Monday, November 26, 2018

Blondie in the Water -- True Tales of a Water-Loving Mom

Blondie in the Water eBook #BlondieH20


Get your free copy here!

At long last I am able to offer a free eBook for everyone who signs up for my newsletter! Announcing Blondie in the Water -- True Tales from a Water-Loving Mom. 

To get your free copy simply subscribe to my newsletter here! 


This book is a humorous collection of my fondest watery adventures to help me cope with moving from the oceanfront to Dirtville USA. It features family adventures to some of America's most prestigious national parks (including Yellowstone and Yosemite) while balancing my son's dislike of the outdoors with my intense need for being neck deep in any warm body of water.

At the end of this blog I'll share one of the short stories so you can get a flavor of the rest of the book. Inside the book I've also included the first five chapters of Stealing Time, the first book in the series as well as a free bonus.

You can download the first five chapters of both books, Stealing Time and Shattering Time as well as another free gift for signing up. 




Blondie in Bermuda – Ill-Begotten Fears

July 1997

It was July and Bermuda was the only place in the world I wanted to be with the sun on my shoulders and the gorgeous blue sea in front of me. I was excited by what I might find in the tranquil coves and lagoons littering the coast. The handsome and amazingly well-muscled man who just happened to be my new groom joining me on this adventure did not hurt the excitement factor either.

We rented a scooter and made our way along the narrow winding roads while attempting to avoid the overloaded trucks taking their half of the street from the center. The island was breathtaking, filled with pastel cottages in shades of pink, blue, and salmon all with impossibly white roofs. As we meandered along oleander-lined streets, pink-and-white flowers reached out to touch us as we drove by. We continued to make our way to the outskirts of the island to find an isolated beach to explore.




We parked the scooter and headed to the water with snorkel gear in hand. While standing knee-deep in the water he cheerfully informed me, “Several years ago three people were eaten by a shark at this very spot.”

I looked around at the lack of bystanders that would need to pull our shark-bitten bodies out of the water. With false innocence, he looked at me and continued the grisly lesson, pointing at the lagoon’s edge. “Over there a ten-year-old boy lost his leg.” 

I looked but didn’t want to see. Seriously? These were not thoughts I wanted swimming beside me in the water. I was satisfied with the blissful ignorance we’d had at the beginning of the journey. What happened to the tranquil coves? Unhappy with my newfound knowledge about bloody and dismembered people, I took another swig of water and tossed the bottle in the sand.

“This is the part where you stick that snorkel in your mouth and bite it,” I said while trying to scrub my brain free of the horrible images he’d just planted. He obliged by sliding into the water smiling, knowing his tease had worked. It only took me a few minutes to brush it aside since I was too enamored with the tiny squid flitting just inches below the waterline, yet always out of reach.

The breathtaking beauty of the coral reefs teaming with life eventually overcame my ill-begotten fears. The colors of the palm trees, flowers, and lush greenery of the land paled in contrast to all the fuchsias, yellows, and blues of the fish darting and diving around the pink coral rocks.
The view of my man in swim trunks and snorkel gear was mighty fine, too. Later we returned to the scooter with my soggy bikini-clad body pressed against his, ready to explore another isolated beach—this one just secluded enough.

At the end of the day we returned to our room, aptly named “A Bit o’ Heaven,” for a steamy shower and fresh duds. With a blanket and a bottle of champagne in hand we took a short walk down the rocky slope to the beach in front of the hotel. We arrived just in time to watch the sun fade into the sea, both ready for part two of our exciting interlude in Bermuda.


            I’ve longed to go back and relive those amazing moments on the beach. But I’m afraid that adventure will have to wait awhile. As it would happen a few small problems have arisen since then, namely my beautiful blondie children. Right now, they’re clamoring for dinner and a chuck under their collective chins, so I must dash off. My current bit ‘o heaven includes the laughter, hugs, and everything else that comes with being their mom.