by Leslie Jones
First published 2019
The brutal Maine winter has worn down four young artists who can no longer stand the cold that seeps into their bones and their bank accounts. They pack their brushes, canvases, and dreams into a battered van and head for New Orleans, where the warm air and vibrant culture promise a fresh start. The city welcomes them with jazz spilling from doorways and sunlight that lasts past dinnertime. But their romantic vision crumbles fast. The rent costs more than expected, gallery owners dismiss their work, and the locals view them as naive transplants. What began as an escape from their old lives transforms into something far worse. The four friends find themselves trapped in a situation that makes those Maine winters look like paradise. Now they must find a way out of the mess they created, but New Orleans holds them tight in its grip.
Genres: fiction, romance, literary-fiction, contemporary
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Maine, New Orleans
Period: 21st-century
136 pages · Paperback · Independently published