Judith R. Hendricks

During her search for clues into the past of her late mother, Avery James finds herself and her true talents in a Southwestern sanctuary as she becomes involved with her mother's work, friends, foes, and lovers, ultimately discovering a surprising love in the process. By the author of Bread Alone. Reader's Guide available. Reprint.

Sunny Cooper has been running since she was eighteen--from the New Mexican commune where she grew up . . . and from the haunting memory of the freak accident that took the life of her younger sister. Now, at thirty-two, Sunny voices radio spots in Albuquerque while struggling to hold on to a floundering relationship. But when a second tragic accident--and the devastating truths that come to light in its aftermath--turns her world upside down, Sunny runs again.In the town of Harmony on San Miguel Island, she takes a new job, learns to ride a motorcycle, and makes some surprising new friends. But the past is never far behind. A startling discovery--along with an emotional and revelatory reunion with her estranged mother--is forcing Sunny to step out from the shadows of yesterday to embrace an uncertain future.

The sequel to Judith Ryan Hendricks' absorbing debut novel, Bread AloneHaving found her calling, Wynter Morrison is blissful about her new career in Seattle as a baker -- cherishing the long days spent making bread and the comforting rhythms of the Queen Street Bakery. Still, she struggles with the legacy of her failed marriage and with her new boyfriend Mac's reluctance to share his mysterious past. When Mac abruptly leaves Seattle, Wyn again feels abandoned and betrayed, at least until intimate letters arrive in which Mac at last reveals his deepest secrets. But the more she learns about her absent lover, the more Wyn discovers about herself -- and when tragedy threatens, she will have to decide if there is a place for Mac in this new life she has made.

For fans of Like Water for Chocolate and Woman on Top comes a deliciously magical and mouth watering story, filled with wonder, discovery, and new beginnings. Thirty-one-year-old Wynter Morrison long ago gave up on finding a suitable career and drifted into the role of trophy wife to an ambitious advertising executive. After her husband decides that their marriage was a mistake Wyn leaves behind her posh, pampered life and ventures north to Seattle, spending aimless hours sipping coffee at a local bakery. As the sweet aromas of freshly-baked bread awaken memories of her apprenticeship at a French boulangerie, she feels the desire and ambition to bake bread once again. Soon, Wyn finds--in the kneading of the dough and the scent of yeast hanging in the air--an unexpected and wondrous healing power that helps her to rediscover that nothing stays the same. Inspiring and beautifully rendered, Bread Alone is an uplifting debut novel guaranteed to warm the heart.