Alicia Gilliam's next book project

They don’t call Genealogy 1101 the “death class” for nothing. Without tenure, Peter’s fighting an uphill battle to save his job. He's got to convince vacationing teenagers to spend a semester studying their grandparents. Who could work that miracle?  

Julia, his wife. Er, ex-wife. Wife on hold?

Julia drafts a list of rules to keep their relationship strictly professional but agrees to take on the project. Peter will research and portray members of his family tree. She’ll photograph him and flood the school’s social media with a unique marketing campaign. 

Never mind that Peter’s allergic to the limelight. Or that Julia’s keeping secrets about her own family. They've signed the contract, for better or worse.

When the unsuspecting ex-couple stumble into a family mystery, survive a dreaded road trip, and welcome home a matchmaking daughter, their carefully-laid ground rules are tested in all the right ways.

Operation Guard Your Heart is a character-driven novel dipped in romance and mystery! Coming to you in 2026!