Tag: ocean grove

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#ThoughtfulTuesday Help Us Help Women Receiving Treatment for Cancer

I had just turned 22 when the doctors said my mom had cancer. Nothing in the world could have prepared me for that or for what would follow in the next few months. It was difficult to watch my mom, who was my friend and mentor as well as my mom, suffer and fade away. Just over a decade later, my father passed from the same disease.

It was no easier when nearly 12 years ago I heard the word again, only this time the Big C had come for me. I was lucky to have doctors who listened to my first complaint that something wasn’t right and even luckier to have the best doctors to treat me.

When I decided to do a book launch, I thought it would be fun to do it in my daughter’s store since it’s mentioned in ONE SUMMER NIGHT and then in more detail in WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER (#2 in the At the Shore series). But I also wondered what the two of us could do to help others while we celebrated my new release.

For that reason, a portion of the proceeds from book sales and sales at my daughter’s store during the book launch party will be donated to Mary’s Place by the Sea, a respite for women receiving treatment for cancer. Since some of you may not be able to make that book launch party in person, I will also be making donations for every copy of ONE SUMMER NIGHT sold from October 22 to October 29, whether online or in a book store!

If you are in the area, I’d love to see you! Here is the information for the book launch party!

    October 29 – 2 pm to 5 pm
    (formerly October 22 rescheduled due to conflict)
    Book Launch Party at
    OG Surf and Skate
    53 Main Avenue
    Ocean Grove, NJ 07756

You can order ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
GooglePlay: http://bit.ly/2ik8EfG
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

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#WriteWed – Inspiration for Sea Kiss from ONE SUMMER NIGHT

As you might guess from the At the Shore series name, the stories in my new contemporary romance series are set on the Jersey Shore in the fictional town of Sea Kiss. Sea Kiss is a mix of several of my favorite towns along the Jersey Shore. Today I’m going to share a little bit about Ocean Grove which is one of my favorite shore towns.

Located just south of neighboring Asbury Park, Ocean Grove is a quaint town filled with lovely Victorian homes and a shopping district with a hometown feel. You’ll get to taste some of that atmosphere in ONE SUMMER NIGHT as the characters stroll through town. There’s even a little homage to my daughter’s surf and skate shop on Main Avenue. You’ll actually get to meet her in #2 in the series, WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER.

Ocean Grove was originally founded by the Methodists and is today still owned by the Camp Meeting Association. For that reason, the town is dry and many of the homes are on land that is owned by the Association and only leased to the homeowners. Not that long ago, residents could not park their cars in town on Sunday and to this day, the beach does not open until noon on Sundays to allow residents to attend religious services. Some of those services are actually held in a small pavilion on the boardwalk.

One of the most interesting elements in town that track to its faith-based mission are the tents which are erected every May and taken down in late September. The tens are a holdover from when the Methodists would hold their camp revival meetings on the beach. At some point the structures became more permanent with small sheds to hold the kitchens and bathrooms and the tented area for sleeping. They are lovely to see and are decorated quite nicely by the summer residents. Over 100 of them remain in town.

In ONE SUMMER NIGHT, the families of the heroe and heroine have lived in Sea Kiss for nearly a century and have grand Victorian homes on the beachfront. It was so much fun to craft these homes and the nearby town to give you a taste of what I love about the Jersey Shore and Ocean Grove in particular. The town is a unique gem, so much so, that the entire town has been designated a National Historic landmark.

I hope you enjoyed this look into the inspiration for Sea Kiss, my little town in the At the Shore series. I hope you’ll check out ONE SUMMER NIGHT which is now available for pre-order and will be out in print and e-book on October 3. The second book in the series, WHAT HAPPENS IN SUMMER, will be out in late Spring 2018 and you’ll get to spend some more time with Owen’s brother Jonathan and Maggie’s best friend Connie Reyes. Plus you’ll get to see a little more of Sea Kiss!

You can pre-order ONE SUMMER NIGHT at the following retailers:

Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/2krMwfE
Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/2kYLWZV
B&N: http://bit.ly/2kNuo0p
iBooks: http://apple.co/2qsqdwx
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2fuEphL

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Welcome Summer! #Write Wed

I live for the summer! It’s my favorite time of year for so many reasons. The weather for starters, although I’m not a fan of 90 degree days. The beach. Reading on the beach. Napping on the beach. Writing on my balcony. The flowers. Fresh tomatoes right off the vine. Parades and fireworks. Concerts on the boardwalk. So many many things! I wish summer could last all year long, but then it wouldn’t be so special, would it?

As for writing, I get tons of writing done during the summer months as I sit on my balcony in the early morning quiet. Just love it!

Enjoy the first day of summer and some photos of my fav summer things!

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Ocean Grove Memories & At the Shore #ThrowbackThursday

The fictional town in the At the Shore Contemporary Romance series, Sea Kiss, is actually a composite of several of my favorite towns along the Jersey Shore. For those familiar with the area, you may see descriptions of areas that match those of a particular town. It was fun for me to take the best of my favorite towns and create Sea Kiss.

Today’s throwback is to memories of one of my favorite towns – Ocean Grove. Don’t be surprised if the characters in the books also visit a cute little surf and skate shop there!

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#WriteWed Fixing Broken Things

I’ve always loved taking risks with what I write. Whether it was challenging people to believe in otherworldly beings, like in The Calling is Reborn series, or having them on the edge of their seats, like in The Gambling for Love series, I love taking that risk.

UNDER THE BOARDWALK is about risk, but also about fixing broken things.

Long after I wrote the story, I saw an interview with an older woman who had been married for quite some time. The interviewer asked her how it was possible that she had been married for so long. To paraphrase that wise woman, she said that she hadn’t lived in a disposal world. When something was broken, you tried to fix it.

I hope you enjoy this sexy and emotional story about how Natalie and Chase try to fix their broken marriage. I also hope that this sexy story helps chase away a little of today’s fall chill!
A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love and save their marriage?

Teaser

Natalie Ramirez has spent less and less time with her husband over the last year and more and more time alone. She longs for the happy days of summer when she and Chase would pass the time together on the beach and under the boardwalk, exploring the passion that simmered between them as hot as any summer sun.

Chase Smith had to work hard for everything he ever had, including his wife Natalie. His wife had never wanted for anything in her life and Chase didn’t want to disappoint her. But somewhere along the way, Chase lost sight of the most important thing she wanted: his love.

A passionate night under the boardwalk brought them together, but can Chase and Natalie rekindle that lost love and save their marriage?

Excerpt

Click here if you cannot see the excerpt below!

You can purchase UNDER THE BOARDWALK at these retailers!

Amazon: http://amzn.to/2ae3AU8
B&N: http://bit.ly/2a6vKPc
iBooks: http://apple.co/2a9fZ9X
Kobo: http://bit.ly/2a6xdES
Page Foundry: http://bit.ly/2a6wkfO
Scribd: http://bit.ly/2a6vM9A

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#TravelTuesday Ocean Grove #NJ

Ocean Grove is a lovely little town in my neck of the Jersey Shore. It was founded in 1869 by Methodist clergymen who wanted a summer camp meeting site on the Jersey Shore. A lot of the property in the town is still owned by the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association and leased to residents for their homes and businesses. The town was declared a State and National Historic District in 1975 and has an amazing number of Victorian and early 19th century homes. It also has these fabulous tents that are occupied during the summer months and originated as places for people to stay for the camp meetings.

Ocean Grove beaches are some of the loveliest in the state and the beaches and boardwalk have been restored since the damage done by Hurricane Sandy. It is always fun to visit the beaches and then stroll into town for the small businesses (like my daughter’s surf and skate shop) and the many events that the town holds all year long.

This past weekend was the Brits on the Beach event! I loved visiting to see all the classic and modern British cars that were in town for the event. Today I’m sharing some pictures with you. Just click on a photo to see it full size!

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