The Dead Husbands Society & This is not a Romance- Adeline Aimes
Author of The Dead Husbands Society and This Is Not A Romance
About the Books & Storytelling
1. Your romantic comedies balance humor with deeply emotional themes. What draws you to writing stories where laughter and heartbreak exist side by side?
I love to write stories that reflect life. Life is never just one emotion. There’s always sadness woven in with joy, and every new beginning usually carries the weight of something we had to leave behind. Saying yes to one thing often means saying no to something else.
For me, the most meaningful love stories acknowledge that complexity. I want readers to swoon and laugh, yes, but I also want them to feel something deeper—to recognize pieces of their own lives in the story. Humor can soften heartbreak in a really beautiful way, and sometimes laughter is the thing that allows us to process the harder parts of love and loss. The stories I’m drawn to are the ones that feel emotionally honest, where joy and grief sit at the same table.
2. The Dead Husbands Society explores grief in a very unique and humorous way. What inspired you to tell a story about widowhood that also celebrates messy living and second chances?
I think many of us have had a moment where we wake up and don’t fully recognize the life we’re living. It isn’t always a tragedy that triggers it, like it was for Birdie. Sometimes it’s something joyful—having a child, starting a new job, moving somewhere new. But there are these moments where we suddenly realize we’ve lost touch with parts of ourselves along the way.
Birdie’s story grew out of that feeling. She’s grieving, yes, but she’s also confronting the realization that somewhere along the way she stopped living fully for herself. I wanted the story to explore what it looks like to rebuild a life from that imperfect place. Because grief doesn’t erase the possibility of joy. In fact, sometimes it’s what pushes us to start living again.
3. Found family plays a big role in your stories, especially with the friendships in The Dead Husbands Society. Why do you think those kinds of relationships resonate so strongly with readers?
Family relationships can be complicated. Many people have experienced distance, misunderstandings, or pain within their biological families. Because of that, the idea that we can build family in other ways is incredibly powerful.
Found family reminds us that the people who love us best are often the ones who simply show up. The ones who stand beside us when we’re at our lowest, who celebrate us when we’re thriving, and who accept us exactly as we are. I think readers connect with that because it reflects something deeply hopeful: that family isn’t limited to blood. Sometimes the most meaningful relationships in our lives come from the most unexpected places at the most unexpected times.
4. This Is Not A Romance features a nursing student whose life revolves around school, work, and the residents at an assisted living facility. What inspired you to include elderly characters and center them in such a meaningful way?
I’ve always had a soft place in my heart for the elderly. Their lives hold so much history, wisdom, and experience, and yet in our fast-paced culture they’re often overlooked.
It’s easy to get caught up in our own busy lives and dismiss people who grew up in a different era or who see the world differently than we do. But when you slow down and listen to their stories, you realize how much they’ve lived through—love, heartbreak, war, family, change. Those experiences deserve to be honored.
I also think our culture, especially through capitalism, tends to value people based on productivity. Once someone is no longer “producing,” they can become invisible. I wanted to push against that idea and highlight the beauty, humor, and depth that still exists in those later chapters of life.
5. Emma, the main character in This Is Not A Romance, lives with celiac disease. Why was it important to include that kind of chronic illness representation in your story?
I live with celiac disease myself, and I think a lot of people underestimate how much something that seems “simple” can impact your day-to-day life. Food is such a social part of our culture—dating, family gatherings, celebrations—and when you have to constantly navigate those spaces differently, it can feel isolating.
I wanted to include that experience in a romance because people with chronic illnesses deserve to see themselves in love stories too. Their lives—and their love lives—are just as rich, messy, funny, and meaningful as anyone else’s.
6. Both of your books include heroines who are at different life stages than the typical romance protagonist. What made you want to explore stories featuring older characters or characters navigating life in unconventional timelines?
Part of it is simply wanting readers to see themselves reflected in stories. Not everyone finds love at twenty-two. Some people come to it later after life has thrown them a few curveballs—divorce, widowhood, heartbreak, or just years spent figuring out who they are.
I think there’s something really powerful about stories that show it’s never too late to start again. Love doesn’t have an expiration date. Sometimes the most meaningful love stories happen after we’ve lived enough life to truly appreciate them.
7. Readers love the trope-filled checklist in This Is Not A Romance. What made you want to play with romance tropes in such a fun and self-aware way?
Honestly, it started as a bit of satire. I love tropes as much as anyone else, but at one point it felt like every book was being marketed primarily through its trope list.
So I leaned into that idea in a playful way. The checklist allowed me to poke a little fun at the concept while also celebrating it. Because the truth is, tropes exist for a reason—we love them. They give readers that sense of anticipation and comfort. The fun was exploring how those tropes might look when they collide with real life, where things are usually a little messier and less predictable.
Creative Process
8. When starting a new story, do you begin with the characters, the premise, or a specific emotional theme you want to explore?
I usually begin with a single idea: sometimes it’s a character, sometimes it’s a “what if” scenario. From there, the story unfolds as I write. I’m not much of an outliner. I’ve tried many times, but whenever I sit down to outline I end up creating something that feels very rigid and flat.
Instead, I tend to discover the story along the way. That means there are often rewrites and surprises, but I actually love that part of the process. It keeps the writing exciting because I’m learning about the characters and their journey at the same time the reader eventually will.
9. Romantic comedy relies heavily on timing and voice. How do you approach writing humor so it feels natural within emotional scenes?
Humor is incredibly subjective, and everyone has their own style. Mine tends to be pretty dry and observational. I’m the kind of person who laughs at awkward situations and the small absurdities of everyday life. As a child, I’d sit at the table and turn every day things into elaborate stories that my parents and siblings loved.
When I’m writing, I try to let the humor come from the characters rather than forcing it into the scene. Often it’s their reactions, their internal thoughts, or the uncomfortable moments that create the comedy. And they’re often based on my own thoughts in a situation.
My partner likes to tease me because I’m constantly laughing at my own jokes while writing. He’ll walk past me “designated writing chair” (AKA our communal secondhand armchair) and say, “You’re laughing at yourself again.” And my response is always the same: if it makes me laugh, hopefully it will make someone else will laugh too.
10. Were there any moments in either The Dead Husbands Society or This Is Not A Romance that surprised you while writing?
Absolutely. One of the biggest surprises was Birdie and Noah’s relationship in The Dead Husbands Society. Originally, I thought their romance would begin after Owen’s death and develop entirely in the present timeline.
But as I started writing, the story naturally turned into a missed-connections romance. Their past history began revealing itself in pieces, and suddenly the emotional weight of their relationship felt very different. I actually wrote the prelude after finishing the book and then went back to weave those earlier threads throughout the story. It ended up becoming one of my favorite elements of the novel.
11. How do you balance slow-burn romance with character development so readers stay invested in the relationship journey?
I love a slow burn because it allows the relationship to grow alongside the characters themselves. For me, the romance isn’t just about attraction; it’s about connection, growth, and timing.
While I enjoy a good spicy scene like anyone else, I personally need to feel invested in who the characters are outside of the relationship. That emotional investment makes the payoff so much stronger. I like building tension through shared moments, meaningful conversations, awkward dates, and the influence of side characters who shape the story around them.
It’s a bit like delayed gratification. When the relationship finally clicks into place, it feels earned.
Writing Life & Inspiration
12. When you’re not writing, you mentioned baking gluten-free sourdough and attempting to keep houseplants alive. Do these everyday moments ever inspire scenes or characters in your stories?
Absolutely… and I’ll admit that some of Emma’s mishaps and Birdie’s more embarrassing moments are pulled directly from my own life. I have a tendency to put my foot in my mouth or find myself in awkward situations, and those experiences make their way into my characters.
My husband jokes that I’m terrible at flirting, which is unfortunately very true. So when my characters say something painfully awkward in a romantic moment… there’s a good chance I’m drawing from personal experience.
13. What authors, books, or romantic comedies have influenced your writing style the most?
I love Farrah Colson’s writing; she’s another indie author whose storytelling and voice I really admire. And of course writers like Carley Fortune, Abby Jimenez, and Emily Henry have had a huge influence on the contemporary romance space. They’re incredibly good at blending humor with emotional depth, which is something I always aspire to in my own writing.
14. Many readers look for romance stories that feel both comforting and emotionally real. What do you hope readers feel when they finish one of your books?
More than anything, I hope readers feel seen. I want them to laugh, cry, and recognize pieces of their own lives in the story—the beautiful, messy parts that make us human.
And I hope they close the book feeling a little more hopeful. That it’s never too late to start again, to love yourself more fully, or to open your heart to someone else.
Looking Ahead
15. Do you have plans to revisit the worlds of The Dead Husbands Society or This Is Not A Romance in future stories?
I would love to revisit Helen’s story from This Is Not A Romance. She has such a rich backstory and personality, and I think there’s a beautiful love story waiting to be explored there.
16. What kinds of characters or themes are you most excited to explore in upcoming projects?
I’m really excited to explore neurodivergence, particularly autism, and the beautiful, different ways our brains process the world. My next book comes out in July and features an autistic heroine named Lily who tries to solve the chaos of holidays by coding an app to help people navigate social situations, only to find herself pulled into real-life holiday adventures with her very extroverted roommate. As a neurodivergent woman myself, writing Lily felt deeply personal, and it was important to me to show that different ways of thinking aren’t flaws; they’re simply another way of experiencing love, connection, and life.
Rapid-Fire Questions
17. Favorite romance trope?
Slow burn
18. Favorite romantic comedy (book or movie)?
The Proposal
19. Writing snack or drink of choice?
Chamomile tea
20. A fictional character you’d love to have coffee with?
Elizabeth Bennet. I feel like she would have excellent observations about people, and I suspect the conversation would be equal parts insightful and delightfully sarcastic.
21. When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite way to unwind?
Hiking with my family and reading after my boys go to bed 🙂