USA Today bestselling author, Barbara Conrey joins the Spotlight this week to discuss her latest novel
Author Name: Barbara Conrey
Book Title: A Fine Layer of Dust
Book Genre: Women’s Fiction, Book Club Fiction
Release Date: October 6, 2025
Publisher: Red Adept Publishing
Welcome back, Barbara! Please tell us about your latest release.
A Fine Layer of Dust is a heart-wrenching reminder that one choice—one moment—can alter our lives forever.
A Fine Layer of Dust draws readers into the tangled, deeply human decisions one man faces, and the consequences those decisions carry for those closest to him.
What inspired the idea for this book?
My neighbor has been a surrogate three times. I found that fascinating, and started researching surrogacy, and, as frequently happens with me, one thing led to another, and the story of a wife who wanted to be a surrogate became the husband’s story—a man who made a disastrous decision and was forced to face the consequences.
In what ways do you think you’ve evolved as an author since your first book came out [or over the course of your career so far]?
Ha! I’m finally learning the rules and following them. I love nothing more than taking craft classes with fabulous instructors.
When I wrote Nowhere Near Goodbye, I just sat down and started to write. It was only after a beloved friend – you know who you are – suggested I learn more about the craft that things began to come together.
What’s your favorite part about writing/being an author? What do you find challenging?
I love revising. No matter how bad my pages might be, I can make them better.
My favorite part of being an author is promoting other authors.
What advice would you give to writers just starting out?
Learn as much as you can. Keep learning. Give back to other authors by reading their books and offering positive reviews. Share their good news liberally. Most importantly, never give up. Keep writing.
Can you tell us about what you’re working on now?
I’m working on a story about an open water swimmer who contracts a deadly disease and can no longer swim competitively. She must reinvent herself—if she can—to find purpose in her life.
What was the last book that stuck with you? Why did it make such a lasting impression?
So many books! All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall, and By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult are three recent reads that I adored. All three are poignant, masterfully told, and original.
Where can readers find you?
Website: https://www.barbaraconreyauthor.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/baconreywriter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barbaraconrey
Amazon https://www.amazon.com/author/barbaraconrey
Thank you, Barbara! A Fine Layer of Dust is out NOW.
A Fine Layer of Dust
Attorney Jake Trenton’s perfectly ordered life unravels when he loses a promotion and his wife announces she wants to become a surrogate. While Jake spends even more time at the office to prove his worth, he worries about the effects on their family if Sophia carries a baby for a stranger.
Once Sophia explains how important it is to her to bear a child for someone who can’t, Jake reluctantly agrees. However, when the embryo transfer is successful, Jake’s carefully constructed world crumbles beneath the memory of his brother’s death, which occurred years ago in the same month the baby is due.
With nightmares plaguing his sleep and rage consuming his days, Jake makes a devastating choice that will forever alter the lives of two families. Suddenly, he is the kind of man he never thought he would be. Jake must confront the darkest parts of himself and question everything he thought he knew about love, loss, and what it truly means to heal.
Author Bio:
Barbara Conrey is the USA Today Bestselling author of NOWHERE NEAR GOODBYE, published on August 4th, 2020, My Secret to Keep, and, most recently, A Fine Layer of Dust. Red Adept Publishing published all three books.
Previously, Barbara worked in the health care industry before opting for an early retirement, which lasted all of three months. She then accepted a finance position, for which she had absolutely no background, and four years later, she decided to write a book. But not about finance.
Travel is her passion, along with reading, writing, hiking, and exploring antique shops. Barbara loves dogs, and is partial to rescue beagles. She is an avid promoter of the Beagle Freedom Project.