Starting your life completely over at age 52 is not something Sydney Webster had planned for. But when her husband suddenly dies and she discovers that he has gambled away all of their savings as well as their home, Sydney is faced with the very real fact that no one was going to take care of her but her.

In Terri DuLong's debut novel, SPINNING FORWARD, heartache and healing go hand in hand, with a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Sydney finds shelter and sympathy at her best friend Alison's bed and breakfast in Cedar Key, Florida. After spending some time grieving her losses, it's soon evident to Sydney that she would have to pull herself up by her bootstraps and carry on with life the best she could. An expert knitter and passionate spinner, Sydney pursues her dream of owning a knitting shop in the small community. When she is faced with some competition for retail space with local artist Noah Hale, who wants the space for his art gallery. Over the next few weeks, their friendly bantering soon turns into romantic feelings for each other -- feelings Sydney is afraid to take to the next level so soon.

As she steps out of her comfort zone and establishes her retail and online business, Sydney finds that her new life is suddenly full of activity and new friendships. But the small town also holds the possible answer to a long-kept secret that could once again turn Sydney's world on its head if the truth is exposed.

DuLong has crafted a lively novel in the vein of the genre now known as "hen-lit," stories of mature women facing challenges head-on in their middle-aged years. Developing her main character's personality over the course of the story, DuLong creatively demonstrates the growth and reemergence of Sydney into a confident, well adjusted mother, friend, businesswoman, and family member. Readers with a special interest in knitting and spinning will enjoy the all-too-brief references to Sydney's unusual choice of spinning material and her prowess with a pair of knitting needles.