Everyone has a mother. What if that mother was wonderful? Good. What if that mother was not the mother shown on sweet Mother's Day cards, featured in ads, shown in Hallmark movies? What if a collection about mothers included more than just tributes? What if the collection was honest, inclusive, and thought-provoking? The editors set out to gather these kinds of stories from published authors who were willing to share their experiences. The result was Mum's the Word, thirteen tales dealing with everything from missing mothers to regretful mothers to embarrassing mothers to redefined mothers.