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An early morning walk on the beach and things just come to me. Conversations with my characters, how they behave, react, respond-each character has a unique personality. Or at least that's what I shoot for. Almost done with THE MERMAID DID IT-if I'm lucky it will be out in July. If you remember  the character Fate from the previous books, here's a little exerpt from him:

-    "The ocean, how it takes away the pretense, leaves your soul naked so that the only thing you have to face is yourself. After that, what kind of house you live in, what kind of car you drive, what style of hair, clothes, stuff--things--they just don't have the same relevance, the same stature. All that becomes superficial.

     He chuckled, studying Don as he drank his coffee, "feeling that way, it’s kinda liberating--because without all the stuff, well, it frees you to truly enjoy what is important – and what is important has nothing to do with the superficial.

     Don watched the old man, his eyes tired with age, though sparkling with the vitality of hope and love.

     "Makes me sad, in a way, when I see how much importance people place on all the stuff and things—especially here—on Topsail. I used to do that, when I was younger. Guess I had to learn the hard way. You'd think others my age would know by now too--the difference--what is important." 

     "I see it every day Fate, people are greedy, everybody's concerned with what they can get for themselves."

     Fate nodded agreement, "Yep, they’ve replaced the dunes  with houses that nobody lives in except during tourist season and I never understood how someone with a conscience could tear down the dunes to build a house, or tear down our windswept scrub oaks to plant palm trees—they don’t even grow here naturally. He shook his head, it all breaks my heart—even more—what pisses me off the most, is that the people who have done this to our little island,  sleep just fine at night. They don’t even recognize that they are destroying paradise. They don’t give a damn that their house with a view has destroyed the view for thousands of others. They can all suck-- bilge water.

QUOTE: "The sea, once it casts its spell, holds me in its net of wonder forever." Vladimer Nabokov

Writing tip: writing asks the writer to question everything--answer it on paper.

Some years are better than others, They are no  longer, no shorter, but because special events happened in that space of time, they hold more. There is that one year, a good year, that will always live in me and be an integral part of my life. I keep it alive in what I write. Could I say thank you, I would rather say to God, let me have it back.

Quote: "You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation" -Plato

Writing tip: Of all the arts, writing asks the most of the artist.

Hey y'all--I am going to be moving my blog to carolannross.com. It's certainly easier to find and hopefully more pleasing to the eye with the new format.
 In fact, lots of things are changing with the blog and my author page. Please continue to follow and comment if you will. I always enjoy the comments. Thank you, Carol Ann Ross

Recently I had the chance to introduce the ocean to someone who never thought about it.
Sure, they had seen it a few times, played on it's beaches, but getting to know it--well, that's a different story. I have no more power to make someone know the ocean than I do having a rock talk, but the introduction, the quiet, the little snippets about swells, tides, the critters that come out of it-as we walked. After a time I noticed a different demeanor, a calm, and found myself invading a space they had  found--even without looking for it, it had happened. I saw it in their face-because there are no words. 
 I am a thalassophile. My journey is to bring as many as I can to know the ocean--through words, or just being--to share its power, its calm and that sense that we are one with this grand entity.


QUOTE: "The fair breeze blew, the white foam flew,
the furrow followed free:
We were the first that ever burst
Into that silent sea."  from THE RIME OF THE ANCIENT MARINER, Samuel Taylor Coleridge

The last couple of days have been quite blustery and overcast, but that's no excuse for not walking on the beach. A real mermaid is sea bound in all types of weather. And if you missed the storm last night, it was a doozy-Amphitrite had the ocean whipped up into a frenzy. If you don't know who Amphitrite is, she was Poseidon's wife. Like I said-- learning all kinds of stuff with THE MERMAID DID IT. And yes, Amphitrite was a mermaid.
     Searching for ways to express myself can be a bug-a-boo, so I search for vehicles. This time I'm using mythology.....somewhat.

QUOTE:"I have moments of huge frustration because of my inability to express myself linguistically as clearly as I would like to." David Gilmour

WRITING TIP: There are oodles of things that can be your inspiration--nothing is stupid or trite.

Poseidon plays a significant role in my next book THE MERMAID DID IT. I've been learning a lot about this Greek god while working on the new project--he is the brother of Zeus, he's the god of the sea and other waters, of earthquakes and horses.  Not surprisingly, and like most of the gods of Olympus, Poseidon was a great lover. His most noted lover, and wife was a mermaid named Amphitrite--this itself, is an interesting tale. If you have the time,  check out this love story.

As for THE MERMAID DID IT, The book is moving along swimmingly, (lol)
I'm a little over a third of the way through, so I thought I might share a bit--here is a small excerpt:

   I thought it could be her—not a lot of gals built that high and with freckles.” .......

now, she’s a looker. Hot stuff, and the way she stands—there’s something about her—man-eater.

     “You got that too?”

     “Yep, I’ve seen enough of them to know—kinda a sixth sense.”

QUOTE: "When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew." William Shakespeare

WRITING TIP: Writing is an opportunity to learn about all kinds of things, especially yourself.

    

Lovely day for a walk on the beach. Found 12 pieces of glass and a nice sized shark's tooth. If you've read my Waterlogged, Bridge Tender and the Tower, then you are familiar with the character Lev. He's a bit more active in this new book THE MERMAID DID IT. And poor ol' Paula, all I can say is-it stinks being forced to learn new stuff. Life's lessons can be harsh.

QUOTE: "I do not understand how anyone can live without some small place of enchantment to turn to" -  Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

WRITING TIP: The perfect place is the place where you have to be.

Another beautiful day at the beach. Thank you Jesus--and Happy Easter!
 The above is a water color by Patti Blacknight. Patti is the owner of The Mermaid's Purse in Surf City and a very talented artist. She does some funky stuff with what is called Steam Punk--anyway--Patti is designing Poseidon, a sort of character in THE MERMAID DID IT. I'm now 1/3 of the way through my little mystery--hoping it will be ready by the end of July.  Lev, Don, Paula, Carrie, and some more good guys and bad folk are turning out to make this one hell of a story. FUN, FUN, FUN!

QUOTE: "If you presume to love something, you must love the process of it much more than you love the finished product" John Irving.

WRITING TIP: I think Mr. Irving is correct-- I do love the writing process, it takes me to another land. The idea of never going there again is unimaginable. I love what I get to do--and though I'm rarely wholly satisfied with the end product, it is so worth the journey.

A foggy and misty day, good time to be working on THE MERMAID DID IT (the 4th book in the Topsail Island Murder series). Here's a little exerpt:

Things couldn’t have been easier. Keisha was a piece of cake, so easy to get info from—so vulnerable. And she could have been so easy to roll-if Estelle didn’t have long term plans for her.  In so many ways Keisha reminded her of Theo—so needy and hungry for approval.

 Man! Estelle is such a witch. What is she up to now?

 I just received a photo from Jeff Wenzel who is providing the cover for THE MERMAID DID IT- it is just as ominous and foreboding as Estelle seems to be.  Jeff is the guy who does the fantastic aerial photography in our area--so very cool.

QUOTE: "There's someone in my head, but it's not me"- Pink Floyd
WRITING TIP:  Add a little of this, a little of that, and see where your imagination takes you. It's all fodder for the pen.

The back cover for my newest book PELAGIC. I had a wonderful time today at the Sneads Ferry Book Club. This was my second visit. Thank you so  much to my readers-I'm go appreciative of your interest in my books. PELAGIC is one of my favorites-it was a labor of love, but well worth the experience.
The best I can figure is two people came to Topsail long ago--one said, 'hell, I can make a bunch of money off of this place.' The other said, "what a lovely untouched place where I can live life simply enjoying the beauty.' That's kind of how I see things--I think the former person sucked the life out of our island and the latter loved it for its simple beauty.  Oscar Wilde put it more eloquently when he said "Now days people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing."

Great day on the beach yesterday--a little windy, but still lovely.
Tonight Creative Writing class at CFCC was outstanding. We delved into PLOT in literary fiction. This 6 weeks it seems most of the students are trying their hand at that genre. Literary fiction is quite a bit different when it comes to plot-its not as simple as with mystery or romance. Inner struggle, coming of age, self awareness--all the things that make us human are  on display/questioned/exposed./examined. There is rarely a solution, more of a turning or realization. Putting that sort of thing on paper can be difficult. But we made headway tonight and opened some doors and avenues of thought. Yippee! Thank you students, you made my day.

What a beautiful day it has been today. Surely Spring has sprung.  Warms my heart too to browse the beautiful displays of art at the Mermaid's Purse. Yep, we have some fine shops on the island. Y'all come check them out. Visited Quarter Moon last night and listened to some fine live music--ahh-- great ambiance there. Two very cool places to spend some time on Topsail AND they both carry my books!

QUOTES: "Music has charms to soothe the savage breast"- William Congreve

"Life beats down and crushes the soul and art reminds you that you have one."-Stella Adler

WRITING TIP: The arts, in any form, refresh my soul and keeps me writing. Stuck in a slump, play some music or spend a couple of hours contemplating your favorite art form.

I've been keeping you up to date with my adventures in writing. Thank you, my readers, for following. I enjoy any and all feed back. I'm asking you to please follow me on my Facebook author page https://facebook.com/authorcarolannross
I look forward to hearing your comments and ideas. Thank you so much, Carol Ann Ross

Just a few years ago! Ha!. Twisting to the Beatles in the early sixties-I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND-if I remember correctly. I'm in the background-Debbie Schafer is in the front and for the life of me I cannot remember the name of the two boys. Notice the knotty pine paneling of this ocean front home. Wow--good times.
Working on THE MERMAID DID IT and Joey (one of the characters-a dog who just happens to have the same name as my own ankle biter) is in the way so Carrie says get back Joe to the tune of the old Beatles song and so i think of the Beatles and that makes me think of Debbie Schafer and the beach. And so it goes-one thing reminds me of another and my little fingers get to typing.

QUOTE "If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word." Margaret Atwood
WRITING TIP: Just begin--you can and most likely will change that beginning.

The daffodils are in bloom! The harbinger of  spring and of hope. I love the daffodils.

Starting new book, THE MERMAID DID IT. Just a few thousand words but it's on its way. Big bad Estelle is being her usual nefarious self. But there are new characters to fall in love with and to despise. I'll keep you posted as the book moves along. Thank you for reading!

Quote: 
"For oft when on my couch I lie
 In vacant or in pensive mood
 they flash upon that inward eye
 which is the bliss of solitude
 and then my heart with pleasure fills
 and dances with the daffodils"  William Wordsworth

It's that time of year again-daffodil season! The jocund flower that brightens the heart and tells us that if spring has not sprung it is getting ready to. This flower always brings a smile to my face and hope to my heart.

excerpt of the poem By William Wordsworth

oh yes! the book signing at Sugar Island was great- thanks to those of you who came by!

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Enlarge this photo and see what Surf City looked like in the 50s. This is Surf City fishing pier. In the back ground you can see the old WWII warehouse that was the "community center" for the kids. Sometime in the 60s basketball hoops were set in place, but before that old WWII military vehicles were inside. We used to climb all over them, pretend to drive them--hey, it was fun.

QUOTE:"If you love life, don't waste time, for time is what life is made up of." Bruce Lee
WRITING TIP: Paint the picture in your mind with words.

This is the back cover to PELAGIC. The blurb will give you an idea of what the story is about. PELAGIC means deep water.

QUOTE: "Ocean is more ancient than the mountains, and freighted with memories and the dreams of time."  H.P. Lovecraft

Writers Tip: I've got a writing class coming up - come join us. We have lots of fun and we learn a few things too.

Here it is-the new book. This is a true romance novel. True, not in the sense that it really happened, but true as in  only romance. My other books have a little romance in them, but the trilogy is historical fiction/romance. And the murder books --well, the romance in them is...very little. PELAGIC is a love story-all about all that mushy stuff we women like so well.
 PELAGIC will be available on Amazon in about three days. I'm hoping to have it in the local stores by the end of the month or the first of March.
The cover is a watercolor, beautifully done by a local artist-Leslie Campbell. Isn't she great?
I truly hope my readers like this book. please let me know, I love feedback.

Coming this summer in Holly Ridge. 40 vendors, petting farm, produce, plants, face painting, music, food and so much more.  Check out our Facebook page -- its got all the info you need.
Also -- I'll be teaching a creative writing class at CFCC, starts 2/26. Check it out on CFCC page and sign up. WE always have lots of fun and learn a lot.

Last night's sunset was so spectacular I had to stop and take a photo. I pulled into a beach access --sort of--it was an access for utility vehicles only. One photo turned into several and the seconds ticked by, turning into minutes.
 "But I was only going to stay a second," I told the officer. He smiled and nodded his head. "May I see your licence?"
"You know I've lived on this island for a long time," I stated confidently.
The young officer was polite, secure, and once again offered me a smile as he took the licence from my hand and called in the number. Not in the least intimidating, the young officer apologized for having to check me out for being parked where I was.
"Just doing your job," I replied.
He nodded and repeated my number to the dispatcher.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"Twenty-one." He answered.
Geez, what was I doing when I was twenty-one. being stupid that's what I was doing. And here was this young person, younger than my own children, who had chosen a path requiring maturity, confidence and purpose. I had very little of those qualities when I was that age.
Long story short, I didn't get a ticket--I did get several photos of that glorious sunset and met an outstanding young person. Life is good.

QUOTE: "Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous." Albert Einstein

WRITING TIP: What is so cool about writing is that you can manipulate your characters without feeling guilty about it.

What a beautiful morning. sparkly, sparkly --like diamonds, my favorite kind. Working on THE MERMAID DID IT-- endeavoring to create a friendship between a couple of my characters and make it as real as possible. Hmmm--just how do friends treat friends? What do friends expect from one another? Honesty--how does that play in friendships? Well, it's a work in progress--the characterization.

QUOTE: "To throw away an honest friend, as it were, is  to throw your life away." Sophocles

WRITING TIP: every pencil has an eraser. every keyboard has a delete. Sometimes people are not what they appear to be.

A beautiful sunset--always, on Topsail Island. The search for the right picture for the cover of PELAGIC continues. Wasn't sure I wanted a surfboard in the photo, but low and behold as I was snapping away, a young surfer with the absolutely correct surfboard walked by--long story short, he let me use the board for a few minutes--thank you Kyle the surfer--he was surely an omen.

QUOTE: "Learn to recognize omens, and follow them," Paulo Coelho

WRITING TIP : I find that trusting "omens" justifies my gut feelings--this works great when writing--it reassures me that I should go in a particular direct. Yes,  it works very well until I get another gut feeling that I should go in another.

February 24, 2018 Sugar Island Bakery will be hosting an author signing. Five local authors will be attending. (More info on the authors will be posted shortly)This should be an outstanding event with. authors answering questions, telling you a bit about their books and sharing the writing experience. Hope you'll be there to enjoy the ambiance with a warm drink and one of the bakery's yummy desserts.

Hmm---how'd that happen?  At least I still have my arches. Oh yes! this is a blog about writing--Started my new book THE MERMAID DID IT (the fourth in the murder series). Learning lots of stuff.
PELAGIC--the love story-- is at the editor's. Hopefully it will be out the end of this month. Got  my fingers crossed.
 I was reminded, as I wrote the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT  page for PELAGIC, of how much I learn when I write a book. So many people offer ideas and info, even inadvertently, I am always learning.
We do nothing on our own, sometimes others carry us, hold our hand, point a direction or stimulate us in some way.  Isn't that like, WAY COOL.

QUOTE: "A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer." - Bruce Lee

WRITING TIP: Never think you do it alone--research and listen.

The pelicans are out and about, love watching them glide through the sky. I still think they look like prehistoric pterodactyl creatures. Makes me think about time and exactly what it is.

QUOTE: "Time is like the ocean, always there, always different-" Ogden Nash

WRITING TIP: often when I write I lose track of time and before I know it hours have passed and I haven't even noticed. I love those times when there is not time, when I am lost in my art. This is the goal.

Obviously it was a frigid night. But what a beautiful morning as I awoke to all the snow. Hope it hangs around for a few days, it is so beautiful. Sharing a few pictures I took while walking on the beach this morning.

too pretty for words

snow angel

little sandpipers, their feathers puffed out for warmth

not much traffic.

HAPPY NEW YEAR Y'ALL.  Hope 2018 brings good health, modest wealth (too much money corrupts) bluer skies, slimmer thighs, good mental state, less hate, support from above and lots of love.

This photo was taken in '66 --geez that was so long ago. I vaguely remember sticking my tongue out at my sister as she snapped the photo. Rarely did I take the bathing suit off and my bed was always sandy. Momma used to get mad about that; I never understood why, the sand didn't bother me at all.

QUOTE: "It is not how much we have, but how much we enjoy, that makes happinesss"-Charles Spurgeon

WRITING TIP: you have to truly love writing to put yourself through the emotional torture of it.