Edith Maxwell's Blog, page 172
July 30, 2018
A Launch Week Ode to Junkyard Johnny
By Liz, super excited that Purrder She Wrote releases tomorrow, with its twin Death Over Easy by Maddie Day!
Release weeks are always so exciting. This is my eighth published novel, and some days that’s still hard to wrap my head around.
I’m having a ton of fun writing the Cat Cafe series. My only regret for this launch is that the real JJ isn’t around to revel in the release of his second book. For those of you who missed it, Junkyard Johnny, who’s the real life inspiration for the cat of the same name in the books, passed away unexpectedly in January. My publisher, St. Martin’s Press, is doing an amazing job keeping his memory alive on the cover of this book – doesn’t it look like him??
[image error] [image error]
I know he’d want to be here right now to pose with his books, hold some contests, and announce Cate’s new website that just launched. He would’ve been especially intent on growing his fan base (he was always a little jealous that Tuffy had his own page) but on the other hand, JJ was confident enough to know that he was pretty special and loved by a lot of people.
For those of you who weren’t well acquainted with JJ, here’s a little about him.
He was rescued from a junkyard in New Hampshire by a friend of a friend in 2003, and the vet estimated him to be about three years old. He ended up at the shelter I volunteered at back then, and I fell in love with that face from the minute I saw him. And his squeak. For a big, strong alley cat who’d survived in a junkyard, he didn’t meow – he squeaked. And it was hilarious. (He knew when you were laughing at his squeak, though, and he hated it.) You’ll see the same characteristic in the book version of JJ.
A year later, he had a serious medical condition and needed emergency surgery and a week-long hospitalization. Luckily, he survived and lived to wreak different levels of havoc for a long time.
He could be a bully. He had something against fluffy cats and always beat up his longer-haired siblings. Honestly, at one point his behavior was so challenging he ended up on Prozac. (I know, right?)
He loved catnip, and catnip toys. His favorite was the stick of catnip “dynamite.” Even as he got older, he loved to chase that thing around and fling it in the air. And he also loved to get high off it. [image error]
He was also a really good snuggler. I always wondered how he lived in the junkyard when he so clearly preferred soft beds and humans to snuggle with. Brothers and sisters, not so much most days…but nobody’s perfect.
Happy launch day, JJ – your memory will live on in the series, and I’ll visit a cat cafe in your honor.
[image error]Meanwhile, copies of the book have already been sighted! Here’s one from Sarasota, Florida.
Readers, leave a quick ode below to a pet who still lives on in your memory…or tell us if you’re going to the bookstore for any new releases this week!
July 27, 2018
A Change of Pace
Jessie: In Toronto enjoying a change of pace.
[image error]
Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com
Lately, I’ve been on the road far more than is normal for me. In fact, by the end of the month I will have been away from home for 21 days in July. It has been fun and a bit of a whirlwind but mostly it has been a great chance to shake up my routine.
Since I work from home as a writer full time I tend to spend most of my waking hours alone except for the imaginary people. I live in a rural village in New Hampshire for most of the year and rarely encounter crowds, public transportation or even something as exotic as a Whole Foods. It is a wonderful life but a sedate one much of the time. And it is easy to fall into a rut. I tend to see the same people, hear the same languages and eat the same foods most of the time.
But this month has been filled with novelties. In the airports and one the streets I overhear conversations in languages I cannot identify. I see clothing styles and intriguing pairs of shoes and architecture that soars or gleams or impresses. I walk out the door of the hotel and purchase tiny pineapples and rolls warm from a bakery. I drink coffee I did not make myself.
It feels expansive and refreshing. I had no idea how much I would love wandering the streets of San Juan or poking about D.C. and Toronto. I love the spirit of adventure that being in parts unknown brings out in me. It has even been inspiring some ideas for my work. I am already looking forward my next trip. But, I think I’ll enjoy spending a little time back home first!
Readers, do you love to shake up your routine now and again? If so, what is your preferred way to do so?
[image error]
Photo by Tim Gouw on Pexels.com
July 26, 2018
A Wicked Welcome to Author Marian Lanouette
Jane/Susannah/Sadie here, racing through the summer at a breakneck pace without actually meaning to…
[image error]Today I’m bringing you a special guest, my friend Marian Lanouette, whom I’ve known since just after I started writing seriously. ALL THE HIDDEN SINS, her latest police procedural–which is definitely NOT cozy, LOL!–releases next Tuesday. I asked Marian a few questions so you could all get to know her better.
Tell us a little about yourself and your series.
Good morning Jane, and Wicked Cozy Authors and readers. I’m thrilled to be visiting you today. I’m Marian Lanouette, author of the Jake Carrington Thriller/Mystery series and an avid reader of all things mystery, thriller and suspense. I grew up reading the NY Daily News and from an early age was mesmerized by the murder stories in the paper. They read like serial books. Each day, I’d grab my father’s copy of the newspaper to see if there were new clues the police uncovered and/or if they had caught the killer. When the police didn’t catch a killer, it set my imagination in motion. What if I solved the crime for the cops? Wouldn’t that be amazing for a ten-year-old to accomplish? Yes, it was a fanciful idea but it kept my mind occupied. After a while I started to write out my thoughts. I love puzzles and seeing my analysis on paper brought the cases and clues into focus. I’ve been writing ever since.
Do you have any unusual talents or skills?
I don’t know if they’re unusual, but I liked to snowboard, rollerblade, and wakeboard and participated in these activities until my open heart surgery in 2009. Now I’m a bit more careful in my adventures. I also love to knit, read, and lunch with friends and colleagues.
Tell us a little about your series.
Thanks for asking, Jane. Lieutenant Jake Carrington along with his partner/friend Sergeant Louie Romanelli are cops in a mid-size city in Connecticut. Jake is a single man while Louie is married with three kids. Besides having my characters solve crimes, I like to explore how the job interferes with the personal side of their lives. Jake’s motivation for turning down a sports career in college was the murder of his sister while he was in his teens. After his family buried Eva, Jake vowed to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a cop. He believes to his core that giving the victims justice is what matters, no matter whose feet he stomps on.
Was there a real-life inspiration for your fictional homicide detective, Jake Carrington? If not, how did you create him?
No, Jake slammed into my head fully developed one day when I was working on another story. He kept shouting in my head until I put down my work in progress and put him on paper. The first book ran through my mind as if a movie was playing. I’m acquainted with some police officers and love listening to their stories of suspects and events. Their views are colorful and a bit tainted. Cops see life differently than you and I do—how can they help it when they deal with the dregs of morally corrupt human society and desperate people every day they go to work?
Other than Jake, who’s your favorite fictional detective and why?
I love Lieutenant Eve Dallas in the In Death series by J.D. Robb. I also like Will Trent in Karin Slaughter’s series set in Atlanta, GA; and J.T. Ellison’s series with Lieutenant Taylor Jackson and her one with Dr. Samantha Owens; and Lee Childs’ Jack Reacher. I could go on and on. Before I was published I was reading eight books a week. Now,with my deadlines, I’m lucky if I get through one.
[image error]This series took an unusual publication path. Tell us about that.
It was unusual. When I finished the first two books I submitted to a small press and received a contract for them. After two years I wasn’t happy with the results and took back my rights and self-published the series. And I had some success going that way. At a function I met my now-editor from Kensington and asked if she’d be interested in reading the series. She was, and did, and offered me a four-book deal, including those first two books which received new titles and some revisions. It’s been working out great. I feel I’ve learned something important at each stage of the game. And I hope it makes me a better writer.
You write in other genres as well. Tell us about those stories. Is it hard to switch back and forth?
I write thrillers, mysteries, romantic suspense, and under a pseudonym romance novels. It’s easy for me to switch. It’s a mindset. I work off of a to-do list which I make up each night. When I wake up the next morning, I know what and where my mind/imagination should be and get to it.
What’s next for Jake?
On the 31st of this month ALL THE HIDDEN SINS releases. I’m excited about this book, because I used my career working at a cemetery/crematorium to invent sinister characters and weird possibilities. (Jane, butting in here–I read this story and you will never think about a crematorium the same way!) I love how it turned out. I’ve also turned in ALL THE PRETTY BRIDES which releases in December. And I’m now working the edits on book four, ALL THE DIRTY SECRETS, for a May 2019 release. I’m also playing with plots for future books in series. Jake keeps dominating my thoughts over other characters so for now he gets all the attention.
Here’s the book blurb for ALL THE HIDDEN SINS, A JAKE CARRINGTON THRILLER:
When it comes to crime, homicide detective Jake Carrington plays for high stakes . . .
Assigned a missing persons case, Lieutenant Jake Carrington investigates a local Mob boss. The trail goes cold, but the Mafioso isn’t taking any chances, and soon the heat turns up from another quarter. Turns out there’s more than one dangerous suspect . . .
Kyra Russell is drop-dead gorgeous and Jake is only human. But despite their mutual attraction, Jake’s suspicion deepens when he learns about her gambling problem—an addiction that cost her both husband and son. Even more disturbing is Kyra’s day job. She runs a crematorium—and it’s tied to the Mob. Now Jake will have to navigate a firestorm of treachery to get to the truth . . .
Previously published as Burn in Hell.
https://www.facebook.com/marian.lanouette
https://twitter.com/AuthorMarian
Thanks for visiting! Readers, any questions for Marian?
July 25, 2018
Wicked Wednesday- Roads Not Yet Taken
Jessie: In Maine dreaming up new stories
[image error]As much as I love the mystery genre, both as a reader and a writer I sometimes consider what other sorts of stories I might like to tell. I wanted to ask all of you if you have ever considered writing a novel in another genre and if so, which genre would that be?
[image error]Edith: If I had time, I might think about writing magical realism – along the lines of Gabriel Garcia Marquez, whom I’ve always loved – or something eerier than I write now. Even though I used to read a lot of science fiction, I don’t think I have the energy to make up a futuristic setting. I dabbled in writing erotica a couple of decades ago (don’t tell my cozy readers!) but it’s not calling to me right now. I’m intrigued with the idea of writing domestic suspense, but frankly don’t have any ideas for a story so far.
Liz: The first novel I wrote, for my grad school thesis, was more in the women’s fiction realm. (Trust me, this one will never see the light of day, for good reason.) While I enjoyed writing it and getting to know my characters, I felt there was something missing. I guess I just need a good murder in my life. I do have a desire to write darker, and have been working on a suspense novel.
Julie: My first book attempt was an attempt at women’s fiction, but it was deadly boring. I dropped a body, and it got much better, so I think this is my genre. That said, if I could create a series like Harry Potter that transported generations–how thrilling would that be? I am also working on a stand-alone thriller–in the noodling/plotting stage now. I’m surprised how much I’m enjoying creating that new world.
Jessie: I would like to try my hand at a standalone that follows two storylines in two different time periods that come together for the reader. I love to read books like that from authors like Susanna Kearsley and Kate Morton and would love to try writing a book that creates a suspenseful, time-traveling adventure.
Sherry: I have a partially written light romance — think Hallmark movie. But I’d also love to write a thriller and I have an idea for a lighter caper. If only there was more time!
Barb: I still have a dream of writing a traditional mystery series with a professional sleuth. I’m not quite ready to throw in the towel. Let’s call it the road not taken–yet.
Readers, which other genres do you love to read? Writers, which ones do you like to write?
July 24, 2018
Neighborhoods
By Liz, missing the sun over the last few days!
I’ve been spending a lot of time this summer getting to know my neighborhood.
I know that sounds funny since I’ve lived here a year and a half. And admittedly, I’ve gotten very well acquainted with the sushi place across the street and the yoga studio around the corner. Shaggy and I walk down to the fountain area every day and she does her
[image error]
It’s cute, even with the typo!
sniffing routine. When the weather isn’t too hot for her, we walk down to the water. But I haven’t been letting my surroundings live up to their full potential.
When I was a kid, my neighborhood was my street with three houses on it. I picked wild blackberries behind my house and played Battle of the Planets in the woods with my neighbors. It was the first neighborhood I had, so of course I felt connected to it. When I lived in various apartments as an adult, I never felt a sense of community, never mind actually cared about the neighborhood. And the last couple of places I lived were more of the same. (There was also that one disastrous condo community I chose that was a living nightmare, but that’s another story.)
My point is, I’ve never actually connected to a place I’ve lived in my adult life. I always felt more affinity for places in which I spent a lot of time, so there was always a gap there. Until I moved to my current neighborhood. I spent my first summer here wrapped in a lot of things and didn’t get out much. But now, I’m discovering it little by little.
And it’s totally up my alley. It’s a tiny little city that’s hopping most nights, with restaurants and galleries lining both sides of the street, trickling around the corners. The water is right down the street, and even though it’s the Sound (yes, I’m kind of an ocean snob) I can smell the salt air and hear the seagulls every morning. I’ve even come to love the trains that run right behind my building.
The people at the sushi place know my name – it’s kind of like Cheers – and now that I’m branching out, I’ve found so many awesome things. Like the little market up the street with good coffee, gluten free options and “treats” for Shaggy (i.e., ground beef and an occasional steak). The fish place near the marina. The farmers’ market. The little area with souvenir shops and beachy-type places near the water. The park near the beach where dogs can play.
Shaggy loves to “walk the street” when it’s busy at night, because she gets lots of attention. She’s pretty much famous. She also loves to visit the zen garden downstairs and watch the fountain. [image error]
We made a good choice with our new neighborhood. And we’re fully committed to getting to know it even better, now that we’ve made it our own.
Readers, tell us about the neighborhood closest to your heart in the comments below.
July 23, 2018
Charity’s Burden Cover Reveal
Edith here, loving full summer north of Boston, with a cover reveal and a giveaway!
I am pretty sure I announced here that my Quaker Midwife Mysteries had been renewed for two more books (a total of five – fingers crossed for even more). If not, now you know! I am delighted, of course, because I love writing these historical mysteries set right here in my town in the late 1800s.
[image error]Book three, Turning the Tide, came out in April and is getting lots of awesome press, including:
“Wonderful storyteller…mystery was complex…very exciting with a surprising ending” – Dollycas’s Thoughts
“Masterfully weaves a complex mystery…clever and stimulating novel…brings this era to life…many surprises and twists” – Open Book Society
And now book four is in labor! Charity’s Burden has an awesome cover, once again created by the talented Greg Newbold, and the book is already up for preorder. Here’s the cover blurb:
The winter of 1889 is harsh in Amesbury, Massachusetts, but it doesn’t stop Quaker midwife Rose Carroll from making the rounds to her pregnant and postpartum mothers. When Charity Skells dies from an apparent early miscarriage, Rose wonders about the symptoms that don’t match the diagnosis. She learns that Charity’s husband may be up to no good with a young woman whose mother appears to offer illegal abortions. A disgraced physician in town does the same, and Charity’s cousin seems to have a nefarious agenda. With several suspects emerging, each with their own possible motives, Rose and police detective Kevin Donovan race against time to solve the case before another innocent life is taken.
And now – trumpets please – the cover!
[image error]
I hope you like it as much as I do, especially the house and the buggy. (Yes, I wish she was wearing her gloves, shawl, and cloak, but ya can’t always get what ya want…)
Readers: Which of the four Quaker Midwife covers is your favorite, and why?
[image error]
I’ll send a signed copy of either Called to Justice or Turning the Tide to one commenter – your choice!
July 20, 2018
Welcome Guest Susan C. Shea — Finding Inspiration
Welcome guest Susan C. Shea author of French Village Mystery series and the Dani O’Rourke mystery series! Susan is giving away a copy of Dressed for Death in Burgundy to someone who leaves a comment on the blog. Here’s a bit about Dressed for Death in Burgundy:
[image error]After finding herself mixed up in a murder investigation the previous Summer, Katherine Goff’s life simply has not been the same. Her husband has been in the US recording a new album, the Burgundy region locals are finally starting to see her as a real neighbor, and Katherine has even started helping out with “tourist” excursions. It seems she’s finally found her place in the small community of Reigny-sur-Canne.
But when Katherine stumbles across a body in the local museum during a tour, she finds herself caught up once again in a whirlwind of gossip and speculation. When the police zero in on her friend Pippa as a suspect, Pippa and Katherine team up to find the real killer and clear her name.
However, the more clues they discover, the more the real killer wants them off the trail. When Katherine and Pippa start receiving threats, they must decide what they are more afraid of—the police getting it wrong, or possibly becoming the killer’s next targets.
Many writers have the ability to snatch a whole story from a news item, or the history of international spies, or Civil War letters. That impresses me so much. But for me, it’s the push and pull, the troubles and triumphs close to home – family, friends, colleagues – that set off my creative sparks.
For a number of years, my day (and often evening and weekend) job was a mix of sensitive communications and high-value donor fundraising for non-profits. I spent time listening for clues as to what would move a millionaire or billionaire to support the organization I worked for. I also spent time working with leadership to get good news out to our constituents and get bad news out before anyone else did. There were always a lot of egos in the room and none of them could be mine. The work was arduous but, frankly, lots of fun most of the time.
My time off was spent with my Significant Other visiting museums, hanging out in his art studio, dropping into art openings in the city, visiting other places known for their visual arts. Many of our friends were artists, and some of them were off-the-charts individualists.
[image error]They were all – the artists, the millionaires, the corporate leaders – food for my creativity. The super rich have problems handling so much money and the labels put on them. Artists often have problems handling so little money! Put the two extremes together and my Dani O’Rourke series about a San Francisco fundraiser for an art museum was born. I drew on much that was accurate about these worlds, but invented characters who could show the extremes I needed for a murder mystery.
Follow an artist who, with her patient husband, pulled up stakes on a whim and moved to a tiny town in France, and the inspiration for my Burgundy mysteries was there in front of me. I have acknowledged in the French books that my fictional protagonist and her music-making husband were drawn from the lives of my friends, even though I did the same thing – stretched them into entirely different shapes to serve my fictional ends.
Readers tell me they enjoy learning a bit about what makes the secondary art market (artwork sold again after the artist sold it to its first owner) so wild and crazy and subject to criminal activity. Other people write to say they love reading about a part of France they don’t yet know because it feeds their desire for travel. For me it’s a validation that there’s plenty of worthy material to draw on from my own experiences, with a dash of humor from my own private observations, and real affection for people like some of Dani O’Rourke’s colleagues and Katherine’s rural neighbors.
Catriona McPherson (now, there’s a wonderful crime fiction author!) gave me a novel last year that I adore, Miss Buncle’s Book, by DE Stevenson, who wrote in the 1930s. Miss Buncle also looked close to home for her fiction, with hilarious results. I highly recommend it and the message it sends: Creativity lives everywhere, and we writers only need to look and listen to find inspiration for a thousand stories bubbling up all around us!
Readers: How do you express your creativity?
[image error]Bio: Susan C Shea is the author of two critically-acclaimed mystery series, the first set in San Francisco’s art world and the second in a small town in France. She is a past president of the Northern California chapter of Sisters in Crime, services as secretary of the national board of Sisters in Crime, a member of Mystery Writers of America and former member of its NorCal chapter board. She spent twenty-five years in the not-for-profit world before beginning to write full time. She lives in Marin County, CA.
July 19, 2018
Kensington and Barnes & Noble Team Up Again for a Sale
Hi, Wickeds Fans (and Not Yet Fans)! From July 10 to August 20, just in time for beach reading, Kensington and Barnes & Noble are offering another Buy 3, Get the 4th Free Sale.
This time the books include two Wickeds first-in-series, Flipped for Murder, first in the Country Store Mysteries by Maddie Day, and Clammed Up, first in the Maine Clambake Mysteries by Barbara Ross. If you’ve been resisting the charms of these series, now might be the time to plunge in. Plus the sale includes books by Friends of the Blog, including Carol J. Perry, Devon Delaney, Alex Erickson, Leslie Meier, Lee Hollis and many others. (If we skipped you inadvertently, let us know in the comments.)
[image error]
As always, we went in search of the endcap display for the sale out in the wild. Here’s Edith at the Newington, New Hampshire B & N near Portsmouth.
[image error]
Barb is living somewhat B & N deprived in Maine. (There’s only one and it’s in Augusta.) But here are the books at the Framingham store in Massachusetts.
[image error]
Edith: And here’s the full display in Newington. As you can see, every store displays them differently.
[image error]
If your store doesn’t have one set up, ask them! And if yours does have the end cap, we wouldn’t mind if you rarranged our books to be top, front, and center. Just saying…. ;^)
Here’s a link to the B&N sale if you’re buying online.
Readers: Happy shopping! Is there a book series you’ve been wanting to start? Let us know in the comments.
July 18, 2018
Wicked Wednesday-Treasures
[image error]Jessie- In Maine, thinking about the past and about family
I recently popped into a local vintage shop and got to chatting with the owner who mentioned many of the delightful items on offer came to him when families offered the contents of a deceased relative’s home. As I looked around I couldn’t help but think of family heirlooms and the things I have inherited from loved ones. So, Wickeds, do you have any special possessions you have received from your own families?
Liz: I have my grandfather’s pocket watch. I always remember him having one in his shirt pocket when I was little, and it was a true gift to be able to have this keepsake of his.
[image error]
I also have his wedding ring that my mother had created into a heart shape that I wear on a chain.
Edith: I have my grandmother Dorothy Henderson Maxwell’s travel diary from when she drove across country in 1917, and her future husband, my grandfather Allan B. Maxwell’s diaries from when he was fourteen and fifteen. These are immense treasures for their detail of daily life on these adventures. And I just discovered I also have the diary of Allison Maxwell, Allan’s father, from 1868!
[image error]
Jessie: I have a tiny little brass fire extinguisher that my great-grandfather kept on his lobster boat. When my husband and I bought our place in Maine my mother gave it to me to put on display. I love it!
[image error]
Barb: I have so much stuff from family, I had a hard time deciding what to show you all. I finally settled on the couch below. I picked it because it has been, in its quiet way, so much a part of our lives. It belonged to my father’s mother’s parents. They were interior decorators, so I always figured it was an order someone forgot to pick up. I have photos of me standing in front of it in New Rochelle, New York in the 1950s. I remember it well from my grandparents apartment on East 36th Street in New York City in the 60s. During the 70s, on my wedding day, I posed in front of it at my parents’ house in Kingston, Pennsylvania. During the 80s through the 2000s, it was at my parents’ house in Dallas, Pennsylvania. My son and my nephew were assigned to sit on it during Christmas morning present opening, so we have tons of photos. It’s really uncomfortable, which is why no one ever sits on it unless we have a full house. The last person who reupholstered it for my mother said it was meant to go in a front hallway where it would only be sat on briefly to put on or take off galoshes. I’m so happy my house in Portland, Maine has an out-of-the-way nook where it can live and where it will only be sat on during the largest of parties. The needlepoint pillows on it, (l-r) were made by my great-grandmother, my mother, and my grandmother respectively.
[image error]
Julie: I have a few treasures. One is the clock that was on the hanging shelves in my grandmother’s living room. Even more treasured are the recipes and knitting patterns I inherited. She wrote notes in margins, and every time I see that handwriting I smile. Another treasure is a hutch my father made for me. It is Shaker style, and built to be a corner hutch. A family heirloom that will be passed on for sure.
Sherry: Like Barb, I have a plethora of treasures to choose from. Some I include in the Sarah Winston books like the rocking chair that was my great grandfathers and her love of vintage postcards comes from the ones I have from them. One of the things I love is a gyroscope I found in their basement. It’s in the original box with the original string and instructions. You can’t see the price in the photos but it say it was fifty cents on the bottom of the instructions. I’m not sure how old it is. But maybe Sarah should find one at a garage sale!
Readers, how about you? Do you have any special family treasures?
July 17, 2018
The Detective’s Daughter – Beaches
Kim in Baltimore enjoying the summer weather.
[image error]
Summer is my favorite season. That’s right, I enjoy the heat, the smell of fresh-cut grass, the sunny mornings spent strolling through the farmer’s market choosing the freshest vegetables, and lazily reading in my yard in a lawn chair listening as the ice-cream truck drives by with its music and bells chiming. But most of all I love the beach. [image error]
From the first summer of my life until I was twelve years old, my family spent our summers on the shores of New Jersey in Atlantic City. My mom would take us out onto the beach in the morning and our afternoons were spent visiting the shops along the boardwalk. Pop-Pop was never far behind, trailing after us to be sure we were safe. We had our own security detail!
[image error]
Once, Pop-Pop spent an entire morning searching the beach for a tooth my sister lost. He was more upset than she was when he came back empty-handed. In the evening we went to the Steel Pier to see the diving horses and listen to music.[image error]
Family vacations have always been important to me. I have carried on the tradition of going to the beach. Each year since my children have been born we have traveled, even if only for the weekend, to the beach. Living in Baltimore, we are fortunate to be within a three hour drive to beaches in Delaware and New Jersey as well as Maryland. I was not able to contain myself to the east coast, though, and have taken my family – by train – to beaches in Chicago and San Francisco as well. We have visited as far south as Cocoa Beach and Miami Beach and went up north to Old Orchard Beach in Maine.
[image error]However many beaches I’ve visited, Rehoboth Beach has become my favorite place to relax. I love the bookstore and the coffee shops and the easy living of the place. You’ll find me there at least one weekend a month during summer. I think I may need to go there now!
Dear Reader,
Do you enjoy the beach? What is your favorite thing to do during the summer months?
