Ann Ormsby
Author of Women’s Contemporary Fiction
Living in the Rain
If your soulmate gives you an ultimatum,
is he really the one for you?
When Cassie Pennebaker was just fourteen years old, her mother suddenly abandoned her, leaving Cassie with her unpredictable, mentally unstable grandmother, Sally. From that moment on, Cassie had to pick up the pieces and be the responsible adult. Six years later, she’s faced with an impossible decision: leave town with her boyfriend, Joe Darby, to pursue a college degree, a career as a foreign correspondent, and a whole new life—or stay and care for Sally, who cannot care for herself.
Somehow always caught in the middle, Cassie is being pulled apart by everyone else’s needs. And it doesn’t help when her coworker, Sierra, shows her how carefree life could be—if only the weight of Sally’s past wasn’t crushing Cassie’s slim shoulders.
In this honest, heart-wrenching tale of unconditional love and familial devotion, Cassie must choose between an exciting future with Joe and doing what is right by Sally. Cassie must answer the question we’ve all asked ourselves at some time in our life: How much is she expected to sacrifice for someone she loves?
Ormsby peels back the layers of a family’s complicated past in this poignant, realistic, and sincere novel. Living in the Rain, will touch your heart with moments of warmth and sadness with a cast of flawed but lovable characters not to be forgotten.
“Ormsby has brought to life one of the most painful struggles so many people deal with: the question of whose happiness should be valued most. She has a true feel for combining page-turning fiction with real-life problems, and when the book ends, it’s hard to stop thinking about the characters. A perfect book club book.”
—Christie Stratos, author of Anatomy of a Darkened Heart
Coming June 1, 2021
“Ormsby has brought to life one of the most painful struggles so many people deal with: the question of whose happiness should be valued most. She has a true feel for combining page-turning fiction with real-life problems, and when the book ends, it’s hard to stop thinking about the characters. A perfect book club book.”
—Christie Stratos, author of Anatomy of a Darkened Heart
If your soulmate gives you an ultimatum, is he really the one for you?
When Cassie Pennebaker was just fourteen years old, her mother suddenly abandoned her, leaving Cassie with her unpredictable, mentally unstable grandmother, Sally. From that moment on, Cassie had to pick up the pieces and be the responsible adult. Six years later, she’s faced with an impossible decision: leave town with her boyfriend, Joe Darby, to pursue a college degree, a career as a foreign correspondent, and a whole new life—or stay and care for Sally, who cannot care for herself.
Somehow always caught in the middle, Cassie is being pulled apart by everyone else’s needs. And it doesn’t help when her coworker, Sierra, shows her how carefree life could be—if only the weight of Sally’s past wasn’t crushing Cassie’s slim shoulders.
In this honest, heart-wrenching tale of unconditional love and familial devotion, Cassie must choose between an exciting future with Joe and doing what is right by Sally. Cassie must answer the question we’ve all asked ourselves at some time in our life: How much is she expected to sacrifice for someone she loves?
Ormsby peels back the layers of a family’s complicated past in this poignant, realistic, and sincere novel. Living in the Rain, will touch your heart with moments of warmth and sadness with a cast of flawed but lovable characters not to be forgotten.
The Recovery Room
There’s a storm brewing in the quiet town of Litchfield. A whirlwind of media attention, political debate, and anger is about to sweep through and hold the fate of three women captive.
In the eye of the storm are sixteen-year-old Clara Mahoney, a lonesome girl living in a family strained by autism; Pia Fernandez, a battered wife who wants only to escape her abusive husband; and, Loren Elliot, a forty-three-year-old who can barely make ends meet with two kids in college and a husband who just lost his job.
Though these women are very different, they have a great deal in common. They are each unexpectedly pregnant, scared, and in positions where they cannot devote themselves to a child. And, they all have appointments at the same abortion clinic in Litchfield.
But getting there won’t be easy. Anti-choice forces-headed by a vain socialite and a self-indulgent priest-are mounting a demonstration against the clinic. Can these desperate women brave the chaos? Or will they let the public debate dictate their private decisions?
An easy read that raises hard questions and then answers them in a compelling way, The Recovery Room is a book every woman should read.
“Ormsby has a wonderful eye for character and detail, as she fleshes out a keenly observed portrayal of small-town life.”
—Kirkus Review
The Recovery Room
There’s a storm brewing in the quiet town of Litchfield. A whirlwind of media attention, political debate, and anger is about to sweep through and hold the fate of three women captive.
In the eye of the storm are sixteen-year-old Clara Mahoney, a lonesome girl living in a family strained by autism; Pia Fernandez, a battered wife who wants only to escape her abusive husband; and, Loren Elliot, a forty-three-year-old who can barely make ends meet with two kids in college and a husband who just lost his job.
Though these women are very different, they have a great deal in common. They are each unexpectedly pregnant, scared, and in positions where they cannot devote themselves to a child. And, they all have appointments at the same abortion clinic in Litchfield.
But getting there won’t be easy. Anti-choice forces-headed by a vain socialite and a self-indulgent priest-are mounting a demonstration against the clinic. Can these desperate women brave the chaos? Or will they let the public debate dictate their private decisions?
An easy read that raises hard questions and then answers them in a compelling way, The Recovery Room is a book every woman should read.
“Ormsby has a wonderful eye for character and detail, as she fleshes out a keenly observed portrayal of small-town life.”
—Kirkus Review
Reader Reviews for The Recovery Room
“This is both a page-turner and an important dramatization about the complications of personal choice.”
“The author is skilled at showing the complexities of people’s lives…”
“The Recovery Room moved me to think deeply about my own beliefs and reminded me that everything is not always black and white.”
“All of the characters just come to life and pull you into their stories.”
“Ann Ormsby delivered a thought-provoking and entertaining novel about the ongoing societal trauma over the rights of women to control their own bodies.”
Ann Ormsby
Reader Reviews for The Recovery Room
“This is both a page-turner and an important dramatization about the complications of personal choice.”
“The author is skilled at showing the complexities of people’s lives…”
“The Recovery Room moved me to think deeply about my own beliefs and reminded me that everything is not always black and white.”
“All of the characters just come to life and pull you into their stories.”
“Ann Ormsby delivered a thought-provoking and entertaining novel about the ongoing societal trauma over the rights of women to control their own bodies.”
