Raven Woods: Smoke Signals (Paperback or Softback)

Iona and Audrey emit smoke signals when they need help, but sometimes it takes more than water to put them out.
Iona thought she would sip mimosas while relaxing on a beach in retirement, but instead she suffers from loneliness as vacation brochures collect dust. Even worse, she feels forgotten by her daughter.
Iona’s daughter, Audrey, serially dates emotionally scarred men and buries herself in work to avoid the pain of rejection. Audrey feels like an abject failure when it comes to relationships.
The relationship dynamic between the two shifts when a disastrous fire threatens Iona’s home. Audrey’s longing for motherhood is funneled into caring for Iona. Iona courageously joins the Senior Center where she meets Maxine who sells fresh eggs at farmer’s markets by day and hosts parties at night.
As the relationship between Audrey and Iona disintegrates like burning wood, they discover that living with each other in adulthood presents numerous challenges and adaptations. One thing's for sure, they'll need to get better at putting out fires.

Denise Gard knew she wanted to write by the age of eight. She loved crafting stories at the kitchen table that made her mother choke with laughter. As Denise matured, she also discovered the lure of acting. Acting in local dinner theaters doesn't pay the bills, so in her twenties Denise split her time between acting and as a Children's Specialist for a public library. The title sounded fancy, but she mostly read stories to children which put Denise on a new career path, becoming a professional storyteller to combine her passions of acting and creating stories. She also trained her Border Collies, Joey and Kira, to perform with her at public libraries, schools, and for senior citizens in memory care and assisted living.Denise's debut novel was inspired by her interactions with seniors and a forest fire that destroyed her community in 2013. The chapters about dating are from her real-life experiences. Names and places were changed, but Denise's disastrous dating life is an ongoing source of humor for her married friends. Learn more about Denise Gard and her performances on her website: https: //storycreations.org. Denise's dogs are featured on Instagram at bordercolliestars.joeyandkira.