Over the Hill

What does a 47-year-old housewife in the boondocks of Illinois do after her hearing fades to profound deafness, best friends move away, her grown children consider her a nuisance, and her husband dumps her for a younger woman? She starts over, of course. But Gina Rosatti doesn't take the conventional route. No vocational training for this displaced homemaker who'd rather nurture kids and gardens than find a new career. With a bit of ingenuity and a lot of luck-or is it fate?-She becomes housekeeper for a divorced Montana cowboy with three unhappy teenagers, a terminally ill mother, and a debt-ridden cattle ranch he's struggling to save as his children's legacy. Without the dying matriarch's steadying influence, the floundering Armstrong family needs Gina's no-nonsense compassion and guidance as much as she needs the job. As painful secrets are revealed and strained relationships are mended, they all learn more about themselves, each other, handicaps (both physical and emotional), crushing loss and unconditional love. Accompany Gina as she confronts the future on her terms and discover why Over The Hill is a First Place winner in Authorlink's annual New Author Awards Competition.