Spring brings changes by Laura Ashwood

Just a few days ago we celebrated the first day of spring. The day that has exactly as many hours of daylight as night. To be honest with you, I struggle a little with spring. As I sit and look out my window, everything looks so drab. And muddy...so much mud. 

Here in Minnesota, spring is the time of year that the weather develops a severe case of ADHD. Just a few days ago I had three weather alerts on my phone the same day: severe thunderstorm warning, tornado warning and winter storm warning. It was 54 degrees today and it's supposed to snow tomorrow. 

But, spring is also the time when the tree bud and turn green with new life. Baby animals scamper in the woods and yard, the birds come back, flowers start to bloom and the earth seems to come alive again. It's a time for new beginnings...growth, renewal and transformation.

I've been thinking about transformation myself lately. I cut 12 inches off my hair, am trying to get into shape (one that isn't round), and I'm writing in a new genre....women's fiction. One of my favorite things about women's fiction is the transformation and change in the stories. 

Today, my first women's fiction novel, Summer at Bluefin Bay, releases as part of a box set with 11 other wonderful authors, called A Place to Belong.  

The idea for Summer at Bluefin Bay came to me one summer afternoon when I was on a four-wheeler ride with my husband. I actually had him turn back home so I could write it down before I forgot it. I wrote it in 31 days during NaNoWrimo (November novel writing month) and the story just fell together for me...

One man. Two lives. A summer that changes everything.

Abby is devastated when her husband of nearly fifteen years dies in a car accident. Then she’s shocked to discover he’s been living a secret life, and that she's been named guardian of the daughter she didn't know he had.

Determined to make the best of an impossible situation, she agrees to temporary guardianship while a private investigator searches for other family. But Michael’s secret life brings further problems, and Abby feels more lost than ever before.

Needing to get away from everything, Abby rents the two of them a house for the summer in the seaside town of Bluefin Bay. As she and the girl painfully adjust to their new situation, Abby begins to discover who she really is. 

What will Abby do when news from the private investigator forces her to make a life-altering decision?

Summer at Bluefin Bay is an emotionally charged story of overcoming grief and learning to find yourself when you least expect it.

It's available for just 99 cents for a limited time. 

Kindle: https://melstorm.com/Belong_Kindle

Apple: https://melstorm.com/Belong_Apple

Nook: https://melstorm.com/Belong_Nook

Kobo: https://melstorm.com/Belong_Kobo