Leigh Dunlap is the screenwriter behind the hit movie, A Cinderella Story starring Hilary Duff.  She also wrote Spy Girls, based on the popular teen book series, for producer Lawrence Bender (Pulp Fiction, Good Will Hunting) and Camp Rockaway for Sony Pictures and producers Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher (Gladiator, Stuart Little).  Her movie, 16-Love was one of Gravitas’ and Warner Digital’s top titles and The Standoff, starring Olivia Holt and Alex Wolff, was released on Netflix.  

Leigh Dunlap’s debut novel, BLESS YOUR HEART, will be published by Crooked Lane Books in August 2025.  

Leigh has lived in many places, including Buckhead, and currently splits time between Johns Island, South Carolina and London, England.  

Visit her website at www.leighdunlapwrites.com  

Instagram: @dunlapwrites

Q: Congratulations on your debut novel, Bless Your Heart. If you had to describe the story in just five words, what would they be?

Leigh: You sound like my editor! “Cut this book down!” Okay, five words:

EVERYONE IS CAPABLE OF SOMETHING AWFUL.

Dang it! That was six. Let me try again.

TWISTY WITTY SOUTHERN MURDER MYSTERY

Q: What was the initial idea you had that sparked the idea of Bless Your Heart?

Leigh: I was sitting in the stands at a Little League game in Atlanta when a parent literally cursed at a ten-year-old boy on an opposing team, calling him something no lady should ever call anyone, let alone a child. And, honestly, it was one of the less surprising things I saw from the parents in Little League. I wouldn’t have put it past some of them to commit murder, and an idea began to fester in my mind because writers are weird. A normal person is watching a baseball game and keeping score. A writer is watching and deciding who is capable of murder.

Q: Detective Shay Claypool is a single mom from the other side of town and is tasked with finding Anderson’s killer within the group of high-society suspects. What drew you to create Shay in the way you did, who is vastly different from the Betties.

Leigh: Buckhead, the most prosperous area in Atlanta, is unique. I think it would be easy to feel out of place there. I wanted to follow a character who would have assumptions about the people who lived there. Everyone prejudges everyone else. Shay brings her own assumptions with her to Buckhead, and it has an effect on her investigation.

Q: You’ve got motherhood and murder as central themes of Bless Your Heart. Did you originally set out to write a murder mystery? Was it hard to find a balance between the two themes when you were writing?

Leigh: It was always a murder mystery, but I think when you’re dealing with motherhood so much more comes into play. Mothers are fearsome creatures. They operate on another level, always looking for danger, always ready to attack. I like characters on edge and motherhood definitely puts you on edge! That’s good for a murder mystery.

Q: What kind of research was involved as you set out to write your novel?

Leigh: I lived in Buckhead so there wasn’t much research involved as far as location goes. When I was writing the book, I was actually living in Las Vegas, and I consulted the police department there on some forensic elements. I felt a little bad since I knew they had more important things to do, but they were awesome. I also gathered my Buckhead friends (none of them are Betties – at least they don’t admit to it!) together as my brain trust and they filled me in on all the good gossip and added some fun details.

Q: Did any of the characters surprise you on the page? Without giving any spoilers, did anyone do anything unexpected as you were writing?

Leigh: Characters definitely surprise you. Writing is such a long journey. Sometimes you know where you’re going and sometimes you’re totally lost. As the characters grow, though, they tend to lead you. Amelia Tupper, one of the Betties, does something very out of character up until that point and even I was surprised that she did it! It’s fun when that happens, when the character becomes their own person like they’re not from your mind at all.

Q: Tell us more about the “Buckhead Betties” and their reputation. Are these real women in Atlanta and do they know they are referred to as such? Is it prestigious to be called a Betty?

Leigh: If you’re a Betty, you’re rich and entitled and probably flaunt it. They are, essentially, the “Karens” of Atlanta. So, no, it’s not prestigious, though certain women might take pride in it. As I say in the book “no one thinks they’re a Betty,” even if they are.

Q: What do you hope readers are still thinking about after they finish Bless Your Heart?

Leigh: I hope they’re thinking – That was fun! And then I hope they think some more. About the assumptions they make about others and about how we are all so different but also have so much in common.

Q: Can you share what you’re working on next?

Leigh: I’m switching from the death of one man to the death of millions. It’s a YA love story set in a post-apocalyptic Los Angeles. Romance and fun ensue!