Photo Credit: Ivan Hundric Photography
Wade Rouse is the USA TODAY, Publishers Weekly and internationally bestselling author of 13 books, including four memoirs and nine novels. His latest book, The Secret of Snow, was an instant national and indie bestseller.
Wade’s books have been translated into 21 languages and have been bestsellers across the world. He chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, as a pen name to honor the working poor Ozarks woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his fiction. His first holiday and winter novel, The Secret of Snow, is a deeply moving story about family tradition, loss, coming home, the beauty of winter and second chances. The Secret of Snow was named a Best Book of Fall by Country Living Magazine and a Best Holiday Book by Good Housekeeping. Publisher’s Weekly raved, “A beautifully written story about second chances. Fans of women’s fiction won’t be able to put this down.”
Wade will publish three new books in 2022, including his first memoir in a decade, Magic Season (May/Hanover Square Press) about how the love of baseball was the only thing to bond him and his conservative Ozarks father (“Eloquent, profound, and as funny as it is heartbreaking, Magic Season is a poignant reminder that those of us who’ve had rocky upbringings have a choice—we can turn mean, or we can go down to our tenderest parts and truly be ourselves, open to love. Wade’s story will make you realize that things in life—like people—can always change, if you just don’t give up on them. This glorious memoir hits it out of the park.”—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You).
Wade will also publish his new summer novel, The Edge of Summer, inspired by his grandmother’s button jars in July as well as an upcoming winter/holiday novel (Graydon House Books).
A noted humorist of four memoirs, Wade was a finalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards in Humor (he lost to Tina Fey) and was named by Writer’s Digest as “The #2 Writer, Dead or Alive, We’d Like to Have Drinks With” (Wade was sandwiched between Ernest Hemingway and Hunter Thompson).
Wade’s previous novels include The Summer Cottage (a USA TODAY bestseller); The Clover Girls (a #1 Great Lakes & Midwest Indie Bestseller); The Charm Bracelet (a 2017 Michigan Notable Book of the Year); The Hope Chest; The Recipe Box; and The Heirloom Garden.
Wade’s books have been selected multiple times as Must-Reads by NBC’s Today Show, featured in the Washington Post, USA Today and on Chelsea Lately and chosen three times as Indie Next Picks by the nation’s independent booksellers.
His writing has appeared in a diverse range of publications and media, including Coastal Living, Time, All Things Considered, People, Good Housekeeping, Parade, Salon, Forbes, Writer’s Digest and Publisher’s Weekly.
Wade earned his B.A. from Drury University and his master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. He divides his time between Saugatuck, Michigan, and Palm Springs, California, and is also an acclaimed writing teacher who has mentored numerous students to become published authors.
Wade hosts the popular Facebook Live literary happy hour, “Wine & Words with Wade,” every Thursday at 6:30 p.m. EST on the Viola Shipman author page where he talks writing, inspiration and welcomes bestselling authors and publishing insiders.
For more, please visit violashipman.com or waderouse.com