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Susan Connell | Romancing The Beach !
August 23, 2012
I live twenty minutes from Palm Beach, a fifteen mile long island on Florida's
south east coast. My husband and I drive over there at least once a week. We
don't go for Worth Avenue's high end shopping, or to dine at glitzy restaurants,
or for a drive-by of the opulent mansions. We go for the beach. Ahhh...the beach. Perfectly tended, life guard protected and still public.
Besides all that, it's the nearest patch of salt scented real estate to our
home. So good for planting our beach umbrella (red with a Campari logo), setting
up our sand chairs and indulging in our weekly ritual of people watching. (Okay,
my husband goes to swim, so let me tell you about the guys.) You would be amazed by the cross section of male society I've seen there. A
mosaic of men - all shapes, all sizes, and all ages. Oooh, baby let the show
begin and set it to the sounds of English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and
German. By the way, I'm still not getting the appeal of Europeans in
mini-Speedos. Nor do I gaze fondly upon American men in Jams. (Excuse me, sir,
the 90's called and they want their baggy, saggy, knee-length swim wear back.
Yesterday.) Multiple tatoos? My jury's still out on that, but neatly done, not
so bad. Those men in their Tommy Bahama's type swim trunks are a joy to behold.
Especially those tanned, toned types strolling thebeach or wading in the waves.
Sometimes the scene is, to my writer's eye, pure perfection. I saw (okay, it
wasn't George Clooney, but just as handsome) a guy lift his bikini clad
girlfriend out of the water, hold her there then kiss her. Nothing beats a
moment like that, not even a Dolce & Gabbana ad. That same afternoon I found a champagne cork next to my sand chair. The muses
were on their game. I was inspired. What woman doesn't enjoy a little romance set at the beach? And by beach, I mean
any beach. Down in the Keys. Over on Florida's gulf coast. Up on the Jersey
shore. (A certain reality show excluded from your fine thoughts, please.) SPLASH! Why not publish a 3-in-1 ebook where all three novels are set at the beaches
mentioned above, and call it THE BIG BEACH BOOK? So I
did. A WOMAN TO BLAME, GLORY GIRL and A MAN LIKE THIS will have you romancing
the beach in your own mind. Note: Cold margaritas will enhance this activity. Now, if you'll excuse me, the margarita in my plastic cup is losing it's chill
and there's a man down there by water's edge who looks a little like George
Clooney.  By the way, I've recently
released another e-book set in another Florida beach town. This one is for the
eight to twelve year old reader (known in the world of books as middle readers.)
If you have a pre-teen girl in your house, or know one, I think, by the reader
mail I've been receiving, they'd like Palmetto Princesses. It's a "new girl at
school" story, but rather then my paltry synopsis, let me have the main
character, daughter of a famous archaeologist, tell you a bit about it.
"I'm Isabella Jones (Izzy to my friends...if I had any!) and I'm the "new
girl" in 6th grade. You can read about my rocky road to friendship, impressing
my teacher and, if I'm lucky, becoming a princess. One of the PALMETTO PRINCESSES. And
you can find out if my widowed dad is really dating my teacher. This e-book is
for 8-12 year olds - like me."
Comments
29 comments posted.
Re: Susan Connell | Romancing The Beach !
I grew up on the beach on Long Island and biy do I miss it. I
am land-locked now in GA and it is at least a 2 hour drive to
the beach. I love visiting in books when I can't get there in
person and besides there isn't enough eye bleach for Bubba in
a speedo.
(Donna Antonio 1:32pm August 23, 2012)
ohhhhh, your description of the beach sounds heavenly, wish I was there right now ~
(Stacy Novack 1:35pm August 23, 2012)
I love the beach, it's a great place to people watch.
(Diana Thomas 1:42pm August 23, 2012)
I love when you can enjoy more than one story in a book... Sounds wonderful.
(Colleen Conklin 1:47pm August 23, 2012)
I do love to people watch, I always see something new. You are lucky to be
so close to the beach, it's hard for me to get there.
Thanks for sharing with us.
(Suzanne Blasi 2:13pm August 23, 2012)
I lived in Jersey from 4-21. I was always at the shore! Seaside for the beach and clubs and Pt.Pleasent to relax with family & friends and play games on the boardwalk. I live in Florida now and my kids are beach babies. We are less than 15 min. from sand....Evetually I want cooler weather, but we decided if ever given the chance, carlonia here we come...We have t be along water....The best thing about going to the beach is the books you nring along!
amotherway @ aol (dot)com
(Allie Motherway 2:19pm August 23, 2012)
Sounds like a great read, can't wait!
(Carey Sabala 3:02pm August 23, 2012)
Summer only lasts so long in WI and a trip to Lake Michigan is always fun.
We "collect" mullets. The person that finds the best mullet wins a drink
(soda for kids and beer for adults, it is WI after all). I one once with a waist
length mullet wearing a speedo!
(Tanja Haack 3:31pm August 23, 2012)
Oh boy... I love the beach! :) Too bad that I don't live near one or I'll be there every day!
(May Pau 3:38pm August 23, 2012)
I wanna go to the beach....but I can't this year! But I can always live through a book and be there anytime! :) Thanks for the giveaway! :)
(Stacy Wright 3:46pm August 23, 2012)
The beach is the one place I have found that brings me centered and my inner demons to rest. I love it! Thanks so much for this chance to win!
(Angie Lilly 4:55pm August 23, 2012)
I love the beach i feel at peace there.
(Debbie Lord 6:15pm August 23, 2012)
Have you ever been to Sanibel, the ultimate beach and shelling island? Well, if you haven't you don't know what you are missing....serenity and peace to the nth degree.
(Susan Coster 8:22pm August 23, 2012)
LOVE! LOVE!LOVE! Beach-themed novels are the best! There is no place as special as the beach. Wish I was a Jersey girl!
(Shari Santella 8:34pm August 23, 2012)
I KNEW I was doing something wrong!! Here every time I come home from the beach, I come home with pretty rocks and shells!! Sometimes I luck out and find some beach glass, but that's about it. The next time I'm out, I'll have to remember to LOOK UP!! lol Have a great day!!
(Peggy Roberson 9:05pm August 23, 2012)
I haven't been to the beach for a long time.
(Jan D 9:28pm August 23, 2012)
Love walks along the beach.
(Mary C 10:11pm August 23, 2012)
We are planning a beach trip in September it would be great to have beach books! :)
(Dianne McVetty 10:12pm August 23, 2012)
I live by the beach and believe me there is nothing like it, especially watching the sunsets.
(Kay Pritchard 11:15pm August 23, 2012)
I've always lived in New Jersey, unfortunately not at the shore. But every summer we've always spent time at he shore, which we love.
(Carol Woodruff 1:18am August 24, 2012)
Middle America here, so spring breaks are typically at the beach... not always warm, but sure beats the midwestern snows!
(Cate Sparks 7:48am August 24, 2012)
As one who lived 5 hours from Myrtle Beach, I spent years
making that drive about every other weekend with a car load
of friends. We were in hog heaven if we actually had a three
day weekend. We'd bake in the sun all day and party till the
wee hours of night and then start all over again. God, what
I wouldn't give to have that energy again.
(Lisa Richards 8:43am August 24, 2012)
The summer here hasn't been good enough for beach lazing... brisk walking maybe. Sonds like your book would be a great antidote.
(Clare O'Beara 8:44am August 24, 2012)
Margarita on the beach with a handsome man sounds simply divine! Take me away!!
I will have to get your ebook for pre-teen girls. I have 2 granddaughters that would love it! Thanks!
(Teresa Sullivan 9:51am August 24, 2012)
I love walking on the beach. It's so relaxing.
(Rita Wray 9:55am August 24, 2012)
OH!!! I was SO with you on your "sight-seeing" at the beach!
I LOVE going down the shore (the Jersey shore)...I miss being there - my son and I have been telling each other that we need to go down the shore even for a day. We're not much on hitting the Atlantic City casinos - we love walking the Boardwalk, going onto the beach and "getting our feet wet"!
(Felicia Ciaudelli 10:23am August 24, 2012)
I love the beach, and living here in fla. I get to go often...I love St. George Island for its quiet but fun at the sametime...love just sitting and let the ocean relax me, its my place for me to think and to read a book...I use to live in Stuart Fla. and closer to the beach and would play beach volleyblall and met all kinds of people but my life has change alittle even though i do play beach volleyball I'm just not that crazy girl anymore..love watching people at the beach...still a fun girl just alittle tamer...
(Carole Fiore 10:54am August 24, 2012)
I live in southwest Florida and it's so wonderful to hit up the beach. However,
we usually enjoy it most in the winter. The breezes are perfect, the
temperature is not blistering hot and one can sit and read for hours...under
an umbrella of course!!
Unfortunately, the "view" in the winter is rather ghastly. It's mostly "old goats"
whose bodies have seen better days. But, you know what? My husband has
the best physique ever and I never get tired of gazing upon his gorgeous bod!
(Connie Fischer 11:13am August 24, 2012)
Like Tanja above, I'm in WI, and here in Madison, beaches are a rarity, even though the city is built around 5 lakes.
However, my mother grew on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, literally THREE blocks from the beach, so when I was a kid and we were visiting the grandparents, I was there a lot. Unfortunately, at that point in my life, noticing the guys wasn't high on my life list, not that there were many to notice in the first place.
Now that noticing the guys IS high on my life list (even at 54!), the beaches to notice them on aren't in my life!!
Sigh. What's a girl to do?
Later,
Lynn
(Lynn Rettig 3:09pm August 24, 2012)
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