Title: The Space in Between: Julia’s Story
Author: Madeleine Jaimes
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Book Blurb:
How long will she stay in that space in between?
The day Julia Salinger admits to her girlfriends she has a drinking problem, she vows to do something about it. Spending time in a recovery center helps. So does attending AA meetings and therapy. But the thing that saves her, day after day, is fixing breakfast for strangers.
It’s routine. It gets her out of bed every morning.
While she and her husband, Mark, had dreams of operating their Old Louisville B&B together, her drinking put an end to that dream—and their marriage. And while Mark still shares in the business venture, the running of the inn is Julia’s responsibility.
And all goes well, until it doesn’t.
Despite therapy, Julia still wrestles with the cause of her drinking—her difficulty coping with the loss of their stillborn child, months of bourbon binges covering up her grief. But now that she’s sober, grief surfaces in other ways.
Her father pressures her to return to the family law firm. A friend from AA dies of an overdose. She hears a baby crying in the attic and is certain her Victorian era home is haunted. She craves the sweet oaky taste of bourbon and caves to a night of binge drinking. She doesn’t get up to fix breakfast the next morning.
Mark gives her an ultimatum—get her act together or he’s taking over the B&B.
Julia decides her best therapy is the beach and heads to Tuckaway Bay for solace, healing, and her girlfriends. A secluded cottage at the end of the Sea Glass Inn Resort becomes her sanctuary, where she lets very few people into her life for weeks—except for the older man who fishes in front of her cottage every day.
Excerpt:
“How long do you think you will stay?”
Julia shrugged. “As long as it takes or until you kick me out?”
“Are you serious? I would never do that.”
“Kidding. I think I’ll be here for the month. And I’m paying rent so charge me whatever.”
Lia shook her head. “I will do no such thing.”
“Then half rent? I have to pay you something. Seriously. Or I will feel rushed to leave.”
Lia blew out a breath. “All right. I get it. I’ll check the books and make sure this cottage is yours until you tell me it’s not. Half price is fine.”
“Good.”
“Now, as much as I hate to say this, I need to take care of some things back in the office. You okay for now? Need anything?”
Julia smiled. “Nope. I have everything I need. I’m good.”
“I hope so.” Lia was still concerned, she could tell.
“I am.”
Lia gave her another quick hug, softly kissed her cheek, and left. Julia stepped out onto the porch and watched her weave around the cottages and head back to the hotel. With a sigh, she sat in the wooden rocker on the porch and stared ahead at the roiling ocean.
Must be a storm offshore.
She hoped it wasn’t coming for her.
She’d had forty-some days to go for a full year of sobriety—and she had been determined to get there—but had screwed that up royally.
Failed.
Best laid plans and all.
She supposed starting over wasn’t that bad. Was it?
Who was she kidding? Starting over was hell.
But the beach, as they say, can be therapy.
Work your magic, beach.
****
She woke before sunrise the next morning, brewed a pot of coffee, filled her travel mug, then headed for the surf. A few overhead lamps from the resort provided enough light to make her way toward the water, dodging a few ghost crabs on the sandy path between two very low dunes. With the tide heading out, she stood in the wet sand, and watched the waves break offshore. A stripe of pink-orange light eased up from the far horizon and after a moment, she decided to sit there in the sand, as close to sea level as possible, and wait.
Quietly.
Unmoving.
Waiting. Watching.
She could have spent the time contemplating her life and her circumstance—but she didn’t. She simply sat and absorbed her presence in that moment.
The storm brewing last night had apparently swept out to sea. This morning, the surf was calm.
The orb gradually made its appearance, and she took it all in, the sunrise stinging her eyes so that she looked away and closed them for a minute. She knew better than to stare for long. But the colors remained, a continual altering kaleidoscope of pinks and oranges and reds and grays and purples behind her eyelids.
When she opened them again, the event was nearly over, with faded colors lingering over the horizon as if to say: I’m gone for today but come back tomorrow. I can’t promise you the same view, but I can promise it will be exceptional.
As always.
Standing, she remained for a moment longer, looking out across the waves, then resumed her head-down stroll up the beach, looking for shells and an elusive piece of sea glass. She walked until she saw people heading her way, then reversed course, and started back toward the Gull. Occasionally, she’d stoop to pick at a small shell or fragment buried in the sand, examine it, and either tuck it into her belt bag—she refused to call it a fanny pack—or toss it back to the sea.
“Find anything interesting?”
Stopping, she looked up at a fisherman sitting in his chair, the Gull in the background. He had a couple of poles in the sand and was waiting for something to bite. She literally knew next to nothing about fishing but that’s how it appeared to her.
“Not particularly, unfortunately.”
He nodded. “Best shelling is in the spring, after the storms. The beaches down around Hatteras are good.”
She pondered that, glancing at the sea and back again. “That makes a lot of sense.” She knew there were less crowded beaches down that way.
“Ever been here in the spring?”
She studied him before responding. It was difficult to see his face in the shadows of his sunhat. “Yes. A long time ago. When I was in college.”
“Ah. A college girl.”
For some reason, that made her smile a little. She’d not been called a girl in a long time. He stood and reached for one of his poles, reeling in the line.
“Catch anything?” she asked.
“Just the sunrise.”
Nodding, she glanced back at the horizon. “Spectacular. Wasn’t it?”
“Every day.”
Julia smiled. “Yes.”
Angling away, she took a couple of steps toward the cottage. “Have a good day.”
He ticked his head her way. “And you.”
Buy Links (including Goodreads and BookBub):
Universal: https://books2read.com/the-space-in-between
What’s your favorite activity to shake off the winter doldrums?
I actually love winter. To me, it’s cozy and it speaks to the introvert side of me. I generally hibernate and write all winter long. My preference in the winter months would be to head to someplace warm, with lots of sun—but that doesn’t happen often these days!
So, when I find myself getting a bit twitchy and need to get out of the house, I search of a nice coffee shop to write in, or a bookstore to get lost in. I’m not a people person but sometimes I need the energy of people around me to perk me up!
Why is your featured book a cure for the winter blues?
The Space in Between is the second book in my Tuckaway Bay series. It has it’s beachy moments, and for that reason alone, it could cure the winter blues. I will admit the story has some dark moments, but perhaps the promise of blue skies, turquoise waters, and sand between the toes will balance things out?
Giveaway –
One lucky reader will win a $100 Amazon gift card.
Open internationally.
Runs March 1 – 31, 2025
Drawing will be held on April 1, 2025.
Author Biography
Madeleine Jaimes writes emotional upmarket women’s fiction, exploring the real-life, complicated issues of women and their relationships through story. She sometimes spends her time writing small town and cowboy romance as Maddie James. Learn more at www.maddiejamesbooks.com
Social Media Links
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