She had a bus ticket out of Sweet Branch. Then a handsome projectionist went and ruined her plans.

Loretta Haskell has eleven weeks until she can leave Sweet Branch, Arkansas, behind, and a Greyhound ticket tucked safely in her pocketbook. She's got places to go, things to see, and absolutely no intention of spending the rest of her life in a town where everybody knows what you had for supper.

First, she has to survive one summer helping her daddy open the Sassafras Drive-In.

With three hundred and twenty pole speakers, a buzzing neon sign, and a suspiciously soft patch of ground in Row F that keeps swallowing automobiles, the Sassafras is already shaping up to be more trouble than anybody bargained for.

And that's before Daddy sets the brand-new projection booth on fire.

Fortunately, Sonny Pruitt is there to save the day, sacrificing his best felt hat in the process.

Sonny's tall, handsome in a quiet sort of way, and entirely too good at fixing things. He hums while he threads the film, can mend just about anything with baling wire, and has a smile that makes Loretta forget what she was saying.

Worst of all, he never asks her to stay.

Which is perfectly fine with Loretta. She's got a bus to catch, a daredevil who keeps landing in the creek, a mama with opinions about everything, and a summer job that's turning into considerably more than she signed up for.

But somewhere between the first picture show, a kiss on the catwalk, and a thousand little things Sonny does without being asked, Loretta begins to wonder whether the life she's been planning is the one she really wants.

And whether some dreams are worth staying home for.

Coming Attractions is the heartwarming prequel to Summers at the Sassafras, a sweet, nostalgic romantic comedy about first love, big dreams, small-town mischief, and the summer that started it all.

Closed-door romance, plenty of laughs, and a happily ever after that's fifty-nine summers in the making.

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Four sisters. Four summers. One drive-in theater. And a mama who always gets the last word.

For fifty-nine summers, Loretta Pruitt ran the Sassafras Drive-In in Sweet Branch, Arkansas, with a firm hand, a soft heart, and an opinion about absolutely everything.

Now Mama's gone, and she's left her four daughters a drive-in nobody knows what to do with, four sealed letters, and one final rule: nobody sells until every sister has spent an entire summer running the place.

Memorial Day to Labor Day. Oldest to youngest. No exceptions.

There's the Dallas weather forecaster whose television career just went sideways, the small-town drama teacher who never managed to leave, the cruise-ship emcee who's made a career out of leaving, and the Memphis cake designer who likes her life measured, organized, and completely free of surprises.

Unfortunately, Mama never did believe in leaving well enough alone.

One by one, the Pruitt sisters return to the Ozarks, where the neon still flickers, the popcorn machine has a mind of its own, and a bluetick coonhound named Hitchcock considers every hot dog his personal property. Across Highway 23, the neighboring go-kart park keeps up a running feud on its marquee, while a determined resort developer waits for the sisters to give up and sell.

And then there are the men.

Because apparently, fifty-something isn't too old for butterflies, stolen kisses, and falling head over heels when you least expect it.

With four summers to settle their differences, rediscover themselves, and decide what Mama's beloved drive-in is really worth, the Pruitt sisters might just discover that the best part of life is still coming.

Welcome to Summers at the Sassafras, a sweet, laugh-out-loud, later-in-life romantic comedy series filled with small-town charm, sisterly shenanigans, second chances, and happily ever afters.

The movies may be old, but the love stories are brand-new.

She measures everything twice. He was the one mistake she never managed to fix.

Marcia Pruitt likes things level, orderly, and precisely where she left them.

At fifty-something, she's built a successful cake-design business in Memphis, where wedding cakes don't lean, deliveries arrive on time, and nobody gets close enough to make a mess of her carefully arranged life.

Then it's her turn to spend a summer running Mama's Sassafras Drive-In in Sweet Branch, Arkansas.

As the youngest of four sisters, Marcia has the final shift. Memorial Day to Labor Day. One last summer before the Pruitt girls can finally decide what to do with the family business.

And there's a very generous offer from a resort developer waiting on the kitchen table.

Marcia has already done the math.

What she hasn't calculated is Joel Muren.

Thirty-four years ago, Joel stood her up, broke her heart, and disappeared from her life. Now he's back in Sweet Branch, working as a film archivist, with a van full of old movie reels and an explanation Marcia has spent decades refusing to hear.

He's still quiet, still careful, and still irritatingly good at remembering the smallest details about her.

And he's going to be spending the entire summer in Mama's projection booth.

Wonderful.

Between planning her oldest sister's wedding, keeping the drive-in running, managing her Memphis cake business from four hundred miles away, and dodging a man who seems determined to finish a conversation they started in 1994, Marcia has enough on her plate.

Then there's Mama's final surprise.

Up in the projection booth sits a mysterious film can labeled For my girls — not yet. Nobody has been allowed to open it, and Labor Day is almost here.

Whatever Mama left behind could change everything the sisters thought they knew about the Sassafras.

Meanwhile, Joel keeps showing Marcia that some things are worth repairing, even when they've been broken for a very long time.

But Marcia knows better than anyone that you can't build something beautiful on a crooked foundation.

With the final show approaching, a life-changing offer on the table, and the future of the Sassafras hanging in the balance, Marcia must decide whether she's ready to trust the man who broke her heart.

And whether the life she's so carefully constructed still has room for love.

The Drive-In Last Show is a sweet, heartwarming, later-in-life romantic comedy about second chances, sisterly bonds, unfinished business, and discovering that sometimes the most beautiful things in life turn out a little crooked.

Welcome back to Summers at the Sassafras, where the movies are old, the popcorn's hot, and every great love story deserves one last show.

A complete happily ever after, closed-door romance, plenty of small-town laughs, and an unforgettable finale for the four Pruitt sisters.

Amazon

She forecasts a 100% chance of disaster. He thinks she's been wrong about the weather for forty years.

At fifty-eight, Verna Pruitt knows a thing or two about storms. She's spent thirty years forecasting them on Dallas television, smiling through tornado warnings and pretending she doesn't mind when the weatherman calls her sweetheart.

Then her station replaces her with a twenty-nine-year-old, and Verna finds herself unemployed, humiliated, and headed home to Sweet Branch, Arkansas, in a pair of Italian heels entirely unsuited for gravel.

Mama's final request sounded simple enough. Run the family drive-in from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Keep the Sassafras afloat. Don't sell anything until all four sisters have taken their turn.

Unfortunately, Mama forgot to mention Owen Butler.

Owen is sixty, stubborn as an Ozark mule, and the owner of the go-kart park across Highway 23. His family has been feuding with the Pruitts for decades, mostly through insults spelled out on competing roadside marquees. The morning Verna arrives, his sign welcomes her home with a prediction of its own.

WELCOME HOME WEATHER LADY. 100% CHANCE OF FLOP.

Verna has never backed down from a bad forecast, and she's certainly not starting with Owen Butler.

But between a drive-in that needs more repairs than she can count, three sisters with four opinions apiece, a snack-bar manager who knows everybody's secrets, and a bluetick coonhound with absolutely no loyalty, Verna's summer is already spinning out of control.

And the most aggravating man in Sweet Branch keeps turning up exactly when she needs him.

Owen remembers the girl Verna used to be. Worse, he seems to like the woman she's become, even when she's bossing him around. Somewhere between dueling marquees, summer thunderstorms, and movie nights under the stars, Verna begins to suspect that the future she's been so desperate to predict might have a few surprises left.

Including a man who makes her heart behave like a tornado warning.

The Drive-In Sisters is a sweet, laugh-out-loud, later-in-life romantic comedy about second chances, sisterly shenanigans, small-town rivalries, and discovering that the best things in life don't always come with a forecast.

Welcome to Summers at the Sassafras, where the movies are old, the popcorn's hot, and it's never too late to fall in love.

A complete happily ever after, closed-door romance, and absolutely no guarantees about the weather.

Amazon

She's directed everybody in Sweet Branch for thirty years. Unfortunately, the new leading man refuses to follow her script.

At fifty-something, Thelma Pruitt has everything under control. She's the drama teacher at Sweet Branch High School, the director of every town production since 1997, and a woman who believes most of life's problems can be solved with a clipboard, a whistle, and a properly rehearsed entrance.

Then it's her turn to run Mama's beloved Sassafras Drive-In.

One summer. Memorial Day to Labor Day. Keep the place running, honor Mama's wishes, and hand over the keys to the next sister.

Simple.

Except Thelma has decided to celebrate the drive-in's sixtieth summer with the biggest production Sweet Branch has ever seen. There will be auditions, costumes, elaborate staging, and absolutely no juggling.

And then Wade Leonard drives his boat trailer into Row F.

Wade is sixty-two, retired, and perfectly content living alone beside a quiet Ozark creek. He likes fishing, early mornings, and conversations that don't require more than three words. He's also hiding a rather spectacular Hollywood past, including thirty-five years of doing dangerous things for famous actors who got all the credit.

The last thing he needs is a bossy drama teacher in a brightly colored cardigan telling him where to park.

Unfortunately, she keeps showing up.

And leaving notes.

And rearranging his life.

When Thelma discovers that the quiet fisherman has a talent for the kind of stunts her anniversary production desperately needs, she thinks she's found the answer to her prayers.

Wade thinks she's lost her mind.

But somewhere between a troublesome sinkhole, an overambitious pageant, a coonhound who keeps moving into Wade's favorite chair, and a few unexpectedly peaceful mornings on the creek, Thelma discovers there's something rather wonderful about a man who listens more than he talks.

Especially one who sees the woman behind the whistle.

With Labor Day approaching and the biggest show of her life threatening to go spectacularly wrong, Thelma must decide whether she's brave enough to step out from behind her director's notebook and take a chance on an unscripted happily ever after.

The Drive-In Intermission is a sweet, laugh-out-loud, later-in-life romantic comedy filled with small-town shenanigans, Hollywood secrets, sisterly love, and the delightful discovery that sometimes the best leading man is the one who never wanted the spotlight.

Welcome back to Summers at the Sassafras, where the movies are old, the popcorn's hot, and love always deserves an encore.

A complete happily ever after, closed-door romance, and one very opinionated bluetick coonhound.

Amazon

She's spent thirty years making grand entrances and even grander exits. Then a quiet man on an Arkansas river asks her to stay.

Polly Pruitt has never met a microphone she didn't like, a party she couldn't improve, or a man worth rearranging her travel plans for.

After thirty years entertaining passengers aboard cruise ships, she's mastered the art of making everybody feel special without getting attached to anybody. New ship, new friends, new adventure. And when things get complicated?

There's always another port.

But at fifty-something, Polly has one obligation she can't charm her way out of: spending an entire summer running Mama's Sassafras Drive-In in Sweet Branch, Arkansas.

Memorial Day to Labor Day. Then she's free to sail away.

She's got eleven weeks, a suitcase full of colorful caftans, and enough entertainment ideas to give the entire town a nervous breakdown.

What she doesn't have is a boyfriend.

Enter Russ Rydstrom.

Russ is fifty-eight, runs a canoe outfitting business on the Buffalo River, and considers a successful conversation one that ends before his coffee gets cold. He's happiest with his feet on a gravel riverbank, his phone turned off, and absolutely nobody asking him to participate in group activities.

Unfortunately, he's told his ex-wife he's seeing someone.

He isn't.

And he's a terrible liar.

When Russ asks Polly to play his girlfriend, she figures it'll be the easiest performance of her career. A few convincing smiles, some hand-holding, and perhaps a kiss for authenticity. She's hosted enough cruise-ship romance events to know how this works.

Except Russ doesn't follow the script.

He listens when she talks. He remembers things she mentions in passing. And he has an irritating habit of making her feel like the most interesting woman in the room, even when there's nobody else around.

Soon Polly's juggling a drive-in full of summer surprises, a fake romance that's becoming suspiciously real, a resort developer who won't take no for an answer, and a bluetick coonhound who apparently has better instincts about men than she does.

Meanwhile, her next cruise contract is waiting.

Polly has always known how to make an entrance. She's even better at leaving.

But with Labor Day approaching, she's beginning to wonder what might happen if, just this once, she stayed for the encore.

The Drive-In Encore is a sweet, laugh-out-loud, later-in-life romantic comedy featuring fake dating, opposites-attract romance, sisterly shenanigans, and the delightful discovery that home might be a person you never saw coming.

Welcome back to Summers at the Sassafras, where the movies are old, the popcorn's hot, and the best love stories deserve an encore.

A complete happily ever after, closed-door romance, and one very determined woman who might finally unpack her suitcase.

Amazon