A man can be a stay-at-home parent? Gasp, the horror! Clutches pearls…

An Agreement We Made (out June 2) is a family story about the bonds we have with those closest to us and how that may blind us. Our principal character is James Bell. He’s a stay-at-home dad of three kids. This isn’t a new role for him. His oldest child is in college, but his youngest is still in elementary school. He’s chosen this life, at least he thinks so. Although his wife had quite a bit to do with it.

I played with gender stereotypes with my lead character because obviously when you think of a parent staying home and running the house, it’s almost always a woman. A man can be a stay-at-home parent? Gasp, the horror! Clutches pearls…

James has this to say, early in the novel:

I have never been offended by being called Mr. Mom. It would be an insult to moms everywhere if I, a father of three, took offense to being likened to a woman who displays an undying love for her children. Most moms are invisible superheroes hidden away, because when mom’s around, everything works and everyone else’s life is more comfortable. Moms do so much more than they ever get credit for. And yes, I know the irony of me—Mr. Mom—making this claim, but so be it. It’s true.
In my family, the central parental figure, or primary parent, isn’t a mom. It’s me. Yes, I’m a man, and I’m not special because of it. I volunteered for this role as a stay-at-home dad, and I don’t feel stuck—regardless of what most people assume.

Throughout the novel we see James struggling with his role and how it has impacted his relationships with his own father, who would certainly never have stayed home to raise James or his sister. James strives to be everything to his kids, which is parent’s responsibility, not just a mother’s.

The primary audience for my novels are women, although with a male lead and a male author, this can’t really be Women’s Fiction (which I love reading by the way). Regardless, this story is for a Women’s Fiction audience, which happens to be my marketing issue to wrestle with. I hope James’ situation can resonate as an authentic experience for parents, regardless of gender.

James is not a woman with a man’s name, and he certainly has a different take on parenting and family as a male, then a female might. But isn’t that what makes reading fiction interesting? I hope you check out An Agreement We Made and see for yourself.