Running With Our Eyes Closed: 1 (Empty Nested)

A midlife coming of age story for any woman who has ever felt like she was playing a supporting role in her own life. 47-year-old Samantha has been a devoted mother and wife, until now. Her heart is as empty as her nest. After months of soul-searching, Samantha finally finds the courage to leave her seemingly perfect life behind.
But when she joins her husband, Michael, in Italy, Samantha discovers he’s not the man she thought he was. Over seven days, in one of the most romantic countries in the world, the couple comes face to face with the inevitable changes a relationship experiences. From their first kiss to what could be their last dance, Samantha and Michael leave nothing to chance to see if they can overcome the lies and secrets between them. To write a new chapter together.

As Samantha confronts the present turmoil in her marriage, and the past she thought she’d overcome she finds the strength she’d longed for. She realizes that endings are liberating, that life is unpredictable, that embracing the future, wherever it takes you is the only way forward. And that sensuality’s flames burn hotter as the years pass.

"In this debut novel, ... In the sun-kissed Tuscany region of Italy, Samantha is reexamining her life and her 25-year marriage to Michael. The ensuing narrative gives Samantha's choices the gravitas they deserve as she vacillates between different paths to take... revealing the difficulty of navigating a troubled relationship."- Kirkus Reviews

"Ms. Greenberg takes the “where do we go from here?” life dilemma and sets it in a sexy contemporary setting with characters who are heartbreaking, inspiring, and thoroughly relatable."-Chris Soldo, Directior, Producer

"A book not only for empty-nesters, but for everyone who needs to feel that we are not alone on this journey... this dance...our lives."- Pamela Robins, Author, Meditating With Animals

Mel Greenberg is the married mother of two sons in their early twenties. She worked as a copywriter and producer in radio and television before having children and making the decision to stay at home with them full-time. Once she became an empty nester, Mel struggled to find her voice and direction. Ultimately, it was her passion for writing and the discovery that she was not alone that led her to write "Running With Our Eyes Closed." It is the first installment of a series exploring her characters' struggle to redefine the next years of their lives. In addition to writing the next book in the Empty Nested series, Mel is working on several projects, ghostwriting and producing. When she's not visiting her boys, and traveling the world, she enjoys life in the Southwest with her husband Dean, her beloved English Bulldog Stella, and German Shepherd Grazia.