Love Mercy — Earlene Fowler

A year after her husband's death, Love Mercy Johnson still listens for his comforting laugh. But Love's life is satisfying enough in Morro Bay, California -- and with her friends' help, she's trying to move on.

Long estranged from her grandchildren, Love has given up hope of ever seeing them again. Then her eighteen-year-old granddaughter, Rett, shows up. An aspiring songwriter, Rett has hitchhiked across the country with a prickly attitude, a broken heart, and a stolen banjo. Now grandmother and granddaughter must coexist while confronting old resentments and hurts. But when disaster strikes, they must discover if they can change their lives -- and the lives of those they love -- for the better.