Ocean Breathing: A Novel

Newly retired and suddenly widowed, Magda Cooper sleeps fitfully with shades up and all lights blazing to ward against shadowy figures that terrorize her at night. A master fabricator, Magda keeps her panic attacks and growing agoraphobia a secret from family and friends in order to keep her dignity. Her cover breaks when a desperate call for help comes from her abandoned pregnant niece who lives in a small fishing town in Northern Michigan, 700 miles from Magda's safety zone in Washington DC. Magda could be any one of our neighbors, struggling unseen to us with a sometimes crippling condition but who has a full life of loss, of love, of making a difference in the lives of those she loves. Told in the first person with a mix of candor and humor, this is an inspiring story of resilience against the throes of anxiety.