The second book in the Stella and Jonas series, Hung Over with Grandma, is being printed!!  We expect to have it in hand next week!

The book opens with a wedding: Stella says “I do” to Jonas (at the Lindside United Methodist Church) and discovers quite the surprise—a sudden honeymoon that takes the newlyweds from the winter cold of West Virginia to the freezing depths of the Arctic night in Barrow, Alaska, where she is thrust into adventures she never imagined possible.

Greater even than facing the journey and the below-zero temperatures, the real shock is the culture and the new and remarkable mother-in-law, a woman sometimes withdrawn and enigmatic and sometimes a mighty force in the lives of Jonas and Stella. The clashes are there, but as Jonas revisits the home country of his youth and Stella finds her way in the complex family relationships. Both recognize that even with huge cultural differences between the Arctic and West Virginia there are deeply shared values.

Circumstances created by the early ravages of dementia bring the newlyweds home with two companions—Jonas’s mother Mary Jo and her sister Phoebe. These elderly, lively, wildly mischievous, and clever women are immediately more than a handful. They soon become players in the family fight to defend Stella from her brother Timmy Lee, now in a psychiatric hospital and hell-bent for deadly revenge on Stella.

Readers have expressed enthusiasm for the book:

“This is a fast-paced book that takes the reader from West Virginia to Alaska and back again. Hung Over with Grandma is a thriller read and a love story on many levels. The reader will get a glimpse into life in the Arctic and the bumps and triumphs of a new family bonding. Crabtree continues to write with insight, clarity, and satisfying humor.”

–Jay St. Vincent, Associate Professor (Retired) Ilisagvik College, Barrow, Alaska

“Another page-turner, Hung Over with Grandma introduces two delightful new characters who will find their way into your hearts, much like the main character Stella and her soon-to-be husband Jonas. This story elicits a wide variety of emotions, but will keep you chuckling and shaking your head throughout.”

            -Vanni Prichard, Director of Assessment and Accountability (Retired), North Slope Borough School District, Barrow, Alaska

Autographed copies of Hung Over with Grandma will be for sale locally at the Peterstown Crafts Fair on Saturday, December 3. A book signing at Market Street & Co. in Peterstown will be scheduled at a later date. Books can also be ordered at www.BeckyCrabtree.com.