Have a Howling Good Halloween!

When I was a kid Halloween was simply spooktacular. I grew up in Southern California in a small college town. It was one of those idyllic towns where you never had to lock your doors.

On Halloween we kids ran wild through the neighborhoods. We didn't walk anywhere. We ran from house to house and probably made a great deal of noise. Most everyone knew who we were and didn't seem to mind too much that we'd trick-or-treat at each house twice.

My usual Halloween costume was a cowgirl. Jeans, cowboy boots and hat, a plaid shirt, a bandanna and my brother's six-shooter cap-guns  with holster was all I needed. My BFFs dressed the same.

My brother would sometimes tag along, but he'd dress like a gorilla or something else that was different from us. I remember my brother's friends dressed as hobos. No one wore store-bought Halloween costumes, just whatever could be thrown together.

I was thirteen the last time I went trick-or-treating. My side-kicks and I were in our usual cowboy dress and we made the rounds of the neighborhoods gathering quite a haul of candy. Then at one house, a woman who didn't know who we were said, "You kids are too big to be trick-or-treating." I remember being shocked at her words. Was there such a thing as being too big to trick-or-treat? Sadly, we never did it again.

In my college days I'd dress up for Halloween. One year I was Elvira and danced away the night. Another time I dressed as a French Maid and that was quite a hit. In later years I'd dress as a witch and trick-or-treat with my daughter, who also dressed as a witch. One Halloween we witches went to New Orleans and went trick-or-treating with my sister-in-law who was also dressed as a witch. I have to say that was a fun night. This year my granddaughters are little twin witches and my grandson is a vampire. I'm sure they'll have a fun Halloween.

These days I'm content with handing out candy to neighborhood trick-or-treaters.  The best part is eating my share of Halloween candy. My favs are Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Snickers, Three Musketeers, Mounds and Almond Joys. Yum!

In celebration of Halloween, here's a list of witch, vampire, ghost, werewolf and other fiction. All of these are available in eBook format. The books are listed in no particular order.

Witchy, Witchy (Spellbound Trilogy #1) by Penelope King
With You In Spirit (The Bassinville Witches #1) by Miranda Stork
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Spells by Rose Pressey
Witch Anonymous by Misty Evans
Be Witched by H. P. Mallory
Something Witchy This Way Comes by H. P. Mallory
Opal Fire (A Reluctant Witch Mystery) by Barbara Annino
Wicked Witch Murder (Lucy Stone Mystery) by Leslie Meier
Brownies and Broomsticks (A Magical Bakery Mystery) by Bailey Cates
A Modern Witch (Modern Witch Series #1) by Debora Geary
Hexes and Hemlines (A Witchcraft Mystery) by Juliet Blackwell
Witch Weigh by Caroline Mickelson
It's Not The Great Pumpkin, Maxie Duncan by Melissa L. Webb
Haunted Spouse by Heather MacAllister

Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood #1) by Charlaine Harris
Deadlocked (Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood #12) by Charlaine Harris
Lord Viper (Infernal Night #1, Ellora's Cave) by Ruth D. Kerce
Craving Lady Star (Infernal Night #2, Ellora's Cave) by Ruth D. Kerce
Come Hell or High Water (Broken Heart Vampires) by Michele Bardsley
Must Love Lycans (Broken Heart Vampires) by Michele Bardsley
My Blood Approves by Amanda Hocking
How to Date a Vampire (Rylie Cruz) by Rose Pressey
Darkness Falls (Darkness Falls #1) by Jessica Sorensen
Vacation with a Vampire (Harlequin Nocturne) by Michele Hauf
Sex, Lies & Vampire Hunters (Night Shift) by Myla Jackson
The Source (A Mountain State Vampire Novel) by J. B. Stillwell
MoonLife (Sadie Jones) by Sherri Ann Smith

Once Upon a Ghost by Day Leclaire
Touch Me in the Dark by Jacqueline Diamond
For Sale: Old Manor House (free ghosts included) by Merabeth James
Lily's Ghosts by Laura Ruby
Trouble in Mudbug (Ghost-in-Law Mystertery/Romance Series) by Jana Deleon
What a Ghost Wants (A Ghost Hunters Mystery) by Victoria Laurie
Haunted House for Sale by Jane Monson
Dead Bolt (A Haunted Home Renovation Mystery) by Juliet Blackwell
Somebody Tell Aunt Tillie She's Dead by Christina Miller
The Ghost Hunter (The Hunter Series) by Lori Brighton
Ghosts (The Complete Series #1-8) by Amy Cross

How to Date a Werewolf (Rylie Cruz) by Rose Pressey
Conner by Miranda Stork
Erin by Miranda Stork
Before the Moon Rises (Ritter Werewolves) by Catherine Bybee
Prince of Wolves (Grey Wolves Series) by Quinn Loftis
The Werewolf's Wife (Harlequin Nocturne) by Michele Hauf
No Remorse (Heart of a Wolf Series #1) by MaryLynn Bast
Dreams of Gray (Marked Clan) by Maurice Lawless
Were Love Blooms (Southern Werewolf Chronicles #1) by J. Morgan
Taken by the Alpha Werewolf  by Bonnie Vanak
Lupine Howl (The Complete Series #1-8) by Amy Cross

Haunted on Bourbon Street (Jade Calhoun) by Deanna Chase
Brazen Moon by Ruth D. Kerce
Wuthering Frights by H. P. Mallory
Ghouls Night Out (Larue Donavan) by Rose Pressey
Hollowland by Amanda Hocking
Elemental Magic byAngela Wallace
Land of Mountains by Jinx Schwartz
Promise (Soul Savers) by Kristie Cook
Pixie Dust (Karli Lane #1) by Laura Lee
The Shifter's Destiny (Harlequin Nocturne) by Anna Leonard
Space Orville by Jeff Whelan
Dragon's Curse (Harlequin Nocturne) by Denise Lynn

I would be remiss if I didn't once again mention my very own witch, vampire, ghost, werewolf, dragon, paranormal romantic comedy, Moon Over Madness.

Chantel Deneuve is a half-witch who doesn't want to acknowledge her witch heritage. Riordan "Rio" Martainn is a hunky vampire who just moved into the neighborhood. Add to the mix a couple of adorable kids, a dog named Jake who only "talks" to kids, a resident ghost, a couple werewolves, some witches from the neighborhood and a very pissed-off dragon, you can't go wrong. I know this sounds a bit crazy, but you're sure to enjoy the read.

My mom insists that Moon Over Madness is her very favorite book and thinks that it should be made into a movie. As we all well know, moms know best. So maybe you need to read this book?




MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle/US

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle/UK

MOON OVER MADNESS - Barnes&Noble/nook

MOON OVER MADNESS - Apple/iBookStore/iTunes

Thanks so much for reading this post. I had a fun time putting together the list of books above. Please feel free to add comments below. You're welcome to add your own books or favorites by other authors. Now you all go out and have a howling good Halloween!

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Coffee

I must confess, I have a weakness/passion for donuts, particularly doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. For this reason, my BFF, Regina, and I meet there for coffee and donuts once a week. There is nothing better than having a girlfriend chat over coffee and donuts.


Well, when we had our last chat at Krispy Kreme I decided this was a perfect subject for my next blog post. After all, who can resist all those yummy donuts? So that's when I snapped these photos for this post.

I think my favorite part about Krispy Kreme is that they make the donuts right there. So the heavenly smell of warm donuts greats you the second you walk in the door.

I can't resist a still-warm glazed donut which melts in your mouth. Ahh, just thinking about it makes me want to have one just this very minute.







Krispy Kreme has so many yummy donuts: Jelly-filled, Lemon-filled, Pumpkin Spice, Double-Dipped Chocolate, and my all-time favorite, a Chocolate-frosted Custard-filled donut.


Given a choice, I'd have donuts with my coffee every single morning. On the other hand, if I did that, I would definitely weigh more than I do now. So I'll stick with that once a week Girls' Day Out visit to Krispy Kreme.


Krispy Kreme - Pensacola

Variety of Doughnuts at Krispy Kreme




For those who know I love to add lists of books to my posts, here's my latest yummy list. I haven't read any of these books, but they all look interesting.

Donuts and Coffee Books (in no particular order):

Powdered Peril (A Donut Shop Mystery) by Jessica Beck
Drop Dead Chocolate (A Donut Shop Mystery) by Jessica Beck
Donut Days by Lara Zielin (YA)
Dollars to Donuts by Kathleen Kole
Half a Donut and Other Short Stories by Peter Holub
Doughnuts for Amy by John Malik
Like Coffee and Doughnuts (Dino Martini Mysteries) by Elle Parker
Slimming with Doughnuts by Deborah Correnti
Doughnut Dollies: American Red Cross Girls During WWII by Helen Airy
Rolling in Dough: Lessons I Learned in a Doughnut Shop by Glenn G. Sparks (Memoir)
Glazed America: A History of the Doughnut by Paul R. Mullins
Coffee Break Romance by Susan Stovall
An Order of Coffee and Tears by Brian Spangler
Coffee with Poe: A Novel of Edgar Allan Poe's Life by Andrew Barger
The Coffee Girl by Shanna Hatfield
Coffee Clutch (Jan Birch Mystery) by Marshall Thornton
Murder by Mocha (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Roast Mortem (Coffee House Mystery) by Cleo Coyle
Coffee in Common by Dee Mann
One Coffee With (Sigrid Harald) by Margaret Maron
Jetting Away by Teri Heyer

I couldn't resist adding my short story, Jetting Away, to the above list. After all, Priscilla is having one-of-those-days where lots of coffee and some yummy donuts help her get through the day and make a life changing decision. Jetting Away is a short story prequel to my romance novel, Outback Love, but can be read as a stand-alone. Best of all, it's FREE, so I hope you'll give it a try.

JETTING AWAY - Amazon/Kindle

JETTING AWAY - Barnes&Noble/Nook

JETTING AWAY - Apple/iBookstore/iTunes

Jetting Away is also available for FREE at Sony, Kobo, Diesel and Smashwords.


As always, I hope you'll add your comments below. I'm guessing that you all love donuts and coffee too.

The Pensacola Interstate Fair

 

 I am one of those people who loves going to the fair. I love the carnival rides, the food concession stands, the animals. The fair is a great place to walk around, people watch and take lots of photos.

The Pensacola Interstate Fair

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my grandkids at the Pensacola Interstate Fair. What an awesome day enjoying the fair through their eyes.









The kiddie carnival rides were their thing - Fun Houses, Kiddie Roller Coasters, the Ferris Wheels and rides I could not even begin to name.


Since they had day passes (courtesy of their parents), they went on every kiddie ride numerous times. I was exhausted just watching them. Where do kids get all that energy?

These days I don't go on the rides. Since I had back-surgery in 2004, Roller Coasters and the like are a no-no for me. But I still enjoy all the sites, sounds and smells of the fair.


Hot dogs on a stick, curly fries, cotton candy, candy apples, you name it, all the traditional goodies were there. No, I didn't eat all those things, I just enjoyed being there.

As a kid in Southern California, the Los Angeles County Fair in Pomona was "The Fair" for me. Every year I eagerly awaited the fair days. My dad loved the fair, so we always went on opening day and then usually a couple more times before the fair was over.


Yes, back then I rode every carnival ride. The Ferris Wheels, Round-Up, Hammer and Roller Coasters were all favorites. I loved playing the midway games, even though I never won anything.

Back then I ate the hot dogs on a stick, cheese on a stick, lemonade, cotton candy and fresh-from-the-oven gingerbread heaped with whip cream. I was ultra-skinny then. These days, if I ate all that I'd weigh a gazillion pounds.

As a kid, my absolute favorite part of the fair, even better than the carnival rides and food, was all the animals. I'd spend hours petting and talking to all the horses, cows, goats, pigs, etc.

Of course, the horses were always my favorites and the Pomona Fair had lots of them - from Clydesdales to Shetland Ponies, from Palominos to Appaloosas, every kind of horse you could imagine.


I'd moo with the cows, watch baby pigs being born and baby chicks hatching. It was awesome.







Well, the Pensacola Interstate Fair is small in comparison, with few animals (primarily cows), but a good number of carnival rides. But for my grandkids, this is "The Fair." In their eyes, this fair is huge.


I lost track of the number of times they went through the Fun Houses. They enjoyed the giant slides, the flying elephants, the spinning green dragons, the spinning cars and the yellow bus that went up in the air. In fact, I don't think there was a ride they didn't love.

My twin granddaughters loved the rabbits, cows, calves and the big Brahma Bull. My grandson was impressed with the two Texas Longhorns.

The fair photos on this post were ones I took yesterday. I selected the most interesting ones for this post. No, I'm not in any of the photos in case you wanted to know.

By the way, my grandkids said the big Ferris Wheel is awesome. Of course, they thought all the rides were awesome. All in all, it was a grand day.


For those of you who know I love to put together lists of books, I managed to find a few books with a fair theme. So here they are, in no particular order (all are available as eBooks).







A Fair to Remember (Welcome to Redemption) by Stacey Joy Netzel*
The County Fair by Katherine Valentine
State Fair (Benni Harper Mystery) by Earlene Fowler
World's Fair by E. L. Doctorow
Murder at the Ingham County Fair (Lou Searing Mystery) by Richard Baldwin
The Carousel Painter by Judith Miller
Death at the Fair (Emily Cabot Mystery) by Frances McNamara
The Last Queen of the Gypsies by William Cobb
Meet Me in St. Louis by Robert Jackson (YA)
The Carousel by Belva Plain
The View from the Ferris Wheel by Courtney Parker

*On my Kindle.

I was surprised to find so few books with a fair theme. I'm sure there has to be others out there that I've missed, so please feel free to add them in the comments below. I hope you'll also share your fair memories.

What are you Reading for Halloween?

Halloween is almost here, again. That means witches, vampires, ghosts, goblins, werewolves and other "spooky" beings are out there waiting for their special night. It also means there is a lot of great Halloween and paranormal fiction that we all ought to be reading.

Well, this is where I point out that you all ought to be reading my paranormal romantic comedy, MOON OVER MADNESS, which is a great Halloween read. If you love witches, vampires, ghosts, werewolves, dragons, oh, and a dog named Jake, then this is just the book for you.

Chantel Deneuve is a half-witch who denied her witch heritage and moved away to the cottage town of East Hill, Florida. She has a quiet life with her two young daughters, Aria and Lucia, until something extraordinary happens. One night, much to her surprise, a vampire, Riordan "Rio" Martainn, comes knocking at her door and invites himself inside.

Rio is hot and Chantel flustered, but he manages to explain to Chantel that King Murdoc and his minions will be coming after her to retrieve the stolen Blue-Star. The Blue-Star? Chantel hasn't a clue. Rio, on the other hand, vows to protect Chantel. But who will protect Chantel from Rio? Together they search for the Blue-Star in order to return it to its true owner, a very pissed off dragon lady named Sabilla. Join Chantel, Rio, a dog named Jake, and an assortment of other-beings in their quest for the missing jewel. In the meantime, will Chantel and Rio fall in love in spite of all the madness?

Now here is where I swear that you'll love MOON OVER MADNESS. Rio is a hunk and Chantel can't resist his charms. Rio's companions, an assortment of vampires and werewolves, are to-die-for hunks too. Then there's Jake the dog who almost steals the show. The action builds and Halloween night is explosive. Then there's the problem with dragons. Sabilla is one dragon you'll not soon forget.

Well, if you're looking for a romantic, lighthearted, fun, action packed, Halloween read, then why don't you give MOON OVER MADNESS a try? This book is novella length and only $1.99.

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle/US

MOON OVER MADNESS - Amazon/Kindle/UK

MOON OVER MADNESS - Barnes&Noble/Nook

MOON OVER MADNESS is also available at Sony, Apple, Diesel, Kobo and Smashwords.

I've put together a list of fun, romantic, exciting, spooky, haunted reads that are perfect for Halloween. So here's the list, in no particular order. (Note - I slipped in some scary reads too.)

The Corset & The Cowboy (A Sensual Short Story) by Ruth D. Kerce
Livin' Lahaina Loca (Islands of Aloha Mystery) by JoAnn Bassett
Wilder Family Halloween (Darkness Chosen) by Christina Dodd
All Hallow's Moon by S. M. Reine
A Skeleton at Her Door (Halloween/Fall Romance) by E. Ayers
Passion & Pumpkins by Lily Rede
Halloween is for Lovers by Nate Gubin
Dumb White Husband vs. Halloween by Benjamin Wallace
Halloween Romance by Denaya Haymond
Under a Halloween Moon by Beverly Breton-Carroll
The Pumpkin Thief (A Chloe Boston Mystery) by Melanie Jackson
A Catered Halloween (Mystery with Recipes) by Isis Crawford
Halloween Honeymoon by Merline Lovelace
Lady Hilary's Halloween (A Regency Paranormal Romance) by Anne Barbour
The Halloween Collection (Indie Eclective) by M. Edward McNally, et. al.
A Halloween Homicide by David W. Robinson
Uneasy Spirits (A Victorian San Francisco Mystery) by M. Louisa Locke
A Halloween Collection Anthology: Sweet by Charlotte Raby, et. al.
A Halloween Collection Anthology: Stimulating by Rebecca J. Vickery, et. al.
All Hallow's Eve by Carolyn McCray
Hallowe'en Party (Hercule Poirot Mystery) by Agatha Christie
The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
The October Country by Ray Bradbury

Check out my next post for an assortment of witch, vampire, ghost and werewolf fiction.

(Note - Please feel free to add more Halloween reads in the comments below.)

Ecstatic About Books

Two of my bookshelves.

I have to confess, I am ecstatic, passionate, giddy about books. Between the books on my bookshelves and the ones on my two Kindles, I have more books than I can read in two lifetimes. So in reality, I guess that I am obsessed with books.

Well, as I've pointed out before, I have my mother to blame for my obsession, passion, love of books. At a very early age she read not only the standard fairy tales to me, but the wonderful stories by O'Henry and Terhune. When I could read on my own I took off like a racehorse and never looked back.

In two of my August posts, "Crazy About Books" and "In Love with Books," I gave a guided tour of three of my bookshelves.  Well, this post is a guided tour of my last two bookshelves. All my other books live in boxes under the bed in the guestroom, in boxes and stacks in the guestroom closet, on my Kindles, or in the Cloud. More books than I care to count, but still never enough.  There are just so many great books out there, that I keep buying more.

You can imagine my husband's relief when I started buying more eBooks than paper books. At least the next time we move there won't be additional boxes of books to lug around. I think with our last move, from the Texas Hill Country to the Florida Gulf Coast, I had approximately twenty-seven very heavy boxes of books. But all those zillions of eBooks can be carried around in my purse. I have to say that's awesome!

So here's the guided tour of the bookshelves in the photo above. Obviously there are too many books to list them all, so I'll only list a few of them. The top shelves have "treasures" collected through the years, but the other shelves are packed with books and magazines.

Left bookshelf from top to bottom:

Clouds and Eclipses (The Collected Short Stories) by Gore Vidal
New Stories from the South (2007 - The Year's Best) ed. by Edward P. Jones
New Stories from the South (2008 - The Year's Best) ed. by Z. Z. Packer
Like unto Like by Sherwood Bonner
Mothers & Daughters (An Anthology) ed. by Alberto Manguel
American Avenue, Rhythm & Reason (A Collection) by William Steding
The Quiet American by Graham Greene
The Best American Short Stories (2006) ed. by Ann Patchett
The Best American Short Stories (2009) ed. by Alice Sebold
Half in Love (Stories) by Maile Meloy
Best American Voices (2003) guest editor, Joyce Carol Oates
Best American Voices (2004) guest editor, John Casey
Best New American Voices (2006) ed. by Jane Smiley
Best New American Voices (2007) ed. by Sue Miller
Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott
The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty by Eudora Welty
The Stories of F. Scott Fitzgerald Selected by Malcolm Cowley
Girl with a Pearl Earring (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
The Lady and the Unicorn (A Novel) by Tracy Chevalier
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
The Forest Lover (A Novel) by Susan Vreeland

Once an Eagle by Anton Myrer
The Day the Cowboys Quit by Elmer Kelton
The Time It Never Rained by Elmer Kelton
Sandhills Boy (The Winding Trail of a Texas Writer) by Elmer Kelton
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
Shane by Jack Schaefer
Education of a Wandering Man (A Memoir) by Louis L'Amour
Louis L'Amour's wonderful books (54 of them on this shelf, too many to list)
The Great Trek by Zane Grey
Shower of Gold by Zane Grey
The Everglades: River of Grass by Marjorie Stoneman Douglas
The White Witch of Rosehall by Herbert G. de Lissor

Southwest Art (Magazine) (two stacks, several years)

Art of the West (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Southwest Art (Magazine) (one stack, several years)

Right bookshelf from top to bottom:

The Complete Works of Shakespeare (Revised Ed.) ed. by Hardin Craig
Masters of Modern Drama ed. by Haskell M. Block & Robert G. Shedd
A Field Guide to Central Australia by Penny van Oosterzee
Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways by National Geographic
Guide to the National Parks of the United States by National Geographic
A Field Guide to the Birds East of the Rockies by Roger Tory Peterson
Seashells of North America (A Guide to Field Identification) by R. Tucker Abbott

House Plants (How to choose, grow, display) by Sunset
Introduction to Basic Gardening by Sunset
The House Book by Terence Conran
Illustrated Guide to Gardening by Reader's Digest
Best Loved Garden Plants by David Myers, Lance Hattatt & Lindsay Bousfield
Will Write for Shoes: How to Write a Chick Lit Novel by Cathy Yardley
How I Write: Secrets of a Bestselling Author by Janet Evanovich with Ina Yalof
Walking on Alligators: A Book of Meditations for Writers by Susan Shaughnessy
Handbook of Short Story Writing by The Writer's Digest
Handbook of Short Story Writing - Volume II by The Writer's Digest
Lew Hunter's Screenwriting 434 by Lew Hunter
Character Naming Sourcebook by The Writer's Digest

Art Books (48 of them, which I'll save for another blog post about art and art books)

American Art Review (Magazine) (one stack, several years)
Birds & Blooms (Magazine) (one year)
Hallowed Ground (The Civil War Preservation Trust Magazine) (one year)
American Art Collector (Magazine) (one year)
Country Lifestyle (Magazine) (one year)
Plus an assortment of other art magazines.

I hope you've enjoyed the guided tour of my bookshelves. Please check back for other blog posts, because I'm always talking about books.

It's All About The Bling

Pink cowboy boots with bling.

When it comes right down to it, it is all about the bling - the glitz, glitter, sparkle - that makes the world turn. We dream about riches. We admire and want to emulate the richest of the rich. Or do we?

Certainly we're drawn to things that glitter - like diamonds, gold and pink cowboy boots with bling.

Last Friday when I went to the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival, I saw these awesome sparkly, glittery cowboy boots. They weren't in my size or they might have come home with me. It's not like I need to add any more bling in my life. At my age, not too terribly old, but certainly not young, I wouldn't have any need for boots with bling. It's just that, well, heck, those boots were really cool.





More cowboy boots with bling.

The vendor, Blingy Boutique, had blingy boots in other colors too, but there was something about the pink blingy ones that really caught my eye. If I was younger, much younger, I would have been determined to get those boots.

You see, I used to country dance, Two-Step and Cotton-Eye-Joe, at least a couple nights a week. I was in my 20s then and dancing was something I just had to do. I can't think of a more fun way to exercise. Not to mention, those Whiskey Sours tasted pretty darn good.

Now I just listen to country music on the radio and remember what fun I had dancing through the night all those many years ago.





Blingy Boutique, a vendor at the Sand Sculpture Festival.

Now back to the bling, glitz, glitter, sparkle thing. I love diamonds, rubies and gold, so I haven't outgrown all that bling, not yet anyway. I still stop and admire those sparkly, glittery, blingy shoes, clothes and jewelry that adorn magazines and store windows at the mall. Sometimes, just sometimes mind you, I even dream about all that bling.

For now, I'll just settle for writing this blog post about bling. Bling is awesome and we all want some of it every now and then.




That said, I managed to find some cool books, both fiction and non-fiction, that are all about the bling, glitz, glitter and sparkle that we love. So here are those books, in no particular order. No, I haven't read any of these, but they all sounded like books I'd probably enjoy. Another plus, all of these are available in eBook format.

Fiction with Bling, Glitz, Glitter, Sparkle:

Dallas Glitz by D. G. Green
All That Glitters by Heather Ames
Fool's Bling by Nadine Blyseth
All That Glitters by Marguerite Herron
A Key To All That Glitters by Kathleen Rowland
All That Glitters by Anna Grace
Baby Bling by Elle James
Glitz by Elmore Leonard
Beneath the Glitter by Elle & Blair Fowler
The Glitter Dome by Joseph Wambaugh
Bling, Bling by David DeLee
All That Glitters Is Not Gold (A St. Simons Love Story) by Carol Ashmore
Not All Stars Sparkle by Carys Jones
All That Glitters (Inside Girl) by J. Minter (YA)
Glitter by Kate Maryon (YA)
All That Glitters by Elizabeth McCoy

Non-Fiction with Bling, Glitz, Glitter, Sparkle:

The Big-Ass Book of Bling by Mark Montano
Sparkle by Mara Altman
Glitz, Glamour, Style (A Fashionista's Journey) by Jacquie A. Bennett
The Glitter and Gold by Consuelo Vanderbilt Balsan
Letting Go of the Glitz by Julia Stephenson
Create Your Own Bling by Ilene Branowitz
Sparkle: The Girl's Guide to Living a Deliciously Dazzling...Kick-Ass Life by Cara Alwill Leyba

I don't know about you, but I'm going to take a nap and dream about bling.

The Graffiti Bridge in Pensacola

The Graffiti Bridge (photos taken today, 10/2/12)

The Graffiti Bridge, aka the 17th Avenue Railroad Trestle, is one of my favorite Pensacola landmarks. I always enjoy visiting the bridge to see the latest graffiti. This is a work of pop art that changes day to day, night to night.

There is a great deal of controversy over this bridge. Some locals are horrified over the concept of graffiti in general and even more so in having it grace a railroad bridge in their city.





Periodically they create an uproar over the graffiti and then go out as a group to cover all the graffiti under a fresh coat of  white paint.

No sooner is the bridge painted and the local and visiting "artists" repaint it with colorful graffiti. Then another group comes along and paints out all the graffiti with a coat of purple paint, or green paint, or as seen in today's photos, striped pink and yellow paint. Then the graffiti is started all over again.






I love the changing nature of the graffiti on this bridge. Sometimes there are small murals, other times profound statements, other times someone is declaring their love for someone else.


People come from far and wide, me included, to see and photograph Pensacola's Graffiti Bridge.

A search on the Internet will turn up link after link with photos taken through the years. The oldest photo I found online is one taken in 1935. You can see that photo in the link below.

The Graffiti Bridge - 1935 Photo

Other Internet images of the Graffiti Bridge:

Images for Pensacola Graffiti Bridge







For anyone wanting to see the Graffiti Bridge, it's located on 17th Avenue, along Bayou Texar, near Bayfront Parkway in SE Pensacola. You can pinpoint the location with Google Map.

When I first moved to Florida over thirty years ago, I fell in love with the Graffiti Bridge. I've taken quite a number of photos of it through the years. The photos in this post are all ones I took today.

I've always had a special fascination, interest, in graffiti. Maybe it goes back to growing up in southern California where graffiti art covers a wide range, from tagging to beautiful murals and everything in between.

Through the years I've taken photographs of graffiti in major cities across the country. I think my favorite cities for graffiti are Los Angeles, San Francisco and New Orleans. Yes, I'm one of those people who even admires graffiti on railroad boxcars.


I have to admit that I've never painted graffiti anywhere in my lifetime. However, it is one of the item's on my Bucket List. Maybe someday my "art" will appear on the Graffiti Bridge?

For those of you who know I love to put together lists of interesting books, please check below for some graffiti fiction and non-fiction. I haven't read any of these books, but if you have a fascination for graffiti you might find these books of interest. (Books listed in no particular order. All are available in eBook format.)

Graffiti Fiction:

Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley
Graffiti Girl by Kelly Parra
The Graffiti Sculptor by Latham Shinder
Graffiti Grandma by Jo Barney
Hollywood Graffiti by Arelo Sederberg
Night Artist by Geoff Sutton
The Graffiti Genius by D. S. Carrell
The Walls by Jay Fox
Tagger by Mary A. Monroe (YA)
Graffiti Heaven by Marita A. Hansen (YA)
Tag by Michael Coleman (YA)

Graffiti Non-Fiction:

The Golden Age of Graffiti by Nigel Rees
Graffiti by Lou Savelli, Robert Cekada & Anthony Mottola
Street Scene - How to Draw Graffiti Style by John Lee
Graff2: Next Level Graffiti Techniques by Scape Martinez
The Mammoth Book of Street Art by JAKe
Graffiti Art Styles by Lisa Gottlieb
Seven Year With Bansky by Robert Clarke
Bansky: The Man Behind the Wall by Will Ellsworth-Jones

I have to add a disclaimer here. Although I have a fondness for graffiti, there is a time and a place where it can be admired. On the other hand, I don't agree with tagging people's houses, cars, walls, fences, signs, where it becomes an eyesore instead of art.

As always, please feel free to add comments below.