SECOND CHANCE is the UK version of AROUND THE NEXT CORNER.
Last Known Address (HaperCollins/Avon/UK)
Longtime friends C.C., Meg and Shelly take a life-changing trip together, from Iowa to Tennesse. In a bid to forget their problems, the three women head south to fix up and sell C.C.'s newly-inherited childhood house. C.C., the youngest, is newly widowed. Shelly, the businesswoman, is newly bankrupt thanks to the housing crash. Meg doesn't know what she is because she has just taken early retirement to be with her husband of 26 years at which point he left her. When their car breaks down in the middle of nowhere, they feel it is a metaphor for their lives.
Meeting quirky men, stray dogs and a few home truths along the way, the women re-discover their own identities and their friendship, and learn that love - in all its forms - can make any address a home.
"Thelma and Louise for the young at heart, this heart-warming and captivating tale will delight fans of Maeve Binchy, Cathy Kelly and Marley & Me." -HaperCollins/Avon.
"A lovely book. Perfect . . . a lovely long read of a novel where you really get to know the characters. Think Maeve Binchy but in modern America. It's a story about old female friends facing new challenges together. Part road-trip, part romance, part comedy, part tragedy. Lots of good ingredients and some nice recipes from the story included at the back is a nice touch! And great if you like dogs (or even if you don't!)" --Clare Price, reader review on Amazon UK
Around the Next Corner (US; NAL/Penguin)
In the UK, under the title: Second Chance (Avon/HarperCollins/UK)
With her children almost grown and her marriage faltering, Deena Munger impulsively volunteers to raise a puppy for K-9 Eyes For The Blind, and a rambunctious yellow Lab helps her to find what she didn't even realize was missing in her life--herself.
MEDIA REVIEWS OF AROUND THE NEXT CORNER (aka: SECOND CHANCE):
"I loved it - it made me laugh and cry… If you’ve ever owned or loved a dog, you’ll adore this funny, wise novel. It’s pure pleasure." --Cathy Kelly, a #1 bestselling novelist in UK
"Debut novelist Wrenn's juxtaposition of Deena's quest for freedom with giving herself over completely to raising this puppy sets up a dynamic narrative that settles into a quite satisfying conclusion. Wrenn knows exactly when to lighten the tone and when to allow Deena serious introspection. This book will appeal to a broad readership. . ." --Library Journal
"AROUND THE NEXT CORNER is the impressive debut of new talent Elizabeth Wrenn. Deena's tale touches the heart with its warmth and wit, and it is one that I certainly recommend." --Romance Reviews Today
"Five blue ribbons out of five! I am so impressed with Elizabeth Wrenn’s writing. She alternately had me laughing and crying all the way through AROUND THE NEXT CORNER. It’s a poignantly sweet tale and many . . . women will be able to relate to Deena." --romancejunkie.com
"This first novel by Elizabeth Wrenn marks an auspicious beginning. It is a gentle, feel-good novel, but it is not lightweight. . . in Wrenn's competent hands. . . This is a delightful first novel, and I hope the writer graces us with other surprising works in future years." -- Curled Up With a Good Book, curledup.com
"Elizabeth Wrenn makes you laugh and cry in the same breath, and creates a community of friends you will be sad to leave behind at the last page. A wonderful debut novel from a talented author." --Karen Brichoux, author of The Girl She Left Behind and Separation Anxiety
FOR READER REVIEWS, please click on Comments button at top of page. You can add your comments, too!.
The Christmas Cactus
a children's picture book
Megan’s beloved Nana shares her gentle and wise thoughts before her death, and that, plus one of Nana’s special plants, give Megan a sense of peace and hope.
REVIEW:
“The Christmas Cactus is an achingly beautiful exploration of the healing that can follow grief and the mysterious ways in which love can live on. Both Wrenn's evocative, tender text and Aitken's exquisitely rendered watercolors offer the perfect heart-rending details that make vivid one young girl's loss of her beloved Nana at the hardest time of the year to say goodbye to a loved one--and the unexpected gift that emerges from it. I cried, I smiled through my tears, and I loved this book.”
--Claudia Mills, author of the 2009 Colorado Book Award Winner:
The Totally Made-up Civil War Diary of Amanda MacLeish; 7 X 9 = Trouble!, the
Gus & Grandpa series, and many others.
