Coming in March 2026!
A new novel The Lawnmower Lady
The lawnmower lady is Fay Kirkwood, grumpy offshoot of an old New England family who left behind social connections to live on a north country farm, raising pigs and fixing lawnmowers. Having dropped dead at age 78, she is horrified to discover that she is still here, watching helplessly as her niece carries out a wish she had meant as a joke, to have her body taken into the woods to feed wildlife.
This unorthodox “green burial” launches a chain reaction of consequences far beyond anything Fay intended or imagined, but she is powerless to intervene. All she can do is vent frustration in acid-tongued commentary and urgings that go unheard.
The story that unfolds is a comedy of small-town life, New England culture, death, religion, politics, and secrets of all kinds coming to light.
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Marjorie Nelson Matthews, author of The Red Wheelbarrow, writes:
“The Lawnmower Lady is the rare page-turning novel full of suspense, intrigue, and romantic desire that also succeeds as a literary work of art—masterfully crafted and resonant with insight… I fell in love with her characters who delight, frustrate, and surprise, and wanted to linger a long while in their quite beautiful, mucky world. What an authentic, life-affirming, and hope-restoring gift!”
Marguerite Graham, retired educator, writes:
“Chilling, hilarious, irreverent, and fun, Forbes’ bighearted novel defies classification. Love story, thriller, satire, and mystery combine to make this piece of rural New England life a universal and fun exploration of death and life everlasting.”