[QCrit] Adult Contemporary - FOURTH TRIMESTER (78K/Attempt #1)

Autistic, lesbian, tradwife-influencer Lacey needs to have a baby. 

Lacey rose to internet stardom by embracing her quirks. Instead of cooking Marry Me Chicken she cooks made-from-scratch chicken tenders, and instead of raising goats she raises isopods–her special interest. However, after declining virality last year, she and her wife are finally giving the commenters what they want: a new member of their family.

The only issue is that neither women are willing to be fertilized. Lacey has sensory issues when in the wrong pair of socks, and is terrified of having a person inside her. Her girlboss wife, Tabitha, is on track to become the next CEO of Taco Bell, and maternity leave would ruin that. While the Orange County, California natives have more than enough dough to adopt, they’d miss out on prime pregnancy content.

Then they meet Maggie digging through their trash. She’s not only four months pregnant, but even better, she’s homeless. The couple immediately make Maggie part of their home and their performative social media family. It doesn’t matter if they don’t know who the father of the baby is; their views have never been higher. 

Off camera, Maggie's mood swings from pregnancy paired with bipolar leave the pair unprepared. Lacey genuinely helps–being pro-neurodiversity is her brand–but this only makes Maggie never want to leave, when the Sapphics only wanted her offspring. Evicting Maggie would ruin their public image, and there’s too many true crime podcasts to kill her. 

With the birthing livestream just days away, Lacey and Tabitha need a creative solution to get rid of the mother but keep her baby, before Maggie becomes part of their lives forever.  

FOURTH TRIMESTER is an 78,000 word adult contemporary novel. It would appeal to fans of satirical, darkly humorous stories starring controversial, morally gray rich women, like Yesteryear by Caro Claire Burke, Best Offer Wins by Marisa Kashino, and Yellowface by R. F. Kuang.

Thanks for reading!