Life Changing Joan Freed Mystery Adventure

How many bodies does it take to jump-start the recovery of Elaine, The Hoarder?" It depends," says Joan Freed, the rebel life coach, "on the variables, like which corpse, if any, is the cause of the hoarding. "This spiraling, hoarding, self-help mystery starts at Oak Flats Campground, east of Phoenix, Arizona. It quickly moves to Wellton, east of Yuma, where Joan is greeted by Elaine, a gray haired dumpling of a woman, and several stacks of 'stuff' spread over at least 20 acres, from antique road graders to mazes of tarped, block mountains. Heaps of cardboard boxes line narrow walkways to and through the house to the one room Elaine has garnered for living, the kitchen. There she bakes her scones, compiles her puzzles, crosswords and word searches, and defends her need to continue being a collector. Joan's first memory upon trailing Elaine through the outer maze into the homestead is being slammed in the face by a stench she's never before encountered. The second olfactory memory is of fresh baked scones slathered in melting butter and homemade jam. How can anything this yummy be anything but doable was her second thought. Besides a client with a really bad sinus infection and more very puzzling people, what could possibly go wrong while Joan and Elaine ferret out what is causing the hoarding and whatever else propels this labyrinthine, stinky story to a tickled pink ending? Can the source of Elaine's grief be identified and turned into good grief before it all comes tumbling down?

Mix Joan Freed — the rebel life coach, Jenny — her identity shifting friend. Add a flaky writer who is a cracker-jack geologist wanna be, who is — or is not — an unmarried widow, who is — or is not — a client. Attempt to toss them into an active volcano in the Ring of Fire — Mt. St. Helens, specifically, and what do you get? You get a life changing mysterious adventure about volcanoes, obsidian, garnets, and people. The journey begins in Arizona, but travels through Nevada, Idaho, Oregon, Utah, and Washington before this Mt. St. Helens Affair winds up near the north rim of the Grand Canyon. With more than 70 excellent — and not so excellent — real, not retouched, images, learning links, and life's ups and downs, The Mt. St. Helens Affair will educate you, stir your emotions, and give you a most excellent self-help break from your own life. Enjoy the ride with Joan and Jenny.