The protagonist is Matthew, a handyman contracted to Pete's Handyman Services, and he has been working for Pete for almost four years. During his free time, he is an aspiring musician, which sees him performing at Brewer's Pub with his band mates, Keith and Dan.
Winter, the season this book is set in, is associated with one of the coldest and dreariest times of the year, but it is also a time of introversion and contemplation, allowing the mind to work on purifying and recharging itself as it waits for a happier and chirpier spring.
It is against this cold wintry backdrop that Matthew, having taken a callout on his colleague's behalf, arrives at Aster Cottage located at the remote outskirts of Gat County. There, he encounters a reclusive client, whom he tries to draw out of her shell with his patience and empathy. Through their brief interactions, he uncovers the mystery behind her isolation and reticence and the truth about Aster Cottage.
" I was reading a press report about a handyman and realized there aren't many stories in the literary world that feature a handyman as a hero/protagonist in a novel. I thought his work - restoring order to clients' houses by fixing their malfunctioning stuff to patching up walls - would be a nice metaphor for him bringing about changes in people's lives through his interactions with them. So I decided to explore his world: his clients and colleagues - this will be further developed in my next book 'Follow The Handyman', dreams, work and life.
In this book, however, I place more emphasis on his interactions with a particular client - a reclusive woman living in the outskirts of the county. She is supposed to be under his colleague's charge, but by a twist of fate, her account lands on his lap, and he ends up doing most of the repairs for her instead.
This book will also focus on a little on his life and aspiration as a singer."
About the Author: Alexis Lawrence has written three books - 'O.U.R. Café', 'Seasons: The Mysterious Woman' and 'Follow The Handyman' due to be published this Christmas 2014.
'O.U.R. Café' follows the life of Juliette, who has sought employment at a café after her dismissal from a firm due to an internal restructuring, and the quirky characters she comes across in her new line of work.
'Seasons: The Mysterious Woman' has just been published this March 2014, and focuses on the life of a handyman named Matthew. By a twist of fate, he comes across a reclusive living in the outskirts of the county and seeks to draw her out of her shell through their brief interactions. At the same time, he's struggling to realize his aspiration as a singer.
'Follow The Handyman' - the prequel to 'Seasons' - follows the protagonist on his callouts to various places in Gat County, and his interactions with his clients.