#Hyannis Harbor, #Books, Bingo, + Bulls ~ Busy #amwriting Month!

Connecting with Mrs. Cape Cod
and signing books for her at
Shopping & Bingo Night

My life is always a bit crazy, but things have been so unusually hectic since mid-April that I haven't had much time to post here.  But I did want to share some of the pictures from the events I've participated in, now that I have a little more time.  In May and June, I signed books at a monthly Shopping & Bingo Night which helps raise money for different charities.  I met a lot of people, including Mrs. Cape Cod (now Mrs. Massachusetts!), and I was thrilled when she purchased all 4 of my books.  I was even more excited to hear how much she loved GULL HARBOR, the first one she decided to read, the next day on social media--that's the type of thing that makes an author's day!

Woo hoo!  This is why I write, to pull people into exciting stories that keep
the pages turning and provide entertainment ...hearing things like this makes my day!

Saw this big boy as I walked across
campus at orientation - the campus at
UNH is absolutely beautiful

In June, my oldest son graduated from high school, which was a joyous occasion but also bittersweet--how can he be leaving home in the fall?  But we're proud to be sending him to the University of New Hampshire, home of the Wildcats and apparently this snapping turtle, which I came across as I was walking through campus during the 2-day orientation.

Katie, Kate, and myself at our Shanty at Hyannis Harbor

Before our trip to NH for orientation, I joined two other author friends for a 3-day book signing at the Artist Shanties at Hyannis Harbor.  We did this last year, and had such fun we decided to do it again.  We camped out at our Shanty from 11 am to 8 or 9 pm all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, chatting with locals and visitors enjoying the Harbor or returning from ferry trips to Martha's Vineyard and Hyannis. It was three long days, but we had a lot of laughs, and also connected with other local artists and crafters.

The view of Hyannis Harbor from the Shanties

While doing all this, I was also teaching my fitness classes every morning, as well as my current writing class which meets once a week.  I kept telling myself my vacation was on the horizon, if I could just make it!  Finally, it was here...my annual trip to Bethany Beach, Delaware, for a long weekend with my best friends from high school. We've been doing Girls Weekend there each summer since 2011, and it's become a wonderful tradition.  In the past, I've also signed books at the local book store while there, but this year, I decided I needed to just relax.  I'm so glad, too, because the Saturday I usually do the book signing turned out to be the new date for the 21st Dewey Beach Running of the Bulls.  A friend of one of the girls in our group actually started this event, twenty-one years ago, after a trip to Spain.  This Running of the Bulls does not involve any real animals, but rather two guys in a bull costume, escorted by a matador and lifeguards, chasing people down the beach.  Almost everyone wears a red bandanna and either a red or white shirt, although some people dress in more elaborate costumes.  A popular bar, the Starboard, sponsors the event, and it's become so popular crowds now rival any Spring Break beach bash.  The entire parking lot is shut down to make room for a stage, the bands, and of course all the partiers.  It was a crazy, fun-filled day, complete with even a fly-over by the National Guard.

Gearing up at The Starboard before chasing the bull

Now I'm home again, struggling to settle back into my routine, but glad the next few weeks are going to be much slower-paced.  I'm hoping to dive back into my unfinished manuscript for Novel #5, catch up on my reading, get some work done in the garden...and make time in between for a few naps!  

I miss my BFFs already...it was especially poignant to get together after
a few of our firstborn kids just graduated high school, and know that our
friendship is still going strong after our own high school years, 30 years ago!

Saying Goodbye to My #Dad #grief

The tumor appeared right after Thanksgiving, a hard marble on the side of his neck.  By March, it had grown to the size of a softball, and chemo and radiation had begun.  But my father lost his battle with throat cancer last week, at the end of April, and I'm still reeling with grief, shock, and the finality of saying goodbye.  Of never hearing his voice again, never laughing with him again, never hugging him again.

Reading The Night Before Christmas, 1970

So I thought I'd dedicate my blog post today to a few of the stories about my dad that relate to my love of reading, and by extension, my desire to become an author myself.

I absolutely credit my dad with my passion for reading.  He loved to read.  So beyond just reading picture books to me as a child, my father made sure I had stacks of novels, chosen to match my interests, once I could read myself.  He would visit the library each week, and head straight to the Children's Librarian, who would help him pick out the weekly haul.  Usually, the subject matter revolved around horses and young riders (Winter Pony, Summer Pony, Misty of Chincoteague, The Blind Connemara), animals in general (Benji, The Incredible Journey, Charlotte's Web, A Cricket in Times Square), mysteries and adventures (Encyclopedia Brown, all the Choose Your Own Adventure books, Baby Island)...but sometimes other genres and subject matter made it into the pile, just by virtue of the sheer amount I could read in a week.  It was difficult to keep up with.

So when I was in second grade, a book titled Jane-Emily, by Patricia Clapp, came home from the library.  The tag line read "A ghost story...and a love story".  I.  Was.  Hooked.  I'd found my ideal mix of elements: a spooky haunting, mixed with romance (in this case, a very sweet romance, set in the early 1900s).  I read it over and over again.  I made my best friend read it.  Since then, we're both still scared of those silvery reflecting balls that sit on pedestals in yards.

Jane-Emily introduced me to paranormal romantic suspense, and this childhood favorite has made a lifetime mark, impacting what I write as an author--yep, combinations of ghost stories and love stories, although the romantic element in my novels is decidedly steamier, as my books are meant for more mature readers.  But I still go back to revisit Jane-Emily from time to time--my copy from eBay sits on the bookshelf--and I even read it to my two boys when they were little.  And I may never have discovered this book without my Dad's dedicated trips to the library to keep me reading for pleasure.

The second story is from a family vacation to Bethany Beach (where I now get to sign books on occasion) when I was around 12 years old.  We made sure I had my usual stack of books to tide me over for the week, but since it was summer and we spent the days relaxing, I read even faster than usual.  I was done in the first three days, and four more days with no new reading material just wasn't acceptable.  At that time, the main strip of Bethany consisted of just a few stores, certainly no independent book stores.  But the Five and Dime had a display of Nancy Drew Mysteries.  Some I'd read, but a few I hadn't.  My father purchased the ones I had not yet read.

Those lasted another 24 hours, and then we were back to square one.  At this point, he started inquiring about libraries, and we were directed to a little mobile library, literally a trailer, serving the summer residents of Bethany Beach.  They made it very clear that they didn't allow vacationers without permanent summer addresses to borrow books.  The risk of loss, keeping track, etc.  I don't remember if my father wore them down with an argument, or just left some cash as collateral, but I do remember I walked out of there with a bunch of books.

Bethany Beach, 1970...well before my
Nancy Drew Mystery days

Good memories.  Even as adults, we traded titles we enjoyed, and he would pass along all the new releases he'd picked up at the bookstore.  I know every time I find a book that pulls me in, and takes me on a fabulous journey, away from the stress of everyday life, I'll think of him, and thank him silently for fostering my love for stories.

A Chaotic 3-State Family #Vacation - #BethanyBeach #HarpersFerry #Chesapeake

So, I've been living out of a suitcase for eight days now, staying at three different houses in three different states.  Of course I feel very fortunate to have been able to take a 10-day vacation full of stops to see family and friends.  But I'm starting to miss my house and my pets!  We've had a lot of fun so far, with many adventures along the way.  For most of the week, we've been with our best friends and their kids, combining two families of four into a chaotic group of eight.  At the beginning of the week, my girlfriend stumbled across an article in the Huffington Post that had us all rolling with laughter: Vacation or Trip? A Helpful Guide for Parents.  We had to all agree we were, most definitely, on a "trip".

The kids in the ocean at Bethany.
We all were in at some point,
trying to beat the heat.

But it's been a trip full of adventures, and long drives, with plenty of family memories forming along the way.  We began Sunday evening in Bethany Beach, Delaware, a beautiful town with a great book store that hosts me for annual book signings.  We stayed over on the bay side, packing our eight, one friend, and one dog into the house.  The weather was sunny and very HOT...a heat index of 104 degrees one day.  That was, of course, the day the air conditioning broke.

So our trip to take the kids to the Rehoboth Boardwalk was delayed one day, due to an emergency repair on the AC, but we did get them there, returning home with a ton of candy and cheap prizes from the arcade games.  In a strange coincidence, my younger son woke up the next day with a very upset stomach and threw up all morning.  Thankfully, it was not a stomach bug that traveled through the group!  He was on the mend by the time we arrived Wed. afternoon in Leesburg, Virginia, the beautiful hometown of our friends.  Aside from enjoying the pool and restaurants, we went into wine country to antique one day.  Oh, and we decided a visit to Harper's Ferry, West Virginia, would be a good opportunity to try our hand at white water tubing.  We should have learned our lesson after our previous visit to the same area for what's now known as the "Zip Lining Disaster of 2013".  All I can say is it's nearly impossible to keep eight people together without ropes, which are not permitted, on a river with strong currents and a mind of its own.  There was some panicked moments of missing the correct path, some frustrated moments of getting stuck, and a lot of hilarious moments involving trying to get back into tubes we'd abandoned after one of those panicked or frustrated moments.

One of my favorite stops - an antique market near the
setting of my YA novel DIVINE FALL

By Sunday, we were stopping in Potomac, Maryland, for lunch with more family members before heading to my sister's neighborhood on the Chesapeake Bay.  I get to enjoy time with my little nieces and try to sneak in a little bit of relaxation.  My sister and I love spooky ghost movies (and they help inspire the haunting mysteries in my novels) so we'll marathon a few (we watched "It Follows" last night).  Then our "trip" will be capped off tomorrow with a big soccer game at FedEx Stadium - Chelsea (my oldest son's favorite team) will play Barcelona (my younger son's favorite team), and I'm not really sure where we can safely sit with the boys wearing jerseys from opposing teams.  Wednesday will bring us back to Cape Cod...the end of the journey will be a little sad, but coming home is always a wonderful feeling as well!  Until I have to start on that giant bag of laundry...