Dream Factory

Alice Kennedy needs some hope in her life. At the age of twenty-three, she escapes her mama's clutches, looking for change. In the small town of Gold Coast, Illinois, her car dies, leaving her stranded. Just her luck. Alice doesn't expect to find empowerment in the depressed village, but a mysterious benefactor gifts her with a new start – the ownership of a once-magnificent costume shop called The Dream Factory. The store's potential to create beauty lifts up not only Alice, but Gold Coast itself. Escape into the magic of The Dream Factory in this heart-warming, feel-good story of a woman called to become fabulous.

Katrina Kennedy McPherson used to have dreams. Her ambition was to become an attorney and prosecute deadbeat dads. But Life had other plans for her; like a withdrawn husband and a less-than-exciting accounting career. Always practical, Katrina never questioned how her life turned out. That is, until the night she arrived in the small town of Gold Coast, Illinois, to drag her sister Alice back home. Confronted by her own unhappiness, Katrina chooses to search for her joy instead. Problem is, her old life will come calling, determined to drag her back under, just as she tried to drag away her sister. Fortunately, she's got her sister, a ghost, a town full of quirky characters, and an obsession with cake to help her untangle her true calling. Escape into the magic of The Café of Hopes and Dreams in this heart-warming, feel-good story of a woman meant to change not just her life, but the lives of everyone around her.

Gold Coast in Southern Illinois has had its fair share of crises and heartbreak. Joan Mark's nasty husband Eli has finally been sent to jail and now she has to learn how to provide for her family all on her own. Exhausted and worn-out, Joan needs to haul herself out of depression, shame, and then, figure out what her strengths are.With the help of her three sons, Kurt, seventeen, Kevin, sixteen, and Lane, thirteen, she starts revitalizing their old farmhouse into a clean and pretty bed and breakfast. As they discover gardening, cooking, and hospitality, they begin to grow beyond the limitations Eli had enforced. And when the local sheriff, Howard, starts to look at Joan with stars in his eyes, she might just discover what it means to create a Haven of Dreams for herself and her guests. Linda Mercury ia a writer and creator of really unusual fictional worlds. More than anything, she cares about compassion, connection, and intimacy. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and has a redwood tree in her backyard.