Why am I passionate about this?

The two people I love most, my husband and my son, manage obsessive-compulsive disorder. Their struggles constantly inspire me and illustrate the courage it takes to navigate everyday life with an invisible disability. We don’t talk enough about that courage. Instead, society passes judgment and shares OCD jokes. There’s nothing funny about a chronic, potentially fatal illness that demands lifelong management. After all, we don’t laugh at diabetics, and people aren’t defined by their disabilities. (Think of Helen Keller’s achievements!) My passion is to create characters who chip away at the stigma, shame, and stereotypes of mental illness. They also prove the mantra, “You are not your disorder.” Amen.


I wrote

The Unfinished Garden

By Barbara Claypole White,

Book cover of The Unfinished Garden

What is my book about?

Young widow Tilly Silverberg is rebuilding her life one potted-up plant at a time. Gardening is her salvation and her…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Prince

Barbara Claypole White Why did I love this book?

This historical romance features an ambitious heroine, who doesn’t allow undiagnosed OCD to define her life, and a displaced immigrant determined to reclaim his birthright, despite a physical disability. The parallel between their struggles illustrates how physical and mental illnesses share similar challenges. Why can’t we treat them equally?

By Katharine Ashe,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Prince as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The temptation of her lips...

Libby Shaw refuses to accept society's dictates. She's determined to become a member of Edinburgh's all-male Royal College of Surgeons. Disguising herself as a man, she attends the surgical theater and fools everyone-except the one man who has never forgotten the shape of her exquisitely sensual lips.

...will make a prince say yes to her every desire

Forced to leave his home as a boy, famed portraitist Ziyaeddin is secretly the exiled prince of a distant realm. When he first met Libby, he memorized every detail of her face and drew her. But her perfect…


Book cover of The Charm Offensive

Barbara Claypole White Why did I love this book?

This gay rom-com packs a serious punch about panic disorder, OCD, and depression. Neither Dev nor Charlie believe they deserve love, but they show up for each other constantly. And yet to survive as a couple, they have to learn, independently, how to manage mental illness. There are no shortcuts.

By Alison Cochrun,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked The Charm Offensive as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A MOST ANTICIPATED ROM-COM SELECTED BY * BUZZFEED * LGBTQ READS * BUSTLE * THE NERD DAILY * ENTERTAINMENT TONIGHT * FROLIC MEDIA * AND MORE!

A BEST BOOK PICK BY * HARPER' S BAZAAR * ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

"The Charm Offensive will sweep you off your feet." -PopSugar

In this witty and heartwarming romantic comedy-reminiscent of Red, White & Royal Blue and One to Watch-an awkward tech wunderkind on a reality dating show goes off-script when sparks fly with his producer.

Dev Deshpande has always believed in fairy tales. So it's no wonder then that he's spent his career crafting…


Book cover of The Reckless Oath We Made

Barbara Claypole White Why did I love this book?

This love story is unique. Zee is a hot-tempered drug dealer with a damaged leg. Sir Gentry is a sweet guy on the autism spectrum who hears voices, thinks he’s her Medieval champion, and talks only in Middle English. But lack of judgment, understanding, and compassion make them equals in love.

By Bryn Greenwood,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Reckless Oath We Made as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A new provocative love story from the New York Times bestselling author of All the Ugly and Wonderful Things.
 
“The story of Zee and Gentry is the reason we read.” —Brunonia Barry
 
Their journey will break them—or save them.
 
A moving and complicated love story for our time, The Reckless Oath We Made redefines what it means to be heroic. Zee has never admitted to needing anybody. But she needs Gentry. Her tough exterior shelters a heart that’s loyal to the point of self-destruction, while autistic Gentry wears his heart on his sleeve, including his desire to protect Zee at…


Book cover of Weather Girl

Barbara Claypole White Why did I love this book?

In this romance, the author doesn’t gloss over the raw, ugly lies of the heroine’s depression. She also touches on an issue we don't often see in fiction—body dysmorphia in men. Ultimately, two broken souls step outside their comfort zones to be together. That’s where the good stuff happens…

By Rachel Lynn Solomon,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Weather Girl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One of...
Amazon's Best Romances of January
Apple Books' Best Books of January
Goodreads' Hottest Romances of January
Buzzfeed's Most Anticipated Books of 2022
Popsugar, Parade.com, The Nerd Daily, and Fangirlish's Most Anticipated Books of 2022

A TV meteorologist and a sports reporter scheme to reunite their divorced bosses with unforecasted results in this electrifying romance from the author of The Ex Talk.

Ari Abrams has always been fascinated by the weather, and she loves almost everything about her job as a TV meteorologist. Her boss, legendary Seattle weatherwoman Torrance Hale, is too distracted by her tempestuous relationship with her…


Book cover of Ten Rules for Faking It

Barbara Claypole White Why did I love this book?

Kudos to the author for creating a charming romance that brings readers deep inside crippling social anxiety. Taking it one step further, the novel shows how effectively someone—the heroine—can mask mental illness. Here is the heartbreaking reality: anxiety is easily hidden and often misread as anti-social behavior.

By Sophie Sullivan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Ten Rules for Faking It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'Impossible to read without smiling - escapist romantic comedy at its finest' Lauren Layne

'Once you start reading, you won't be able to put it down' Lyssa Kay Adams

What happens when your love life becomes the talk of the town?

As birthdays go, this year Everly Dean has hit rock bottom.

If catching her boyfriend cheating with his assistant wasn't enough, Everly's rant about Simon the Snake, a.k.a. Cheating Ex, accidentally being broadcast live on the radio really sealed the deal...

When public humiliation turns her into a viral sensation with a string of potential dates, and suddenly there's…


Explore my book 😀

The Unfinished Garden

By Barbara Claypole White,

Book cover of The Unfinished Garden

What is my book about?

Young widow Tilly Silverberg is rebuilding her life one potted-up plant at a time. Gardening is her salvation and her livelihood. Software developer James Nealy is on a solitary mission to reclaim his life from irrational obsessions (OCD). His plan? Employ Tilly to help him conquer his greatest fear: dirt. But Tilly, who’s heading back to her native England to diffuse a family emergency, isn’t for hire.

Tilly’s quietly happy to return to her childhood village, until she discovers her first love is unexpectedly single, her mother is scheming, and her best friend is keeping secrets. Then James appears. As they work together to rescue a garden, they share fears and hopes, and despite every reason against it, a tentative bond takes root and blossoms.

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All They Need to Know

By Eileen Goudge,

Book cover of All They Need to Know

Eileen Goudge Author Of All They Need to Know

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Baker

Eileen's 3 favorite reads in 2023

What is my book about?

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California mountain town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women who call themselves the Tattooed Ladies. They’re there for Kyra—and for each other.

The maternal Frannie is a tattoo artist struggling with a troubled daughter. Suzy is a self-described fashionista grandma bearing a painful estrangement from her son. Then there’s Jo, whose storybook marriage is shadowed by a grim medical diagnosis. And bookstore owner Marisol. She longs for…

All They Need to Know

By Eileen Goudge,

What is this book about?

A woman escaping a violent past finds new friendships, romance, and tenuous sanctuary in an emotionally gripping novel by New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a neglected dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women called the Tattooed Ladies Club. They're there for Kyra-and for each other.

The maternal Frannie is a tattoo artist struggling with a troubled daughter. Suzy is a self-described fashionista grandma bearing a…


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Interested in romantic love, mental disorders, and gay men?

Romantic Love 933 books
Mental Disorders 179 books
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