Growing Season

"Melinda's reinvention of herself isn't without its bumps, making her a relatable heroine whom readers will want to follow to her next adventure." – Publishers WeeklyShe's back in her hometown for only a season. Is she secretly searching for a reason to stay?Melinda's big-city life has already taken a detour when a phone call brings her back to her small-town roots. In two shakes of a lamb's tail, she finds herself behind the counter of her family's store, at the helm of a rundown farm, and responsible for a pack of stubborn critters that tests her resilience and opens her heart.As she strengthens family ties and forges new friendships, Melinda thrives like the vast garden she tends under the summer sun. But when storm clouds arrive on her horizon, can she hold on to the new life she's worked so hard to create?"Growing Season" celebrates the hope and healing found in the small joys of life: a chat with a neighbor, fresh tomatoes right off the vine, and a stout cup of coffee served from the sideboard at Prosper Hardware. Discover this emotional, inspiring women's fiction series filled with uplifting moments and second chances! Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

Fourteen-year-old Kati Newman likes her family just the way it is: happy. But just as her summer is about to begin in Cove Lake, Alabama, Katis attorney father decides to take in a teenager who finds himself alone after his dad is imprisoned. After working so hard to get her family back on track the previous summer, Kati is certain her life is now ruined. Vincent St. John, a brooding, pierced Goth, is barely used to the idea of his new living situation when Katis godparents invite the family and Katis secret boyfriend, Alex, along on an expedition to coastal Alabama to help them research why dolphins and whales are mysteriously dying. While Kati struggles to accept Vincent, Alex reveals a telepathic gift that may help solve the puzzle of the dying mammals. As their journey leads them to the Caribbean, a hurricane brews and an evil man lurks in the shadows. But as the storm wreaks havoc and traps the teenagers on a remote island, Vincent divulges a dark secret with the power to transform his destiny. In this young adult mystery, a teenage girl who thinks her summer is going to be a disaster is led on an unforgettable adventure where she discovers love, friendship, and the importance of unconditional acceptance.

The right road will always lead you home. But how do you know which path to choose?As late summer fades into fall, Melinda's efforts at her rented farmhouse are starting to bear fruit. She's learned to preserve produce, outsmart some stubborn chickens and wrangle a flock of spoiled sheep. She revels in the peace she's found in the country, where time is marked by morning-fresh eggs and stunning sunsets.But even in the small town of Prosper, nothing stays the same. One member of the hardware store's coffee group shares a startling announcement, and a trip back to the city makes Melinda realize how deep her roots run in rural Iowa.When autumn's changing winds bring new opportunities, will she seek the security of her old life or take a chance on an uncertain future? Escape to the heartland with this refreshing rural series! Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

In the little town of Prosper, the holidays are merry and bright!As a reflective hush falls over the harvested fields surrounding her farm, Melinda packs away her memories of city life and turns her thoughts toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. She's not only home for the holidays, but truly home at last.She has a list of projects that will make the season perfect, and she's checked it more than twice: Insulate her acreage and animals against the coming winter, fill her farmhouse with festive decorations, and plan the perfect menu for her family's Christmas dinner. And her calendar is full off the farm, too. Melinda can't wait to use her marketing smarts to upgrade Prosper's charming holiday festival, and bake holiday cookies with her neighbors.But when a mysterious visitor arrives, she is reminded there is more to the holidays than elaborate celebrations and expensive decorations. As Christmas draws near, can she set her lofty expectations aside and focus on the true spirit of the season? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

A new year brings new challenges … and the chance to make a dream come true.Melinda expects to spend January lounging by her farmhouse's fireplace, paging through the seed catalogs' promises of spring. After all, the slower pace of rural life was one of the reasons she'd left the city behind. Instead, she must face her fears when the worst of winter's threats arrive at her door.Braving blizzards to care for her animals, thawing her acreage's water lines, and anxiously watching over the pregnant sheep in her barn fill her shorter days and longer nights. She trudges on because Horace's offer stands firm: He'll sell her the farm in the spring if she still wants to stay.But as winter tightens its grip on the heartland, Melinda's biggest challenges are still to come. When a series of events threatens to break her heart and shatter her hopes, can she find the courage to see the season through? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

When you get everything you wanted, where do you go from there?The first blush of spring finds Melinda filled with great expectations and high-flying goals. She's officially taking the reins of her charming farm, the lambs and rescue kittens are thriving, and new life is popping up in unexpected places.But as the songbirds return and the garden's soil is turned, not everything's coming up roses: A no-nonsense housing inspector claims Melinda's sweet deal with Horace could come at a high cost, and a plan to help the cats in her rural community draws skepticism from some of the locals.When Uncle Frank makes a shocking discovery in the town's archives, the fallout threatens to dim Prosper Hardware's bright future. As friendships are tested and family ties begin to fray, can Melinda restore the harmony in her life? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

A new romance, a stash of old love letters … a season she won't soon forget. Moving to the country has given Melinda a new set of skills, but does she have what it takes to fix matters of the heart? It's hard enough to let the past go, and let a new love in. But when a mysterious box is pulled from her farmhouse's crawlspace, she's torn between protecting the former owner's privacy and tracking down the woman he once loved.Prosper's Main Street may appear deserted on these sleepy summer afternoons, but there's plenty happening behind the scenes. One resident is ruffling feathers with her grand plans for the tiny town, and a new Fourth of July contest sparks a competitive spirit that's as American as apple pie.But as the temperature climbs, the shadow of hard times falls over the rural community. Can Melinda make the tough choices that will keep her dreams from turning to dust? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

Autumn's reds and golds make tiny Prosper picture-perfect, but under the surface lies a startling truth: Not everything is what it seems.Melinda throws herself into plans for the rural community's first-ever fall festival, and embraces the seasonal chores cropping up around her small farm. But her sun-dappled days are disrupted when Prosper is suddenly thrust into the spotlight.An unexpected windfall gives new life to a long-held hope, then a mysterious discovery puts everyone on edge. And as the mayor's race heats up, Melinda discovers small-town politics can be more frightening than anything that goes bump in the night.As the leaves change color and drift away, Melinda's personal life is also evolving. Her new relationship appears to be on solid ground, but will clashing perspectives and shifting priorities cloud its future? Don't miss the next installment in this heartwarming series! Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

All is calm in Melinda's hometown … until outsiders start to shake things up.The quiet days of early winter make Prosper look like a scene from a snow globe. Holiday lights glow in every window, plans are made for the Christmas festival, and greetings of good cheer fill the aisles at Prosper Hardware.Everything changes when a national magazine sets its sights on the town's newest business, stirring disagreement about the best way to put little Prosper on the map. And when federal officials threaten to close the post office, Prosper's future suddenly doesn't seem so bright.Melinda is in the midst of it all, trying to navigate a new crush and mediate long-standing family drama. Can she find her way through the uncertainty and greet the new year with an open heart? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.

Spring brings a series of fresh starts … and a glimpse of a future more complex than Melinda expected.No one is exempt from the winds of change, and that includes the residents of little Prosper. Between debate about the fate of a vacant property and the rush to open the community center, new ideas are taking root all around town.But it's a season of secrets, too. Someone seeks a chance to start over, while others are too proud to ask for a helping hand. And as Melinda searches for answers to a decades-old rumor, she discovers the past is never far away from the present.When Uncle Frank and Aunt Miriam take a much-needed vacation, Melinda suddenly finds herself at the helm of her family's business. As the weather warms and more challenges emerge, can she find a way to stay afloat? Melanie Lageschulte writes heartwarming rural fiction, including the "Mailbox Mysteries" and "Growing Season" series. After growing up on an acreage in Iowa with a menagerie of four-footed friends, she had spent much of her professional life telling the stories of the state and its residents. She enjoys baking, sewing, and supporting local animal shelters.