Life in Palmyrton Series by S.W. Hubbard

Lydia Eastlee has skipped a decade of her life. When she married a much older man, Lydia took a shortcut from grad student to middle-aged matron. Do not pass go. Do not drink jug wine or buy Ikea bookshelves. Now Lydia finds herself a 45-year-old widow. She’s got a suburban McMansion she doesn’t want, a hole in her day where her job used to be, and a bunch of married-couple friends eligible for Social Security... moreLydia Eastlee has skipped a decade of her life. When she married a much older man, Lydia took a shortcut from grad student to middle-aged matron. Do not pass go. Do not drink jug wine or buy Ikea bookshelves. Now Lydia finds herself a 45-year-old widow. She’s got a suburban McMansion she doesn’t want, a hole in her day where her job used to be, and a bunch of married-couple friends eligible for Social Security. Lydia wants to start over and recapture the endless possibilities life offers at age 25. She adopts a shelter dog with issues. Buys a charming little starter home on the verge of collapse. And accepts a job she doesn’t know how to do. Lydia soon learns that youth isn’t for the faint-hearted. Her dead husband is trying to control her future through the terms of his will. And her impulsive decisions may cost her some new friendships she can’t bear to lose. But with the help of a quirky dog trainer, a hilarious colleague, and a hunky young carpenter, Lydia may get a second chance at the life she missed. less

How can one word upend a life?A series of setbacks has left adjunct college professor Roz Schmidt one blown tire away from total financial collapse.Then she lands her dream job as a full-time professor at a local college. Good-bye to robbing Peter to pay Paul. Hello to a sunny new apartment and honest-to-goodness health insurance. The bonus for curvy, self-conscious Roz: her new-found confidence attracts a hunky fireman with romance potential.Enter the word... moreHow can one word upend a life?A series of setbacks has left adjunct college professor Roz Schmidt one blown tire away from total financial collapse.Then she lands her dream job as a full-time professor at a local college. Good-bye to robbing Peter to pay Paul. Hello to a sunny new apartment and honest-to-goodness health insurance. The bonus for curvy, self-conscious Roz: her new-found confidence attracts a hunky fireman with romance potential.Enter the word.When a student misinterprets a comment, Roz stands to lose everything she’s worked so hard to attain. How can she be right back where she started? Maybe it's time to put her PhD on the shelf and start waiting tables.Or maybe it's time for Roz to find the strength, and the friends, to remake herself and claim the life she deserves.This second installment of the Life in Palmyrton women’s fiction series focuses on Roz Schmidt while continuing the story-line of her best friend, Lydia Eastlee, the heroine of Life, Part 2. less

Do the right thing.But don’t do it like that.Over the course of a long marriage, Madalyn has chosen to overlook her husband’s roving eye. But when Tom goes from being the charming life-of-the party to an accused groper, Madalyn has had enough humiliation. She files for divorce.Turning the page on her failed marriage proves harder than she expected... moreDo the right thing.But don’t do it like that.Over the course of a long marriage, Madalyn has chosen to overlook her husband’s roving eye. But when Tom goes from being the charming life-of-the party to an accused groper, Madalyn has had enough humiliation. She files for divorce.Turning the page on her failed marriage proves harder than she expected. Every change Madalyn longs to make—restarting her nursing career, downsizing to a condo, registering for a dating app—meets with a litany of protest from her four young adult children.And a chorus of contradictory advice from her well-intentioned friends.When Tom gets into even deeper trouble, Madalyn’s kids beg her to help their father stay out of jail, while her friends insist she testify against him.Whichever options she chooses to relaunch her life, Madalyn stands to alienate someone she loves.Can she tune out everyone else’s demands to find what’s best for her, at last? less