Not exactly the relaxing, sitting on the beach and reading or writing vacation. It was much better than that. Our first vacation with the grandson! The first of many I hope (son and daughter-in-law were there too!)

He was so much fun and I think he and his Granddar bonded well. I was good for an early morning cuddle, or to make the iPad work, but Granddar was the reason the sun came up in the morning. Haven’t seen Hubby play like that in ages. Running up and down, squealing and growling, and wrestling (rassling actually). 

Also got to see Angry Birds three times.

I miss the old Pavillion at Myrtle Beach. Some rides have been moved out to Broadway on the Beach, but it’s not as good as I remember it from taking my kids. Nevertheless, he enjoyed riding the rides that were there. Got in some putt-putt golf (I got 3 hole in ones!) but watching him was adorable and the most fun. And the sand castles . . . He and Granddar really got into that.

The ocean was intimidating, but we jumped waves up to his knees! And he was only bowled over once. The pool was a big hit as well and not nearly as rough.

All in all one of the best beach vacations ever. And I did get a little work done—finished up with the proof for Small Changes, paperback, and worked a tiny bit on my Christmas novella for this year. But the grandson was the best part by far!

Small Changes marks book number 20 for me and I’m delighted to be able to share it with you.  

This book, like Before You, combines my small town romances with the paranormal. These are regular people, but there’s that tiny little twist . . .

Melanie has returned to her hometown to take over the family business despite wanting to stay far away from an abusive ex, who is narcissistic enough to never take no for an answer.

Jonah was led to this small town for a respite after running, along with this daughter, for two years. He has to keep Emma safe, but his next door neighbor is an unexpected, and beautiful, distraction when he least needs it.

Buy links – Amazon, Barnes&Noble, iBooks, Kobo

Excerpt –

Jonah looked over at Emma as he turned off the burner on the stove. She loved grilled cheese sandwiches and it wasn’t a bad breakfast choice along with a banana or grapes. The cheese oozed out of this one exactly the way she liked it. Without warning she was out of the chair, toppling it over and at the backdoor, her small hands beating on the door. “Mellie! Mellie!”

He didn’t even take the time to realize her cries were silent. He’d heard them loud and clear.

“What’s wrong?” he asked even as he scooped Emma into his arms and headed outside. There was a truck in Melanie’s driveway. Yes, she’d mentioned she was having some work done on her kitchen. But something was wrong.

He perched Emma on a chair on Melanie’s patio with an unnecessary motion of his finger to his lips to keep quiet and stay put. Then he reached for the sliding door handle.

A guy, a big one, with sandy military cut hair and unremarkable brown eyes had Melanie up against the wall, one hand on her chin. Jonah could already see the grip on her arm was going to bruise.

“Let her go.” It was an order, spoken at a normal volume but an order nevertheless.

Big guy turned to him but didn’t loosen his grip. Melanie’s eyes were glassy, unfocused. Had he hit her? “This is none of your business, buddy.”

“I’m not your buddy and let the lady go.” Where the hell was her damn dog? He might not be the aggressive type, but Jonah was sure he wouldn’t allow this if he were capable. What had this asshole done?

“Get out. This isn’t your house and this isn’t your business.” Big guy turned to him then, releasing Melanie who started slipping toward the floor. He took a menacing step toward Jonah who stepped forward and punched him once right in the face.

It was a short jab, perfectly aimed. A second blow wasn’t necessary.

Big guy lurched back as blood spurted from his nose and his feet tangled. He went down with a crash, taking a box with him, showering himself with canned food. Then a dark shadow slid past Jonah, and Rex was looming over the man, growling as only a very big, very menacing dog could. Part wolf lurked somewhere in that dog’s ancestry.

Jonah scooped Melanie up and placed her in one of the kitchen chairs. “Can you hear me?”

She nodded and winced, her hand going to the back of her head. Jonah had his phone out, 911 already dialed.

“There’s been an assault at 437 Chestnut. We need the police and an ambulance.”

“I’m okay,” her voice was faint and Jonah ignored her.

“Jonah Sanders, I’m a neighbor. Thanks.” He shoved the phone back in his pocket. Oh crap, Emma, where was she during all of this? He took a step toward the sliding door, which still stood open from his entrance. Not in the chair.

Jonah glanced at Melanie then stepped around Rex and his prisoner to look in the living room. Emma looked up at him from the large chair by the couch. He felt his heart rate start to return to a normal cadence and took a deep breath.

The sirens were already audible. Perks of a small town.

Well I got to see it! Not full, didn’t want to brave the traffic for Charleston or Columbia, so we headed to Asheville. Beautiful view and no traffic. We did come up a day early to escape what traffic might be in the way on Monday.  We didn’t have a high tech camera but the view through the glasses was spectacular

It’s just the two of us here in the incredible home of friends who are out of town this weekend. It’s like a mini-honeymoon for us. We did come near here for our honeymoon 38 years ago.

Had a pretty good dinner at Asianna a Chinese buffet. We don’t usually do buffets as we can’t do them justice, but this time we indulged ourselves, then came back and sat on the deck watching the sun go down with a glass of wine.

Today we lazed around waiting and watching the clouds roll in. We did get to see quite a bit, but there were a lot of the white fluffy clouds cutting off our view off and on. The temperature dropped a bit (to a very nice degree) and the light got very eerie. The bugs came out as though it was dusk, so I got a lot of mosquito bites but stayed out anyway.

It wasn’t really quiet here, we could hear cheering and horns honking but everyone seemed to be in a good mood.

We’ll stay here again tonight and go by Bat’s Cave tomorrow on the way home. That’s where we actually stayed on our honeymoon, in a log cabin, and we’d like to see it again.

All in all a very nice mini-vacation. Many thanks to T&K for the use of their home!

P.S. Don’t forget Small Changes comes out August 31!  

34th year! Hard to believe we’ve kept it going so long. The attendance varies but we have a super time. 

We were disappointed that Carolyn and Ron Steele were unable to make it this year. She’s also an author, so I was especially anxious to meet her. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for next year! Please check Carolyn out here. Also hoping for Robert and Barbara, and Mada and Lawrence next year. Without David, Robert and Ron not a lot of “Steeles” there.

Having Carolyn would have been three authors attending! Carolyn, my sister who writes as PK Corey and me – What can I say, a talented family. 

Not too many of the next generation there this year. They’re all busy with young families and full time jobs, while so many of us are retired or have accumulated extra vacation over the years. Just so they know they’re always welcome! 

Wanted to share a picture of where it all started – this is Grandmother and Granddaddy’s 50th anniversary celebration.

See you all next year!