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.

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.

Pensacola Beach and Tropical Storm Debby

Tropical Storm Debby, Pensacola Beach, June 24th

Most of my posts have to do with books, but this one is all about Pensacola Beach and Tropical Storm Debby. For several days now we've been watching Debby forming in the Gulf of Mexico. Would the storm actually reach tropical storm force? Well, yesterday it finally became the named Tropical Storm Debby. Now we're all waiting to see if it becomes Hurricane Debby.

Like many others living along the Gulf Coast, my TV is tuned to The Weather Channel. Those spaghetti lines, or spider lines, depicting the possible path of Debby holds us enthrall.

It's a love/hate thing. Storms are exciting and awesome, but also destructive. So on the one hand we'd love to see the mighty power of a hurricane and yet we want to avoid all the bad, dangerous things that come with a storm of that magnitude.

I woke up this morning to a phone call from my mother, who lives in the Atlanta area of Georgia. She wanted to make sure I knew that The Weather Channel's Jim Cantore was at Pensacola Beach this morning. Well, I'd heard last night that Jim had arrived and was already reporting on the storm. For those in "the know" about bad weather, Jim Cantore gravitates to the bad stuff to report on the worst of the weather. So having Jim arrive on our beach, Pensacola Beach, with a tropical storm and possible hurricane heading our way, well, that's not a good sign.


Let me back up to yesterday. It was a sunny, hot, humid 90 degrees. At midnight it was still 90 degrees. When I went outside with my dogs, Shani and Dude, at close to midnight, the air was fragrant with the smell of salt spray and flowers. The air was beginning to stir and there was the prickly feel of an impending storm.

Watching Tropical Storm Debby from the Dock

Now flash forward to this morning. The sky was painted in various shades of gray depending on whether you gazed north, south, east or west. Clouds raced past at breakneck speed, some clouds heading NW and others SW. These are the feeder bands for Debby which is slowly building out in the Gulf.

After a late breakfast, my husband and I drove to the beach, only a couple miles from our house. Just a hop, skip and a jump over the bridge and we were there facing the building force of this Hurricane Season's first Gulf storm.

I must say the waves were awesome. Now by southern California standards, where I grew up and learned to surf, these waves are nothing. But considering Pensacola Beach rarely has waves more than a couple feet in height, these are awesome waves for this beach.

Now, my surfing days ended decades ago, but I still love watching the waves. There should have been surfers out there, but a Red Flag Warning was posted and no one, not even surfers, were allowed out there. I guess the lifeguards didn't want to be forced to make any rescues today.

There were a fair number of lookiloos out on the beach. Some, like me, ventured to the edge of the surf. Most stood way back and just watched. This being a Sunday and all, it was obvious that many locals left church and drove straight to the beach. Even for people who have lived here all their lives, and seen many a tropical storm and hurricane, seeing the beach under storm conditions is a big draw.

We looked for Jim Cantore, but didn't find him anywhere. I imagine he was taking a break when we were walking the beach. Too bad, because I would have liked to meet him. Maybe tomorrow if he's still here? On the other hand, if Jim stays at our beach then that may not be a good omen.

I took a few dozen photos of the beach. In person, the surf was choppy and awesome. Unfortunately, the pictures I took don't do it justice. My husband took some clips with his movie camera, so I'm hoping he got some good footage to post on youtube.



Tropical Storm Debby, west end of Pensacola Beach.

We'll probably venture back to the beach tomorrow to take some more pictures, assuming Debby increases in force and is still close by. She'll most likely be a hurricane by then. Like I said, I'm awed by the power of a hurricane, but don't really want it to make landfall anywhere. I'm sure we can use the rain all around the Gulf Coast, well, maybe not in Pensacola, but so far no rain for our part of the Florida Panhandle. 

Stormy greetings from Pensacola Beach.

In reality, it's too bad we can't send the tropical rains to Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico to put out their fires. But nature doesn't work that way. One part of our country burns while another part get deluged with rains and another part gets torn apart by winds. Go figure.

As I'm writing this, The Weather Channel just reported that the projected landfall is Apalachicola, Florida, to the east of us. Debby is supposedly only moving at 6 mph, so still a long way out.



The Grass is Always Greener ...

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." Why am I one of THOSE PEOPLE? Why am I always looking beyond the next hill? The next mountain? The next whatever? That is something I have asked myself over and over again since I was a small child. I have never been content to stay in one place. I always want to see whatever lies over the horizon.

I'm a descendant of a long line of adventurers, malcontents, nomads, travelers, wanderers, pioneers. In my lineage are Viking raiders, Scottish Highlanders, Irish warriors, British pilgrims, German immigrants, American pioneers. So I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that I'm always wanting to travel somewhere else, to move to a place I've never lived before.

In my last post I mentioned that my husband, Ben, and I have been married for thirty years as of last Friday. My response was, "Let's go for another thirty years." Ben said, "What???" Of course, we fully intend "to keep on keeping on" until our final days, whenever that may be. In the meantime, we both have "itchy feet" and are ready to try something new for the years ahead, assuming we do have some years ahead.

We started out so many years ago as kids living next door to each other in southern California. No, we never dated as kids, just neighbors and friends. It wasn't until many years later, as adults, that we met up, married and started our adventures together. In thirty years we've lived in Florida, Nevada, Florida, Nevada, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Florida. Are you seeing a pattern here?

For some reason we keep returning to Florida as if drawn by a magnet. It must have something to do with the glorious beaches, the tropical temperatures and all that nature which surrounds every bit of Florida. It certainly couldn't be due to the hot/humid summers, the vicious mosquitoes and no-see-ums that sometimes eat us alive, the hurricanes that send us into hiding now and then, the alligators and water moccasins that cruise our inland waterways, or the sharks that cruise our beaches.

There's just something about Florida that draws us back every time we move away. We've been back here for three and a half years this last time. Now we're getting antsy to venture off to parts unknown. We've been cruising the Internet looking for that perfect place to retire, at least for the next few years. Maybe not a forever place, but someplace to "sit a spell"

Our current sights are heading in the direction of New Mexico. We've vacationed there through the years and always thought it would be a great place to live. So much beauty, so much history. To live near the Rio Grande and the Santa Fe Trail. Taos? Santa Fe? Abiquiu? Angel Fire? What incredible places for we two dreamers.

So the last few days have been spent looking at houses via Realtor.com and other real estate sights online and talking to a realtor friend about selling our house here in Florida. The housing market in our part of the state is starting to make a comeback. So maybe our timing is right? Or maybe our timing is all wrong. We're adventurous souls, so we'll toss the dice and hope that lady luck is with us this go-round.

I don't know if we'll follow through with this idea, but it's certainly worth dreaming about.  So what do you all think? If you could drop what you're doing and venture off to somewhere else, where would you go? I'm hoping that you all will add some comments and let us know about those places you'd love to live, even if it's just in your dreams.

By the way, Ben just reminded me that "The grass is always greener over the septic tank."

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

Greetings from Pensacola Beach!

Teri Heyer at Pensacola Beach

My husband and I went to Pensacola Beach today. It was packed with tourists from practically every state in the union. Well, this is good for the local economy considering we are still reeling from the PB Oil Spill from two summers back.

Yes, if you are seeing ads about how beautiful the beaches are here, the ads are correct. The sand is powdery, sugar-white and squeaks when you walk on it. The water is usually a sparkling turquoise with very little surf.

Today was the roughest surf I have seen here in years. Only one surfer ventured out into the waves. It was so windy I thought my hair was going to be blown from my scalp. No, this isn't usual for our area, unless we have a hurricane heading our way.

Yes, hurricanes do come here. Hurricanes Opal, Ivan and Dennis all left their mark in years past. Another hurricane season starts June 1st. Hopefully the hurricanes will fizzle out in the Pacific or the Gulf this season and not make landfall.

One of the reasons for hitting the beach this morning was to shoot the photo for the cover of my latest book, "Romance in a Bottle." It's a short story with plenty of laughter and romance. This is the first of a series of Beach'n Short Stories that will be available for your Kindle, Nook or other eReader over the next several months. The stories are all set on Pensacola Beach, so you'll soon know all about this beautiful and fun area.

Be sure to check back to see the cover for "Romance in a Bottle." The book itself will be available at Amazon and Smashwords in May and at Barnes&Noble, Diesel, Kobo, Sony and Apple by June. If all goes well, I'll be releasing a beach book a month through the end of summer.

I'm really excited about "Romance in a Bottle" and hope you'll all enjoy reading it soon.