Wade Rouse Author

WADE ROUSE is the internationally bestselling author of ten books, which have been translated into 20 languages, including his latest novels, The Heirloom Garden (April 2020) and The Summer Cottage. Wade chose his grandmother’s name, Viola Shipman, as a pen name to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his fiction. Also 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). For more, visit violashipman.com or waderouse.com.

Diary: Love, Wade

Wade remembers crafting a valentine mailbox in school that attracted the attentions of a fellow student who liked him — and a bully who did not. In my grade school, it was...

Puppy Love Brings Wade an Unexpected Yuletide Gift

Wade is convinced Gary has gone too far with an unexpected holiday gift for his parents, but their reaction turns out to be the real surprise. “No!” I said to Gary and the dog...

This Is How Author Wade Rouse Made His Events Sensational

Author Wade Rouse was faced with underwhelming attendance at his earliest readings, so he did everything it took to make his events sensational. Wade Rouse’s Events Are Not...

This Is How My “Auntie Mame” Changed My Life

Wade’s visits from his eccentric Great Aunt Blanche gave him some of the happiest moments of his childhood — and the promise of a beautiful future. Here’s Blanche! Great...

DIARY: Father and Son Take the Ride of a Lifetime

After a lifetime of saving as if disaster was just around the corner, Wade finally splurges on a dream car and gives his father the ride of his life. My father had a strict...

DIARY: The Palm Springs Surprise

Wade and Gary try to remain sane as their attempts to transform their new home are met with infestations and other frustrations....