Barbara McDonald

Floyd’s comfortable life in a small Appalachian town begins to unravel when the plant that employed him closes and a mixed race couple from Chicago takes over ownership and management of the town’s only inn. But what upends Floyd’s world even more is the arrival of Luca, a Black female friend of the Inn’s owners, who comes to visit. Floyd’s instant attraction to Luca results in his rethinking his world view, and leads to Luca confronting a buried trauma.

Lauren’s attempt to extract herself from an unhealthy romantic relationship follows a twisted path, as she struggles with past and present demons, and suffers more than one betrayal.

Two couples, bound by friendship and blood, get together for dinner one Saturday night. Unbeknownst to one couple, a hidden agenda is at work, as is a disagreement about whether the agenda should be pursued on this particular night. Ultimately, what promised to be a pleasant social evening turns sour, as an intense argument breaks out and things are said that cannot be taken back.

Faced with the daunting decision of whether to withdraw life support for her comatose husband, Gayle struggles with her adult children’s differing viewpoints as well as her own demons, past and present. Gayle’s husband was injured in a one-car accident late at night after he and Gayle had an argument. The subject of the fight is a source of shame for Gayle, making it difficult for her to share with anyone the full extent of her grief. Gayle can’t imagine life on her own, but even more agonizing is the possibility she may never have a chance to reconcile with her husband. Gayle’s physician daughter sees the futility of continued treatment and urges ending it, but Gayle’s religious son raises moral concerns that resonate with her. Enter Athena, an eccentric elderly woman, whom Gayle meets in the ICU waiting room. As Athena guides Gayle to a decision she can live with, they both learn something about themselves.

Eric, a passionately idealistic teen-age boy, who is ashamed of his family's wealth, rebels against his father's desire that he go to Harvard. While engaged in this power struggle with his father, he navigates his first love affair, and learns that judging others too harshly can have negative consequences that cannot be undone.

The Whelan Sisters Trio explores how familial resentments can fester unspoken for many years until someone takes the risk of breaking the silence. Bridget seeks to reconnect with her estranged sisters, Charlotte and Anna, after their mother dies. The death impacts Bridget the most, not only because she was closest to their mother and never married, but, unknown to her sisters, a recent development in her life has her feeling particularly vulnerable. Bridget enlists Charlotte's help to discover why Anna and their mother barely spoke during the past five years, hoping this will bring them closer, but long-held resentments hamper Bridget's efforts and threaten to permanently destroy what remains of the sisters' relationship.

Judge Kate McClellan is extorted by a stranger with evidence of her estranged daughter's involvement in a serious crime. The man threatens to go the police unless the judge ensures his daughter wins her medical malpractice case pending before the judge. Forced to choose between her dedication to the law, and the love and obligation she feels for her daughter, the judge faces unpleasant truths about herself.

Sometimes we find courage in the most unexpected places. Refuse is the story of Essie, a middle-aged upper middle class woman, who is returning to teaching after a long absence, and Farley, a man in his late 20’s, who was bounced around in the foster care system and now works as a janitor at Essie’s school. Forming an unlikely friendship, Essie and Farley join forces in their efforts to help a struggling student, obtain a GED for Farley and stop Essie’s principal from pressuring Essie and the other teachers to cheat on the standardized tests. In the process, both Essie and Farley face their fears and begin to heal longstanding emotional wounds.

Does a stigma still attach to a woman of a certain age who has never married? Through its portrayal of three never-married forty-something women, "No One Saves Us But Ourselves" explores how our society views such women, how they view themselves and how these perspectives intertwine and impact their lives.

Technology is interfering with social relationships in annoying ways.

Andrea, the anchor of a cable news program, is shocked to learn the news executives have decided to change her show's format to a roundtable of people randomly selected off the street each day to discuss current events. Even more shocking is her immediate boss Stephanie's willingness to adopt the new format. Andrea tries to convince Stephanie of the folly of this idea, but Stephanie's enthusiasm only grows.