Witty and wryly observed, this inspiring women's fiction examines a thirty-something woman getting a new lease on life, her unexpected romantic interlude, and an encounter with a long-held family secret that threatens to undo her newfound happiness. At age thirty-seven, never-married Carol is a laid-off public school music teacher who has put her life on hold to attend to her ailing mother Mary. For several years now, the most stimulating social event of her days comes from the influx of ten-year-old pianists who visit her mother's house for extracurricular music lessons. Bound by a sense of duty, Carol's only outlet has been her sister-like bond with Edna, her wise-cracking cousin. She relies on Edna's sharp tongue and witty observations to keep her sane. Yet when Carol's mother passes, the music teacher will undergo a short period of mourning before launching a new life that is unexpectedly better. Within a scant few weeks, she meets a captivating stranger from out of town and embarks on a full-blown romantic adventure. Testing her newfound ability to swim and dive through life's emotions, she journeys to Maine with Edna in search of fulfillment and self-discovery. Now with life finally delivering on its promise of optimism and renewal, Carol will encounter a shocking family secret that has the power to damage and burn through her most cherished relationships. She could fall back on her well-formulated defenses and return to the ho-hum life she purveyed for so many dull years. Or she could summon the courage to forge ahead and make a new life, regardless of the repercussions. A family "dramedy" framed around themes of regret and devotion, new love and old relationships, Paul Mazzarella's Promissory Notes is a tender examination of the real dedication required of family and lovers. Full of humor and drama alike, the novel is an insightful look at the life of secret promises and how even with good intentions, they can come to haunt and vex future generations.