Bücher von Sheila Williams

What are you supposed to do with a restored spirit? Eventually, I got some answers. I just didn't expect to get so many.When Juanita Lewis arrived in Paper Moon, Montana, courtesy of a Greyhound bus, she was just looking for a brief respite. Instead, she found a home, friends, and a man to love. But this leave-your-attitude-by-the-door woman made a promise to herself-one that she intends to keep. Now that she's got a place to come back to, Juanita wants to see the world.A trip out West with her eccentric trucker friend, Peaches, leads to a cooking stint at a new age spa for skinny celebrities. Crazy, but its here that Juanita decides to take her talent for cooking to a new level . . . and make it her dream. She also learns something about life: It does turn out the way you planned it-just be ready to change the plan a few times along the way.Just as Juanita's journey begins, she's called back to Paper Moon, having inherited an old, slightly haunted B&B, as well as a mountain of decisions. There's her self-centered, irresponsible daughter, insisting that she get some sense and come back home to Columbus, and a son who's doing things Juanita can't bear to think about. So how does a middle-aged black woman from the projects follow her heart when it's heading in so many different directions? By asking the right questions, then listening with her soul.

"Dancing on the Edge of the Roof kept my heart and mind dancing through the pages. Sheila Williams, with her talent for detailed storytelling, expertly takes the reader on a poignant and humorous quest for self."-Lori Bryant-Woolridge, author of Read Between the LiesAt forty-one, Juanita Lewis is running away from home, courtesy of a one-way ticket to Montana, a place that seems about as far away from the violence and poverty of the Columbus, Ohio, projects as the moon. She wants adventure and excitement-if such things exist for a pre-menopausal African American woman with three grown, deadbeat children. Juanita's new life in Paper Moon, Montana, begins at a local diner where a culinary face-off with chef and owner Jess Gardiner finds Juanita in front of Jess's stove serving up home cookin' that lures the townsfolk like a magic spell. And suddenly Juanita, who was just passin' through, now has a job by popular demand. Out here in this wide-open space, Juanita's heart can no longer hide, especially when she sees herself through the eyes of the wonderful and eccentric people of this down-to-earth town. She's happy in Paper Moon; she's found a home, but can she stay? And then there's Jess. She has always dreamed of romance, but she never planned on falling in love.

Beloved author Sheila Williams beautifully captures the bittersweet humor and vivid adventures of women who survive the worst life can toss at them—and fight back to claim their right to be free, to be themselves, and to live in . . . The courage to change doesn’t come easy. When Opal Sullivan walks out on an abusive husband after fifteen years, she has only her dreams in her pocket. Her new beginning starts in Appalachian River country, where she sees a bit of herself in a graceful but dilapidated house. Like Opal, the house is worn-out and somewhat beaten up, but it still stands proudly and deserves a second chance. So Opal opens her doors—and her heart—to a parade of unforgettable characters. There’s sassy Bette Smith with her cantaloupe-colored hair and four-inch heels; short-tempered Gloria and her devilish son, Troy; the mysterious Dana, who dresses in black and keeps exclusively nocturnal hours; a dog named “Bear” who is afraid of his own shadow; and Jack, who doesn’t mind hanging out with an OBBWA (old black broad with an attitude). It is Jack who helps Opal understand a funny thing about life: You can’t move forward if you keep looking back. . . .