Many bestselling books seem to be material from network news: murder, riots, terrorism, corruption, jets plunging to earth.

Occasionally, though, networks feature uplifting items: amputees running marathons, a child overcoming cancer, Secret Santas paying layaway bills. Such is the case for Marie Bostwick, bestselling author of the Cobbled Court Quilts series and other inspirational fiction. Her novels inspire readers by showing how characters overcome adversity.

Following APART AT THE SEAMS, Bostwick introduces Lucy Toomey, the go-to gal for the 2016 underdog presidential candidate. Lucy “had been the second sister, forever falling behind.” She’s now the classic overachiever, 17 months younger than Alice, their father’s favorite. Alice had saved fifth-grader Lucy when thin ice broke through, but where was Lucy when “A near-drowning accident at the age of 18 had permanently altered my sister’s intellect, abilities, and personality”?

"Marie Bostwick is an elevator author whose elating prose lifts readers’ spirits to skyscraper heights. Regardless of gender or interest in quilting, any Bostwick book is Hallmark card-like inspiration that helps anyone ease through a difficult situation."

Alice now frequently makes maudlin late-night calls, begging Lucy to come to tiny Nilson’s Bay, Wisconsin. Perhaps from guilt, each month Lucy deposits funds to Alice’s account and takes her on exotic vacations, but the only thing Alice wants is for her younger sister to visit. Lucy, however, has no intention of returning to the hamlet she hates.

It’s the eve of the election, Lucy’s chance to work in the White House, and she puts in 18-hour days. She justifies that there’s no time to visit, until Alice dies from an overdose. It’s the second time the second sister wasn’t there to save Alice. Time for Lucy to take a little guilt trip. She returns to the lakeside cottage Alice had inherited from their parents and learns that Nilson’s Bay has morphed into a resort town. The Toomey home sits on prime waterfront acreage, property that Alice bequeathed to her only sibling --- upon the stipulation that Lucy lives there.

Thickening the mix are Daphne, Rinda and Celia, eclectic “Friends of Alice” who have little in common, besides an interest in quilt-making. Initially the “FOA” reject Lucy, who tries her hand at quilting --- and nearly slices it off with a rotary cutter. But the FOA trio can’t hold a grudge against Alice’s sister, though Rinda is “able to find plenty of other reasons not to like” her.

Marie Bostwick is an elevator author whose elating prose lifts readers’ spirits to skyscraper heights. Regardless of gender or interest in quilting, any Bostwick book is Hallmark card-like inspiration that helps anyone ease through a difficult situation. There’s little wonder why she has earned the coveted title of New York Times bestselling author.