Susan Mallery's "When We Found Home"

#1 New York Times bestselling author Susan Mallery writes heartwarming and humorous novels about the relationships that define women's lives—family, friendship, romance. She's best known for putting nuanced characters into emotionally complex, real-life situations with twists that surprise readers to laughter. Because Mallery is passionate about animal welfare, pets play a big role in her books. Beloved by millions of readers worldwide, her books have been translated into 28 languages.

Mallery lives in Washington state with her husband, two ragdoll cats, and a small poodle with delusions of grandeur.

Here she dreamcasts an adaptation of her latest novel, When We Found Home:

I don't usually picture actors when I'm writing but sometimes, especially with a large cast, it helps. In When We Found Home, Delaney, for me, looks like a young Dana Delaney. I love her. There's something really vulnerable about her as an actress that creates immediate empathy. In the book, Delaney lost her fiancé a year ago, and she's dealing with the loss and with guilt about the second thoughts she had been having before he died.

I see Malcolm as Chris Pine. What I love about him for the role is that he can so beautifully handle both drama and humor. There's a lot of humor in the book.

Santiago is Jesse Metcalfe and Callie is Jennette McCurdy. As the book starts, Callie doesn't feel very worthy of love. She went to prison for a youthful mistake, and she still feels the weight of that when she moves in with the family she never knew. So when her brother's best friend falls for her almost instantly, she has a hard time believing that his feelings are real.

Keira is a young actress named Mira Silverman. Keira's 12 years old, but because she's wise beyond her years, the adults in her life forget how young she is until something happens to remind them that she's just a child. Rallying for Keira is what will help them transition from strangers into family. It's a really beautiful journey that will warm your heart.

Visit Susan Mallery's website.

--Marshal Zeringue