Truth is Stranger Than (My) Fiction

So, the next time somebody asks what my new novel, Substitute Me, is about, I think I will just suggest they read this article from the New York Times, about the challenges working women have communicating with their nannies.

Seriously, this article touches on all of the thorny issues that crop up between nannies and their employers, the very same issues that inspired me to write my book. The fragile dynamic between a woman who pays another woman to do her most intimate chores and be responsible for her most precious creations -- her children -- seemed to me to be ripe for fictional exploration. Of course, me being the Meltingpot queen, I also had to examine how race plays into the story as well.

So, if you forced me to compare my book to what's already been written I'd say this; Substitute Me is like a cross between The Help and The Nanny Diaries with a bit of The Truth Behind the Mommy Wars thrown in for good measure.

So, thank you New York Times, for saving me the trouble of having to explain.

Peace.