Linny’s Sweet Dream List by Susan Schild
Willow Hill #1
January 5, 2016
Lyrical Press
Set in the off-beat Southern town of Willow Hill, North Carolina, Susan Schild’s moving and witty novel tells of one woman who loses everything—and finds more than she ever expected.
At thirty-eight, Linny Taylor is suddenly living a life she thought only happened to other, more careless people. Widowed for the second time, and broke, thanks to her cheating late husband, Linny has no house, no job, and no options except to go back home. There, in a trailer as run down as her self-esteem, Linny makes a list of things that might bring happiness. A porch swing. A job that nourishes her heart as well as her bank balance. Maybe even a date or two.
At first, every goal seems beyond reach. But it’s hard for Linny to stay in the doldrums when a stray puppy is coercing her out of her shell—right into the path of a kind, compassionate vet. The quirky town is filled with friends and family, including Linny’s mother, Dottie, who knows more about heartache than her daughters ever guessed. And as Linny contemplates each item on her list, she begins to realize that the dreams most worth holding on to are measured not in worldly success, but in the sweetness of a life lived to the fullest.
Please join me in welcoming Susan Schild to Brooke Blogs today. Susan, thank you so much for stopping by with an excerpt! Susan also has a special treat for you – be sure to read to the end of the excerpt to see what it is. Take it away, Susan! 🙂
Brooke, I am so grateful to you for sharing information about Linny’s Sweet Dream List with your readers. Thank you very much!!
Overview of Linny’s Sweet Dream List: Thirty-eight year old Linny Taylor should have known that Buck – a golden boy driving a vintage Caddy – was not good husband material, but she married him anyway. The marriage goes south fast, and Buck leaves her broke. Linny must re-build her life from scratch.
When veterinarian Jack Avery comes into her life, he seems like the real deal – but so did her thieving husband. Jack comes with baggage, too – an exquisite ex-wife and a moody young son. Can Linny learn to trust love again, and find her happily ever after?
Excerpt: Linny has just taken her new puppy to see veterinarian Jack Avery and is startled by her attraction to him, but she’s gun shy about men and he seems to be married.
Linny paid the bill with an iffy credit card, and exhaled as it went through.
The door to the clinic opened, and a petite blonde sailed in. Built like a Barbie doll, she wore a pink and green paisley dress. A grosgrain hair band held back her white-blonde bob. Her pink ballet flats didn’t look like they’d caved through the bathroom floor of a trailer lately. She spoke in a breathy, little-girl voice. “Hey, Ruthie. Is Jack in?”
“Linny, you forgot Roy’s pills,” the vet called, holding up the box as he walked toward her.
The blonde intercepted him, touching his arm. “Hey, honey.” She gave him a dazzling smile.
Jack’s brows knit. “Oh. Hey, Vera.”
Of course this was the wife. She and the vet were probably high school sweethearts who’d married young, still swooned over each other after umpteen years of marriage, and had a darling son, to boot. Some women just got over-served in the blessing department. Linny tried not to stare, but couldn’t help it. The blonde wife was so perfect— petite, creamy skinned, and polished.
Ignoring Linny, Vera held up a brochure and tapped it with a neat French-tipped nail. “The information about the after-school enrichment programs came today.” Pushing back a lock of hair, the stone on her left hand sparkled. “Do you have time to take me to lunch? We can make some decisions about which would be best.”
“All right,” Jack said evenly. He turned to Linny and handed her the wormer pills.
“Thanks.” Linny took it and, next to Miss French Tips, felt acutely aware of her own raggedy nails. Stepping back from the counter, she stumbled on the large, pink handbag Vera had set on the floor behind her, and gasped as she felt herself starting to fall.
Quickly, the vet reached out and steadied her.
Again, Linny felt the surging charge at the contact with him. She shot him a quick glance and exhaled quietly. Jiminy.
“Oh. I’m so sorry.” Vera’s tone was sweet, but her eyes were appraising.
Linny scurried out, and wrestled wiggle worm Roy back into the car. Despite the oven-like interior, the car suddenly seemed like a haven. She flipped the air conditioning on Max and the vents blew cool for a moment, but then spewed only lukewarm air. Another thing she didn’t have the money to fix. Maybe with next paycheck. “Dang.” Linny fretted, trying to coax it along by turning it on and off. Finally, she switched it off, lifted the hair off her neck and rolled down the window. She sighed and drove off, wondering why the Veras of the world got to cherry-pick the interesting men.
As my New Year’s gift to you and your readers, here is the complete first chapter of Linny’s Sweet Dream List: http://bit.ly/1leRhJI
-Susan
Thank you so much, Susan! And thank you for visiting Brooke Blogs.
About the Author
Susan has a graduate degree from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She has used her work background as a psychotherapist and a business consultant to add authenticity to her characters.
Susan is a wife, a stepmother, and a dog lover, Lab Mixes in particular. She and her family live in North Carolina where she is busy finishing up the third novel in the Willow Hill Series.
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