Hammerheads are sooo scary. I remember seeing one glide past our  40 foot fishing boat, and it seemed at least half as long. Maybe my fear made it larger than it was, but nevertheless, these man eaters are MANEATERS. YOW! But, lest my fear and ignorance judge them too quickly, there is a little known fact about hammerheads and their ilk: they may have genes that could save countless human lives. Yep! Recent studies have shown that sharks have an increased immunity to cancer due to their overall highly evolved immune systems. And it’s the scariest sharks out there, hammerheads and great whites that are the species which exhibit these extraordinary genes.

Oh, how quick we are to judge-Sharks are not all bad. But humans tend to judge things quickly and indiscriminately-out of fear, ignorance? like books by their covers, people by the cars they drive, folks by their incomes-all kinds of things that don’t fit into their little box.  Sort of reminds me of a conversation I had a few weeks ago with a woman. She remarked that on her worst day, she could never look as bad as the people who shop at Walmart. “That,” she said, “is the reason I can’t stand going there.”  Now, I’m not advocating shopping at the store or anything else to bolster the store’s patronage; to each their own, I say. But having pondered that day and the woman, I feel ashamed for her, for her fear and ignorance.

QUOTE: “I have learned the hard way to mind my business, without judging who people are and what they do. I am more troubled by the lack of space being provided for the truth to unfold. Humans cannot seem to wait for or honor the truth. Instead, we make it up based on who we believe people should or should not be.” Iyanla Vanzant

WRITING TIP: Observe the character, try not to judge him/her.

This photo is from 1959 and is where the little pink art shop and Island Inn are now. Kinda sparse back then, huh? You better believe we kids had a ball and such freedom–my, the freedom. It certainly was a different way of life back then and perhaps it spoiled some of us for the rest of the world and the “thinking inside the box” way of life. (of course, there are some hold outs) ANYWAY, life was good, life is good and you roll with the flow. Can anyone tell me who these kids are?

QUOTE: “I don’t know whether your heart ever necessarily changes, but time changes the way that you perceive the world. And you just hope it gives you more empathy and all those other things.” Mark Knopfler

WRITING TIP: Alas, there was no summer creative writing class, but for sure there will be one in the fall. I’ll keep you posted on the dates. In the meantime, Gather ye rosebuds and keep them safe somewhere- we’ll write them down in class.

The sunrise is always amazing. It’s the birth of a new day-a new beginning. We get another chance with each new sunrise. Now, doesn’t that sound lofty and optimistic. Rather, as I sit here poised to write another sinister story, I think- what can my character be pissed off about today. It’s sort of difficult mustering another grouchy malcontent when I see beautiful sunrises, and the weather is gorgeous and wonderful people keep coming into my world. Ah, the toils of being an author. Think, I’ll go drive around the roundabout-and check out the trash on the beach-that should do the trick

QUOTE “Feelings aroused by the touch of someone’s hand, the sound of music, the smell of a flower, a beautiful sunset, a work of art, love, laughter, hope and faith – all work on both the unconscious and the conscious aspects of the self, and they have physiological consequences as well.” Bernie Siegel

WRITING TIP: writing is all about regurgitating feelings

Wow! what 57 years will do to a place! Things sure have changed. This photo is of the island in 1962. Times change, people change, the landscape changes and maybe even our memories of the past change too. Topsail certainly was never never land back then, but we had no doctor, no dentist, and only the Superette for grocery shopping. However, we had plenty of sand dunes, clean water, clean beaches and the island seemed to belong to the residents. Someone once told me that everything is a compromise–hmmm.

Pining for the past will not bring back those simple times, so I like to look back with love and fondness–keeping my head in the present, realizing that there have always been dirty birds in politics and business (the forces of change) To those entities, I say in my best Southern accent, “God bless ya, sweetie.”

QUOTE: “I think if you’re going to abuse someone, you really have to convince them of two things. First, you have to normalize what you’re doing, convince them that it’s not that bad. And the second thing is to convince them that they deserve it in some way.” Tara Westover

THERE WILL BE NO WRITING CLASS THIS SUMMER. SORRY–TOO HOT!

The flood gates opened this past weekend with Memorial Day and man was it a busy, busy, packed and overflowing weekend.  The bridge did seem to keep traffic flowing–slowly, but flowing. Did I mention slowly. I heard several people mention the length of time it took them to get from one point to another–well, I’ve always said the new bridge is like a skunk- pretty, but stinky at the end. The roundabouts are a general CF. But who am I –DOT knows all, sees all and  is pretty much a deity.Besides that, it was a good weekend, a fine one for kicking off the summer season. The weather was beautiful.  The Book Launch at the Quarter Moon was fantastic–thank you, thank you, thank you. The weekly Topsail Arts and Crafts Market begins this Thursday with over 20 vendors (I’ll be there) and June 3, I may be teaching a writing class at CFCC on 210. It’s a fun class, first one I’ve done in the summer so it’s a bit iffy. Not many want to go to school in the summer. So we’ll see. Enjoy what the season has to offer, if it is nothing more than tourist watching (a great and entertaining pastime). Then take a deep breath, Labor Day will be here soon and the traffic will slow. And before you know it we’ll be getting used to the bridge.

QUOTE: “The fact that television and tourism have made the whole world accessible has created the illusion that we enjoy intimate knowledge of other places, when we barely scratch their surface. For the vast majority, the knowledge of Thailand or Sri Lanka acquired through tourism consists of little more than the whereabouts of the beach.” Martin Jacques

WRITING TIP: sign up for my class. Mondays 5:45 to 8:45 on HWY 210 near Harris Teeter

One can’t deny the subtle soft beauty of the sea and sky in the early morning haze,  but the blubbery cnidarians

dotting the shoreline brings a sense of “yuck” as I make my daily trek. I know, I know–they are God’s creatures too, but then so are slugs; however slugs don’t sting. Our little cannon ball or cabbage head jelly is probably one of the least most likely to sting you but if they do it can cause some real damage. Alas! There is beauty in everything and as I peer closer to the critter I notice the fine lacy structure, the “trim” – beige and brown and realize that this globulous mass, does indeed have a beauty of its own.  There is art in beauty, regardless of its structure. And maybe enough to rival the beauty of the sun bursting through the clouds——-naw.

QUOTE: “Were I called on to define, very briefly, the term Art, I should call it ‘the reproduction of what the Senses perceive in Nature through the veil of the soul.’ The mere imitation, however accurate, of what is in Nature, entitles no man to the sacred name of ‘Artist.'”  Edgar Allan Poe

WRITING TIP: I will be teaching a creative writing class beginning June 3 (if enough enroll) check it out if you are interested. I know it’s summer but it can still be fun.

Aint’t no way–nope, ain’t no way I’m going to be out on the ocean when it looks like this. Not by choice anyway. I can only imagine the terror–well, I have been out in about 8 foot seas, but that was long ago and  I was too focused on trying to endure my situation, than to be afraid. Then there are the mountains–I like my land flat and sandy, thank you very much. But I did live in Asheville for a couple years and have driven through the Rockies of Utah. Scared the pee out of me. Mountains are pretty in pictures, think I’ll enjoy them that way. Hmm, what else scares me? Rats-scared as hell of them. Sharks–yep, scared of them too. Roaches–but that’s more of a hate thing. I guess what scares me the most is life. Wondering if I’m going to fail. Wondering if I have what it takes to keep the glass half full rather than half empty. Losing a loved one- that’s a scary thing, watching a loved one go through pain, not being able to help a friend that needs my help, mustering up the strength to go one more day with anything. All this and then–getting older is sort of scary too.

I have a choice with the ocean, the mountains and to some extent the critters, but life-that’s a big one. That’s THE one. Then someone told me , it’s rough but you hold on, it’s scary but you pray and hold on. Life is as scary as I let it be. And then their is faith.

QUOTE: “Oh, we can populate the dark with horrors, even we who think ourselves informed and sure, believing nothing we cannot measure or weigh. I know beyond all doubt that the dark things crowding in on me either did not exist or were not dangerous to me, and still I was afraid.” John Steinbeck

WRITING TIP: Fear can cripple you when it comes to writing-if you know this, explain it on paper.

So excited about the new book SHARK’S BREATH! I hope my readers will enjoy this little journey as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shark’s Breath is a little bit longer than my other books–things got complicated–characters just wouldn’t let go! My characters truly have a life of their own.

I hope everyone will join me at Quarter Moon Bookstore in Topsail Beach on May 25 at 5 pm. There will be some finger food, champagne and door prizes. Please come and help us celebrate and meet some of the folks who helped me in researching facts.

Love is not for the faint of heart. Shadows of ourselves exist when we lose love; we cling to those shadows. So love is never really lost, it’s simply locked away until we choose to bring it back–maybe toy with it for a while–maybe revel in the pain of it.  Or if we’re lucky, enjoy it.

It was difficult deciding what to do about Paula (a character in Shark’s Breath), about her love-what it made her do. Writing her experiences was wrenching and I wrote and deleted, wrote and deleted–hope you’ll like what she does–or maybe not. Shark’s Breath will be out in a month–check it out. You tell me, ye faint of heart lovers.

The last few days have been so beautiful, makes one forget that even the assholes of the world get to behold such sights. (Wow! that sounds nasty.) Ah, but do they appreciate it as much as those of us pure of heart are so capable of doing? Hmm, but there are man-eating sharks beneath that blue calm-hurricanes blow from that lustrous sky– so don’t let ANYTHING (or anyone) deceive you and lull you into a false sense of security. Remember, the man-o-war is a beautiful but deadly jelly fish.And SHARK’S BREATH may not be what you think it is.

QUOTE: “The essence of lying is in deception, not in words.” John Ruskin

WRITING TIP: “Art is a deception that creates real emotions – a lie that creates a truth. And when you give yourself over to that deception it becomes magic.” Marco Tempe