Lazy Summer Morning

Good morning! How is your summer going? Mine is crazy. And I'm loving it. But I'm barely keeping up with my blogs. Last week, I missed my date on Paranormal Romantics. Fortunately for me, yesterday was open and I posted about an idea I got on a road trip. 

I've also missed several Mondays here. Sorry about that. I did manage to keep up with the Weekend Writing Warriors. It's been fun sharing snippets from THE PROTECTOR (An Outer Rim Novel). Once a book is published, I don't usually read it again--since I'd probably read it a hundred times (slight exaggeration) already. So rereading it for snippets to use brings back my initial joy when writing the story. You can scroll down to see yesterday's snippet.

My Arizona family arrived just before July 4th, in time to celebrate the holiday watching fireworks from our back deck. I think our neighbors compete to see who has the best, loudest, longest displays. This year, they even obeyed the township's rule about ending by 11 pm. Amazing.

Our household has swollen from two adults to four plus a toddler, a Great Dane, and a Lab. The family will stay with us until they find a house here. Fortunately for them, their Arizona house sold and they both have jobs. Daughter in law continues her job from home and Son continues with his restaurant company. Toddler Girl plays with us. This has been a lot of fun. She's gotten so comfortable with us. She easily picks up my phone to look at pictures and play a couple of toddler-type games I loaded. I'm a sucker for learning games. I can't wait until she's old enough for the story-telling game I did with her cousins. (My StoryMaker from Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh) If you have young children (or grandchildren) this is a fabulous program. I type their words, they choose the images to add. Each time, I'm amazed at their imaginations.

The dogs are not as rambunctious as we expected, but having two large dogs in a confined space is challenging. Unfortunately, we don't have a fence around our yard so they don't get a chance to run around unless Son and DIL take them to a nearby dog park. Keeping them off the furniture is a bit of an issue. Not that our furniture is that good or expensive. Sharing the couch with a 150-pound animal who doesn't need to jump up (he just sits back) can be confining.

Going to the beach, blueberry picking, visiting the farmers' market give them lots to do. And summer wouldn't be summer without a visit to Captain Sundae's.

This is an adjustment for all of us. Everybody needs/wants their own space. I'd resigned myself that my writing would go on the back burner. Who wants to write when a two-year-old wants to sit on your lap? Or wants to go outside and draw on the driveway with chalk? Even better, our other two grandchildren (7 & 10) spent Saturday night here. The toddler was so happy to see them. They indulged her a lot. The three of them even slept in the same room. And I do mean sleep. The fact that the older two had spent a week at summer camp and were exhausted might have had something to do with it.

In January, I had no idea how much my life would change. As I've learned in the past, change depends on attitude. Some people resent it, fight it. And are miserable. I like to think I can go with the flow, smiling and enjoying a new phase in my life. 

I hope you have a great summer making wonderful memories.

If you're a writer, do you know about the Best Banter Contest? My writing chapter is sponsoring a contest where you can showcase your witty dialogue. Clicking on the big yellow button on the right will take you to the contest page. Good luck.

Endings and Beginnings

Although summer doesn't officially start for another week, it arrived for children in our town on Friday with the last day of school. Mothers posted on Facebook Last Day of School pictures side by side with the First Day last fall. We all marveled at how much the kids had grown. End of the school year brings relief to kids and teachers (I remember that time well).

Yesterday, we attended our granddaughter’s dance recital, the culmination of another year of classes. From the tiny (two-year-olds) kids to the most experienced, they showed off their talent. I love watched g-daughter dance. She may not be the best dancer, but she has the biggest smile. Dancing gives her so much joy.

Around neighborhoods like ours, graduation parties proliferate. Tents sprout like spring flowers. Not for fear of rain this year, but for shade because of the heat wave spreading across the country. Pictures and memorabilia show how much the graduate has accomplished and changed through the years. Families interrogate her/him on plans for the future. (Friends already know. LOL)

What’s next?

As a part of their lives ends, another begins. University, community college, trade school, job. Graduates are thrilled to be finished with school and anxiously anticipate this next phase. Younger kids look forward to a whole summer of nothing to do. Hah! Summer camp—science, math, sports—day care, library reading challenges, scheduled events.

Each year around this time, my daughter asks her kids what they want to do during the summer then writes the list on poster paper, and tapes it in a visible place. As they do each item, they check it off. Last year, my grandson went to a local college for two week-long science camps. He had so much fun I asked him if he was going to do it again. He said no. He didn’t want to do anything. My son said that one summer, but he was a bit older.

There’s a lot to be said about over-scheduling kids. Somehow, parents have to find a balance. Kids need breaks from the regimentation of school, to hang out with their friends, to have quiet time, to do nothing. I was raised with the mentality that “Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.” My dad left chore lists each day. We had a large vegetable garden that needed constant weeding. All I wanted to do was find a shady spot and read.

With every ending, there’s a new beginning. Like weddings. The end of single life and the beginning of a shared life. My youngest niece will be married next month. I love those times when families get together and celebrate.

On a side note, last Friday I had an anniversary of sorts—the day I met my husband. If you’ve been a reader of this blog or my books, you know that we met as a result of a blind date. When he called to set up the date, we talked for over an hour, discovering mutual interests and that we lived in the same apartment complex. That first date happened forty-five years ago. As I write in all my books, how glad I am that our friends fixed us up on that blind date.

Tomorrow is my turn over at Paranormal Romantics. I hope you pop in and see what I talk about.

Summer's Swan Song

August has arrived. Hard to believe this year is more than half over. Harvest time is fast approaching. Tomatoes are ripening on the vine, corn has tasseled out. Cherries, blueberries, and peaches are almost done. Soon apples will be ready for picking. The Farmers' Markets are going strong.

Beaches are still crowded with sun worshipers, kite flyers, paddle-boarders, and swimmers, Campgrounds at the state parks are jam packed. Friday and Sunday nights find the highways bumper to bumper.

The Sunday newspaper is filled with back-to-school ads. In some parts of the country, school will start this month. Not in Michigan. By law, they are not allowed to start before Labor Day. Tourism is such a big industry that the state congress declared it must not be shortened because of education.

I was a teacher back in the olden days (before my children were born). We never started school before Labor Day. We also didn't end until Father's Day. Michigan summers do not follow a calendar. Summer begins well before June 21st and could end in October. Schools here are not air-conditioned. Pity the children--and teachers--who must work in 80+ degrees.

August is vacation time for many families. Get in one more camping trip or weekend at the cottage or whirlwind cross-country sightseeing trip--aka by my kids as the "encyclopedia" vacation. To their dismay, I would research the area we were to visit and share my findings in the car. After all, I had a captive audience. An audience who would rather read Sweet Valley High or Stephen King in the backseat than listen to Mom expound on the highlights of the region. They still haven't forgotten our visit to the Corn Palace in South Dakota or Devil's Tower in Wyoming. Or my rapture over the dining room at Mount Rushmore where Eva Marie Saint "killed" Cary Grant in North by Northwest.

They would rather have gone to 6 Flags. In fact, our trip would have been much shorter if we'd taken them to Cedar Point.

Now, Hubs and I wait until after Labor Day to vacation. Who needs crowds and hordes of tired whiny kids ruining a historic sight?

How did you spend August when you were young? What about now?

Heat Wave #Giveaway Hop

CONGRATULATIONS TO NIKOLINA V. WHO WON THE GIFT CARD. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO JOINED THE HOP.

SUMMER READ

What makes a good summer read? Back in the days before air conditioning things were slower in the summer because of the heat. We headed for the beach or the shade in the backyard. And we read. When I was growing up, I took a book and an old quilt out to the north side of the house because it was shady in the afternoon. Nancy Drew was my favorite. I read all Mom's books, and then I started getting them for Christmas gifts. The girl detective was my hero. When I decided to write a mystery, I knew I had to have a girl detective. Alex (Alexandra) O'Hara is a PI and would give Nancy Drew a run for her money in THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER.

After taking over O’Hara & Palzetti, Confidential Investigations from her dad and his partner, Alex's bottom line has taken a plunge. So when a femme fatale offers her the case of a lifetime along with a huge advance, Alex sees her finances on a definite upswing. But someone doesn’t want her to find the long-lost brother. Complicating matters is the return of Alex’s old heartthrob, Nick Palzetti. Is he really there just to see her or does he have an ulterior motive? The Lake Michigan resort town of Fair Haven is abuzz with the news that O’Hara & Palzetti are together again.

Excerpt from THE CASE OF THE BYGONE BROTHER

“Hello, gorgeous.”

I whacked my head on the display shelf.

Well, what would you do if you were lying across the top of a four-drawer lateral file cabinet, and your arm—yardstick attached—was wedged between the wall and the cabinet, trying to retrieve the license renewal application that if you mangled, crushed or couldn’t get would mean the end of your business, and the ex-love-of-your-life stood in the doorway looking at your butt?

The shelf shook on its braces from contact with my head. Never mind that the encounter didn’t do much for the aforementioned body part. The Fair Haven Chamber of Commerce awards rattled, and signed Detroit Tigers baseballs pelted my head, shoulders, and the back of my thigh. I dropped the yardstick and swore.

“I thought you promised your mother you wouldn’t swear anymore.” He would remind me of that vow.

“Relapse,” I muttered as I looked over my shoulder.

In that loose-limbed, cocky manner I once thought scary, sexy, and so cool, Nick Palzetti stood in the doorway to the spare office. He even dressed the same in a black leather jacket, black knit shirt, and jeans that molded his hips. Lordy, he could still make my mouth go dry.

As I wiggled back and sideways across the long cabinet, I felt my skirt ride up. Of all days to wear a skirt. With my foot, I searched for the desk chair I’d climbed to get on top of the cabinet. I’d kicked off my high heels before standing on the chair, probably the only smart thing I’d done so far.

“Red panties, you naughty girl.”

I clamped my legs together. “Quit looking up my skirt.”

“Need a hand?” he asked.

The way my luck was going, he’d start clapping. “No, thanks. I’m fine.”

My foot finally found the chair. It spun away. I swore again. Mom would understand.

“Don’t you know better than to climb on things that move?”

“Gee, I never heard that before.”

Thanks to said skirt and gravity, I started to slide. I grabbed the back of the cabinet and dangled, the front edge digging into my ribs. I could have let go. The cabinet was only five feet high and full. Otherwise it would have toppled over, crushing me. Now, that might have been a good thing. It would’ve put me out of my misery.

Two hands grabbed my waist. Normally, I liked a man’s hands on me. Just not the man who broke my heart fifteen years ago. “Okay, Lexie. I’ve—”

“Don’t call me that,” I snapped. “I go by Alex.” Probably not the best time to assert my name choice.

“Okay, Alex. I’ve got you.” He did. I tried to twist away, lost my grip on the cabinet and fell.

“Gotcha,” he said, a half sec before we tumbled to the hardwood floor. He must have twisted because I landed on top of him. That had to hurt. With my height, I was no light-weight. I looked through a curtain of red. My carefully arranged, very professional chignon had tumbled down. Like the song, thanks to Nick Palzetti, I’d come undone.

“Another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.” I hooked a hank of hair behind my ear and propped my elbow on his chest. “Just like Indiana Jones, hey, Nick? I always knew you’d come back through my door. Of course, I’d rather it was Indy, instead of you.”

Available at: Amazon ~ iTunes ~ Barnes & Noble ~ Kobo ~ Smashwords

What are you reading this summer?

Leave a comment to win a $10 Amazon or B&N Gift Card. Be sure to leave your email address. For more chances to win, use the Rafflecopter.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Then visit the other participating authors. Linky Link doesn't like my blog so here's the link to the list of participating authors.

http://www.bookliaison.net/p/heat-wave-giveaway-hop-signups-now-open.html

Have fun! And happy summer reading.

Tastes of Summer

Yesterday, I had my first real taste of summer. A cucumber. Not just any cucumber. We can get cucumbers year round at the grocery store. This was the first-of-the-summer, just-picked cucumber from our garden. Its crisp taste immediately brings up memories of summers as a child. That first bite always says "summer" is here.

Hang on, you say. Summer has been here in Michigan since May. Actually, we had a "taste" of summer in March with unusual eighty degree temperatures. This year has been exceptionally hot, for long periods of time. Not just here but all over the country. With all that heat and little rain, I wondered how it would affect our garden.

I say "our" garden as if I had anything to do with it. It's my husband's garden. He buys the tender, young plants as soon as they're available then impatiently waits until danger of frost is past (sometimes, sooner) before he puts them in his carefully-prepared strip of ground. That's right, a strip of ground. Three years ago, he rid an area between the lawn and the neighbor's privacy fence of decorative stone for his garden. With the drought, he's out there watering that two by thirty foot strip every morning and praying for rain—just like farmers all over the country. Ironic that City Boy wanted to plant a garden when Country Girl here grew up on acreage with a huge garden. Been there, done that, don't need to do it again. Retirement does strange things to men.

The tomatoes are getting bigger and soon another taste of home-grown, fresh-picked summer will be here. As kids, we would eat tomatoes right off the vine like an apple. No need to wash off pesticides or whatever they put on tomatoes for transport to stores. We didn't use pesticides so our tomatoes came au naturel. Just brush it off and sink our teeth into the ripe flesh of warm, juicy sweet-tart tomato. Can't wait until ours are ripe. I say that now but by next month the tomatoes will be lined up along the kitchen window ledge and he'll bring in a dozen more—from three plants! Two people can only eat so many tomatoes. Since I don't can (been there...) our neighbors, relatives, strangers even will enjoy our bounty. Tomatoes are like zucchini, always more than you can eat.

Sweet watermelon and corn-on-the-cob slathered with butter are treats we only indulge in during the summer. Hubs hasn't tried growing them, thank goodness. We live in the city. But, corn picked that morning by a local farmer is so sweet, tender and juicy. Another taste that reminds me of summers past.

How-to articles tell writers to ground the reader by using the five senses—hearing, touch, sight, smell and taste. Hearing, touch and sight are fairly easy. Taste is more difficult to describe. Smell plays a large part in what we perceive as taste—proper name, gustation. I learned something new, thanks to Wikipedia. I always thought there were only four basic types: sweet, bitter, sour and salty. Apparently, there's a fifth called "umami" that means meaty or savory. I can definitely see that when I think of tasting a tomato. By bringing taste into our stories, we bring the reader in, make the reader experience what the character is experiencing. In Switched, when Veronese (from an alien world) first tastes Diet Vernors Ginger Ale, the bold, sweet-tart beverage bubbles on her tongue and tickles her nose. In Switched, Too, when Scott (from Earth) tastes alien starship veggies for the first time, the flavors explode in his mouth and are so intense he feels as if his esophagus is glowing radioactive. Unfortunately, those stories do not take place in July or August when they could experience the true tastes of summer. Maybe in the next book. Ah ha, that gives me an idea.

What are your favorite tastes that you associate with different seasons?

Starting this Thursday, August 2nd, I'll be bringing in authors for you to meet. I hope you'll stop by this week to meet and greet Michigan author Nancy Gideon.