Category: Carmel-by-the-Sea

New Release: BILLABONG BANG

As the title suggests, this short story stand alone (stand alone means it’s not a full length novel for those who might be wondering…and it’s not priced like a full length novel either) revolves around surfing in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. It’s only a small part of one young man’s journey, but it’s a part of his life that may or may not have a great deal of impact on him in the future.
Description
When young Stedman graduates from college, he decides to spend the summer in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California. He wants to take a well-deserved break from studying, he needs to face his dreaded fear of water, and he’s desperate to work on overcoming a sexual phobia he can’t explain to anyone. It’s such a ridiculous phobia he can’t stop thinking about it. In spite of many protests from his successful Afro-American father and his gorgeous Caucasian mother, he takes the cross country road trip to Carmel-by-the-Sea anyway. The first thing he does when he gets there is sign up for surfing lessons so he can work on his fear of water. And before he even knows what’s about to happen, thanks to the experienced hands of his big strong surfing instructor, he soon finds himself in the perfect situation to work on his sexual phobia as all.

Carmel-by-the-Sea this Week

Other than taking a few weekend getaways this summer, I didn’t go anywhere. Actually, I haven’t been away for a while. This is partly because of work and deadlines, and partly because I have two dogs and I take them with me everywhere I go. I don’t like leaving them at a kennel, I don’t like leaving anyone alone in my home, and I just don’t feel comfortable leaving them in someone else’s home. Last summer I picked up a puppy from the side of the road, took her to the SPCA where they contacted her owners, and was shocked to find out the owners were away on vacation and they’d left the puppy with a dog-sitter. This freaked me out, so I take my dogs everywhere.

Right now I’m in gorgeous Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA, and my dogs are with me. Carmel is the most pet-friendly place in the world. I can take my dogs anywhere and no one even looks twice. I’ve been here before because it’s so pet friendly, and I’ve even set one of my books here. It’s a short story stand alone, titled, BILLABONG BANG, that will be released soon. I’ll be here until Friday. I’m visiting old friends I haven’t seen in ages from Monday until Thursday, and then I’m driving up to San Francisco to visit a few more good friends. Then it’s back home again on Saturday.

But I’ll still be working and checking e-mails at least three hours every morning from Carmel, and I’ll be posting regularly. That’s the great thing about working from home in the digital age. You can work anywhere, at any time, and you don’t have to feel guilty about going away.

SURFER BOYS…Carmel-by-the-Sea

I just read an e-mail from the well known mystery writer and lambda finalst, Neil Plakcy, about a new review for his anthology, SURFER BOYS. Neil is also Winner of the 2009 Left Coast Crime/Hawaii Five-O Award (best police procedural).

I also have a short story in this book that takes place in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California.

Carmel is one of my favorite places. It’s calm, quiet, and the most pet friendly town in the world (I have two dogs and love to take them everywhere.) And when I heard there was a new anthology being published about surfers, I decided to submit something about Carmel with a surfing theme.

And, this book, without a doubt, turned out to be one of my own all time favorites. When Neil Plakcy puts together an anthology, he doesn’t just collect stories and arrange them into a book. He takes his time and edits to perfection. We went back and forth more than once about changes and revises to my story, and each time I learned something new. He’s not more than a good editor and writer. He’s a great teacher, too. I follow him on twitter (he may or may not know this) and I even learn from him there while he’s tweeting about his own edits.

Thanks Neil…this review is well deserved. I know how hard you worked on this book.