MOLLY KRAUSE
Author, Teacher, Speaker
Molly Krause's writing has appeared in Brain, Child, Ragazine, Front Page Review and elsewhere. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas where she teaches, tries to keep up with her teenage daughters, attends adult ballet classes, and floats on her standup paddle board.
Growing up in Topeka, Kansas in the 1970s, Molly Krause and her family experienced challenges different from the traditional stereotypes of America's Heartland. Krause shares her complex early life with two sisters - one biological, the other an adopted African American baby. A mother left to raise three young girls when the father revealed he was gay. Struggles in the family with mental illness and substance abuse. A dance talent that was nurtured. A family separated by divorce and distance but brought together by a deadly disease. And through it all, humor, dedication to each other, and a deep love, free from judgment.
It’s been a year since the unexpected death of Joyce Becker’s beloved husband Andy, and she outwardly appears to have moved on. With the help of her sister Maggie, Joyce continues to run the restaurant she and Andy opened decades earlier. But keeping the secret of the details of his death is taking a toll on her relationship with her sister and especially with her daughter Cassie. When Cassie announces her engagement to her boyfriend Jacob, a series of unforeseen events unfold. The unlikely intersections of the two families threaten Cassie’s engagement plans, her future in-laws’ marriage, and Joyce’s ability to deal with her grief. But the bonds of family prevail as they grapple with secrets, forgiveness, and what it means for a person to move on with their life.