trueromance

The seed for Spinning Forward was planted four years ago when my husband retired and we relocated to Cedar Key, a small island off the west coast of Florida.  I developed an instant love affair with the friendly community and stunning scenery provided by Mother Nature.

Since I write women’s fiction, I wanted to deal with issues in my novel to which other women could relate.  Surprisingly, I was hearing more and more stories of women ages 40 and older starting over because of divorce or the death of a spouse.  I was even more surprised to learn that many of these women had not been involved in the financial part of their marriage—either by choice or because of a controlling husband.  In some cases, that meant their financial present was now grim . . . and their financial future, a question mark.

In Spinning Forward , my main character—Sydney Webster, age 52, married for 28 years to a prominent physician in the Boston area, with one grown daughter and no work-related skills—finds herself both emotionally and financially bereft after her husband is killed in an auto accident.

Two weeks after she buries him, her problems are compounded when a sheriff shows up at her posh home with an eviction notice.  Seems unbeknownst to her, her hubby had a gambling addiction.  And just like that, Syd’s lack of involvement in the family finances comes back to bite her.

Not knowing where to turn, she calls an old college friend who owns a bed and breakfast in Cedar Key, Florida.  Alison forces Sydney to pack up a few belongings and her dog and to come stay with her.  Cedar Key, Ali explains, is the perfect place to heal and start over—she should know, because she did the very same thing herself 20 years before.

Once Sydney arrives in Cedar Key—with her bank account hovering at zero—she knows she must find a job.  A registered nurse prior to her marriage, she long ago allowed her license to lapse.  She hasn’t worked since her daughter was born, and that daughter is now a grown woman.  Syd has no idea how she’s going to fend for herself . . . the only thing she knows how to do well is spin wool and knit!

I actually learned to knit from my own mother as a child but then set it aside for about 40 years.  Four years ago a very close girlfriend got me to pick up the needles again, and I became thoroughly addicted.  In real life, we do not have a yarn shop on Cedar Key, so I thought it would be perfect to fictionalize one for Sydney.

Around the time I was composing my novel a friend on the island told me that in addition to knitting she also did spinning—specifically, dog and cat fur into yarn.  I was amazed and intrigued.  So much so that I thought it might be the perfect thing to get my Sydney into her own business.  So I badgered my friend with questions and she was only too happy to show me the entire process.  She combed fur from her dog and then explained how it had to be cleaned, carded and eventually made ready to be spun into yarn—just like any other fiber.  And for me—although I never did take up spinning, my story had been born.

Do you have a story of a moment that changed your life?  We’ll send an autographed copy of Spinning Forward to one lucky commentator!