BETWEEN TWO SEASONS
by Marc Macdonald
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GENRE: Literary Fiction
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BLURB:
Haunted by regret and stalled by guilt, Alex Chambers arrives at Silver Springs Health and Rehabilitation Centre searching for redemption. What he finds instead is Mae Seasons—a sharp-tongued, fiercely independent resident with no interest in being anyone’s project.
Alex came hoping to make amends for the mistakes of his youth, especially to the woman he once hurt. But when that hope slips away, he’s drawn into an unexpected role: caregiver and reluctant confidant to Mae, whose irreverence hides a lifetime of buried truths.
As days at Silver Springs unfold in their strange, often absurd rhythm, Alex is forced to confront the tangled grief of his past. Through awkward silences, reluctant confessions, and moments of startling vulnerability, he and Mae forge an unlikely friendship—one stitched together by shared loneliness, reluctant compassion, and the possibility of healing.
At once poignant and quietly humorous, Between Two Seasons is a story about the lives we try to outrun, the people who challenge us to face ourselves, and the surprising ways connection takes root.
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EXCERPT
I spent the rest of the night in my room. I zoned out. I read a book—well, part of one anyway. I watched TV—if you classify mindlessly channel surfing as watching.
Mostly, I stared out the window, gazing upon the trees and seeing an ominous curtain before me. My emotions were tempestuous and indistinguishable. I was looking forward to having the night to process whatever this cornucopia of anxiety, unease, guilt, and excitement was all about.
It had been sixteen years. Sixteen years.
I know life is as full of regrets as it is anything else, and sometimes the regrets stand a little taller, push back a little stronger, and thrust their way into memories, overtaking what once was good and turning it into a heaping pile of shame.
Just as my dinnertime zone out had been interrupted, so too was my Zen moment of deeply inhaling the fresh forest air and summoning the memories of someone I used to love. Still loved. Will forever love.
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Exploring Between Two Seasons: The Setting and Era
Every story lives in a place and a time, and for me, Between Two Seasons could only happen in the fall of a small Canadian town. The novel unfolds during that window when summer’s warmth hasn’t completely faded, but the sharpness of autumn is settling in. It’s a season of transition—colours changing, routines shifting, daylight slipping away—and that atmosphere became the perfect backdrop for a story about memory, forgiveness, and moving forward.
The era is contemporary, but it’s also deliberately ordinary. There are no grand historical events shaping the plot, no futuristic tech changing how people live. Instead, it’s rooted in the everyday: neighbourhood diners, familiar streets, and the rituals of a community where everybody knows each other’s business. That sense of small-town closeness—with all its comforts and frustrations—creates the stage where the characters confront their pasts and the choices that still haunt them.
What makes this setting important isn’t just its geography or season, but its mood. Between Two Seasons is a reminder that change is constant, and that endings often carry the seeds of new beginnings. That felt true for the characters and for me as I wrote.
In the end, Between Two Seasons isn’t just set in a small town in the fall—it’s about what it means to live inside those in-between spaces. The era, the season, the setting all echo the book’s bigger themes: the push and pull between holding on and letting go, between what was and what might still be.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Marc MacDonald is an author who believes every great story starts with a spark—whether it’s a single sentence, an unforgettable character, or an idea that won’t let go. As the writer behind Between Two Seasons, a novel that celebrates the beauty of human connection, Marc weaves heartfelt narratives that linger long after the last page is turned.
When he’s not crafting compelling fiction, Marc applies his storytelling skills as a seasoned communications professional, proving that every message—whether in a book or a press release—deserves to be engaging. He’s also a fierce defender of the Oxford comma, an unapologetic pun enthusiast, and someone who firmly believes that coffee is the most essential writing tool.
Find him deep in his next manuscript, chasing inspiration, or justifying “research” as an excuse to buy more books. Catch up with Marc on his personal website: https://marcmacdonald.ca/ or @MarcMacWrites on Instagram.
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GIVEAWAY
Marc Macdonald will be awarding a $20 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner.
Thank you for featuring BETWEEN TWO SEASONS.
ReplyDeleteIm looking forward to reading this book. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteHow did you decide on these specific two seasons to frame your story?
ReplyDeleteThe blurb and excerpt sound really interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an interesting book.
ReplyDelete