S.W. Frontz's Blog

Free Kindle Version

My main character, Sarah, is celebrating her birthday today, so I'm offering Closer Than Yesterday Kindle version free today only.

Here's the link:https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07...

Kayaking on Back Bay

Last Friday evening I did something I've never done before.  I was in Virginia Beach visiting my friend and author, Cheryl R. Lane and her husband, Larry, who is also my first cousin.Right down from Little Island State Park, which is my one of my favorite places to go is the Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and False Cape State Park.We decided we wanted to try kayaking, so we met the others at the visitor's center at Back Bay.  You can only get to False Cape through Back Bay, the water, and coming in from the North Carolina side.  We took the "Blue Goose Express" through Back Bay to the shore in False Cape where the kayaks went in to the water.We were a little nervous, not sure what to expect.  We put on life jackets and picked out our kayaks and away we went.  At first we kept bumping into each other, but we soon got the hang of it.  We saw a water moccasin, a bald eagle, and puddle ducks.The guide Vicki, demonstrated how a mallow, which is in the hibiscus family, is edible.  Cheryl tried it, but I passed.  We took a rest on the shore halfway through and I saw a very big loblolly pine, which is mentioned in my book a few times.  It was all very beautiful and peaceful, and the three guides were very knowledgeable and it was obvious that they loved their jobs.  The sunset was gorgeous.  We plan on going again next year.  Maybe next time we'll try the early morning expedition.

My very first book signing

A couple of months ago, I found out my cousin and his wife, my friend and fellow author, Cheryl R Lane, were coming to Tennessee for the 4th of July weekend.  Cheryl said, "Why don't we have a book-signing, now that your book is published."  I thought, "what a great idea."  So I went about trying to find a place to have it, and my dad volunteers the fellowship house from his church.  By the way, many thanks to Liberty Fellowship for the use of their house.  Cheryl puts together a flier, and we invite everyone on facebook and my parents invite the whole church.  Cheryl and I agonized whether we had too much food or not enough, what to have for door prizes, and lastly would anyone show up.  Well, I was pleasantly surprised.  People came that I didn't expect at all.  Two fantastic ladies from my bank showed up, the first ones to arrive in fact and they had only been told about it the day before!  Ladies from mom's church came, my cousin Jimmy and his wife Marie drove from Shelby, North Carolina, and an old elementary school friend who has been living in Georgia all these years, surprised me. I had two old and dear friends from Johnson City that came, and of course my family.  I have to say I was touched by how many people cared enough to show up and buy books from myself and Cheryl.  It was great and it was really nice how the church ladies came in support of my mom and dad.  Not only that, my mom, her sister, and their brother were together for the first time in years.  Everyone was blessed that day.  It was a great day of family, old friends and new friends.  Thank you very much everyone of you that was a part of it.

Knott's Island

     A few years ago my family and I decided to take a different route to Virginia Beach and we went all the way across North Carolina and took the ferry from Currituck over to Knott's Island.  It was June and the Peach Festival was in full swing.  It was later that I decided to use Knott's Island as inspiration for my fictitious island in my book.  I decided on the name at home in Tennessee, and when riding down Knott's Island Road to the ferry one summer day I passed a street named Lands End

Juliette, Georgia

In my book I write about a fictional abandoned mill town named Odette, Georgia.  The inspiration for this town was Juliette, Georgia.  Once upon a time Juliette was a thriving railroad town.  It became like a ghost town but was revived in 1991 when the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes" was filmed there.  Now Juliette is bustling tourist attraction and people come to eat at the Whistlestop Café and shop at the renovated buildings along MacCracken Road.  I have been there a couple of times and having

I get by with a little help from my friends

    Actually, it's a whole lot of help from my friends, one in particular.  Cheryl R Lane is also an author, with six novels published.  Wellington Cross, Wellington Grove, Wellington Rose, Wellington Christmas, and the two newest in another series, Starlight Wishes and Sunrise Kisses.  These last two are part of an angel series.   She made her way through the self publishing maze all by herself, but when I started on this journey she made sure she was there to guide me through it and not make

Back Bay Wildlife Refuge

Back Bay Wildlife Refuge is located at the end of Sandpiper Road in the community of Sandbridge Beach, VA.  It's beautiful in a wild, desolate way filled with all kinds of birds and once I saw a deer on the dunes.  This picture of a boardwalk is a trail from the interior of the park to the dunes and the beach.  I used the refuge as a setting in the book, with a few changes made to it to fit my storyline.  I visit the refuge every time I go to Virginia Beach.  There's always something new to see.