Wendy Wax's Blog, page 4
February 26, 2018
The Beach I Grew Up On
I was one of those lucky people who grew up on a beach. In my case it was St. Petersburg Beach, that comma of land that curves into the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida. It was beautiful all year round, but the summers were especially wonderful. We spent most days on Pass-a-Grille at the southernmost end of St. Pete Beach, at the Rellim Hotel, which was owned by family friends, where the moms played cards and the children, well, romped.
Some of my earliest memories include holding my breath. Family lore has it that I learned to swim before I could walk. I’m not sure ifthat’s actually true, but I do remember standing on the edge of the deep end where I would wait until people were watching (I guess I’ve always loved an audience) and then throw myself into the swimming pool and swim underwater to the other end where I’d come up for air to adult gasps of relief. I could and did spend hours in the pool doing handstands and trying to talk underwater clearly enough to be understood. Then there were the summersaults — how many you could complete without having to come up for air was a matter of pride. I’m happy to report that it looks like not breathing while ingesting large quantities of chlorine has had no long-term effect.
Those long, hot summer days were spent eating ice cream sandwiches and racing across the sand between the hotel’s freshwater pool and the salty gulf with occasional stops to build sand castles or dig for coquinas. Other days we’d cartwheel down the hard packed sand near the waters’ edge for what seemed like miles.
During the school year, I went to the aptly named Sunshine Elementary, where we had a fish broil every fall and art class and P.E. sometimes took place on the beach. You can see documentation of all of this at the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum.
My mother used to say that people who lived there had ‘sand in their shoes.’ I thought she meant this literally; after all there was sand everywhere—and not just in our shoes!
It took me a long time to realize that she was referring to the pace at which everyone and everything moved—or didn’t. I grew up assuming that everyone lived across the street from the beach under the shade of palm trees and spent hours perfecting their underwater summersaults. And by the time I’d finished high school, I couldn’t wait to leave for somewhere more exciting. It took going away to fully appreciate how lucky I’d been to grow up in such an incredible place. I’ve searched out sandy spots around the globe, and never found a beach I liked more. Which may explain why when I began writing Ten Beach Road, the story of three women who lose their life savings to a Ponzi scheme and are left with only co-ownership of a derelict beachfront mansion, I spent a long time envisioning the house and about two seconds deciding on which beach it would sit.
The beach locations in Ten Beach Road, Sunshine Beach, and Best Beach Ever are a mixture of real Pass-a-Grille spots that I’ve loved all my life and fictional streets that may confound some of the locals. Bella Flora, the once-fabulous Mediterranean Revival style mansion at the heart of what has become a six book series, sits on the non-existent ‘Beach Road’ (actually 1st Avenue) at the southwestern tip of Pass-a-Grille. (This wasn’t easy as I had to mentally move a condominium building so that Bella Flora could command its spectacular view of the pass and Shell Island.)
As often as possible my characters Madeline and Kyra Singer, Avery Lawford and Nicole Grant head out back to toast the sunset and search for at least one good thing to say about their day. In the process they’ve bonded, become good friends, and reclaimed their own lives even as they rescued and renovated Bella Flora.
When I finished writing Ten Beach Road I assumed I’d move on to a new cast of characters, but I missed Maddie, Avery, Nikki and crew, and I kept hearing from readers who did too. It’s been a privilege and a great pleasure to continue writing their stories, their relationships, and especially their friendship.
This is Paradise Grove where the ladies of Ten Beach Road like to go!
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February 6, 2018
Best Readers Ever!
Just a quick note to say thank you to all of you who’ve been following me and my books through the years.
I can hardly wait for the release of Best Beach Ever on May 22nd! Price drops on my earlier novels as well as chances to win the entire Ten Beach Road series and advance reading copies of Best Beach Ever are coming!
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And of course I hope you’ll connect with me on social media so that we can get to know each other better.
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December 21, 2017
Jólabókaflóð
(Icelandic for “The book flood of Christmas”)
Jólabókaflóð celebrates the annual flood of new books in Iceland occurring in the months before Christmas every year. During the festive season, gifts are opened on Christmas Eve and, by tradition, everyone reads the books they have been given straight away, often while drinking hot chocolate or alcohol-free Christmas ale called jólabland.
From my blog post on Read It Forward –
The Books 36 Authors Are Giving Their Friends This Holiday
The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher

Hats off to Iceland for having a holiday that revolves around book giving. I think we need to adopt this holiday immediately. (Or at least make it a part of those we already celebrate.) There’s nothing like receiving a book from someone who loved it. Book recommendations are also a gift. Especially when they come at just the right time. Last summer I was on an unusually tight deadline, writing what felt like 24/7 for months. My brain was fried. I needed something to read. Something to escape into that wouldn’t result in a hangover. Something entirely different from what I write.
A close friend recommended The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, a series about a professional wizard/detective in Chicago. It’s filled with magic and supernatural creatures and a police department that deals with “special investigations.” I’ve enjoyed paranormal, time travel, and magical realism on occasion; it’s just not my usual go-to genre. But my friend’s eyes lit up. Her voice rang with the kind of passion a writer hopes to ignite and a reader hopes to feel.
I started on book one that night. I read during what passed for lunch and in those spare moments and evenings when I needed a break from my own work. The action and the magical world are finely drawn, but as a writer and reader, for me, it’s always about the characters. I fell in love with Jim Butcher’s flippant, flawed yet heroic, Harry Dresden on page one of that first book. My love grew. All these months later I’m trying not to finish the fifteenth, and final, book in the series. I’m going to miss Harry and his friends and allies horribly. I’ll even miss his enemies.
I realized as I read the series that if you subtract the magic and all the really cool supernatural details, he and I are both writing about the bonds of friendship that get us through the toughest times. With a distinctly light touch. If we were celebrating Jólabókaflóð, and I really think we should, I would gift a loved one with the entire Dresden Files series. If we’re allowed to tweak the tradition to include book recommendations, then this is my gift to you with all best wishes for a wonderful holiday season.”
—Wendy Wax, author of A Bella Flora Christmas
The post Jólabókaflóð appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
December 3, 2017
Win two copies of A TEN BEACH ROAD CHRISTMAS!
To enter just visit my Wendy Wax Facebook Page and tag a friend who makes your holiday season brighter. You both will be entered to each win a copy of A TEN BEACH ROAD CHRISTMAS, which includes the new novella A BELLA FLORA CHRISTMAS and the previously released CHRISTMAS AT THE BEACH, together in print for the first time and exclusively available at Walmart.
The post Win two copies of A TEN BEACH ROAD CHRISTMAS! appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
November 29, 2017
New Giveaway!
Check back here on Monday, December 4, for a new Wendy Wax giveaway. Spread the word!
The post New Giveaway! appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
Stay tuned for my next Event..
I’m currently hard at work on the next TEN BEACH ROAD novel, BEST BEACH EVER! But I hope to be out and about soon, so stayed tuned.
The post Stay tuned for my next Event.. appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
October 31, 2017
A Ten Beach Road Christmas Giveaway
I’m excited to share this chance to win a copy of A TEN BEACH ROAD CHRISTMAS, which includes the new novella A BELLA FLORA CHRISTMAS and the previously released CHRISTMAS AT THE BEACH, together in print for the first time and available exclusively at Walmart beginning November 7.
You’ll also win a holiday bag of Geaux Nuts, one of my very favorite snacks.
Go to Wendy Wax Holiday Giveaway to enter!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. US residents, 18+.
Ends November 6, 2017.
The post A Ten Beach Road Christmas Giveaway appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
October 23, 2017
Milton Literary Festival
Saturday, November 11, 2017 3:00PM
Milton City Hall
2006 Heritage Walk
Milton, GA 30004
The Art of Women’s Fiction Panel with authors Haley Harrigan, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Joshilyn Jackson
2017-11-11 15:00:00
2017-11-11 17:00:00
America/New_York
Milton Literary Festival
The Art of Women’s Fiction Panel with authors Haley Harrigan, Kristy Woodson Harvey and Joshilyn Jackson
Milton City Hall, 2006 Heritage Walk, Milton, GA 30004
Author Wendy Wax
The post Milton Literary Festival appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
September 12, 2017
New Releases!
So excited to share these new Ten Beach Road releases!
A Ten Beach Road Christmas — This print edition includes the earlier holiday novella Christmas at the Beach and the brand new holiday novella A Bella Flora Christmas plus an excerpt of the next full length Ten Beach Road novel, BEST BEACH EVER.
Available exclusively at Walmart or online at walmart,com now!
The post New Releases! appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
Upcoming Releases!
So excited to share these upcoming Ten Beach Road releases!
A Ten Beach Road Christmas — This print edition includes the earlier holiday novella Christmas at the Beach and the brand new holiday novella A Bella Flora Christmas plus an excerpt of the next full length Ten Beach Road novel, BEST THING EVER.
Available exclusively at Walmart beginning November 7!
The post Upcoming Releases! appeared first on Wendy Wax -- official site.
