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About
NOVEL SETTING
Mt. Shasta is a majestic volcano in Northern California. The main character, Charlotte Evans, journeys from a life in San Francisco to a senior living facility near Panther, a town at the foot of the mountain.
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Is a new beginning worth the risk?

 

Charlotte Evans is not expecting to upend her life. But when she receives a call offering her the position of Outreach Director at a senior citizen community called “The Cascades" in Northern California, she jumps at the chance to make a change.

 

What she didn’t imagine was that she would find romance -- or any of the secrets she uncovers at this serene senior facility. AI surveillance, bugged offices, a kidnapping... will the new life she’s built crumble before it truly begins?

 

Cascades is a story of one-woman taking chances, creating personal fulfillment, and finding love where she least expects it!

Charlotte Evans has lived in San Francisco apartments all her life.  She has a successful career in social services and serves as the Deputy Director of the San Francisco Department of Aging Services. Her only personal companion is her canary, Bird, who greets her every day as she returns from work to drink red wine and relax. The City has changed and so has she. Now sixty three, she is surrounded by younger people in the office. The City has experienced a shocking social decline with constant crime and violence with municipal management gridlock. She gets a telephone call from a executive recruiter. Would she be interested in a position as Deputy of Outreach at a senior community called The Cascades located in Northern California?

Events
CHARACTERS
Cascade weaves the stories of several unique characters.

Charlotte

She takes a unique opportunity to move from San Francisco to an area near Mt. Shasta. Will it be a positive experience for her and her pet canary, Bird?

Saxophone
Derek

retired New Orleans musician

Stephen Boyle

The visionary Executive Director of The Cascades retirement development, he strives to create a place protected from nature and man

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Dooby

Senior residents

Wealthy and talented seniors who

realize supporting community brings meaning to life and prepares a decent future for others

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Bird

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Senior Male Doctor
Seniors Laughing

Amazon - Jean Forbes/Cascade

The Cascades is an exclusive senior community.

The Cascades is an exclusive senior residential community where two hundred residents have townhouses. Requirements for consideration for a lease include a positive attitude and the acceptance of your death, freeing you from worry. Residents include the very wealthy who covet the place for a safe shelter in the face of the deteriorating world situation. The Cascades is built with survivalist techniques and the airstrip adjoining the complex makes it convenient for access. Other residents are selected from those who shared their talents to improve society. Similar to the Bohemian Club, The Cascades has residents who would not be able to afford a townhouse and participate in their community without a discount on their townhouse. Rather than have these talented people age with economic insecurity, The Cascades approaches them with the opportunity to move to Northern California.

All residents are engaged in meaningful activities that support the community and enhance self-worth. You can read about the positive changes they make.

Jean Forbes is a lifelong resident of the San Francisco Bay area. She received her BA in Social Welfare and MBA in strategic planning at UC Berkeley.

A dedicated volunteer, she has been active in politics, and her community. Her professional life focused on fundraising for charities supporting home ownership for low-income families and support services for former foster youth.

She has four adult children and four grandchildren. She is an avid gardener and enjoys relaxing on the shores of Tomales Bay.

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