Meredith Madden's WHEN LUCY WASHED ASHORE is the tender story of what happens when a young woman braves unknown waters, releases herself to the shifting tides of her life, and washes ashore to the people and places that were waiting for her all along. When Lucy Howard, an artistic dreamer, arrives as a freshman at the prestigious Merrilton College, the scenes of her working-class upbringing on Martha's Vineyard fade into the backdrop of the elite world surrounding her. Lucy's college life of new friends, riveting discussions, art shows, and an enthralling winter break in Manhattan is a welcomed change from the ordinary island life that she has come to know. But along with the elation over her changing life comes deep concern as she realizes that her heart is drifting away from her first love, Vineyard fisherman Cal Stewart, and into the hands of her roommate's older brother, Ben White. Lucy promises to decide between the two men by New Year's Eve, but an unexpected turn of events will force her to make a choice sooner. And just when she is certain that her choice in love is the right one, Lucy is faced with yet another decision, one far more difficult than she was prepared for. Standing at the crossroads of her young adult life, Lucy must decide what she must leave behind in order to move forward, and where she must go to discover the woman that she is destined to become.