Category: ThrowbackThursday

Like so many, I couldn’t wait to see the eclipse! I decided to head down to the beach to get a clear view and I wasn’t disappointed. But it was very windy on the beach that made it really cold even though the temperature a block away was a much warmer 50 degrees. I braved it out to the full eclipse though. I was only at 90% totality so it never get very dark. More like dusk. We also had a few clouds around full totality time but that didn’t keep us from seeing it. I managed to get some photos at our 90& totality but the sun was too strong during the earlier stages. A weird thing happened in the photos: You could see the phases of the eclipse in various reflections in the photos. I understand that shadows cast by the eclipse will create a similar phenomenon. If you have any eclipse photos, I’d love to see them! Please drop them in the comments. P.S. – This beach is in one of the towns that was an inspiration for Sea Kiss from the At the Shore Series.

Look carefully into that middle section of bright blue and you’ll see the eclipse at 90% totality!

One of the side trips that we took after the fabulous Coastal Magic Conference was to the fascinating Navy Seal Museum in Fort Pierce. It was absolutely amazing and filled with the history of the Seals, their various missions, equipment, and the sacrifices made by the Seals on behalf of this country and all of us. It was moving at times, especially since I’ve written so many books with military men, including some Navy Seals. One of those stories with a Navy Seal is Stay the Night, my military romance about a hero who has come home after six years of being deployed to a wife he doesn’t recognize anymore. It’s one of my fav stories because it’s not only sexy, it’s emotional and thought-provoking. That’s why I contributed that story to the Strength & Honor charity anthology which is raising money for the Stop Soldier Suicide organization. Before I share my photos from the Seal Museum, here’s a little blurb for the anthology!

Join 11 NYT, USA Today, and award-winning authors in helping to stop soldier suicide by picking up your copy of this uplifting and emotional anthology. The Strength & Honor anthology contains 11 short stories featuring military heroes battling their inner demons and finding their happily ever after. The anthology releases on 5/7/2024.

You can pre-order the anthology at https://books2read.com/StrengthAndHonor.

Several years ago my daughter and I did a girls’ trip to Salem. We stayed at the lovely Merchant Hotel and had a lovely time exploring the town and the various historical sites related to the Salem Witch Trials. One of the highlights of our trip was a visit to the Peabody Essex Museum which had a number of very interesting exhibits. I love old furniture and there were many examples of early American pieces but there was also a fun interactive exhibit with lights that created art based on your movements through the exhibit. We ate at several well-known restaurants but what we didn’t know was that a few of them were supposedly haunted. Honestly, I was too busy chowing down on my delicious lobster bisque to notice if any spirits were lurking! LOL! If you ever get a chance, head up to Salem for a few days of exploring the various witch trial sights, the Peabody, House of the Seven Gables, and just exploring all the historical homes and buildings. P.S. If you love stories with ghosts, check out Ghost of a Chance, my novella set on the Jersey Shore involving a million-dollar mystery and a bootlegger’s murder during prohibition! You can download it at https://amzn.to/4cACumA.

I recently attended the wonderful Coastal Magic Convention and after took a few days to visit with a friend. We had a lovely time visiting the Navy Seal Museum (more on that next week) as well as the Elliott Museum and Refuge Houses. I’m a car buff as you might guess from automaker Owen in What Happens in Summer. In STAY THE NIGHT, my contribution to the STRENGTH & HONOR charity anthology, there’s also an emotional thread about the hero’s connection to a 1960s seafoam green Ford Falcon that was left to him by his grandfather and lovingly cared for by his wife while he is deployed overseas. The hero in that story is a Navy Seal who is coming home to a wife who is nothing like the young woman he left behind. But back to the Elliott Museum and Refuge Houses. What an amazing collection of automobiles and Florida history! While the museum doesn’t have a lot of space, they have what I guess you could call a car vending machine as you can see from the video below. You choose a car you want to see and a series of elevators, platforms, and rails bring the car down for you to view. Awesome! After we viewed the other exhibits at the Elliott, we went to their related Refuge Houses which are a series of small buildings intended to be havens for shipwrecked sailors along the Florida coast. It was so interesting to see them and the beautiful views along the coast. Turquoise waters and even a shark sighting! If you’re in the Martin County area, I highly recommend you visit. P.S. The STRENGTH & HONOR anthology is available for pre-order and all proceeds go to benefit stopsoldiersuicide.org. You can find out more at https://books2read.com/StrengthAndHonor.

When my daughter and I both worked in New York City, we did many fun and exciting things on our Friday Girls’ Nights. Korean BBQ. The Rose Mansion. 260 Nomad Sample Sales where we scored some amazing clothing, shoes, and a beautiful Mont Blanc crystal fountain pen ink bottle that I still have to find a place to display! But one of the most fun things we did was visit the Color Factory which bills itself as an “interactive art museum.” How can I explain this place? It is an immersive and interactive series of rooms and experiences that fill your senses with color and joy. Today I’m sharing some pictures from our trip and if you’re ever in New York City, I would recommend checking it out. They also have locations in Chicago and Houston! P.S. If you want a story that also gives you a taste of life in Manhattan, check out One Summer Night. Although that book is part of my Jersey Shore-themed series, Maggie and Owen also live and work in New York and you get to see many places that I love in the city.