Booked and Introduced: Donna Norman-Carbone

This week’s edition of Booked and Introduced has me welcoming Donna Norman-Carbone. I started listening to the podcast, Authors Talking Bookish, that Donna co-hosts with Hope Gibbs. Then, we connected on Instagram, and I’ve had the pleasure of reading both of her books. Donna writes women’s fiction with complicated characters that will draw you right in. I hope you’ll take a moment to get to know Donna and what she’s up to!

Tell us a little about yourself and the kinds of books you write.

In addition to identifying as a women’s fiction author who has been writing since I was four, I’m a family-first fierce mama, avid reader, coffee-with-friends enthusiast, lifelong teacher who is happiest with my feet in the sand and an itinerary to a far-off destination in my head. My thoughts and actions meander through my right and left brain. I'm equally an introvert and extrovert. I open my heart and mind to soulful connections because I believe nothing is coincidence.

Where did the idea for your current or most recent book come from?

In my debut, ALL THAT IS SACRED, five friends meet at a familiar New England beachside cottage desperate for healing after a tragic car accident takes the life of one of their own. They soon learn they have to begin by telling the truth. Winner of ten awards, All That is Sacred has been compared to Big Little Lies and The Five-Star Weekend.

My sophomore novel OF LIES AND HONEY combines Southern charm with an unexpected twist. The lives of three women, each struggling with aspects of motherhood, over two time periods, collide based on one secret that threatens their roles as mothers and daughters. A blend of Little Fires Everywhere and The Secret Life of Bees, Of Lies and Honey is the recipient of the 2024 Jack Eadon Memorial Award for best contemporary fiction in addition to eleven other awards.

My mission as a writer is simple: tell honest, emotionally resonant stories that make women feel seen, remind them they’re not alone, and leave them believing that even after life changes everything, there is always another chapter.

What kinds of books do you reach for when you are reading purely for fun?

As a reader, I enjoy an array of genres and would classify myself as a mood reader. I often do not read what is currently trending because I’m not a fan of hardcover books, so I almost always wait until books on my TBR are available in paperback. My favorite authors range from Mitch Albom, Taylor Jenkins Reid, Liane Moriarty, Anna Quindlen, Alice Hoffman, Philippa Gregory, Kristin Hannah, Judy Blume to Emily Brontë, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Virginia Woolf.

What are you working on now, and where can readers find you and your books?

I read and write to understand myself and my role in this great big, beautifully complicated thing called life. I read and write women’s fiction because I’m fascinated by what happens when life doesn’t go according to plan, and how women find their way through the messy, beautiful middle of it all.

Ready for a sneak peek? My most recent book, THE ECHOING PAST, came to me in two very unique ways. My love for staying at a bed and breakfast–I’m a New England girl through and through–awakened a fascination about the kinds of people who have passed through such establishments and the stories they had to tell. I suppose I was thinking about Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s The Yellow Wallpaper. The second was born of my captivation with past lives and a Dr. Brian Weiss, author of Many Lives, Many Masters, workshop I attended. A what-if scenario took root. What if a woman, escaping her life, found herself at a bed and breakfast, only it wasn’t the first time she had been there? Set in Vermont, this complex, heartwarming, second-chance story unfolds with the emotional depth of It Starts with Us meets small-town Virgin River charm and a past-life twist. The release date is still to-be-determined.

If any of this resonates with you, I’d love for you to join my inner circle by subscribing to my monthly newsletter for exclusive offers, a behind-the-scenes look at my books, my writing life, and the stories behind the stories. You can subscribe at my website where you can also find links to buy my novels and a schedule of book sellings and signings.

My website: https://www.donnanorman.carbone

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donnanormancarbone/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dncarboneauthor

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@dcarbs727author

My Linktree: https://linktr.ee/donnanormancarbone

One woman’s past was buried to protect her. Now it’s back to destroy everything she loves.

If you love emotionally charged fiction with dark secrets, fierce mother-daughter bonds, and a Southern setting that buzzes with tension—Of Lies and Honey is your next must-read.

“For fans of Jodi Picoult, Elin Hilderbrand, and Kelly Rimmer, Of Lies and Honey is a timely novel about the difficult choices three women are forced to make” Cheri, Goodreads Reviewer

“Oh my achey breaky heart!!!!!! Of Lies and Honey by Donna Norman-Carbone shredded my heart into pieces, but by the end my heart was bursting with so much joy” Cara, Goodreads Reviewer

“Emotionally-Layered Women's Fiction at its best” —Reader Views