News, Press & Reviews

Barbour to Launch The Widows’ Club
Joyce Livingston Highlights the Ups and Downs in the Lives of Widows in a
Humorous Tale of Friendship and Romance

Uhrichsville, OH—In 1999, the United States Census Bureau reported that nearly 700,000 women lose their husbands each year and will be widows for an average of 14 years. In the same year, the American Association of Retired Persons reported that there were over four times as many widows (8.4 million) as widowers (1.9 million), and in 2000, the United States Census found that 32 percent of women aged 55 and older are widows.*

Best-selling author Joyce Livingston, who lost her husband in October 2004, shares the story of a group of widows learning to navigate the ups and downs of life without their husbands in The Widows’ Club (Barbour Publishing, May 2006), a novel that will appeal to fans of authors like Robin Jones Gunn and Neta Jackson.

Since the unexpected death of her high school sweetheart, Carter, Valentine Denay has lived a fairly predictable but comfortable life. Because of the success of Carter’s construction business, she has no financial pressures and enjoys a beautifully decorated home and other possessions. But, on the inside, she still aches for Carter. Val finds much of her support from her neighbors on Morning Glory Circle—Sally Norton and Reva Billingham, young widows struggling to raise their children without fathers, who meet for coffee and encouragement each morning at Val’s home.

But Val’s life is shaken up one morning when Barbie Baxter, her main competition from high school who had once made a play for Carter, shows up—as her newest neighbor. Three-times divorced with a halo of bleached-blonde hair, expensive clothes, and seemingly unlimited finances, Barbie, always the master manipulator, worms her way into Val’s life, even though Val isn’t so sure she wants anything to do with the woman.

When Val is asked to oversee and coordinate the church’s fund-raising bazaar, she becomes friends with Robert Chase, a handsome, widowed man in her church. As the two spend more time together, their feelings for one another grow, but Val isn’t sure she’s ready to fall in love. To complicate things further, Barbie has her sights set on Robert—and she’s willing to go to any length to make him fall in love with her.

As Val plans the bazaar, she also reaches out to Bitsy Foster, a young, pregnant woman in the congregation whose husband is serving in Iraq. When Bitsy goes into labor and her Lamaze coach has the flu, it’s Val who takes over, even though she and Carter could never have children of their own.

As Val’s life continues its roller-coaster ride, she must acknowledge her real feelings for Robert, obey God’s leading in reaching out to Barbie, and find the strength to move forward without Carter.

About the Author
Best-selling and recently widowed author Joyce Livingston is the mother of six grown children. Her books encourage readers to face life head-on, finding answers by seeking God’s will and trusting in Him. Residing in Wichita, Kansas, she is a proud grandmother who has authored 15 Heartsong Presents romance books as well as other books and novellas.

Coming May 2006. . .The Widows’ Club by Joyce Livingston, Barbour Publishing, 5 3/16" x 8"Softcover, 320 pages, $9.97, ISBN 1-59789-069-3

Related Authors

• Joyce Livingston

Related Books

• Widows' Club, The (Trade Paper)