#WriteWed Inspiration for Natalie from Under the Boardwalk

When it comes to fashion, I am hopeless. I’m told that as a kid, I was always worried about my dresses and shoes. But for a long time, I’ve been a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. That’s not to say that I don’t like dressing up every now and then and that since I’ve lost some weight, I’m a little more fashion conscious. But, big but, that fashion gene passed me by for the most part.

That’s why I rely on my daughter, who inherited my mom’s fashion sense. My daughter knows how to put clothes together and I often turn to her for advice. I also often buy things at her surf and skate shop because she brings in clothing that’s pleasing and different. She’s also really big into sourcing her items from local companies, small surf and skate brands, and companies that support sustainability and other causes.

As a small business owner, she’s also a risk taker, and I admire her for that.

In Under the Boardwalk, the heroine, Natalie, is a fashion designer and a risk taker. She’s the one who is creative and willing to try different things, unlike her husband Chase, who has become way more set in his ways and distant as he tries to do what he thinks is right for himself and his wife.

Chase’s drive to become successful has driven Natalie away from him and it’s up to the two of them to try and understand their very different personalities and see if they can find a way back to the love they had shared in the first wonderful years of their marriage.

I hope you enjoyed finding out a little bit more about Under the Boardwalk and about the inspiration for the heroine.

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#WriteWed Inspiration for ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE

In ONE LAST NIGHT you first hear about Maggie’s older sister Bridget Sullivan who is in the Army. You also get to meet Bridget toward the end of STAY THE NIGHT. You also are introduced to Captain Mark Smith, U.S. Navy, Retired, in STAY THE NIGHT. Mark runs a security company with multiple offices, including one in Atlantic City. The next novella in the Take a Chance series, ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE, will take place in A.C. and will feature Bridget and Mark’s story.

Bridget’s occupation in the story was inspired by the work that I saw happening along the Jersey Shore after the Hurricane Sandy devastation. In addition to the towns rebuilding their boardwalks and streets, the Army Corps of Engineers came in during 2013/2014 to help replenish the beaches and dredge local inlets that had been affected by the storm. Here’s a photo of some of the beach replenishment courtesy of the US Army Corp of Engineers. You can click here to see more photos of the USACE dredges and works on the Jersey Shore.
USACE JerseyShore

In ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE, Bridget was Army Reserves and called into active duty where she served honorably and received a Bronze Star for valor during combat. She’s back home and finishing her college degree. In the mean time, she’s working for a construction company that is assisting the Army Corps of Engineers with additional work along the Jersey Shore. Since she’s become friends with an assortment of ex-military in the Atlantic City area, she’s thrown together with Mark and the sparks fly! I hope you’ll enjoy ONE NIGHT OF PLEASURE when it’s available, hopefully in February.

For now, I’ll leave you with some photos of the Jersey Shore after Sandy.

Merry Christmas & Feliz Navidad

First of all, take a moment to visit with me at Mina Khan’s blog as I chat about what inspires me to write. It might just surprise you!

Then please stay around for my contribution to the 2011 Holiday Blog Tour. Many thanks to Icess Fernandez for doing such a great job of getting it organized for us.

What Christmas means to me

Call me a cockeyed optimist, but I believe in the inherent goodness of people. I’ve been blessed with many instances in my life where that goodness has been demonstrated so it’s hard not to believe in that.

It also seems to me that at this time of year, that goodness seems to be more visible and I’m thankful for that. There are just too many people lately intent on breeding a culture of hate with their them versus us mentalities.

They seem to forget about that goodness and how the hearts of the American people are much bigger than they believe.

Just look around you this and every Christmas. Look at the random acts of kindness, like the Layaway Angels. Look at those who without being asked help someone in need or who reach into their pockets to drop that spare change in the Salvation Army bucket.

For me, Christmas is all about being kind, just as centuries ago someone was kind so that Jesus had a place to be born.

Over the course of my life, I have been lucky to see that kindness over and over. When we first came here, things were tough. I was a stranger in a strange land with little money, but many opportunities and the reality of it was, most people were welcoming. They shared of themselves in many ways.

I remember quite fondly the various neighbors who would gather to celebrate the holidays in Levittown, each bringing with them a bit of their traditions (although I could never really acquire a taste for the pickled herring our Polish neighbors would offer up.) I remember those neighbors banding together to celebrate when my parents became citizens and the flag they had asked to be flown over the Capitol to commemorate that special event. It sits proudly in my hall to remind me that kindness comes in all different ways and that being in America is a precious gift not to be wasted.

This Christmas, take a moment to think about all your blessings and what you can do to make a difference. There will always be someone better off than you and sadly, someone worse off. But all of us together can truly make a difference for the better.

Know someone who will be alone for the holidays? Invite them into your home.

Have a few extra dollars? Buy a small toy and put it in the Toys for Tots box.

Have some free time? Volunteer for something. Anything.

Here’s an even easier one: Smile. Offer someone a kind word and a smile. Sometimes that can mean all the difference in someone’s day.

Leaving you with that thought, a big cyber smile and hug, I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas. To all my Jewish friends, wishing the best for Chanukah. To everyone else, may you have a wonderful holiday season!

Take a moment to visit the other blog stops and find out about what other people are doing this holiday season!!

Dec. 2 Julia Amante
Dec. 3 Radames Ortiz
Dec. 5 Zoraida Cordova
Dec. 7 Lupe Mendez
Dec. 8 Natasha Oliver
Dec. 9 Maria Ferrer
Dec. 10 Sidney Williams
Dec. 11 Toni Plummer
Dec. 12 Mayra Calvani
Dec. 13 Kristy Harding
Dec. 14 Thelma Reyna
Dec. 15.Sylvia Mendoza
Dec. 16 Regina Tingle
Dec. 17 Teresa Dovalpage
Dec. 18 Mirta Espinola
Dec. 19 Kim Brown
Dec. 20 Gwen Jerris
Dec. 21 Paula Altschuler
Dec. 22 Caridad Pinero
Dec. 23 Teresa Carbajal Revet
Dec. 24 Icess Fernandez Rojas