Newly divorced Leslie Ruskin moves into her new home with her five-year-old daughter, but the old place needs a lot of work, and her master carpenter battles past failures and a drinking problem. After nine co-authored books with her husband Jim, Terri Kraus , has added her award-winning interior designer's eye to her world of fiction. She comes to the Restoration series naturally, having survived the remodel, renovation and restoration of three separate residences. She makes her home in Wheaton, IL, with her husband, son Elliot, schnauzer Rufus and Siberian cat Petey.