Publication Date: March 2025

Blurb:

1956, Malibu. Something is not right on Paradise Circle. With her name on the Hollywood blacklist and her life on hold, starlet Melanie Cole has little choice in company. There is her next-door neighbor, Elwood, but the screenwriter’s agoraphobia allows for just short chats through open windows. He’s her sole confidante, though, as she and her housekeeper, Eva, an immigrant from war-torn Europe, rarely make conversation.

Then one early morning Melanie and Eva spot Elwood’s sister-in-law and caretaker, June, digging in his beloved rose garden. After that they don’t see Elwood at all anymore. Where could a man who never leaves the house possibly have gone?

As they try to find out if something has happened to him, unexpected secrets are revealed among all three women, leading to an alliance that seems the only way for any of them to hold on to what they can still call their own. But it’s a fragile pact and one little spark could send it all up in smoke…

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What To Expect:

Readers can expect a historical fiction book set in 1950s Hollywood, following a blacklisted actress, a displaced housecleaner, and a screenwriter as they become friends and grapple with what their pasts might mean for their future.

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Content Warnings:

Language: Mild, including one religious exclamation

Sexual Content: Closed door – Sex is briefly mentioned but not described at all.

Violence: Moderate – Domestic abuse, death

Substance Use: Mild

Prejudices: None

Religious Themes: None

Other Topics: Grief, suicide, agoraphobia

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