On Pensacola Beach - Waiting for Hurricane(?) Karen with Jim Cantore

Me and TWC's Jim Cantore at Pensacola Beach.

Now I have been a fan of The Weather Channel's meteorologist, Jim Cantore, for many years. Jim is pretty much a fixture when it comes to tropical storms and hurricanes. He has an uncanny sense of where those dreaded hurricanes are going to make landfall. Some even dare to say that Jim Cantore is a magnet for hurricanes.

This morning at Pensacola Beach. Waiting for Karen.

Well, when I turned on The Weather Channel this morning, there was Jim Cantore reporting from Pensacola Beach. So how could I resist? I live just over the bridge from the beach, so I had to drive over there to meet Jim and to take some beach photos.

This morning at the east side of the Pensacola Beach pier.

I have to say that Jim was very gracious and even had one of his camera crew take a couple photos of us with my camera. (If you're reading this post Jim, thank you so very much.)




Storm clouds above the Pensacola Beach pier.

I handed Jim my card and told him that I'm a local author, I have a blog and I follow him on Twitter. Well, my card has the cover of my book, Outback Love. So Jim said, "Outback Love?" And I mentioned that I'm a romance writer. Jim responded with, "I could use some romance in my life." Couldn't we all?

Surfers this morning on Pensacola Beach.

I told Jim that it was great getting to meet him, but that if he was at Pensacola Beach it meant that Karen is probably heading our way. So meeting Jim Cantore is sort of a good and bad thing. Nice to meet him, but we really don't want a hurricane coming our way.

Awesome storm clouds over Pensacola Beach this morning.

Well, I walked the beach and snapped a bunch of pre-Karen photos. The surf was up and the sun was peeking through the clouds and sparkling on the water. The clouds were gorgeous, as always when a tropical storm or hurricane is in the Gulf.

A view of Pensacola Beach from beneath the pier.

Several surfers were out, but the waves were breaking in such a way that the rides were short. I talked to one of the surfers who said he hoped the waves would be better this afternoon.

The far west end of Pensacola Beach.

Overall, the storm clouds were awesome this morning. At the time of these photos, Tropical Storm Karen was approximately 270 miles SSW of  Pensacola Beach. The actual point of landfall is still unknown.

Seagulls waiting for Tropical Storm/Hurricane Karen.

In spite of the fact that it was really cool getting to meet Jim Cantore this morning, we Floridians would rather have Tropical Storm Karen fizzle out in the Gulf and never reach hurricane strength.

Jim, you're welcome to visit our beach any ol' time, just please don't bring a hurricane with you.

Yodeling for Yellow

Some of my potted yellow Pansies.

If I knew how to yodel that is exactly what I would be doing right now. Only I can't sing a note, so yodeling is definitely out of the question. So, you might ask, what is this yodeling all about? Well, here on the Florida Gulf Coast it's a bright sunny day and very close to spring.

It's already Spring Break here in Florida. Tourists from all over the country, and the world, head to Florida this time of year. The temperatures are mild, in the high-60s today and expected to reach the high-70s tomorrow. Before the month is out we should be in the 80s.

This is beach weather for those from colder climates. For me too? Beach weather? Well, not quite. My "old" bones need at least the 80s before I venture down to the beach and into the water. On the other hand, this is perfect weather for walking on the beach.

So what does yellow have to do with Florida and Spring Break and almost beach weather? Well, it's all about gorgeous blue skies, a bright yellow sun, the emerald/turquoise Gulf waters and sand between the toes.

I happen to love the color yellow in all its different shades, from the palest yellow hue to bright canary yellow and everything in between. I love yellow flowers, yellow clothes, yellow houses, yellow cars, well, just about yellow anything. Yellow books? Yep, those too.

My yellow floral oil painting.

Besides writing, I'm a part-time artist, which means I paint in oils or acrylics when the mood strikes me. I love to paint florals. And yellow flowers are sooooo much fun to paint.

One of my favorite floral paintings is a bouquet of yellow flowers with two red-orange Gerbera Daisies. I did that painting back in 2004 while I was recuperating from back surgery. I couldn't do much of anything for the six weeks following the surgery, but I could paint.

I think I did some of my best paintings during those six weeks. I also read a whole lot of books during those weeks, but then I'm always reading a whole lot of books.

Well, as I've mentioned in previous posts, colors represent different phases and memories in my life. A couple months back I started writing posts about colors (Seeing Red, Passionate About Purple, Think Pink and Lovely Lavender). This morning I woke up and said, "This is a yellow day."

When I was a kid I always dreamed about having a yellow farmhouse. I wanted it to be two stories with white shutters and a huge painted-white wrap-around porch. I wanted that farmhouse to be right in the middle of acres and acres of land, with horses, cows, pigs, chickens, cats, dogs and any other critters I could think of. Well, that yellow farmhouse is still a dream, but maybe someday ... you just never know.

When I was sixteen my parents bought a bright yellow Corvette Stingray. Wow! That was an awesome car. I wanted so badly to be allowed to drive it, but I had to wait until the following year. One day, when I was a freshman in college, my dad finally relented and said I could drive the Corvette to pick him up at work. Was he crazy? Allowing a seventeen year old to drive a Corvette? And on a rainy day too?

Well, I took the turn onto the freeway on ramp (in So-Cal) at too high a speed and did a 360 and then some.  I remember thinking that I'd better die in the crash, because if I didn't my dad was going to kill me. I must have had a guardian angel looking out for me that day, as the vet came to a stop about a foot away from a concrete embankment. I breathed a sigh of relief, my heart still pounding, looked up and there was Forest Lawn Cemetery right before my eyes. That was an instant reminder of where I could have been. By the way, I learned to be a very careful driver after that.

My parents never heard that story. When I picked my dad up from work he asked how the drive went. I think I said something like, "Just fine." Dad had a twinkle in his eye, so maybe he sensed that I drove the vet much too fast that day. Now my mom, who is probably hearing this story for the first time as she reads this post, is saying "You did what?" Hey, what can I say?

Years later my husband and I bought a canary yellow Jeep Wrangler with a black removable top. It pretty much looked like a giant bumble-bee, but boy was it fun to drive. We had that yellow Jeep for several years until we traded it in for a big white truck.  A truck? White? What were we thinking? But that's another story, another post.

I remember a bright yellow mini-dress that I wore to a high school dance. I wore it with yellow fishnet stockings, purple shoes, a purple headband and purple sunglasses. Hey, those were the late sixties and mod-dress meant bright colors. So yes, my dress was a hit. And I did wear those sunglasses while I danced in my fishnet stockings in the gym.

I remember another bright yellow dress, so many years later. My husband and I were on a mini-vacation in Jamaica. We were staying at Wyndham Rose Hall outside of Montego Bay. I spotted this gorgeous yellow and white striped dress and I just had to buy it. The skirt was cut in overlapping triangles of solid yellow and then yellow and white striped. I wore that dress off and on for many years and it always brought back memories of Jamaica, the warm Caribbean waters, Jamaica Delights (a tropical drink with pineapple juice, coconut milk and three different kinds of rum), balmy temps and reggae music (and yes, I can reggae).

Well, I could go on and on talking about the color yellow in my life, but then this post would be way too long. So to wind things up I'll add a few yellow books. It's not surprising that one of my favorite yellow books is John D. MacDonald's One Fearful Yellow Eye (Travis McGee Series #8). I've read every one of the colorful books in the series and plan to read all of them over again. Yes, I'm in love with Travis McGee, but don't tell my husband.

Another favorite yellow book is Patricia Falvey's The Yellow House. This novel is awesome! I have a hardback copy which graces my bookshelves. Some books stay in your memory and this is one of them, a book to read over and over again.

A yellow book I'm looking forward to reading is Louis L'Amour's Showdown at Yellow Butte. I have just about all of Louis L'Amour's books in paperback (all keepers) and have already read over half of them. I love every one, so I'm sure to love this one too.

In most of my posts I include a list of books. So in this case it's a list of Yellow Fiction. I haven't read any of the books listed below, but they all sound like great reads. Some of them have already been added to my Kindles (my old Kindle Keyboard and my newer Kindle Fire).

Yellow Fiction (that's fiction with yellow in the title, in no particular order):

Yellow Crocus: A Novel by Laila Irahim*
Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Tapestry: Strands of Blue and Yellow by Cady Elizabeth Arnold
Yellowstone Heart Song (Yellowstone Romance #1) by Peggy L. Henderson*
Yellowstone Redemption (Yellowstone Romance #2) by Peggy L. Henderson*
The Yellow Palace (Inner Seas Kingdom) by Jeffrey Quyle
Secret Past (Yellow Creek Novel #1) by Anna Sugg
Ghost Thunder (Yellow Creek Novel #2) by Anna Sugg
The Yellow Rose of Texas by Shannon Richardson
Yellow Rose Bride (Historical Romance) by Lori Copeland
The Yellow Birds: A Novel by Kevin Powers
Strawberry Yellow (A Mas Arai Mystery) by Naomi Hirahara
The Yellow Rose (Lone Star Legacy) by Gilbert Morris
Pushing Up Bluebonnets (Yellow Rose Mystery) by Leann Sweeney
The Yellow Packard by Ace Collins
In a Yellow Wood by Gore Vidal
Chrome Yellow and Other Works by Aldous Huxley
The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Gilman Perkins

Another of my oil paintings with yellow flowers.

*On my Kindles

I had a fun time putting together this list of yellow fiction. Please feel free to add more in the comments below. Thanks again for stopping by.

YOooooDoooOOLeeeeng YeeEELLooooOOO ... (that's me trying to yodel).

The Next Big Thing Blog Hop: ROMANCE IN A BOTTLE

 

Soon to be released.

Fellow author, Gae-Lynn Woods, invited me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. How could I resist an offer like that? My latest book, Romance in a Bottle, will be released in time for Spring Break. So I figured the Blog Hop would be the perfect time to talk this fun beach read.

Many thanks to Gae-Lynn Woods for letting me be part of this Blog Hop. Be sure to check out Gae-Lynn's blog and her two Cass Elliot Crime Novels, The Devil of Light  and Avengers of Blood.

Gae-Lynn Woods - Blog: THE BIG HEAT - Texas Crime Fiction

THE DEVIL OF LIGHT by Gae-Lynn Woods at Amazon/Kindle

THE DEVIL OF LIGHT by Gae-Lynn Woods at Barnes&Noble


Now for my part of The Next Big Thing Blog Hop, which is to answer a bunch of questions about my new book, Romance in a Bottle.

1) What is the title of your book?

The title is Romance in a Bottle. This is the first book in my Beach Stories Series.

2) Where did the idea for the book come from?

I happen to live on the Florida Panhandle, just a couple miles from the sugar-sand beaches and emerald waters of the Gulf Coast, which is where I came up with the idea for Romance in a Bottle. I was walking along the edge of the surf, picking up seashells, when the story just popped into my head. I had to race back home and start writing. (Note - the cover design is from a photo I took on Pensacola Beach.)

3) What genre is your book?

The genre is Contemporary Romantic Comedy with some Paranormal/Fantasy elements.

4) What actors would you chose to play the characters in a movie rendition?

When I started writing Romance in a Bottle I had Maksim Chmerkovskiy of 'Dancing with the Stars' in mind for Max and Katherine Heigl for Allie.

5) What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

I suppose it's "Be careful what you wish for."

6) Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?

Self-published.

7) How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

Now this is a hard question for me to answer. I write fast, but then I have a bad habit of jumping around from one writing project to another. So it would be difficult for me to determine just how much time I spent.

8) What other books would you compare this story to within your genre?

I love the contemporary romantic comedy of Jennifer Crusie, Rachel Gibson, Emily Carmichael, Candis Terry and Talli Roland, to name just a few. So I hope that readers who love those authors will enjoy Romance in a Bottle and the rest of my Beach Stories Series.

9) Who or what inspired you to write the book?

I've always been a fan of the old TV series, "I Dream of Jeannie," so I know that added to my inspiration for Romance in a Bottle. Plus, I've been wanting to write a series of Beach Stories that are interconnected and set on Pensacola Beach.  I thought this would be a perfect start to that series.

10) What else about the book might pique the reader's interest?

Have you ever dreamed of finding a bottle on the beach? And what if you opened that bottle?

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The Next Big Thing Blog Hop is supposed to hop from one blog to another to let readers know about new books that have recently been released or are soon to be released. I had hopes of listing some writers/authors below so you could hop on over to their blogs and read about their new books. Unfortunately, the writers I contacted said they were too pressed for time and would be unable to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop.

 

Once again, I want to thank Gae-Lynn Woods for inviting me to participate in The Next Big Thing Blog Hop. Please hop back over to Gae-Lynn's blog to check out some of the other writers participating in this Blog Hop.

 

Gae-Lynn Woods - The Next Big Thing Blog Hop



A Sandcastle on Navarre Beach

A Sandcastle on Navarre Beach.

I have always been in love with sandcastles. Growing up in southern California, my family went to the beach most every weekend all summer long. Laguna Beach was my favorite, because of the rocky shoreline that revealed starfish, sea urchins and other sea creatures when the tide was out. I also loved Newport Beach and Huntington Beach, because of all that sand which was great for building sandcastles.

At an early age my parents taught me how to build a sandcastle using my hands to form the walls, then digging the moat and forming the outer walls. Fingers worked just fine to create windows and doors. No, we didn't have plastic forms to build sandcastles back then, just our hands and a lot of imagination. When the castle was complete, my dad showed me how to drip sand onto the structure to create the roof, spires and other decorative elements. Then it was all topped off with an assortment of seashells and colorful sea glass.

These days people use plastic forms and a variety of plastic shovels and rakes to build a sandcastle. It's still a fun thing to do, but not quite as unique and artistic as the ones I built as a child.

Yesterday my husband and I attended the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival. I expected to see an assortment of sandcastles, but such was not the case. Instead, there were the following sand creatures: a crocodile, a sea turtle, a gorilla head, horse heads, a snake, Humpty Dumpty, a giant eye and a giant face. Oh, there was also a race car, but only one sandcastle. Go figure. You can see the lone sandcastle in the photo above.

I'd love a beach festival of just sandcastles, but maybe sandcastles aren't popular these days? Oh well, I guess I'll have to go down to the beach and build my very own sandcastle, just to see if I still know how to do it the old fashioned way. On the other hand, when Hurricane Isaac battered the Gulf Coast several weeks back, I walked along the beach collecting plastic forms, rakes and shovels for building sandcastles. I wondered how all those brightly colored plastic forms ended up abandoned and half buried in the sand. Anyway, I now have enough plastic tools to build a modern day sandcastle.

I'm sorry to say that I don't have any photos of those sandcastles I built all those many years ago, when I was just a kid. Well, at least I have the memories. One of the things I remember from those long ago days, was watching the rising tide wash away the sandcastle at the end of the day. There was something special about creating a momentary work of art, a sandcastle here for a few hours and then gone.

For those who might be interested in the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival which continues through Sunday, here's the link with all the info.

Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival

If you want to see more photos of the sand sculptures I mentioned above, and some enticing photos of Navarre Beach, check out the two blog posts I did yesterday.

For those of you who know I love to make lists of great books to read, well, here's a list of sandcastle fiction. (Listed in no particular order.)

Sandcastle Fiction:

Sandcastles by Luanne Rice*
Sandcastle and Other Stories by Justin Bog**
Sand Castles by Antoinette Stockinberg**
The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian
Sandcastles by April Hill
The Sand Castle by Rita Mae Brown
Sandcastles of Love by Sydell I. Voeller
Castles on the Sand by E. M. Tippetts
Sandcastles by H. H. Campbell
Sand Castles and Seashores by S. C. Harvey

All of the above books are available in eBook format.

*A book I've read and very much enjoyed by one of my favorite authors, Luanne Rice. I actually have a hardback copy of this keeper book.

**To-Be-Read Books on my Kindles (Two, my old Kindle Keyboard and new Kindle Fire).

Note: My book list above would have been longer, but there aren't that many sandcastle books. So maybe I need to write one? Just sayin'...

Please feel free to comment below and add any sandcastle books that I might have missed.

Before I forget, I came across a how-to book about building sandcastles. So in case anyone is interested, here it is:

Sandcastles Made Simple by Lucinda Wierenga

Greetings From Navarre Beach, Florida

A bright, sunny day on Navarre Beach. Photo from pier.

This was an awesome day at Navarre Beach. Bright sun, puffy white clouds, tranquil turquoise Gulf waters and sugar-white sand.  The Florida Gulf Coast doesn't get much better than this.

Here's a quick photo tour of Navarre Beach.

I took a long stroll down the Navarre Beach Pier. What a perfect place for great photos.

Navarre Beach Pier

Walking on the pier is only $1 and fishing is $4 to $7 depending on age, with kids 5 and under free.

For those who love to fish, the pier is a great place to catch pompano, flounder, cobia and mackerel. If you're like me, the pier is just a great place to gaze at all that beautiful water, sand and cerulean blue skies.


Beach Bar/Restaurant at the Navarre Beach Pier

Navarre Beach Vacation Guide

Navarre Beach - Beaches to Rivers


I took a bunch of photos today which I hope you'll enjoy.

The Beach Bar at the Navarre Beach Pier was packed with a Friday lunch crowd.


View from the Navarre Beach Pier.

Only a handful of people were walking or fishing on the pier. One little boy, about five years old, reeled in a small sand shark. After his dad took his picture with the shark, it went back into the water.


The pier is a favorite spot for retirees, who come equipped with a fishing wagon, complete with fishing gear, an ice-chest and sun umbrella.


The youngest person on the pier today was a seventeen month old toddler in a pink bikini. She was determined to walk the pier on her very own two feet, shod in pink Crocs.



Retirees fishing on the pier.

To the west of the pier are high-rise condos and beyond that a long line of beach houses. To the east of the pier the beach is just a spit of pristine sand and sand-dunes.

 I remember this beach from way-back-when, minus the high-rise condos and only a handful of beach houses.

Navarre Beach has changed through the years, but it's still as awesome as ever.

A sea of umbrellas west of the pier.

To the west of the pier was a sea of umbrellas. To the east only a handful of beach-goers.

The beach east of the pier.

Be sure to check out my next post about the Navarre Beach Sand Sculpture Festival which started today and runs through Sunday. I took a bunch of photos of the sand sculptures that you won't want to miss.

Remnants of Isaac on Pensacola Beach

The pier on Pensacola Beach on 8/29/12.

I went back to Pensacola Beach this morning to see the remnants of Isaac. The winds were still gale force and the sky dark with storm clouds. The pier was open, so I walked all the way to the end and watched in awe as waves broke and splashed the end of the pier. A few other hardy souls were out there taking pictures.








On the pier facing south to the stormy Gulf.

I talked to an assortment of people. Some were locals and others tourists. All were as impressed by the wind and waves. We're so used to Pensacola Beach having flat turquoise water, so this churning dark cauldron is a definite oddity.

Awesome waves at the end of the pier.

Although I took dozens of digital photos, none of them really convey the size and power of the surf pounding the beach and pier.

Josh from PensacolaSurf.com

On the pier I talked to a young surfer (hey, everyone seems young to me these days) named Josh who was taking pics for his website: PensacolaSurf.com

Josh was kind enough to let me include his pic and the link to his website on my post. Be sure to check out Josh's website for the awesome pics and movies that he took today of the wild surf on Pensacola Beach.

I convinced Josh to take of few pics of me with my camera. Unfortunately, with my hair standing on end, I looked like a wild woman. Nope, I won't be sharing those pics here.






The west end of Pensacola Beach.

I drove to the west end of Pensacola Beach where the sea oats waved in the wind. The surf pounded all the way up to the line of sand dunes. Only a few people were there taking photos.

The parking lot at the west end was still half underwater. Happy seagulls waded through their new-found pond.







A view of the east end of Pensacola Beach.

Then I drove to the east end of Pensacola Beach. The wind seemed to be stronger there and was blowing foam off the surf.

A handful of people were walking on the east end of the beach.  One woman was doing a dance step along the edge of the surf.

Prayers are needed for those harmed by Hurricane Isaac.

Over the last several days I've logged a lot of hours watching Tropical Storm then Hurricane Isaac as it pummeled the Gulf Coast. Louisiana is currently under a frontal assault by the storm. Prayers need to be said for those still facing the brunt of the storm. The Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coast is still being pounded by heavy surf, driving rains and high winds. The Florida Panhandle got off easy in this storm with just heavy surf and gale force winds.

I think storms are awesome, but I have to agree that it's time for Isaac to leave the Gulf Coast.

Paradise as Usual

A typical day in paradise.

As Tropical Storm Isaac makes its way up the Gulf Coast, it is "Paradise as Usual" here on the beaches of the Florida Panhandle.

I've had The Weather Channel on almost non-stop, except when watching the football games. Yes, I'm a big-time football fan and pretty much root for every team. I just like watching football.

I'm a Saints fan, due to the close proximity of the Saints and the fact that I've actually gone to some of their games in years past. But I'm also an avid fan of Peyton Manning, so I'll be rooting for the Broncos this year.

Yes, I like Eli Manning too, so I'll continue to cheer for the Giants. I also root for the Raiders and the 49ers, because first and foremost, I'm a California girl. Oh, and I can't forget all our Florida teams, the Bucs, Dolphins and Jaguars. So I really do root, cheer, hoot and holler for a lot of teams.

Okay, I'm getting off track here, as usual. This is supposed to be a post about paradise and beaches and waiting for Tropical Storm soon-to-be-Hurricane Isaac.

Coastal and low-lying areas of Louisianna, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle (the counties of Escambia, Santa Rosa and Okaloosa) are supposedly under a mandatory evacuation. According to The Weather Channel, people are "boarding up and heading out." Here and there someone has boarded up and may or may not have left. Otherwise, it's business as usual, paradise as usual.

I'm not keen about being in a hurricane. Not particularly fond of hours of high winds, lightning, thunder and torrential rains. On the other hand, that's standard fare here in paradise. Tropical storms, bugs and beautiful white sand beaches. That's our paradise.

If I was rich I'd be living on the beach. But such is not the case. I live a couple miles inland, in a tiny older house that has updated renovations (done before we bought the house). We're close enough to the Gulf to smell the salt air  when the breeze is right. Close enough to see pelicans and seagulls gliding overhead. Close enough to walk to the beach if we had the energy to do so, which I don't.

Now here's a thought. If I ever sell enough of my books (hint, hint) then maybe I'll move to a tiny place on the beach. On the other hand, I can always dream.

As usual, I like to add lists of books to my posts. So here is some great paradise fiction (in no particular order).

On my Kindles (I have two, a Kindle Keyboard and my new Kindle Fire):

Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth-Jones
Crazy in Paradise by Deborah Brown
Too Much Trouble in Paradise by Michelle Betham
The Scent of Lies (A Paradise Valley Mystery) by Debra Burroughs
Welcome to Paradise by Carol Grace
Troubles in Paradise by Carol Grace
Return to Paradise by Carol Grace
Trouble in Paradise by Lynn Byer
Another Day in Paradise by Justin Burgess
This Side of Paradise by F. Scott Fitzgerald

An assortment of paradise fiction, all available in ebook format for your Kindle, Nook, etc.:

A Rainbow in Paradise by Susan Aylworth
The Edge of Paradise by Peggy Webb
Deception in Paradise by Deborah Brown
The Blue Paradise (Florida Keys) by Theo Fenraven
Charlotte Figg Takes Over Paradise by Joyce Magnin
Nights in Paradise (Sisters Series - Bk1) by Vera Adams
Days in Paradise (Sisters Series - Bk2) by Vera Adams
An Island in Paradise (Sisters Series - Bk3) by Vera Adams
Welcome to Paradise by Elle Kennedy
Private Paradise by Jami Alden
Flight to Paradise by Mike Coe
Aloha Paradise David Ludwick
An Innocent in Paradise by Kate Carlisle
Visiting Paradise by Jess Dee
Plain Paradise (Daughters of the Promise) by Beth Wiseman
The Only Way to Paradise (Italy) by G. G. Vandagriff
Paradise Fields by Katie Fforde
Trouble Aboard the Hawaiian Paradise by Lisa Deckert
Storm in Paradise Valley (Western) by Charles G. West
Unlikely Paradise by J. M. Maxim
Stranger in Paradise by Phyllis Humphrey
Love's Paradise (Arabesque) by Celeste O. Norfleet
Paradise Found by Kate Perry
Paradise Valley (Virgin River) by Robyn Carr
Paradise by Larry McMurtry
Master of Paradise by Virginia Henley
A Cold Day in Paradise (Alex McKnight Mystery) by Steve Hamilton
Death in Paradise (Jesse Stone) by Robert B. Parker
Paradise Lost (Joanne Brady) by J. A. Jance
Passing Through Paradise by Susan Wiggs
Stranger in Paradise (Carson Springs - Bk1) by Eileen Gouge
Dark Paradise by Tami Hoag
Paradise for Two by Betty Neels
Welcome to Paradise (Key West Mystery) by Laurence Shames
Paradise Wild by Johanna Lindsey
Half of Paradise by James Lee Burk
Just Another Day in Paradise by Elizabeth Lowell
Thieve's Paradise by Eric Jerome Dickey
Paradise Screwed by Carl Hiaasen
Outlaw in Paradise by Patricia Gaffney
Paradise Country by Karen Robards
The Fires of Paradise (Bragg Saga) by Brenda Joyce
Trouble in Paradise by Robin Lee Hatcher
A Taste of Paradise by Connie Mason
Fool's Paradise by Tori Phillips
Return to Paradise by Shirl Henke
Paradise Bay by James Michael Pratt

Okay, I had no idea there was so much paradise fiction. Whew! If you have a passion for paradise, then these books are for you. Enjoy!

As always, please feel free to comment below and be sure to add any books of paradise fiction that I may have missed.

The Dog Days of Summer

My dog, Dude, on a hot summer day.

We have reached the middle of summer and it is hot, hot, HOT. On the weekend, the temp hit 101, which is unusually hot for the Florida Gulf Coast. Yesterday topped out at 97 degrees and then took a dive to 76 after hours of much needed rain. Ahhh! A temporary reprieve from scorching hot temps.

I grew up referring to this time of year as "the dog days of summer." Is that term still used? Or am I horribly out of date? Well, ask my dogs, Dude and Shani, and they'll tell you this truly is the dog days of summer.

As I write it's clouding up for another afternoon thunderstorm, hopefully with more of that much needed rain. Funny thing, thunderstorms here don't always bring rain. Sometimes it's hours of lightning and thunder and nary a drop of rain. Go figure. Weather never fails to amaze me.

For those of you who have been following my blog, I'm notorious for lists of great books to read. So this post is no exception. My dogs, Dude in particular, says "Ahh-rooooooo!" Dude is part Golden Retriever and part hound (???), so he "talks" like a southern hound dog. Picture Scooby Doo in a real live dog. That's Dude.

Shani enjoying the dog days of summer.

Shani, on the other hand, is an "old" lady at ten and a half. She's a Collie/Chow mix with a  heart of gold.  She half-heartedly raised Dude from the moment I brought home a wiggly, noisy, nineteen pound, three month old pup a year and a half ago. Shani did a great job of teaching Dude proper dog manners. So Dude is a well-behaved, but goofy one hundred pound dog. Oh, Shani doesn't like me to give out her weight, but she's a solid eighty-five pounds.

Okay, now back to my book list thingy that I often include in my posts. This being "dog days" and all, well, I figured I'd better list some books about dogs. Or at least some books that have great dog characters as part of the cast. Which means I'm going  to shamelessly promo my books for just a moment.

Outback Love has a lovable "ugly" dog named Elliot who enters into the novel when Priscilla and Ian reach the Outback. I'm not going to give away Elliot's part of the story, but he certainly tries to steal the show.

Moon Over Madness has a hundred pound pup named Jake who is a central character in my paranormal romantic comedy. Jake has the uncanny ability of being able to "talk" to children. Nope, he doesn't talk to adults. Imagine that!

"Old Dogs Need Love Too" is one of my short stories in Bayou Blues and Other Sorrows. It's the story of two "old" souls, a widow and an old throw-away dog, who find each other.

Now that I've plugged my books, it's time to list some other great dog reads.

My love of dog stories began before I could read. My favorite bedtime stories were those by Albert Payson Terhune. I had a collection of his dog stories and that's what I insisted my mom read to me, over and over again. He's probably best known for Lad: A Dog. I think the book I had as a child was Best Loved Dog Stores of Albert Payson Terhune, which is virtually impossible to find these days, but some libraries might still have a copy. I did notice that Amazon has three copies at an incredibly high price.

My favorite child/YA dog stories (or books with great dog characters) were:

Old Yeller by Fred Gipson
Savage Sam by Fred Gipson
The Incredible Journey by Sheila Burnford
Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight
The Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss
All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot

As an adult, I've come across several authors (some of my favs) who include great dog characters in their books. Of course, my favorite of those is Bob, the dog in Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum Series. Who wouldn't fall for lovable ol' Bob? Jennifer Crusie has some cool dogs in some of her books. Emily Carmichael also has some great books with dogs as the central characters: Finding Mr. Right, Diamond in the Rough and Gone to the Dogs (I've read and loved these).

I have three dog books on my Kindle which I'm hoping to read soon:

Because of Winn Dixie by Kate DiCamillo
Must Love Dogs by Claire Cook
An Angel With Fur by Russell Blake

In looking for dog books this morning I came across a treasure trove of dog mysteries. So here are some of the ones I found. I haven't read any of these, but most certainly plan to do so.

The Kingdom of Dog (Golden Retriever Mysteries) by Neil S. Plakcy
Smokey Mountain Tracks (Rainy Stockton Dog Mysteries) by Donna Ball
Gone to the Dogs (Dog Lover's Mystery Series) by Susan Conant
A Shot in the Bark (A Dog Park Mystery) by Carol Ann Newsome
Never Con a Corgi (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series) by Edie Claire
Play Dead (An Allie Babcock Mystery) by Leslie O'Kane
Hounding the Pavement (A Dog Walker Mystery) by Judi McCoy
Bark M for Murder by J. A. Jance, et.al. (a collection of dog mysteries)
Magic (Dog Mysteries) by Edmund Humm
Ten Little Bloodhounds by Virginia Lanier
Pekinese Premonition by Jacqueline Vick

In my search I also came across the following dog books that look interesting:

A Dog Story (A Short Tale of Kedge) by Nancy L. Silk
Jack by Ray Braswell
One Good Dog by Susan Wilson
Rottweiller Rescue by Ellen O'Connell
The Woof in the Wedding Plans by Regina Duke
Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service by Beth Kendrick
Dog Nanny by Ann Whitaker
It's a Dog's Life by Dale Mayer
The Story of Rose: A Man and His Dog by Jon Katz

This is by no means a complete list of the great dog books out there. So here's my request to all you dog lovers. Please add your favorite dog books in the comments below. Also, don't hesitate to add dog books that you've written.

Dude says, "Ahh-rooo-rooo-rooooooo!" Shani says, "RAH!"  And I say, "Thank you!"

Pensacola Beach Waves Goodbye to Tropical Storm Debby

Pensacola Beach, June 25th

I ventured out to Pensacola Beach today to take some "day after" photos of Tropical Storm Debby.

The beach was beautiful. Huge white and gray clouds interspersed with cerulean blue skies. The surf was quite calm compared to yesterday. The winds came in gusts. It was obvious that Tropical Storm Debby is still out there in the Gulf, way off in the distance, sucking moisture from our part of Florida and dumping rains in the rest of the state. But here on the western end of the Panhandle the storm is pretty much over, at least for today.

The west end of Pensacola Beach.

I love watching storms, so I must say I was a bit disappointed that our tropical storm is already winding down. On the other hand, I think it's best for the storm to fizzle out to nothing and go on it's way without causing any more damage.

The Florida Gulf Coast suffered pounding surf, flooding rains and waterspouts. The rest of the state suffered a deluge of rains, tornadoes, damaging winds and power outages. Well, that's quite enough from one storm, thank you very much.

The clouds are still pretty dark to the SE.

Listening to the weather reports, the center of Debby is still stalled out in the Gulf, south of Apalachicola and west of Tampa/St.Pete. Though it's possible the storm can wind back up and take off like a top to a landfall anywhere along the Gulf Coast, it will hopefully die out and go away.

Since this is Hurricane Season, I imagine we'll have more tropical storms heading our way in short order. For now, it's the perfect time to enjoy the beach.

The pier at Pensacola Beach.

Just before posting this I listened to the latest weather report. The Florida Gulf Coast, from Destin east and south is still under a Tropical Storm Warning. So even though our part of Florida is in the clear for now, the rest of the state is still being effected by this storm.

I'll venture back to the beach tomorrow for more pics if there are any changes. In the meantime, check out my next post, "Hunks of Pensacola Beach" for the cute/hunky guys I met on the beach today. Girls, you won't want to miss that post. Just sayin'...

The Pensacola Beach water tower.

Looking at these pics as I'm putting together this post, I can see the sky was still pretty stormy this morning. Obviously, the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby are still out there.

Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction

A stormy day at Pensacola Beach.

June 1st is the start of Hurricane Season. Here on the Gulf Coast we take this time of year seriously. Hurricanes are no laughing matter when they reach our coast. Nature's might is horrifying and awesome at the same time.

I have a love/hate relationship with hurricanes. I'm overwhelmed by their beauty, yet hate their destructive power. As a writer and artist I'm transfixed in the face of a storm, any storm, even a hurricane. I find myself searching for words and colors that describe the magnificent demon that dares to destroy all in its violent path.

As a school age child I first learned about hurricanes when I read A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. From that moment on I had this great yearning to be in a hurricane, to experience that mighty destructive force first-hand. Now remember, I was just a kid and kids only think about the excitement, the thrill, and not the fact that hurricanes maim, kill, destroy. All I thought about was the power of the wind.

My interest in hurricanes is what first made me want to move to Florida, years before I actually moved here. Hurricanes and Florida have a long history and I thought that if I moved here I'd most likely experience a hurricane somewhere down the line. That was in my young, invincible days. As an adult I'd like to think that I'm older and wiser now. Well, I'm definitely "older," but still not sure about the "wiser" part. Now, though I still have a fascination with hurricanes, I'd just as soon they stay far away from Florida and the Gulf Coast.

My husband and I first moved to Florida back in 1982. Gee, was it that long ago? Both of our parents had retired to Florida, so it was a logical choice. Plus, my husband was born and raised in southern Alabama, so the Florida Panhandle was close to home for him. Anyway, this area had been ravaged back in 1979 by Hurricane Frederick. Though its landfall was Dauphin Island, Mobile, AL, the Florida Panhandle had a significant amount of damage. (Hurricane Frederick, Sept. 13, 1979)

On our first vacation to New Orleans, my husband drove us through beautiful Biloxi and Pass Christian, Mississippi where Hurricane Camille in 1969 devastated the area. (Hurricane Camille, Cat.5, Aug. 17-19, 1969)

A few years later, in 1985, Hurricanes Elena, Juan and Kate wrecked havoc on the Gulf Coast. (Hurricane Elena, Sept. 2, 1985, landfall near Biloxi, MS) (Hurricane Juan, Cat.1, Oct. 31, 1985, landfall near Pensacola, FL) (Hurricane Kate, late Nov. 1985, landfall near Port St. Joe, FL)

In 1995 Hurricane Opal hit the Florida Panhandle in the area of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan, which made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL, pretty much destroyed Pensacola Beach. In 2005 Hurricane Dennis made landfall in Pensacola. It was followed by Hurricane Katrina which devastated all of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans. (Hurricane Opal, Cat.3, Oct. 4, 1995) (Hurricane Ivan, Cat.3, Sept. 16, 2004) (Hurricane Dennis, Cat.4, July 10, 2005) (Hurricane Katrina, Cat.5, Aug. 29, 2005)

Now once again we're facing another Hurricane Season. Those of us who live in hurricane prone areas diligently watch the weather forecasts. We eye the spaghetti pattern predictions of possible landfalls. We worry about highs and lows and weather patterns. We keep an eye on those tropical depressions birthed from the coast of Africa and watch them cross the Atlantic, heading west. The Caribbean? The Gulf of Mexico? The East Coast? Florida? The Florida Panhandle? No matter where a hurricane makes landfall, it leaves a path of destruction. We pretty much hope and pray the tropical storms and hurricanes do loop-de-loops through the Atlantic and leave the rest of us alone.

Now as I said in the title of this post, this has to do with Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction. Where does the fiction part come into play? Like I said, I have a fascination with hurricanes, so over the years I've found myself drawn to hurricane fiction. I'll pretty much read any work of fiction that has a hurricane as a major character.

On the off-chance that some of you out there have this same fascination with hurricanes, I've decided to list some of that great hurricane fiction. I've divided my lists up between Favorite Hurricane Fiction, Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle, Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List, YA Hurricane Fiction and More Hurricane Fiction. There are some great reads in all these lists, so I hope you'll give some of them a try.

Favorite Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Eyewall by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
Hurricane by Karen Harper
Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans by Rosalyn Story
Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate
Dungda de Islan' by C.L.R. Dougherty (non-fiction)
Hurricane, A Novel of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane by Janice Thompson
Hurricane, A Short Story by R. Narvaez 

Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle:

Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief
Dancing in a Hurricane by Laura Breck
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth Jones
Anti-requiem: New Orleans Stories by Louis Maistros
Rooftop Diva, A Novel of Triumph After Katrina by D.T. Pollard
The Storm Killer by Mike Jastrzebski

Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List:

Summer Storms by Rebecca Lyn
The Hurricane by Hugh Howey
The Hurricane Lover by Joni Rodgers
Outcome, A Novel (There's more than a hurricane coming) by Barbara Ebel
Hurricane by Jenna Lynne Duncan
Hurricanes & Hangovers by Dear Miss Mermaid
Eye to Eye with a Hurricane by Audrey Phillips
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
Against the Wind by Virginia Kelly
Onslaught by Teri Thackston
When Seagulls Fly Inland by Ann Davis
The Storm is Coming: An Anthology by Various, Ed. by Sarah Holroyd
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mystery) by James Lee Burke

YA Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi
Stolen by the Sea by Anna Myers
Back Creek by Leslie Goetsch
A Death on the Wolf  by G.M. Frazier
Oliver's Surprise (A Boy, a Schooner and the Great Hurricane of 1938) by Carol Newman Cronin
Cape Cod Surprise (Oliver Matches Wits with Hurricane Carol) by Carol Newman Cronin

More Hurricane Fiction:

In Hazard by Richard Hughes
Stormy Murder by Marthanne Shubert
Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues by Kalua Lauber
Carolina Hurricane by Shannon Dauphin
Of Winds and Rage by F. Mark Granato
Down in the Flood by Kenneth Abel
Hurricane Warning by Ginger Simpson

I'm sure I've missed a lot of great hurricane fiction, so please feel free to comment below and mention other hurricane books (fiction and non-fiction) that you'd like to recommend. Also, at the bottom right column of my blog is a list of Hurricane Links for those who want more information about hurricanes.

Updated on 6/5/12 (see below)

Hurricane Non-Fiction (books that look interesting)

Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams
Isaac's Storm (A Man, A Time & the Deadliest Hurricane in History) by Erik Larson
Infinite Monster (Hurricane Ike 2008, Galveston) by Rhiannon Meyers & Leigh Jones
Hurricane Audrey (The Deadly Storm of 1957) by Cathy C. Post
Island in a Storm (Aug. 10, 1856) by Abby Sallenger
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico by Barry D. Keim & Robert A. Muller
The Great Hurricane 1938 by Cherie Burns
Hurricane Camille: Monster Storm of the Gulf Coast by Philip D. Hearn
A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems
Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford
Black Cloud (The Deadly Hurricane of 1928) by Eliot Kleinberg
The Great Deluge (Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and...) Douglas G. Brinkley
Katrina, A Journey of Hope by Anthony Veltri
Hemingway's Hurricane by Phil Scott