The Friendship List : A Novel
Susan Mallery
On Sale Date: August 4, 2020
9781335136961, 1335136967
Hardcover
$26.99 USD, $33.50 CAD
Fiction / Romance / Contemporary
384 pages
ABOUT THE BOOK:
Already a worldwide success in mass market and trade paperback formats, Susan Mallery’s newest hardcover is an emotional, witty, and heartfelt story about two best friends who are determined to help one another shake things up and live life to the fullest...only to discover that possibilities are everywhere--especially in the most unexpected of places.
Ellen and Unity have been best friends basically since birth, but they couldn’t be more different. Unity married her childhood sweetheart just after high school and became an Army wife, moving from base to base…until her husband's shocking death in the line of duty leaves her a widow. Grief-stricken, it’s time for Unity to come back home to Ellen—the only person she can trust to help her rebuild her life. But Ellen has troubles of her own. Boys never seemed to notice Ellen…until one got her pregnant in high school and disappeared. Her son is now 17 and she’s wondering what to do with herself now that he’s heading off to college and he's literally her entire world.
But now that Ellen and Unity are reunited, they’re done with their stale lives. It’s time to shake things up and start living again, knowing that they'll always have one another to lean on. So they create a list of challenges they have to accomplish--everything from getting a tattoo to skydiving to staying out all night. And whoever completes the most challenges is the winner. But with new adventures and love just around the corner, there’s no such thing as losing…
BUY LINKS:
Chapter One
“I should have married money,” Ellen Fox said
glumly. “That would have solved all my problems.”
“It could have been. Maybe. If I’d ever, you know, met a rich guy I liked and wanted to marry.”
“Wouldn’t having him want to marry you be an equally important part of the equation?”
Ellen groaned. “This is not a good time for logic. This is a good time for sympathy. Or giving me a winning lottery ticket. We’ve been friends for years and you’ve never once given me a winning lottery ticket.”
Unity reached across the kitchen table and touched Ellen’s arm. “He really wants to go to UCLA?”
Ellen nodded, afraid if she spoke, she would whimper. After sucking in a breath, she managed to say, “He does. Even with a partial scholarship, the price is going to kill me.” She braced herself for the ugly reality. “Out-of-state costs, including room and board, are about sixty-four thousand dollars.” Ellen felt her heart skip a beat and not out of excitement. “A year. A year! I don’t even bring home that much after taxes. Who has that kind of money? It might as well be a million dollars.”
“Very funny.” Ellen squeezed her hands. “You’re right. He’s barely seventeen. He won’t be a senior until September. I have time. And I’m saving money every month.”
“After our road trip, he may decide he wants to go to the University of Washington after all, and that would solve all my problems.”
Not just the money ones, but the loneliness ones, she thought wistfully. Because after eighteen years of them being a team, her nearly grown-up baby boy was going to leave her.
“I hate that you know me so well.”
“No, you don’t.”
“You’re more annoying.”
Ellen nodded. “I’m fine. You’re right. Coop will change his mind fifteen more times. I’ll wait until it’s a sure thing, then have my breakdown.”
Unity shook her head. “You’re thirty-four. The average resident of Silver Pines is in his seventies.”
“Marrying money would still solve all my problems.”
Unity hugged her, hanging on tight for an extra second. “You’re a freak.”
“Which is why I love you. Talk later.”
Ellen smiled. “Have a good one. Avoid spiders.”
Until then she had plenty to keep her busy. She was giving pop quizzes in both fourth and sixth periods and she wanted to update her year-end tests for her two algebra classes. She needed to buy groceries and put gas in the car and go by the library to get all her summer reading on the reserve list.
As she finished her morning routine and drove to the high school where she taught, Ellen thought about Cooper and the college issue. While she was afraid she couldn’t afford the tuition, she had to admit it was a great problem to have. Seventeen years ago, she’d been a terrified teenager, about to be a single mom, with nothing between her and living on the streets except incredibly disappointed and angry parents who had been determined to make her see the error of her ways.
Through hard work and determination, she’d managed to pull herself together—raise Cooper, go to college, get a good job, buy a duplex and save money for her kid’s education. Yay her.
“Don’t ‘yes, Coach’ me. You knew this was happening—you’ve known for weeks. And did you ask for help? Did you tell me?”
“No, Coach.”
Keith thought about strangling the kid but he wasn’t sure he could physically wrap his hands around the teen’s thick neck. He swore silently, knowing they were where they were and now he had to fix things—like he always did with his students.
Luka, nearly six-five and two hundred and fifty pounds, slumped even more. “I thought I was doing okay.”
“Really? So you’d been getting better grades on your tests?”
“Not exactly.” He raised his head, his expression miserable. “I thought I could pull up my grade at the last minute.”
“How did that plan work out?”
“I need to stay with my family. My mom understands me.”
“Exactly. And deciding on your own is not how teams work. You go it alone and you fail.”
Tears filled Luka’s eyes. “Yes, Coach.”
Keith pointed to the door. Luka shuffled out. Keith sank into his chair. He’d been hard on the kid, but he needed to get the message across. Grades mattered. He was willing to help whenever he could, but he had to be told what was going on. He had a feeling Luka thought because he was a star athlete he was going to get special treatment. Maybe somewhere else, but not here. Forcing Luka to get an A sent a message to everyone who wanted to play varsity sports.
He looked at the guys. “She hurt?”
“Any of you responsible for whatever it is?” he asked.
More shaken heads with a couple of guys ducking out.
Keith pointed to the door so the rest of them left, then returned his attention to the crying girl. She was small and looked young. Maybe fifteen. Not one of his daughter’s friends or a school athlete—he knew all of them.
He approached the teen, trying to look friendly rather than menacing, then sat on a nearby bench.
More tears spilled over. “I’m pregnant. The father is Dylan, only he says he’s not, and I can’t tell my m-mom because she’ll be so mad and he said he l-loved me.”
And just like that Keith watched his Monday fall directly into the crapper.
*
Keith left work exactly at three fifteen. He would be returning to his office to finish up paperwork, supervise a couple of workouts and review final grades for athletes hovering on the edge of academic problems. But first, he had pressing personal business.
He drove the two short miles to his house, walked inside and headed directly for his seventeen-year-old daughter’s room.
Lissa looked up from her laptop when he entered, her smile fading as she figured out he was in a mood. Despite the attitude, she was a beauty. Long dark hair, big brown eyes. Dammit all to hell—why couldn’t he have an ugly daughter who no guy would look at twice?
She rolled her eyes. “Seriously? There is something wrong with you. I heard what happened at school today. I’m not dumb enough to date a guy like Dylan who would tell a tree stump he loved it if it would have sex with him. I’m not sleeping with anyone and I’m not pregnant. I told you—I’m not ready to have sex, as in I’m still a virgin. You’re obsessed. Would you feel better if I wore a chastity belt?”
“I can’t wait, either.”
“It’s not like I even have a boyfriend.”
“Fine. You pick up women online, then go off and have sex with them for the weekend. It’s gross. You should fall in love with someone you’re not embarrassed to bring home to meet me.”
“Then why are we talking about it?” He pulled her close and hugged her, then kissed the top of her head. “Sorry, Lissa. I can’t help worrying about you.”
You’re on. See you at six.
Excerpted from The Friendship List by Susan Mallery,
Copyright © 2020 by Susan
Mallery, Inc.. Published by HQN.
SUSAN MALLERY is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship and romance. Library Journal says, “Mallery is the master of blending emotionally believable characters in realistic situations," and readers seem to agree—forty million copies of her books have been sold worldwide. Her warm, humorous stories make the world a happier place to live.
Susan grew up in California and now lives in Seattle with her husband. She's passionate about animal welfare, especially that of the two Ragdoll cats and adorable poodle who think of her as Mom.
SOCIAL LINKS:
Twitter: @susanmallery
Facebook: @susanmallery
Instagram: @susanmallery
Author website: https://www.susanmallery.com/
Q&A with Susan Mallery
Q:
Where did the inspiration for The
Friendship List’s plot come from?
A: The inspiration for The Friendship List came from a
reader—but I don’t think it’s exactly the story the reader was asking for. A
couple years ago, a reader suggested I write a story about empty nesters, a
couple whose children had grown up and were moving out. I considered the idea,
but it didn’t immediately sing for me.
Then, while washing dishes—which is when
I often get ideas—I thought to myself, “What if it isn’t a couple, but a single
mom? And what if she had her baby really young, like in high school? She would
be in her midthirties when her kid went to college. What would that be like?”
That’s the spark that led to Ellen, a
single mom who had her son when she was a senior in high school. Since then,
she has put his needs first, always, to the point where she hasn’t dated really
at all in her adult life. When her son was little, she worked her butt off to
raise him and go to college to become a math teacher.
The story starts as Ellen overhears her
son telling a friend he can’t go away to college because his mom doesn’t have a
life without him. They’re a team, and she needs him. Ellen is horrified that
she’s holding him back, and she knows she has to do something drastic to
convince him that it’s safe for him to follow his dreams.
Unity, Ellen’s best friend for as long as
they both can remember, is a young widow, still mourning the death of her
husband three years ago. She’s stuck in her grief, and reluctant to change that
because getting over her grief might mean really letting go of the love of her
life forever. But for Ellen’s sake, Unity comes up with the friendship list—a
series of challenges designed to shake up their lives.
One way or another, this will be a summer
that will change them forever. The
Friendship List is a celebration of friendship. I know authors aren’t
supposed to have favorite books, but I have to admit, this is one of my
favorite things that I’ve ever written—certainly the funniest. Every day, I
couldn’t wait to get to my desk, excited to write that day’s fun scene. It was
pure joy from page 1 to The End, and I hope you’ll love it, too.
Q:
Who is your favorite character in this novel and why?
A: I love both of the friends, but Ellen
probably squeaks out a narrow win over Unity simply because her journey was so
much fun. Think about it—she had her kid when she was seventeen years old, and
from that moment on, her life revolved around him so she missed out on the
things most people experience in their twenties. Dating, parties, bar-hopping.
She was home studying and taking care of her kid.
And in fact, he’s the impetus for her to
change, as well, because she sees that what’s best for him now is for her to
let go, to get a life of her own. When she realizes all that she’s been
missing, she dives in with her whole heart and body, with such enthusiasm that
she had me laughing every day. Suddenly she wants to try everything all at
once. Love, love, love, love her.
Q:
Of the challenges in the book, which was the most fun to write about? Why?
A: Oh, that’s a tough one! I don’t know
if I want to tell you my favorite-favorite because it might be too much of a
spoiler. So instead, I’ll tell you one of my other favorites, which is more of
a teaser than a spoiler. š One of Ellen’s challenges is to wear clothes
that fit, instead of her normal habit of wearing clothes that are at least
three sizes too large for her. Baggy is her comfort zone. The first time she
wears an outfit that shows the shape of her body, her pal Keith can’t help
looking at her in a whole new way. Here’s a clip:
He
stared at her in confusion. Something was different with Ellen, he thought,
trying to figure out what it was.
He
cataloged her appearance. Her long hair was pulled back in a ponytail, just
like always. She had on makeup maybe, which was a surprise, but made her eyes
looked bluer than usual. As for what she was wearing, it was just some shirt
thing and pants that stopped just below her knee. Nothing out of the ordinary
except—
He
swore silently. The clothes fit. For once they weren’t swirling around her, the
extra fabric concealing every part of her body. He could see the shape of her
waist and her hips, the outline of her thighs. And breasts. Ellen had breasts!
He
realized he was staring and forced his gaze away. Of course she had breasts.
Women had breasts. Ellen’s were no big deal. Only he’d never noticed them
before and he didn’t want to see them now.
Q:
What is your idea of a good personal challenge for yourself?
A: The challenges in The Friendship List are meant to push the women out of their
comfort zone and be a little intimidating for them, so my personal challenge
will have to do the same. Hmm… Oh! How about a plunging V neckline? Cleavage
makes me really self-conscious, but I admire women who can proudly show off
their curves.
I’m nervous just thinking about it!
Q:
Do your characters tell you their stories a bit at a time or all at once? Do
they ever pull you in unexpected directions changing up the plot you originally
planned?
A: Yes, yes, and yes. It depends on the
story. Very rarely, a story will come to me fully formed. Daughters of the Bride was like that. A gift book. That almost
never happens. Usually, I get a spark of an idea. I write up some notes, then
set it aside. If I’m still thinking about it, I know it has potential. I get a
lot of ideas that never go anywhere. They might make fine stories for someone
else, but if they’re not tugging at me, I let them go.
I’m on the extreme-plotter end of the
plotter/pantser spectrum. (For those who don’t know, a plotter is a writer who
plots the story in advance. A pantser is a writer who flies by the seat of her
pants, without knowing where the story is going.) I generally work out story
problems during my plotting process, which makes me feel free to relax and sink
into the story while I’m writing.
When I get into the flow of a book, the
characters do take over and sometimes they do surprise me. When they take me in
a direction I didn’t expect, I have to step back to look at the big picture to
adjust. I never try to force a character to do something that doesn’t feel
right for him or her. Every decision must be motivated.
In The
Friendship List, Unity threw me for a loop early on. I knew she was still
in love with her late husband, but until I wrote a particular scene, I didn’t
realize just how broken she still was. I did have to make some very serious
adjustments to her road to a happy ending. And in the end, as I brought her out
of that darkness, I cried. So satisfying!
Q:
Do you have pets? How do the animals you have now or have had in the past
influence writing animals into your stories?
A: Yes, I have three pets. Two ragdoll
cats, siblings Alex and Lucy, and a miniature poodle named Kelli. I love
animals of all kinds. I’m a big supporter of Seattle Humane and the amazing
work they do for animals in and around Seattle.
Animals play a big role in my books. When
they have a part in the story, they are genuine characters because I believe,
like humans, each animal has its own unique quirks and personality traits. The
book I’m working on right now will be the first book in my new series, Wishing
Tree—Christmas romances—and there are two dogs in the book who I adore. Bella
is a Great Dane who loves to play dress-up in cute canine ensembles, and who is
intimidated by a dachshund named Burt. The first Wishing Tree romance will be
out in 2021.
Q:
Is there a genre of books that you have not written yet but might contemplate
writing in the future? What might that be?
A: I recently toyed with the idea of
writing a thriller. I even did quite a bit of research on Bitcoin, which was
going to be a big subplot. I decided against the thriller, but research is
never wasted—one of the characters in The
Friendship List became a Bitcoin millionaire, and then a regular-money
millionaire. Plus, I'm kind of proud of myself—it took me two weeks of research
to be able to understand crypto-currency, but I'm now I'm at least
cocktail-party level literate. š
Q:
What was the first book you sold/published and how did you celebrate when you
received the acceptance letter from the publisher?
A: The first book I sold was a historical
romance called Frontier Flame. A few
months after that, I sold a book to (then Silhouette) Special Edition. Both
books came out the same month, so the first time I was published was with two
books. It was very heady! Of course, before that and after that I had many
story ideas rejected. Even now, although infrequently, one of my ideas can be
rejected. It happened recently. Still stings, but not as badly.
I celebrated my first sale by calling all
of my writer friends and squealing over the phone, and then by going out for a
nice dinner with my husband.
Q:
What do you love to do when not writing?
A: I love hanging out with my friends—and
I miss that right now because of the coronavirus. Friendship is one of the most
fundamental relationships in a woman’s life. You might argue “in a man’s life,
too,” but from what I’ve observed, most men don’t have the same visceral need
for community that women do. My husband once told me, “You’re all I need.”
Which is sweet and romantic and probably true. I love him dearly, more than any
other human being on the planet, but I need friends, too. My friends are the
family I chose, and I nurture those relationships in every way I can.
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