When the Season Ends by Stacy Windahl

A Mackinac Island Novel

Beloved Mackinac Island Sets the Stage for One Woman’s Journey of Self Discovery in New Novel

Traverse City, Michigan—In her debut title, Stacy Windahl explores a scenario familiar to many women—whether through wandering daydreams or deliberate consideration—the idea of building a new life, a different life. When the Season Ends, A Mackinac Island Novel, published by Mission Point Press, (September 4, 2025), invites readers to consider: when the roles of wife, mother, and friend blur into the background, who are you?

When the Season Ends

Olivia has quietly stepped away from her life. With her son off at a summer internship and her husband out of the country on assignment, she is surprised how easy it is to slip away. She didn’t need to hide her escape plan—no one was watching. Returning to the celebrated island from her past where a neglected cottage and a cast of unexpected companions offer her something she didn’t realize she was missing; she rediscovers herself. As the weeks go by, Olivia builds a different kind of life—one that’s more authentic, more her. One demanding that she face the truth: can she return to the life she left behind?

Transitions in Life

Windahl shared the inspiration for Olivia’s experience of transition: “Women spend a lot of time in transition from one stage of life to another, more time than we spend locked in a single role or position. Those transitions can be both frightening and exhilarating. Like many women in a changing season of marriage and parenthood, Oliva wonders if she has a purpose as a season ends. She discovers that she does—every season brings its own adventures, joy, and purpose.”

Basing her novel on Mackinac Island was intentional and meaningful for Windahl. “I spent a season at the Hotel Iroquois waiting tables at its Carriage House restaurant. While it was just one summer into fall, my memories of the island, the restaurant, and its owners—the McIntire family—never faded. I’ve carried them with me for all the years since my season there ended in October 1983.”

The book’s cover art also has a deep connection with the island that so many hold dear. In October 2024, Windahl and her husband were visiting Mackinac on a final site check and wandered into Noel Skiba’s art studio and gallery. In conversation with the artist, Windahl mentioned she had just completed her novel, set on the island. Skiba, an award-winning artist, pronounced, “Well, I should do the cover art.” The illustration, flowing from back cover to spine to front, depicts the beauty of the island through spring and summer, ending on the front cover with fall foliage—“when the season ends,” Windahl explained.

Advance Praise

Advance praise for When the Season Ends from Tamara Tomac, thirty-year manager of The Island Bookstore, Mackinac Island:

“If you love Elin Hilderbrand novels and Mackinac Island, you’ll love When the Season Ends. The story and the characters are compelling, and you’ll find yourself caring for each one. When the story—and the season—ended, I wanted more!”

Author, Stacy Windahl

The Author

Stacy Windahl is a writer and storyteller with degrees in economics and business administration from Kenyon College and Baldwin Wallace University. Her time spent studying hospitality on Mackinac Island sparked a lifelong love for the place and inspired her fiction. For over twenty-five years, she’s worked in marketing communications and coauthored Beyond the Castle (Zondervan, 2017), drawing on the leadership lessons of a former Disney executive. Windahl lives in Bay Village, Ohio, near the Lake Erie shore, with her husband, Jeff, and their dog, Winnie. She loves travel, coffee, and a good story—especially the kind only life can inspire.

The Book

When the Season Ends, A Mackinac Island Novel

Stacy Windahl, Cover art by Noel Skiba

318 pages, 6 x 9 inches, B/W

Fiction, Family Life, General, Friendship, Women, Literary

ISBN: 978-1-965278-68-0, $28.99 (Hardcover)

ISBN: 978-1-965278-69-7, $18.99 (Softcover)

Mission Point Press, September 4, 2025

Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its September 4 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at swindahl@gmail.com or stacywindahl.com.

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