After graduating from the
University of Pennsylvania, Dunn spent several years working service jobs in
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the experience of which informed her first book,
The Official Slacker Handbook. Shortly afterward, she moved to
Los Angeles, California, where she wrote for television series including
Murphy Brown, ''
Veronica's Closet, Spin City, and Bunheads. With Spin City'' co-creator
Bill Lawrence, Dunn penned
Michael J. Fox's final episode of the series. Dunn is also a novelist whose works include
The Big Love (2005),
Secrets to Happiness (2009), and
The Arrangement (2017). Her books have been translated into 19 different languages . Dunn is a member of the all-female television writers group “The Ladies Room”, which also includes Vanessa McCarthy, Stephanie Birkitt, and Julie Bean. The group was founded in July 2016. In November 2020, it was announced that, after an "extensive" HR investigation that took place between the fourth and fifth seasons of
American Housewife following allegations of a toxic workplace made by
Carly Hughes, Dunn would no longer have an active producing role in the series. == Family ==