Happy book birthday to When You Least Expect It, by Lorna Schultz Nicholson, out today from Red Deer Press!
“A sympathetic portrayal of a young rower navigating the choppy waters of evolving relationships and athletic aspirations, her yearning for love and understanding, and the dogged pursuit of desires that always seem just out of reach.”
— Hadley Dyer, author of Here So Far Away
“It is all about perseverance, sacrifice, and a great journey of self-realization as a young athlete pursues her dreams”
— Al Morrow, Former Olympic Team Rowing Coach
Seventeen-year-old Holly Callahan desperately wants to make the national rowing team so she can compete overseas, but she is the last rower cut. Her summer dreams are shattered, and she finds herself back at home, living with her mother’s annoying new boyfriend, Super Stew.
Holly’s not a quitter. She lands a summer job, and then is handed an unexpected lifeline in the person of a man who offers to coach her in a single rowing boat. For a girl raised without a father, the coach’s generosity — and rigorous demands — are a gift. But where did he come from and who is he, really? Discovering the answer plunges her into sadness — but then he inspires her to work beyond her comfort zone. This compelling account of a teen athlete’s life-changing summer will keep readers riveted.
Lorna Schultz Nicholson is the author of numerous picture books, middle grade novels, YA novels, and non-fiction books for young readers. Her books have been nominated for the Ontario Library Association Forest of Reading Red Maple award, the Manitoba Young Readers Choice Award, Alberta Literary Guild award, Willow awards, and the Red Cedar award. A frequent presenter in schools, Lorna also speaks at writing workshops and conferences. She lives in Edmonton and is represented by Amy Tompkins.