#ThrowbackThursday – A Day at the Beach

I grew up on Long Island and we spent most of our summers either at the town pool or going to Jones Beach. I love the water and love being near the ocean. When the kids got older, we regularly did trips to Ocean City, Maryland for a vacation at the beach or to Ocean City, New Jersey. This is a photo of my daughter during one of those vacations! So much fun to see my little girl who’s grown into such a wonderful young lady (who’s about to get married in a few months!). I’m really looking forward to more time at the beach in the future!
ocean city maryland vacation

#WednesdayWisdom Live every day . . .

I think you know by now that I love summer. I love the heat of the sun on my skin and the susurrus of the ocean waves that lull me into a beachside nap. I love the smells. Suntan lotion. Food frying at a nearby festival on the boardwalk. The tang of sea salt and dampness of a misty fog. The sharp scent of tomato leaves and the sweetness of basil. I live for the summer and inside I keep a little bit of summer with me every day. Have a great hump day!

Live every day as if was summer

#Giveaway and some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED

First of all, don’t forget that you have until Friday to leave a comment on Dorothy’s Virtual Blog Tour Blog to possibly win a free Blog Tour!

But now, how about some Behind the Scenes Secrets about THE CLAIMED!

This is a snippet from the book at a restaurant in Avon-by-Sea. The restaurant is a real place and you can visit it here: http://www.columnsnj.net/

The Columns was a perfect choice, Victoria thought as she sat across the intimate width of the table opposite Christopher. The summer sun had begun to set, creating rosy pink and blue cotton candy clouds along the beachfront. The golden hues cast by the lights along the edges of the veranda and the votive candle in the middle of the table bathed Christopher’s face. Thanks to the dimness of the light, she could detect the thin aura surrounding him. Too weak to be full Hunter power, which relieved her somewhat, but not entirely, since Shadows could hide their energy fields also.

Here’s a picture of The Columns. Can’t you just picture Victoria and Christopher sitting there, dusk settling in, the two of them cozy at a small table? Sigh. Can’t wait to go eat there again!

Here’s another little teaser for you down below! This scene takes place in the Shark River and yes, in part it is named for the sharks in the area. Fresh water sharks you may be wondering? Actually, there are fresh water sharks in some parts of the world, but the Shark River is filled with salt water for the most part. In fact, some consider that this area is actually a tidal basin since it’s fed by four small streams that provide little fresh water and the Shark River Inlet provides large amounts of salt water into the bay area. This is a picture of the Shark River Inlet and the Shark River Bridge which is a drawbridge that allows larger boats to come and go.

In this scene deep in the Shark River, Shadow Hunter Christopher is playing around with his energy and shapeshifting abilities. Moments later, Christopher will meet Light Huntress Victoria face-to-face for the first time!

He swam out until he was in about thirty feet of water, released the diving flag, and then sank below the surface. As luck would have it, a small school of brown-green weakfish were spawning along the estuary floor. With a gush of energy, he formed a vortex and directed it downward. It acted like a vacuum cleaner, sucking up a large fish and bringing it up to his grasp through the swirling tunnel of water.


Two feet of angry fish squirmed and flailed in his hands until he sucked in a bit of its life force and it weakened. Focusing his gathering, he took only a smidgen of the fish’s vitality within him. He needed the weakfish’s energy to partially shapeshift so he could stay below the surface long enough to do the exchange needed to rein in the demands of his Equinox.


He forced the fish’s life force through his body, and his power drained while he directed it toward his throat. He gritted his teeth and battled the pain as his skin tore open and the muscles beneath the surface reformed, developing gills. Blood vessels rerouted themselves to those new organs, creating an avenue for the oxygen to flow from the gills throughout his body. He grew lightheaded for a moment, but then the outpouring of oxygen flooded through his gills and revitalized him.


With the skill of a surgeon, he dissected a piece of the power he had absorbed and directed it to his eyes. He created a thin membrane with the life force to protect them against the salt water.


Satisfied with the adaptations to his eyes and lungs, Christopher stopped his shapeshifting. He released the fish and expelled as much air as he could from his lungs. With nothing to keep him buoyant, he easily drifted down to the sandy bottom, scattering the swarm of fish when he settled in the midst of their school. Crossing his legs, he assumed a traditional Lotus position and opened his eyes.


I hope you enjoyed these Behind the Scenes moments from THE CLAIMED

After Hurricane Irene

First of all, to all those who suffered damage or injury during Hurricane Irene, my thoughts and prayers are with you. I hope things get back to normal for you soon!

I hope you all had a fine Labor Day weekend. We had fairly nice weather along the shore and spent lots of time out of doors savoring the last “official” weekend of summer.

Hurricane Irene took its bite out of the towns I visited this weekend. Lots of erosion and sand pushed up beyond where it normally is. The dunes in Bradley Beach and Ocean Grove held up and seemed to have kept the waters from the boardwalk areas. Belmar, Avon-by-the-Sea and Asbury Park, where the waters rose up quite a distance, seem to have already gotten things back in shape for the big Labor Day weekend.

Here are some photos of what things looked like. The water was relatively clear and not too cold. Shells up on shore, but not as many as you would expect. I did pick up some nice bits and pieces that I plan on using to create some memory boxes to giveaway to you guys. I am going to get to work on them as soon as I finish up some writing deadlines.

Anyway, here are the photos of the Jersey Shore this weekend! If you can’t see the slideshow below, you can click here or use this link:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150292972395913.332073.178249385912&l=7c803da088

13 Things I Love About the Jersey Shore

Jersey ShoreBeing a Pisces, you know I’m a water baby and so the Jersey Shore is such a lovely place for me to be. Being near the ocean spurs my creativity in so many positive ways as does soaking up the sun. So here are the 13 things I love about the Jersey Shore.

1. Long strolls along the Boardwalk.
2. DAYS ice cream. The short shot is the absolute best way to end the day.
3. Sitting beneath an umbrella and watching the ocean.
4. Seeing the little kids playing in the sand and water. Such unabashed joy.
5. Taking a nap beneath my umbrella (something I rarely do the rest of the year).
6. Reading lots and lots of books beneath that umbrella and on my little balcony.
7. The assorted fairs and craft events in all the nearby towns.
8. Fishing. Maybe this year I’ll actually do instead of just watching.
9. Watching the tents go up in Ocean Grove.

Tents down for the Season at Ocean Grove
Ocean Grove Tent City

10. Listening to music at the Ocean Grove Auditorium.
11. Listening to the music from the Stone Pony in Asbury Park.
12. Looking for shells along the beach. Found lots of sand dollars last year.
13. The Bradley Beach Lobster Festival. Yummy yummy I got lobster in my tummy.

What about you? Are you a Jersey Girl? If so, share your favorite shore things to do.