Sassafras

SILVER WINNER 2020 IBPA BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AWARD(TM) BEST VOICE: FICTIONFINALIST 14th ANNUAL NATIONAL INDIE EXCELLENCE(R) AWARDSIn a narrative as tender and mordant as Champs himself Heald has created both an exploration of aging and a tribute to a lost way of life. -Kirkus ReviewsA compelling and humorous story of human faults and forgiveness. -Benjamin Franklin Awards(TM) International Book Publishers AssociationMUST READ . . . A stunning debut. I laughed and cried as Heald expertly told a story about healing and family. - Featured Review reedsy.comNewly widowed Champs Noland hates Egrets Pond the retirement community he nicknamed Regrets Pond.Tired of empty condolences What to Expect When Youre Grieving pamphlets and casseroles delivered by do-gooding widows he flees to his ramshackle summer cabin on the Sassafras River bringing the golden urn containing Pats ashes with him.His plan?To spend his days idly fishing on his rusty old boat Tetanus and drinking beer. Alone.But troubled waters await him.Not only is Pat dead but his daughter Laura has redecorated his beloved cabin with plans to rent it out as a hair-being-bee. His boat is gone his beer fridge is filled with watermelon-flavored Perrier and his plans for solitude are shattered by interfering neighbors a notorious chicken-farming arsonist and the arrival of his demanding adult children.When hes confronted with a shocking secret Champs must decide if hes going to dwell in the past and continue to hide behind his gruff exterior or let go of the golden urn and embrace the uncertainty of living--and loving--again.By turns poignant humorous and uplifting Sassafras is a richly drawn story of the transformational power of loss friendship and family.