When a lifelong dream becomes the worst nightmare Ian and Jessica Lambert are looking forward to retirement, leaving behind their old life in suburban Lancashire for the beckoning and idyllic shores of the Isle of Wight, where they enjoyed many memorable holidays. What is intended to be their fondest dream turns out to be their worst nightmare. A Beautiful Autumn is the title story in this unique collection of 28 tales. Each presents with its own subject derived from life's often turbulent journey. These stories include the heart-wrenching, catastrophic, satirical through to the downright comical as in A Calling of the Higher Order , where the tolerant Jim Turnbridge, aided by his friends, tries in earnest to dissuade his head-strong fiancée, Gloria Winslow, from making the biggest mistake of her life.