Synopsis
In the Oakland, California, of 1989, Mirai San Julian is a young woman with a fascinating life and a rich past. She restores historic carousels -- her dream career -- working from her own studio in a former roller skating rink. Though Black herself, she spent her first years in a Basque immigrant community in Nevada, the adopted child of a single mother. And after the mother's death, she was raised by her Aunt Joy in a Catholic Worker house.
Mirai has a lot going for her -- but then, why is everything suddenly falling apart? Her current, year-long carousel project is veering crazily out of control, in both schedule and budget. The guy who dumped her only months before has shown up married and -- as far as Mirai is concerned -- to the worst possible person. Her mother's death long ago is looking less and less like an accident. And Joy, the one person who has had her complete trust, may know more about that death than she has let Mirai believe.
Mirai knows how to restore a carousel, but can she restore relationships with those she loves? Can she strip the old paint of past wrongs to prepare her life for new, more vibrant colors? And will her eyes be clear enough to spot the brass ring when it finally comes within reach?
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Anne L. Watson, a retired historic preservation architecture consultant, is the author of several novels, plus books on such diverse subjects as soapmaking and baking with cookie molds. She currently lives in Bellingham, Washington, with her husband and fellow author, Aaron Shepard.
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SAMPLE
Next morning, I picked out Will's car parked on the street in front of the coffee shop. No room for doubt -- Will had a real screamer of a car, an old red Mustang convertible.
Not that he described it that way. His version started off with "1964-1/2" for the model year and "poppy red" for the color, then veered into details about the color of certain key engine parts -- at which point I had always zoned out so far, I didn't hear the rest of the speech.
There it sat, parked at the curb in Peregrine Falls, Idaho, already collecting a few admirers. Not even counting the vanity plate -- ORGAN4U -- the car had so much of Will's personality attached to it, I felt mildly nauseated. As an alternative to kicking a fender, I slammed into the coffee shop.
"Whoa, Mirai! Remember us?"
The crew had gathered at the only big table in the Clearwater Cafe. I'd been so wrapped up in my own problems, I hadn't even seen them. They were all there -- Evangeline, Harvey, Mr. Papadakis. And Will.
Neither fight nor flight was practical. I sat down at the table. The waitress hurried to me with a coffeepot and mug. I ordered the special and sipped my coffee. "Clearwater" was certainly the word for that coffee -- they must have named the restaurant after it. I glanced around the table, skipping over Will.
Mr. Papadakis caught my eye. "What's the agenda?" he asked.
"We'll go to the park as soon as we're done here. Check out the carousel, then have lunch with the committee. We have to give the owners a preliminary report tomorrow morning."
Evangeline smiled. "How long are you staying?" she asked me.
"All week. You?"
"I'll stay awhile. I may want to work on things in place." In Evangeline's case, "awhile" could mean several months. She had an answering service, but no permanent address. At the moment, I envied her.
It was Will's turn, so I had to look toward him then. He sat quietly, holding a coffee cup. Will had never worn jewelry, but now a ring glinted on his finger. A plain gold ring on the fourth finger of his left hand. A wedding ring.
From the Inside Flap
NOVELS BY ANNE L. WATSON
PACIFIC AVENUE. When young Kathy Woodbridge steps off the bus in San Pedro, California, she is running away from her past in Louisiana -- a past burdened by family tragedy and the imprisonment of the man she has loved. Soon she meets Lacey Greer, who can sense the young woman is deeply troubled. But before Lacey can help, she must uncover just what Kathy is running from.
JOY. In the Oakland, California, of 1989, Mirai San Julian is a young woman with a fascinating life and a rich past. She restores historic carousels -- her dream career -- working from her own studio in a former roller skating rink. But why is everything suddenly falling apart? Mirai knows how to restore a carousel, but can she restore relationships with those she loves?
CASSIE'S CASTAWAYS (ISLAND WOMEN, BOOK 1). When Amy Bendbowe receives a call for help from her dying mother, Cassie, she rushes from Washington's San Juan Island to Mobile, Alabama, to see her. But Cassie has other ideas. Before letting Amy visit the hospital, she wants her to sell off or give away all the stock from Cassie's secondhand store. Is Cassie trying to keep the distance that has long separated her from her daughter? Or is this her way to help Amy finally understand her?
WILLOW'S CRYSTAL (ISLAND WOMEN, BOOK 2). Rai Ireland has built a respectable life for herself as a novice real-estate lawyer on Washington's San Juan Island. But when her hippie mother, Willow, comes to stay with her, Rai finds herself stretched between the Rachel she calls herself now and the Rainbow her mother thinks her to be. Besides, it hardly seems fair that Willow adjusts so easily to island life, while Rai still navigates the narrow straits of dating on a small island.
BENECIA'S MIRROR (ISLAND WOMEN, BOOK 3). Susan Jarvin could hardly be more surprised when her elegant musician mother, Benecia, accepts her invitation to visit Washington's San Juan Island. But more surprises are in store, as Benecia shows a new, strong interest in Susan's young son, and then starts dating his diving instructor, a man more than a decade her junior. It's all a bit much to cope with, on top of dealing with an ex-husband that Susan never quite stopped loving.
A CHAMBERED NAUTILUS. When Nita inherits her childhood home in New Orleans, she finds the house occupied by ghosts of her past, playing out scenes of the life she fled forty years ago. What are they trying to tell her? Will they ever leave her in peace? And are they really spirits, or only visions, emerging from sealed-off depths of memory as from the shell of a chambered nautilus?
DEPARTURE. When Henry "wakes up," he finds himself walking along an empty stretch of road on modern-day San Juan Island. He doesn't remember much about himself, besides his name and the fact that he's dead. Part ghost story, part historical novel, part fable, Anne L. Watson's latest weaves island lore, human insight, and spiritual wisdom into a magical tale of redemption and fulfillment.
FLIGHT. Linda Farley of San Diego is now living as Lainie Foster with her mother and brother in Olympia, Washington, under rules she's been given for being in the Witness Protection Program. But questions confront her at every turn. How could her loving father get involved in a Mafia money laundering scheme? Why is her mother so familiar with their new city? And who is that dark-haired woman she keeps spotting in front of the house?
SKEETER: A CAT TALE. When a stray kitten romps into Lynne's life, she has no idea what she's getting into. As Lynne describes in letters to her friend Angie, Skeeter is all cat -- high-spirited, contrary, inventive, and so goofy that he reminds Lynne of her own nuttiest escapades. No one who meets Skeeter will ever be quite the same again.
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