Lunch with the #Authors of #TWRP! Cape Cod #writerslife #amwriting #NaNoWriMo

Authors and President of The Wild Rose Press in Hyannis

Another wildly busy month is over...somehow October always flies by, which is a shame since as a fan of all things spooky, it's my favorite month!  Our weekends were filled with events--all fun ones, thankfully.  We had Parents' Weekend at UNH for our college kid, a 30-year-reunion at the Coast Guard Academy for my husband's class of 1989, a long girls' weekend away to Seattle with my BFFs (we all turned 50 this year and went to visit the one friend who ended up on the West Coast, since she always comes to us), a visit to a historic lighthouse and home now owned by the Coast Guard (a property that once included a small-pox hospital--book idea?), my first time seeing Sweeney Todd at a local theater, a book signing event, and Senior Night soccer game for my high school kid.

The view from our VRBO in Seattle...overlooking the harbor and Pike Place

It now seems like a long time ago, but in the middle of the month, I also had the pleasure of having lunch with the president of one of my publishers (The Wild Rose Press) and some local authors who also write for TWRP.

Last time the president of the company was here on Cape Cod was 2015, when she spoke at the Cape Cod Writer's Conference, and we had quite a group of authors together for lunch.

It's such fun to get together and talk shop with other writers, especially since writing can be such a solitary endeavor.  This month is National Novel Writing Month, which involves trying to write 50K words--nearly an entire novel--in 30 days, so I'll be quite a bit less social in November, as I work to finish the first draft of Ghost Moon, my 7th novel.

We had a wonderful meal at The Black Cat, right on the Hyannis waterfront, and I was able to catch up with a long-time author friend and meet a new one.  This event was much smaller than the last publisher lunch, seeing as how it was fall on Cape Cod as opposed to summer (and a Nor'Easter dumped wind and rain on the Cape all weekend as well).  But we had an intimate lunch filled with both work and personal topics, and lots of laughs.

Now, back to my NaNoWriMo daily word goal...wish me luck!

#Book Signing at #Bourne Library - #Ghosts + #Romance #CapeCod #amwriting

My very busy new release schedule continues, and I'm thrilled to be the Author of the Month for June at the Jonathan Bourne Library.  I'll be there on Tuesday, June 21, at 7:00 p.m., to talk about my latest novel, HAUNTED SOULS.  This is a steamy military romance mixed with a ghost mystery.  Like my #1 Kindle Bestseller GULL HARBOR, this book is set on Cape Cod, where I'm lucky enough to live.

The Old Jail at night

My home of the last 17 years is perfectly suited to the mingling plot-lines in this story--or maybe it's the other way around, and the Cape inspired a story that could only be set here.  The initial inspiration certainly came from a local landmark: in historic Barnstable Village, the oldest wooden jail house in the entire country, originally built in 1690, remains to this day on scenic Route 6A.  The structure has been preserved and is now open to visitors--if you don't mind the ghosts, that is.  According to the Cape and Islands Paranormal Research Society, the Old Jail is actively haunted by those who perished in the harsh conditions.  When my sister was visiting, we took a "haunted historical tour" which began and ended at the Old Jail, and as we listed to stories about the place, I wondered, "What if a ghost followed someone from the tour home?"  The idea was born.

I don't want to give to much away, but as the story developed, it became clear to me that one of the protagonists was in the military, sent overseas for several years.  Cape Cod has a large military population, with Joint Base Cape Cod hosting multiple military services.  In fact, we landed here through my husband's Coast Guard assignment.  Our neighbors and best friends are also a military family (Air Force), and their knowledge helped me form Brett's backstory.

I hope you'll give HAUNTED SOULS a try for your next summer read--steamy romance mixed with spooky suspense, something for everyone!  And if you're in the Cape Cod area, put Tuesday night on your calendar and join me.  We'll chat about Cape history and legends, light refreshments will be available, and I'll be signing copies of all my books, including this one.  For additional info, visit the Bourne Library Events Page.

Visiting Cuttyhunk Island ~ #Cuttyhunk #CapeCod #vacation

Living on beautiful Cape Cod comes with a lot of summer house guests, and I wrote a post last year on some of our favorite places to take our visiting friends and family.  Since then, we discovered another amazing location within an hour's journey.  It's not a particularly easy place to get to, which surely lends to the mystique and charm.  But it was on my bucket list, so we set up a plan with our neighbors to explore Cuttyhunk Island one day when the seas were calm.

Approaching Cuttyhunk

Cuttyhunk is the very last island in the chain of the Elizabeth Islands, which extend from Woods Hole at the extreme southwest corner of Cape Cod.  The Elizabeth Islands consist of: Nonamesset, Veckatimest, Uncatena, Naushon, Weepecket Islands, Pasque, Nashawena, Penikese, and Cuttyhunk.  All of these islands, with the exception of Penikese and Cuttyhunk, are privately owned by the Forbes family.  Penikese, the past site of Massachusetts's only leper colony, is now a bird sanctuary with no permanent inhabitants. Cuttyhunk is more accessible to visitors; but just because it's open to the public does not mean it's an easy exit off a turnpike!  You either need a private boat--and somewhere to tie up--or a ticket for the one ferry service out of New Bedford.

We had the boat part covered, and thanks to one of our friend's connections, we secured both a place to tie up and a golf cart, which is how most people get around the island.  We did not see many cars.  It truly felt like being in a different world.  About 86 people live on Cuttyhunk year round (that number swells to 400 in the summer), and at the time of our visit, the one-room school house only had 2 students enrolled - a pair of siblings.

Old Coast Guard Station

On our way in, we passed an old Coast Guard station, which I had to take a picture of, since my hubby was an officer in the Coast Guard.  The station has not been active since 1964, but there are still a few signs of military presence on the island.  Lookout Hill is the highest point of the island (154 feet above sea level), and it was home to one of the six defensive bunkers built by the Coast Guard in 1941 to watch the surrounding seas for Nazi U-boats.

Once we'd tied the boat off, we got our first look at the "Fish Dock", an adorable little boardwalk with a few shops dedicated to food or fishing.  There's actually only one "store" on the island, which we visited, plus another tiny indoor/outdoor boutique where I bought an old bottle that had washed up from the ocean.  Supplies and mail come in from the New Bedford ferry trips, and in many ways, that's the lifeline to the mainland.  There is no doctor on the island.  One church serves all religions, with time slots set up to accommodate all.

The Fish Dock

On the same street as the church, you'll find the Cuttyhunk Historical Society and Museum of the Elizabeth Islands, a treasure trove of information staffed with friendly volunteers.  A large part of the exhibit is dedicated to the history of the Cuttyhunk Club, an exclusive fishing club formed in 1864 by wealthy and powerful men from New York, who purchased a large portion of the island. The Cuttyhunk Fishing Club is now a tranquil Bed and Breakfast with eight guest rooms.

There are three beaches on Cuttyhunk: Barges Beach, The Channel Beach, and Church's Beach.  We got to see all three, courtesy of our borrowed golf cart.  We also brought our lunch up to Lookout Hill, which offers picnic benches along with a stunning view of the island and the surrounding water.

A view from Lookout Hill

It was such a memorable day, and a fascinating peek at life on a remote island paradise. Someday we hope to go back and stay for a few days.  If you ever have a chance to visit, it is worth the effort!  And until then, if you'd like to visit Cape Cod through the pages of a book, GULL HARBOR will bring you to our sandy shores as psychic medium Claire Linden struggles to unravel a mysterious haunting...and deal with the sudden appearance of her ex-boyfriend, who promised to love her forever, then abandoned her on graduation day without a hint of an explanation.  Steamy romance and spooky suspense combine to make it a page-turning read...and right now, this #1 Kindle Bestseller is on sale for 99 cents for a limited time!  Grab your copy, put up your feet, and come to the beach.

A dangerous ghost and an ex-boyfriend
await Claire in Cape Cod's Gull Harbor...