Leigh Dunlap
Dunlap attended the University of Southern California.
Leigh Dunlap is best known for writing the screenplay
A Cinderella Story, a hit film for Warner Bros.
Leigh’s a native of LA, and went to film school at the University of Southern California.
Her writing career began during 1st grade when she wonderfully failed a math test. It was at that precise moment that she realized her kindergarten dreams of being a Wall Street finance guru was probably out of reach. Leigh pivoted right there to writing and somehow made it through Calculus classes in high school.
She really learned how to write while working at an assistant’s desk at a Hollywood talent agency, as a result of reading hundreds of scripts that were sent in for actors.
Having spent a few years in the muddy trenches of Hollywood led her to writing her own script, a modern retelling
Cinderella. It was 5 more years before the movie was made.
She’s written 2 other movies (
16-Loveand
The Standoff)that got made and a whole bunch of others that weren’t.
In
Bless Your Heart, murder and motherhood connect 5 very different women when this working class detective clashes with some wealthy mothers in an upmarket thriller.
Anderson Tupper, a member of one of the richest families in Atlanta, has just been murdered in the dugout at the Little League field where he was volunteering as a coach, and it is all up to Detective Shay Claypool, a single mom from the other side of town, to track his killer down.
With the exclusive area of Buckhead threatening to secede from the city of Atlanta and take its tax revenue along with it, Shay’s under considerable pressure to solve the murder of one of Buckhead’s own. Accustomed to handling prostitutes and drug dealers, she has to now contend with the Buckhead Betties, an even more sinister group that are insufferably entitled women of Georgia’s most affluent zip code. One of them may be the murderer, but which one? Could it be the old money queen of Buckhead? The drug dealing trophy wife? Maybe the mysterious new girl in town?
Seems that lies and secrets are just as plentiful as luxury handbags in Atlanta, and everybody’s guilty of something. Shay’s investigation is going to make her examine her own prejudices and learn that, as moms and women, she may not be all that different from the Betties after all. And if she’s not too careful, they just may take her down with them.
Related Authors
Fans of Leigh Dunlap also enjoy these authors:
- Marcie R. Rendon, author of the Cash Blackbear Series.
- Sarah Pearse, author of the Detective Elin Warner Series.
- Gytha Lodge, author of the DCI Jonah Sheens Series.
- Alexandra Andrews, author of: Who is Maud Dixon?.
- Julie Clark, author of: The Last Flight / The Flight.
Leigh Dunlap: F.A.Q
What was the first book Leigh Dunlap wrote?
The first book written by Leigh Dunlap was Bless Your Heart, published in 2025.
What was the most recent book Leigh Dunlap wrote?
Her most recently released work was Bless Your Heart on August 12th, 2025.
Are there upcoming new books by Leigh Dunlap?
Leigh Dunlap does not have any upcoming books with a set publication date within the next few months at this time.
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How many books has Leigh Dunlap written?
Leigh Dunlap has written 1 book. All of her books are Standalone Novels.