Scattered Life

McQuestion writes with a sharp eye and a sure voice, and as a reader, I was willing to go wherever she wanted to take me. Carolyn Parkhurst, author of "The Dogs of Babel" Free-spirit Skyla Plinka has found the love and stability she always wanted in her reliable husband, Thomas. Settling into her new family and roles as wife and mother, Skyla finds life in rural Wisconsin satisfying, but she can t seem to quell her growing sense of restlessness. Skyla s only reprieve is her growing friendship with neighbor Roxanne, who has five kids (and counting) and a life in constant disarray but also a life filled with laughter and love. Much to the dismay of her intrusive mother-in-law, Audrey, Skyla takes a part-time job at the local bookstore and slowly begins to rediscover her voice, independence, and confidence. Throughout one pivotal year in the life of Skyla, Audrey, and Roxanne, all three very different women will learn what it means to love unconditionally. Karen McQuestion s essays have appeared in Newsweek, the Chicago Tribune, the Denver Post, the Christian Science Monitor, and several anthologies. She is the author of four novels, one children s book, and one collection of humorous essays. She lives in Wisconsin. "