Scuffer Lake

*** Global Book Awards Cozy Mystery Silver Medal Winner 2024 ***

When Gunnar and Tess took ownership of the farm, they had no idea what they were getting into. Gunnar, his job, was the reason they were returning to the heartland, flyover country. A senior-level engineer at Trigger Technologies, he was offered a transfer when T-Tech relocated their corporate headquarters from the east coast to small-town Tennessee. His bride Tess, she was excited to return to their roots. She could work anywhere that had a reliable internet connection, performing stateside marketing services for an overseas enterprise. Their time on the east coast had been interesting. They both had received a quality education and sound start to their careers, but this was more like home. And they again had a hayloft. Right in their backyard.
They discovered a group of homeless children were at risk and were determined to do something about it. They could not in good conscience turn a blind eye, though many before them had. Hawk, the afternoon janitor at Trigger Technologies, was the catalyst. It wasn’t intentional or nefarious on his part, it just happened. That was how it started. They could not have anticipated how it would develop, how it would end.
And they both would do it all over again.

Author's Note: In navigating a full life, I have known many like Gunnar and Tess, the hardy souls for whom our Republic was founded. They are the source of the term “Heartland.” They don’t always win but thank goodness they never stop trying.
John Sutter Wood