A Mother’s Fading Memory. A Daughter’s Second Act. Two Tiny Detectives And The Search For A Forgotten Family Recipe.

Nora Johnson has always been the woman who makes things happen. Whether managing a chaotic marketing department or single-handedly running a busy household, she knows how to keep the ship afloat. So when her mother, Ana, begins to struggle with the fog of dementia, Nora does what she does best: she steps up.

Armed with schedules and checklists, she moves her family back to her childhood home to step into the role of caregiver, determined to manage this transition with grace and dignity. Instead, she finds herself presiding over a whirlwind of well-intentioned chaos.

The tipping point arrives when the family discovers Ana has forgotten the recipe for her legendary tomato dip - the very flavor of their childhood history.

Enter the Superhero Detectiveteers.

While Nora worries about the past slipping away, her children - eleven-year-old Mia and five-year-old Bean - see an adventure. Donning capes and masks, they turn the search for the missing secret ingredient into a joyful, chaotic spy mission.

But as the Detectiveteers dig for clues, they unearth more than just spices.

What begins as a whimsical game quickly forces Nora to confront the widening cracks in her adult relationships: her stoic older brother Michael, a doctor overwhelmed by his own wife’s illness, and her estranged younger brother Marcus, a flighty actor who has been avoiding his responsibilities.

To thrive and bring her family together, Nora must do the one thing she never thought she would have to: stop trying to fix the past and discover her second act.

Sandwich Generation Family Fiction

Don't Forget the Paprika is a warm, funny and uplifting novel about the sandwich generation finding its sweet spot - about the daughters holding everything together, the families that drive us crazy, and the unexpected moments that make it all worthwhile. It’s a story about resilience, reconnection, and reinvention.

Inspired by a True Story