In her witty, wry, insightful new novel, Roz Bailey follows the adventures of one woman who's discovering a new state--and a whole new state of mind. . .

Some signs are hard to ignore. . .

When Ruby Dixon's car is stolen--again--on the day her husband is offered a job in Portland, Oregon, the message seems clear. It's time to give up stressful New York living in favor of bucolic bliss in the Great Northwest.

Others you don't see until it's too late. . .

Now Ruby, Jack, and their three children have a palatial house in a peaceful burb, and everything's perfect. Except that Ruby can't get a decent haircut, can't seem to crack her neighbors' shells. . .and Jack is constantly away on business. If it wasn't for her new friend Ariel, another transplanted New Yorker who's earned the ire of the local PTA, Ruby would be about ready to cry uncle.

And some guide you right where you need to be

But if life is dependable for one thing, it's unexpected turns, leaving Ruby and her children in a far from familiar place. Their new situation is beyond terrifying. . .But it's also somehow exhilarating. Because Ruby is about to find out just what can happen when there are no compromises, no safety nets, and no rules to follow but your own. . .

Roz Bailey went to college in New York City and never looked back. She spent the better part of her twenties searching for a fine romance, both at work as an editor and after hours in Manhattan. She's a huge fan of cities and hopes to one day return to a lifestyle full of museums and theaters, far from the land of minivans and drive-through windows.

She currently lives with her husband and two children in the Pacific Northwest, where she has taken up walking in the rain and teaching art literacy. She is immersed in a study of slackers and can be found doing research in local coffee shops while working on her latte addiction, one day at a time.