Spare Change: A Wyattsville Novel, Book 1

Bette Lee Crosby

Oct 2011 · The Wyattsville Series Book 1 · Bent Pine Publishing

About this ebook

A woman grieving her loss. A boy running for his life. A town defending them both.

From award-winning USA TODAY Bestselling Author BETTE LEE CROSBY, the first book of a gritty, small-town, family saga in the tradition of the finest Southern fiction.

Small-town gossip never much bothered Olivia Westerly. As a single career woman, she's weathered her share. It's easy to ignore the raised eyebrows over her late-in-life marriage to Charlie Doyle. But after he drops dead on their honeymoon, the whispers are salt on her raw grief. Especially when an orphaned, eleven-year-old-boy shows up on her doorstep, looking for the grandfather he never met.

Behind Ethan Allen Doyle's wary blue eyes lie heavily guarded emotions that unexpectedly tug on Olivia's heart, and she finds herself wanting to win his trust. But when his murderous secret comes looking for him, the entire town embraces the lonely widow and desperate child to show its true heart when danger threatens one of its own.

A heartwarming tale of love, loss and unexpected gifts, featuring a woman you'd like to call friend, a boy you will ache to hug, and a town you wish you could call home.

USA TODAY BESTSELLER AND WINNER OF FIVE LITERARY AWARDS - Royal Palm Literary Award, Reviewer's Choice Award, FPA President's Book Award, IAN Outstanding Fiction Award, Eadon Contemporary Fiction Award

Ratings and reviews

Spare Change is the most unusual book I have read in a long time. Crosby has an unique voice. Not my usual fare and I kept thinking I would put it down but somehow I just kept reading. I had to know what happened to Olivia and Ethan Allen. Well-written from multiple viewpoints. Not a cozy mystery.

Every emotion, describable or not bas been covered in this amazing woven tale of love and family bonding.. You can't keep this book without going to the next page..damn good...loved it. Tysm Bett Lee Crosby for writing and sharing this beautiful piece of work.

This story gets better and better as you read through each of the characters minds. It's very entertaining and will hold you to the end. I couldn't put it down and paid for it the next morning. Your going to love these characters. A five star story, with a quirky twist.

About the author

Award-winning novelist Bette Lee Crosby brings the wit and wisdom of her Southern Mama to works of fiction—the result is a delightful blend of humor, mystery and romance along with a cast of quirky charters who will steal your heart away. Born in Detroit and raised in a plethora of states scattered across the South and Northeast, Crosby originally studied art and began her career as a packaging designer. When asked to write a few lines of copy for the back of a pantyhose package, she discovered a love for words that was irrepressible. After years of writing for business, she turned to works of fiction and never looked back. “Storytelling is in my blood,” Crosby laughingly admits, “My mom was not a writer, but she was a captivating storyteller, so I find myself using bits and pieces of her voice in most everything I write.” Crosby’s work was first recognized in 2006 when she received The National League of American Pen Women Award for a then unpublished manuscript. Since that, she has gone on to win several more awards, including another NLAPW award, three Royal Palm Literary Awards, the FPA President’s Book Award Gold Medal and most recently the 2010 Reader’s View Southeast Fiction Literary Award. Her published works to date are: Cracks in the Sidewalk (2009), Spare Change (2011), The Twelfth Child (2012), and Life in the Land of IS (2012). Life in the Land of IS is a memoir written for Lani Deauville, a woman the Guinness Book of Records lists as the world’s longest living quadriplegic. Crosby newest novel Cupid’s Christmas is scheduled for release in late October and following that, What Matters Most will be released in early 2013.