The Pattern Shop is for anyone who’s ever felt lost—in their chosen career, a relationship with love but no substance, or a family that tries to clip their wings.
What readers are saying:
Readers of Eat, Pray, Love would love this book. Reads like a memoir but with the heartbreak that you would watch in movies.
— Sha (Goodreads Review)
“(A) master lesson in scenery...beautifully written, poetic, and full of feeling.”
— Chanel (Seattle, WA)
“I felt your love, your pain, your confusion and your journey. The book grabbed me and held me til the very end.”
— Mary (Overland Park, KS)
About the Book
Eleanorah never belonged in the bleak Midwestern town her family believes is the only safe place to be while they wait for the end times. With her fiery red hair and tendency to ask too many questions, she thought nursing school would be the escape she longed for. But when her childhood home burns down and her parents announce their divorce just before graduation, both her past and carefully calculated future go up in flames.
Exhausted by her failure to save her family or her patients, Eleanorah packs a mustard-colored backpack and buys a one-way ticket, searching for a new definition of home. With the butterfly necklace her grandfather gave her pressed tightly against her chest, Eleanorah wrestles with the limits of her love and the weight of her choices. From Ecuador to France to the one place she swore she'd never return, Eleanorah must confront the lost parts of herself—and discover what she's running toward, or risk repeating the same patterns she's desperate to change.
The coming-of-age story Millennials need.
Wistful, nostalgic, immersive, it will break you open and put you back together again with stitches of hope and verve.
Available Now
The Pattern Shop Playlist
Click below to hear each chapter’s themed playlist!
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La soledad
Including music from: Bright Eyes, Julieta Venegas, Regina Spektor, Wilco, Joe Purdy and more. Listen here.
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A continent of light
Including music from: Stars, Mumford and Sons, Sigur Rós, The Avett Brothers, and more. Listen here.
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Vole (love)
Including music from: Caroline Smith and The Good Night Sleeps, Sleeping At Last, Wild Child, and more. Listen here.
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Hope is not yet finished
Including music from: Baaba Maal, Jose Vanders, Wizkid, The Civil Wars, The Paper Kites, and more. Listen here.
The Pattern Shop is a novel about the hopes and fears we inherit and the courage it takes to choose home, again and again.
Help spread the word!
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Download a free book club guide for The Pattern Shop here. There’s one specifically for nurses and one for literary fiction fans (with special discount codes)!
There are also discussion questions printed in the back of the book.
Reach out if you’d like me to make an in-person (near to Chattanooga) or virtual appearance for a brief Q&A!
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If you loved The Pattern Shop, help others find it on Goodreads or StoryGraph by leaving a 5-star review!
Not on Goodreads? No problem! Share a review on the platform of your choice to help others discover The Pattern Shop.
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Most local bookstores love supporting indie authors. Mention you’d love to see the title stocked (or buy it through them!) and they’ll be able to order it via IngramSpark.
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Libraries are a great community resource and will often purchase a book for their catalogue upon request.
Look for a “Suggest a Purchase” Form
Most libraries have a form on their website under sections like “Contact Us,” “Suggest a Title,” or “Purchase Requests.” If you can’t find it, call or visit your library and ask how to request a book.
If you need more help, this website takes you through the step-by-step process!
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The Pattern Shop would make a great gift for anyone who’s navigating a career change, redefining home, or learning how to love messy humans (or themselves).
Send a copy to a friend to help them remember they’re not alone.
You might also like…
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100 Years of Solitude—Gabriel García Márquez
The History of Love—Nicole Krauss
Oranges Are Not The Only Fruit—Jeanette Winterson
The Poisonwood Bible—Barbara Kingsolver
The Ten Thousand Doors of January—Alix E. Harrow
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“Before” trilogy
Ladybird
The Outrun
Lost in Translation
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Angie McMahon
Florence + The Machine
Gregory Alan Isakov
Leif Vollebekk
Ray Lamontagne