Down by the Seaside by Bea Tifton

Ahhhh, summer. Countless memes on social media with photos of beautiful beaches saying, “This is where I want to be.”  I haven’t been to the ocean in decades. You see, I have a love/hate relationship with the ocean. In theory, it sounds like a good idea, but the reality has often been somewhat different.

When I was a little girl, my parents took my sister and me for a lovely picnic on the beach when we were on vacation. We stopped by a fast food place and got meals for everyone. I was sitting alone at a picnic table enjoying my French fries when a flock of hungry seagulls descended on me. I was terrified, but I kept a tight grasp on my food. My father, seeing what was happening, yelled, “Throw the French fries away! Let go of the French fries! “Well, I wasn’t about to do that. Those were my French fries. He ran frantically up the beach until he reached me, then, in a single superhero move, scooped me up while throwing my French fries high in the air and running away from the hungry hoard.

A few years later, we were at the beach, and despite having sunscreen, somehow we all got burned. And I mean burned. Second degree burns. Our skin was an angry, fiery red color. We had to put cotton balls under our bra straps before we could stand to wear them. That was one vacation where I was relieved when we packed up and headed for home.

When I was in college, my roommate and I wanted to go to the seashore for spring break. We didn’t want to have that kind of spring break; we just wanted to go somewhere on the cheap. My roommate’s grandmother had a cottage near the ocean, and she was going out of town, so we could use it for free. Wonderful. We were so excited. When we got to the cottage, we were a little surprised at how far it was from the restaurants, etc., but we had a car so we could manage. It was pretty remote, too. And not actually right on the beach as we’d envisioned, but it was free. When we arrived, we threw our stuff down and struck out in search of a good restaurant. We found a good, reasonably priced one and arrived back at the cottage full of good food and anticipation. We were ready for a great vacation, so we sat on the couch to chat until time to go to bed. We hadn’t been sitting for very long when we both began scratching. And scratching. And scratching. What was happening? What were those painful little zaps on our arms and legs? Sand fleas. The whole place was riddled with sand fleas. 

The next morning it was pouring. And the wind was up, whipping against the tiny cottage. We didn’t have a TV and this was before everyone had a cell phone in their hands, so we were oblivious. That evening, we headed out to find a restaurant,  which is where we learned that a hurricane was about to strike and some people were evacuating. We looked at each other, scratched our heads, and went back to the cottage to pack. So much for spring break at the beach.

Sometimes, I think it would be nice to go to New England leaf peeping, lighthouse touring, and whale watching.  But if I ever go, I’m taking sunscreen, flea repellant, and my cell phone, and I’m definitely not eating French fries on the beach.

 

Photo Credits:
RODNAE Productions: Sea Shells and Starfish on the Beach Sand
Julia Kuzenkov: Flock of Flying Gulls Above Beach Sand
Kelly Due DeConnick: Sunburn
Erik McClean: Small Wooden Cabin on Grassy Seashore in Daylight
U.S. Navy: Hurricane Dennis Batters Palm Trees
Shreyas Sane: A Lighthouse Near the Sea
DWIDO: A Forest in Autumn
Silvana Palacios: Black and White Whale Jumping in Water

                                                       

Texas Road Trip Fun by @JoanReeves

I hate to be trite, but there really is no place like home. At the end of this post, you'll find the musical soundtrack to our vacation, along with the YouTube link so you can listen to what we listened to as we drove.

After taking a Texas Road Trip vacation, and driving all the way from Houston to Colorado, I was delighted at the prospect of sleeping in my own bed last night.

From Texas to Colorado

Okay, we truly are road warriors. Most people in Texas are the same because Texas is a big state.

By the time we arrived home, our odometer showed 1,925.5 miles! Of course, that was pretty much 1,925 miles of fun for us, and we may have taken 1,925 photographs too!

Texas has some beautiful architecture, and it's shown in the county courthouses and old churches. Of course, it makes the trip longer every time I say, "Stop. I want a picture of that."

The Hill County Courthouse takes up a square block. Many of the Texas county courthouses do.

The monument in front of the courthouse memorializes those who fought the World War.

When it was erected, there had been only one World War.

Another favorite subject for my camera lens is the water tower. I've got dozens of pictures of water towers from the one painted like a watermelon in Luling, Texas, to the rusty old ones emblazoned with "Seniors...of whatever year."

I made notes about every town we went through because these small towns with their oddities will find their way into my books. Oddities like The Drunken Pig bar, the ranch names and brand symbol on the gateway cross bars, the huge wind farms throughout the sparsely populated areas of Texas, and Rest Areas that are also labeled tornado shelters.

Texas to New Mexico to Colorado

Our destination was my younger brother's home in Colorado. That's it on the left, peeking above the trees on his property.

His home is at an elevation of nearly 8,700 feet. From the road, there are, I think, 5 switchbacks to get up to the house.

In case you don't know, a switchback is usually a 180 degree bend in a road leading up the side of a mountain. At a couple of the switchbacks there were huge piles of boulders, with each one taller than a person.

You can stand on his front deck and look across the valley to the snow-covered rugged peaks of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, 14 miles away.

The Sangre de Cristo is the southern range of the Rocky Mountains. The peaks—most of them 13,000 to 14,000+ in elevation—all have names, and all the locals can point to each peak and tell you the name.

My brother called me a couple of weeks before we left and said he was standing on his deck and watching it snow in the mountains.

We spent the week with him, driving through the mountains and valleys, and I took pictures.

While he drove us to Bishop's Castle or to various other sites like Good Hope Gulch, my imagination was busy playing "what if."

What if a woman found herself kidnapped and hidden away in an isolated cabin in the mountains? What if she escaped? What would she encounter if she tried to make her way down a mountain? Would it even be possible?

Grand Finale

The grand finale of our trip was the High Mountain Hay Fever Bluegrass Festival.

Billed as "one of America's premier bluegrass events in the heart of Colorado's Wet Mountain Valley," it's held every year at the Bluff and Summit Park in Westcliffe, Colorado.

Oh my goodness. That was so much fun. If you're like me and love jsut about every genre of music, you should go to this Bluegrass Festival.

I discovered musical groups that were totally awesome such as Savage Hearts, a trio of women, and Jim Gaudet and the Railroad Boys, shown above. Wow. Original music...amazing instrumentation...awesome vocals. Seriously. Wow.

Soundtrack for Texas Driving

Of course as a music lover, I put together a soundtrack for our Texas Road Trip. I'm sharing it here with the YouTube link so you can take a listen.

Amarillo by Morning by George Strait

Luckenbach, Texas by Waylon Jennings

Waltz Across Texas by Willie Nelson

If You're Gonna Play in Texas by Alabama

God Blessed Texas by Little Texas

Galveston by Glen Campbell

Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind by George Strait

Texas When I Die by Tanya Tucker

All My Ex's Live in Texas by George Strait

Girls from Texas by Pat Green featuring Lyle Lovett

My Texas by Josh Abbott Band

Dance Time in Texas by George Strait

Miles and Miles of Texas by Asleep at the Wheel

I Can't See Texas from Here by George Strait

What I Like About Texas by Gary Nunn

Blame It On Texas by Mark Chestnutt

Red Neck Mother by Jerry Jeff Walker

This is Where the Cowboy Rides Away by George Strait

San Antonio Stroll by Tanya Tucker

Bob Wills Is Still the King by Waylon Jennings

Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys by Waylon and Willie

If It Wasn't for Texas by George Strait

You Never Even Called Me By My Name by David Allan Coe

Write This Down by George Strait

The Yellow Rose of Texas by Michael Martin Murphey

You'll Never Take Texas Out Of Me by Waylon Jennings

Codigo by George Strait

There's a Little Bit of Everything in Texas by Willie Nelson

That's My Story

That's my vacation story which seems to be mostly about Texas landmarks, photographs, family, imagination, and music.

Joan Reeves—Keeping Romance Alive…One Sexy Book at a Time—is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary Romance. All of her stories have the underlying premise that it's never too late to live happily ever after.

Joan lives her happily-ever-after with her hero, her husband. They divide their time between a book-cluttered home in Houston and a quiet house at the foot of the Texas Hill Country where they sit on the porch at night, look up at the star-studded sky, and listen to the coyotes howl.

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Finally Summer, and Bon Voyage From Susan Sheehey

Finally, summer!

Summer is my favorite season, yes, even down here in Texas where it's a billion degrees and we can cook eggs on the sidewalk (not the best recommended flavor). But it's the season where I can go swimming with my boys, their most favorite thing in the world. I also have my most fruitful plotting sessions in the pool.

More importantly, summer is when most of my novels are set. 

Royals of Solana series in the South Pacific, the Knights of Texas novella series in Texas, and the Sweet Escape series in various tropical resorts, or at least by a beach.

What do you have planned for the summer? Any interesting trips or experiences planned?

I have a lot planned this summer. Between RWA Convention in Colorado in July, followed by a writer's retreat with friends at Lake Conroe, I'll be busy chauffeuring around my boys to various appointments and summer camps. They are both on the Autism Spectrum, and require a lot of intervention (literally, appointments every single day for both of them).
So, I think I'm going to invest in voice recording software for the frequent hauls in the car. That's the only way I can keep up with my writing schedule. Not to mention, I always carry around my notebook to write while I sit in lobbies.

Unfortunately, for those reasons, I have to bow out of my contributions to Smart Girls Read Romance Blog.

Thank you all for following me here. I've greatly enjoyed being a part of this wonderful blog, and sharing with you. The authors on this page are fantastic, and you're in good hands with them! I'd like to extend a special thanks to Caroline Clemmons, a true gem!

Keep reading, keep loving, farewell, and God bless you all!

Royals of Solana series

Dry Spell - Sweet Escape series

Knights of Texas series

Susan Sheehey writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and adventure, and women's fiction. Water is a crucial element in all her novels, and she's a strong advocate for Autism awareness and acceptance. Follow her on her Facebook, Twitter, GoodReads, Amazon, and BookBub. Join her newsletter here for monthly goodies!

Reluctant to Let Go of Summer

My headline says it all. I don't want to let go of summer.
Mainly because this past summer has been one of the most productive ones I've had in a long time...in terms of writing.

Beach view on vacation

I edited two of my own manuscripts over the summer, plotted out a third novel, and edited three other manuscripts from other authors. Not to mention made about twenty different teasers for my existing series using Photoshop. (I am by no means a graphic design professional, but my skills are improving). And, I just finished a writers retreat last weekend were I wrote almost 14,000 words.
Extremely productive for me. After a months and months of stagnancy.
I am hoping to keep up this momentum for the start of school and into fall.

But to be honest, I can't quite pinpoint what made this summer different than others. Writer's block

My boys, brief escape from the heat

didn't hold my brain hostage like it had for a while, and things just started falling into place. I'm super excited for a new manuscript I've started, and can already feel the words flowing. Maybe our family vacation we took in July helped release some long-built tension. I always find the beach peaceful. A refuge. Every book I've written contains water as an important setting or even a character all its own. I wish I could go back to that beach. That was a fabulous escape. I highly recommend Panama City Beach, even though it was crowded.

Unfortunately, this past summer I've also had to say good-bye to a few close friends, who had helped me along the way in my writing career. Life just gets in the way, and they had to close up shop. I know that when life closes a door or two, it finds a way of opening others in their place. But in their wake, I feel as though I'm standing here wondering where to go next. Which direction do I walk?
The good news is I will have new content ready to share with the world, which is always the first and most important step. I just want to give them the best presentation I can.

Me & my better half

But with every changing season, there is one thing that never changes: change. Things will always change. Just as much as they will always stay the same.

Now, enough poetic drivel. Go enjoy your last remnants of summer.

Susan Sheehey writes romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She's a strong advocate for autism awareness and acceptance, and includes the element of water in all of her novels. She lives in Texas with her husband and two boys. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, BookBub, and join her monthly newsletter on her website for updated information and prizes!

Refilling the Inspirational Cup

By Susan Sheehey

Stress took its toll on me over the last six weeks. Personal life with children, health insurance, school battles, and finances buried me under a Himalayan-sized oppressive force. Which of course then impacted my immune system, and I caught what my beloved 2-year-old brought home from daycare. I’m still trying to get over it, 3 weeks later.

Flying kites

So the trip we took to Washington State couldn’t have come at a more needed time. Fast forward the plane trip and car ride to my husband’s uncle’s place on the eastern side of the Cascades (since no one

East Wenatchee, Columbia River

wants to hear about an airsick autistic 7-year-old, especially not the flight attendants or the other passengers), it was a fantastic week. Up in the mountains, the view was spectacular. Literally, woke up to the hillsides covered with apple orchards and the Columbia River cutting through the valley- more than just a relaxing retreat. It was a major relief. The weather was beyond gorgeous. 70 degrees, partly sunny, nice breeze all day, and an entire 10-acres for my boys to play on without me worrying about a car running them over, or them getting snatched by sick kidnappers. They spent most of their time by the koi pond throwing rocks into the water, or feeding the animals (pigs, chickens, and 6 beautiful peacocks). Literally, they ran around 10 acres for 6 days, and I wasn’t the helicopter parent I’ve grown into being.

My toddler throwing rocks into the pond

The house was kid-proofed, and all the fresh air made my children pass out all night.

I detached my mind from everything, including my writing. A first for me.

We finished off the trip with an afternoon in downtown Seattle, with of course the obligatory visit to the Space Needle. (Yes, that's my son with the Iron Man helmet, he wore it everywhere). My boys

Caden & Daddy atop the Space Needle

loved it.

I’ve come back and the muse is swirling. Chomping at the bit to write. It’s a glorious feeling. The inspirational cup of my creative conscious has been refilled.

What do you do to de-stress? What causes you the most anxiety? How often do you find yourself needing to refill your spiritual cup?


Susan Sheehey writes contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women's fiction. She lives and laughs in Texas with her husband and two boys. Water plays a crucial element in all of her stories, and she's a huge advocate for Autism Awareness. April is World Autism Awareness month, so please take the time to be aware and accepting of those on the Autism Spectrum. Follow Susan at

www.SusanSheehey.com, as well as Facebook, and Twitter. If you're in Las Vegas from April 13-17th, she'll be at the RT Convention at the Rio All Suites Hotel at the large book signing. Come see me!