"Grief and mourning aren't exclusively tied to the death of a person..." -Naomi Alexander
Reserved yet crafty therapist Dr. Naomi Alexander turns social worker, or is she a ghost-whisperer?
On a sunny backyard deck, a tense family meeting of three feels like a meeting of four, and only grief counseling with Naomi will shed light on things.
Julia Winthrop has died, leaving her husband, Jeff, and their two children, Mallory and Todd, to carry on without her. When Jeff remarries, the Winthrops start a new life with Ruth, but it isn't easy. There are sides to Ruth not apparent to those involved-except maybe Naomi, who senses a touch of darkness about her in session one.
Mallory and her brother have a hard time accepting Ruth into the family, for good reason. Ruth isn't interested in being a mother to her stepchildren and, with just a touch of malice, shows the Winthrop children exactly where she stands.
Through grief counseling with Dr. Alexander, the Winthrops fight to move beyond the sadness, working through many issues affecting their family. From her place in her yellow counsel chair, Naomi observes, knowing something is off between Ruth and the Winthrop children.
She needs to get Jeff well and release him from such a romance-free marriage; the sooner, the better.
But Naomi's efforts must address a confounding dilemma: Jeff believes Julia is still with them-and not just "in spirit."
Naomi carefully navigates the boundaries between doctor and patient while getting to the "ghostly" bottom of things-boundaries growing more and more obscure.
When problems with Ruth escalate, heightening the family drama and domestic suspense, Naomi realizes time may be running out...
Featuring doses of light and dark feminine energy, enter Naomi's world of counseling and see if she'll be a flicker in the darkness of the Winthrop family's grief; time enough for an "evil" stepmother.
S.F. Powell hails from the DC metropolitan area where she pursues contemporary non-street fiction with drama, suspense, romantic elements, sarcasm, and humor. With a mug of tea at hand, she continues the series featuring quirky but shrewd psychiatrist Dr. Naomi Alexander, along with other works in progress. Her entry for Like Sweet Buttermilk won first place in the Black Expressions fiction contest. Broken Benevolence was a finalist for the Emma Awards.When the time for a writing break calls, S.F. snaps out of her writing stupor to enjoy watching documentaries or working word or jigsaw puzzles. For more on her works, visit sfpowell.com.
