Showrunner Marissa Jo Cerar is bringing E.L. Westbury's domestic thriller 'Drowning in Paper Flowers' to television through a production partnership with television personality Jenna Bush Hager, producer Ben Spector, and Universal Global Television. The narrative follows a Dallas woman who maintains an exterior of wealth and respectability whilst privately managing marital strain, anxiety medication dependence, maternal self-doubt, and the lasting effects of family crises affecting her children.

Westbury's novel took an unconventional path to screen adaptation, originating as a self-published work in December 2024 that accumulated a dedicated readership and subsequently sparked a competitive publishing auction. The competition concluded with a seven-figure acquisition by Atria Books for North America, followed by international distribution agreements with Orion for UK and Commonwealth markets and translation contracts in multiple languages. Cerar brings established credentials from creating the award-winning series 'Women of the Movement' and adapting 'Black Cake' for Hulu, bringing this project forward through her existing production arrangement with Bush Hager and Universal.