Painted Windows (Book 1) is a charming story about a teenage girl, Ruby, who is trapped in a homeless, nomadic life. The first novel in a series of three in The Gunpowder Series, Painted Windows lands Ruby in yet another random town—Gunpowder, Kentucky. To the real world, Ruby does not exist. Undocumented, no last name, and recording her approximate age with slash marks on her forearm, Ruby survives only with what fits in her trusty backpack. She shelters in abandoned dwellings and outbuildings, and forages for edible weeds and wild plants. Yet, Ruby wants more than just to survive. She seeks a normal life and an identity. Her story captures the pursuit of one’s identity, the many struggles to find answers, and the value of second chances. Ruby finds those in Gunpowder. This novel depicts aspects of the human condition: being on the outside of a window looking in, separate, in the shadows, versus existing on the inside, enjoying the benefits of inclusion and belonging.