastian have a loving and healthy marriage. It’s only missing one thing they want—children. When the couple is diagnosed with “unexplained infertility” and endures several failed rounds of IVF, Kyle, for both their sakes, is unwilling to bury them deeper in emotional and financial debt.

Desperate to have a baby, Nikki betrays Kyle’s trust in an attempt to try IVF one more time. The choice fractures their once-stable union. Now burdened with suspicion, resentment, and further grief, their little family is falling apart.

Picking up the pieces of their broken home means reassessing their dreams for the future—dreams that Nikki’s not ready to give up. If she can’t find a way to forge a new path forward with Kyle, she may find herself alone at the end of the family tree she longs to help grow.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Lake Union Publishing (auction), November 2023

” A deeply moving story.”
—Suzanne Redfearn, #1 Amazon bestselling author of In an Instant

“Her story will leave you with the most redemptive emotion of them all:
hope.”
—Alli Frank & Asha Youmans, Authors of Never Meant to Meet You and Tiny Imperfections

“Diane Barnes is a masterful storyteller…Readers will fall in love with ALL WE COULD STILL HAVE from the very first page.”
—Barbara Conrey, USA Today bestselling author of Nowhere Near Goodby

“I read this book in one night, holding my breath until the very last line.”
—Ann Garvin, USA Today bestselling author of I Thought You Said This Would Work

“An absorbing read.”
—Kitty Johnson, best-selling author of Five Winters

“Manages to be both heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. An emotional family drama, this story will leave you thinking about the ways we hurt the ones we love most and the power of forgiveness—for others and ourselves. Put this book on your TBR list!”
—Alison Hammer, Author of Little Pieces of Me

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Brilliance Audio

Getting dumped is never easy, but there’s a special bonus sting if your ex-fiancé is a producer for a popular morning radio show. Jillian Atwood’s breakup with Nico has become the hosts’ number-one topic. They’re even running a competition to find him a new girlfriend. The entire population of Boston, it seems, is tuning in with an opinion about who Nico should date next—and what Jillian should do to get over him.

Jillian’s co-worker, Ben, has his own ideas on that score. He hates seeing Jill depressed over a guy as unworthy as her ex. While he’s providing a friendly ear, he’s also realizing how much more he’d like to offer. And if Jill could just get over the man who broke her heart, she might find the one who’s perfectly equipped to heal it…

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Bright Diamond, April 2023

“A snappy tale with sweet undertones…Barnes has written another charming, funny romance that keeps its plot rolling while capturing workplace dynamics.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“Clever, honest and endearing.”
-Chick Lit Central

“Completely relatable and so well written”
-Chick Lit Club

When Gina Rossi was in junior high, her best friend’s psychic grandmother got everything right—from predicting that Gina would break her arm and travel to Italy, all the way to leading police to a missing neighborhood child. The one time Gina didn’t listen to her, she almost got herself killed. So when she says that Gina will marry a man named Ethan—but she will have to wait for him—Gina believes her, and waits…

Now thirty-six, Gina’s Mr. Right is nowhere in sight—until the day she’s stranded in a snowstorm, and rescued by the last type of Ethan she expected. It’s very romantic, yet surprisingly not. This Ethan is sexy, and clearly her hero. Still, instead of her “Aha” moment, Gina’s confused. And when Ethan is happy to discover she’s single, does Gina dare tell him, It’s because I’ve been waiting for you. But the bigger question is, does she dare question destiny—by taking it into her own hands? And is she brave enough to handle what happens once it’s time to stop waiting—and start living?

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Bright Diamond, April 2023

“Fans of romantic beach-reads will find that this book’s charismatic heroine makes it an engrossing page-turner.”
-Kirkus Reviews

“The novel is written in a breezy fashion and is likely to keep you furiously turning the pages until the back cover is reached and you find yourself hungry for more.”
-Worcester Magazine

“I didn’t want to put it down.”
–Chick Lit Central

“This is a great romantic read”
-Chick Lit Club

Peggy Moriarty’s life has been focused on being a single mom to her twins, Grace and Greg. But now that they’re teenagers doing their own things, she’s at a loss. Her only hobby is watching Messages from Beyond, a show about a medium who connects the grieving with their deceased loved ones.

When the twins leave for college, they give Peggy a gift certificate for an exercise class. At first, Peggy is insulted. But once the sting wears off, she realizes if she gets in shape, she might gain the confidence she needs to go on her favorite TV show and talk to her late husband one last time.

With help from her new friends at the gym and Carmen Tavarez, the mother of Grace’s boyfriend, Peggy begins to emerge from her shell and spread her wings. She may soon discover that her sum is more than a mother, a widow, and her body.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Red Adept Publishing, October 2019

• NYC Big Book Award – Distinguished Favorite Women’s Fiction
• Ippy Awards: Silver Medal: Best Adult Fiction Ebook, 2020
• Indies Today: Best Book of the Year Finalist, 2020
• Named a favorite book to curl up with the for the holidays by Ms. Magazine in December 2019
• Selected as a novel that celebrates women’s midlife transitions by BookTrib
• Reached #1 Best Seller, Amazon Canada, Domestic Life in Women’s Fiction

“Peggy is an inspirational character.”
-Chick Lit Central

“A story that is truly inspired and truly inspiring! “
-Indies Today

“A book chockfull of heart!”
-Award winning author Annie Hartnett, Rabbit Cake, Unlikely Animals

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

Audio

• Red Adept Publishing