Hot? Wildfire destroys campground by Barbara Edwards

Jonathon Dickinson State Park, Florida

Jonathon Dickinson State  park in Florida is a fine example of preserved wilderness. We've camped there several times and found the 'gators to be a huge attraction. They nest under a bridge over the inner road. Florida can be hot, but nothing is hotter or scarier than a wildfire. 

Nesting alligator, can you spot the babies?

 The day of the controlled burn was beautiful, the sky clear with little or no wind. The rangers had to burn the thick brush on the far side of the railroad tracks to prevent a wildfire.

Controlled burn across the tracks

The first hint of a problem came with a cloud of smoke and a ranger advising we get ready to evacuate if the fire kept building in the unexpected and sudden 40 mile an hour wind.

Smoke floats over the campground

My Husband, Bill, hurries to pack our equipment

My husband is no worrywart, but he decided not to wait to see if there was a problem. With years of camping under his belt he had our stuff loaded and the fifth wheel hooked up within ten minutes.
I helped while he also assisted people in the next campsite.
The ranger returned and told us to leave anything left unpacked.
Get out!
Within minutes the flames were jumping from grass tuft to bush to scrub and grass. We drove along the exit road and found the flames devouring the brush right next to us.

Campground burning

 We reached the edge of the campground and looked back.

Ranger's truck blocks the road back

The fire burned for hours

Sunset against the smoke clouds

Back in scorched campsite 

We were lucky. No embers damaged our roof and we spent the next two nights in the parking lot. When we returned to our campsite it was ashes.

Jonathon Dickinson State park has been rebuilt since the wildfire in 2006 and upgraded since our last visit. We plan to go back soon.

Visit me at www.barbaraedwards.net for excerpts from my books, free reads and buy links.

A Walk on the Beach on Hot August Nights by Amber Leigh Williams

Lil Jake showing the tourists how to
stay cool on the beach....

I live on the Gulf Coast and today the heat index was 107 degrees. Having lived here all my life, I know a thing or two about hot August nights. August happens to be my least favorite month of the year, not because it usually means summer is coming to a close. Around here, summer weather doesn’t begin to fade into the autumn months until mid-October if we’re lucky. August is hard because it tends to be the hottest month of the year. Humidity might make summertime air feel like soup around these parts. In August, it’s more like molasses. I look forward to football season for more than just sport. Those cool, crisp days of autumn are something I dream about from the end of May through September.

August nights however do offer somewhat of a reprieve. As the sun slips beneath the horizon, the mugginess might hang around in the air in its absence but the temperature drops to the balmy mid-seventies or low eighties, and suddenly it’s the perfect opportunity to take a walk on the beach. We bring our flashlights and our sense of wonder as the waves whisper to us in the dark and the sand cools the bottoms of our feet. We look for not just shells but we comb the beach for crabs, sea turtles and starfish, which are more likely to be out and about now that the multitudes of people have vacated their natural habitat.

Lil Jake enjoying a summer
weekend on the lake...

Night fishing is something else we do here on the coast. I remember August nights on a brother-in-law’s boat weaving our careful way through the bayou to the sea where we could drop our shrimp net. There’s a bridge that straddles the line between Alabama and Florida not far from home where night fishing was once very popular. It wasn’t just a chance to catch some grub, however. It was an opportunity to rub elbows with people from all walks of life. With the current running fast through the channel and the lights shining on the water from above, it was easy to see all manner of sea creatures floating by: eels, sting rays, crabs, and hordes of shrimp. The best part was making it back home late into the night for a midnight feast.

While the brutal heat of August chases anyone with any common sense into the comfort and air conditioning of their homes, it’s hard to stay indoors at nighttime. My favorite thing to do on hot August nights? Sit on the back porch in Adirondack chairs or a wooden swing with family members and friends sipping ice-cold sweet tea and enjoying the moment. Especially blissful are August nights at my family’s lakeside cabin in northern Alabama. Late night boat rides through the butter-smooth, warm, fresh water underneath a sparkly curtain of bright, silvery stars might even put one in the mood for romance! It certainly does for me....

It’s your turn, Roses! What is your favorite summertime activity to do by night? 

ALW

www.amberleighwilliams.com

No More Hot Summer Nights for Me by Alison Henderson

I grew up in Kansas City, one of the hot summer night capitals of the world. On a typical August evening, the temperature could easily be well above 80 degrees at ten o'clock. And humid? Don't get me started. I used to wonder why summers in the bone-dry prairie, more than a thousand miles from the nearest ocean, were always so humid. No matter what the weatherman said about hot air currents pulling moist air up from the Gulf, it never made sense to me.

Even as a child, I wasn't a fan of hot, humid weather, but I do have fond memories of those years. We played outside barefoot and in shorts until bedtime. Lightning bugs were as thick as the bloodthirsty "skeeters". We didn't need jackets to watch fireworks on the 4th of July. 

One of my favorite memories of summer as a child was making homemade peach ice cream with my mother. We made it the old-fashioned way--with a hand-crank freezer and plenty of elbow grease, taking turns when our arms gave out. It was hard work, but the reward was priceless. Nothing compares to the flavor of a tree-ripened peach. I haven't had one in years. I'm not sure you can even find them anymore unless you grow your own.

Almost twenty-five years ago, my husband and I moved with our daughter to Minnesota, and summer nights changed. The air was cooler and less humid--much better for sleeping, but we had to bundle up for the fireworks, and lightning bugs were few and far between. 

Last April, we moved again, this time to the Central Coast of California, where summer is fog season near the ocean. Even sunny days begin and end with fog. Sometimes it's heavy and dense, but more often ghostly fingers caress the hilltops and float inland along the river. Nights here are cool year-round--perfect for someone suffering from hot flashes. I don't need air conditioning, and I'm never too hot. If I get nostalgic for hot summer nights, I can always hop on a plane and visit my family back in Kansas City.

Alison
www.alisonhenderson.com

Vacation Destinations on My List, Numbers 6-10

It's August and our theme is Take a Vacation. I thought I'd share my top ten vacation destinations, five today and another five on the 14th. These are either places I've already been and would totally go back or wish to go to for the first time.

Get your suitcase ready!

10. Australia

With Kangaroo Island, Aussie men with accents, the Great Barrier Reef, rainforests, and Aussie men with accents, Australia is the only continent other than North America that I want to visit. Furthermore, Hugh Jackman. Need I say more.

9. Disney World, Florida

I've made like seven trips to Disney World and took a break for a little while. I'm just starting to get that feeling that I need a Mickey fix again. Where else can you step into movies and fairy tales and get waffles in the shape of a mouse? C'mon. It's just fun!

8. San Diego, California

I've been here and would love to take another stroll through the San Diego Zoo, particularly the Big Cat Trail. I could have spent all day in that section, cataloging all the things my small cats do that's the same as the big ones. I think it'd be awesome to snuggle up with a leopard. You?

7. Sedona, Arizona

I've never seen a picture of Sedona that wasn't absolutely beautiful. I'd like to take some pictures of my own.

6. Grand Canyon, Arizona

I've wanted to go to the Grand Canyon ever since the Bradys went there. Of course, I wanted to go WITH the Bradys, but that's a blog post for another time. I've flown over the canyon on my way to California, but just didn't feel prepared to parachute down to check it out, you know? I'd like to take a more conventional trip there someday.


On a side note, if you have a hankering for a virtual trip to Montana, my YA romance novel, RUN WITH ME, is FREE today for your Kindle. Download HERE and see why Olivia Bradford's summer is totally ruined...or is it?

Tune in on the 14th for Vacation Destinations Numbers 1 through 5!

Have you been to any of the ones I haven't? What can you tell me about them?

Toodles,
Chris
www.christinedepetrillo.weebly.com Adult Romance
www.christymajor.weebly.com YA Romance
www.christineteaches.weebly.com Teaching Writing

Vote For Your Favorite First Line!

The Roses of Prose will be writing holiday short stories again this December, and we need your help! Each story will begin with the same first line, and our readers get to decide what that line will be. Please leave a comment to vote for your favorite.

1) He wore nothing but a Santa hat and a smile.
2) He wore the ugliest Christmas sweater she'd ever seen.
3) How would she ever make it through the holidays now?
4) In a few swift snips, she'd reduced the Christmas stocking to red and green confetti.
5) In place of her hunky boyfriend, Cassandra stared into the beady eyes of the Christmas Mouse. "What have you done to Troy?"
6) Nina burrowed deeper into her fleece jacket and took a step back, assessing the red and silver garland she'd draped over the headstone.
7) She was pretty sure this was NOT the gift she'd asked for.
8) The cat knocked over the tree and the dog is eating ornaments-- can anything else happen?
9) This was the last place she ever expected to spend Christmas.
10) Too often, holidays were like cheap pantyhose, irritating and cumbersome. We're looking forward to discovering your favorites!

How To Write A Series 101 and a Free Book by Jannine Gallant

What's hot in books? I'd have to say the answer to that question is a series. Even if you haven't planned on writing a series, readers frequently ask about secondary characters in a book. And if there's one thing I know about resurrecting a setting and characters after a couple of years, it's that you forget all the little details. That's what I'm doing with my current WIP, and I'm constantly having to go back to the original book (published 3 years ago) to verify facts. It's a complete pain in the butt!

So, here's Jannine's #1 tip for writing a series and not making yourself crazy in the process. PLAN AHEAD! Last spring it occurred to me that some authors were doing very well with series, so I decided to write one. Being a fairly organized person, I created a strategy.

#1 THE CONNECTION: I planned all three books in the series using a trio of friends introduced in the first book. Each of the three girls would be the heroine in her own story.

#2 THE SETTING: I mapped out my fictional town of Ravenswood, adding businesses, neighborhoods, street names, and landmarks as they were used in each story.

#3 CHARACTER LIST: Every time I used a character, no matter how minor, I put them on the list. Who knew that the first grade teacher Sam waved at on the street in book #1 would pop up at a party in book #2. Certainly not me, but when she did, I had her name and a brief description on hand.

#4 HOOKS AND CONCLUSIONS: This is key. Based on other blogs I've read, it seems readers really don't like it when you end a story but don't really end it. They feel they have to buy the sequel to find out what happens, and it makes them mad. So, each of my stories has a plot with a conclusion guaranteed to satisfy. I've had several reviews where the reader thanks me for this. The hook is the next friend in the series getting one scene with a snippet of her upcoming situation. Just a hint to make the reader curious about what is going to happen to this character, but not enough to make them frustrated that it isn't wrapped up in the current book. No one has complained yet, so I'd have to say this is a good technique.

There you have it -- Jannine's hot tips to writing a series. If you're planning one, I hope they help. Even if you aren't, implementing steps #2 and #3 is an excellent idea. You never know when readers will take to a secondary character and ask for his or her story, and these simple steps will save you huge headaches down the road!

Since you've patiently read through my whole post, I have a reward for you! Book #1 of my Secrets Of Ravenswood trilogy is FREE on Amazon today and tomorrow only. Please download We'll Never Tell by clicking HERE. Enjoy, and tell all your friends. That's my Hot August Tip of the Day!

Visit my website for information on all my books.

Suspense and Adventure Create Heat in August by Rolynn Anderson

Hot is relative.  A hot August on the Pacific Coast of British Columbia, where I am presently cruising aboard INTREPID (picture, below), is somewhere in the upper 60 degrees.  Smoking hot is a day that reaches the 70’s.  As I write this blog post, what’s really hot is the fishing up here in Ocean Falls, B.C.  It’s a ghost town, a company mill town peopled with 5,000 in the 50’s; presently six people and lots of bears call it home.   My brother, Brian, is with me and he always brings out the fisherwoman in me.  The salmon are running up the Martin River, so we’re catching those lovelies in the day (in the ocean) and smacking down salmon for dinner.  Now, salmon fight on your line…nothing hotter then playing a salmon, especially if they get the notion to head out into the deep, deep ocean.

Hot also is the halibut fishing up here at Ocean Falls.  I’ve been gathering gear and strategies for catching halibut for the last ten years and I’ve practiced by catching all sizes of flounder (which is the halibut’s family).  It seems that the stars and moon are aligned for me to catch one this year, I can feel that heat. (I'm worried about catching too large a halibut, because I'd have to 'subdue' it before I could safely bring it aboard.)  I will report next month about my success (length and poundage cited; subduing described).

We’re having an especially hot old time with dolphins and whales.  Seems like the White-side Pacific Dolphins are particularly playful this year.  When the hum of our boat catches their attention, they ride our bow (we travel 7.5 knots) with glee.  I love it when they turn sideways to look up at me standing on the bow-sprint of our boat.  I wonder what they think of the blond-haired tall woman waving madly at them and squealing when they perform acrobatics.

In the end, I guess it isn’t about temperature as much as it is about the intensity of the fun we have in our summers.  Something new and different…something to write home about.  That’s what’s hot to me.   How about you?
Follow our boat adventures  on http://steveandrolynn.blogspot.com/

You can follow our daily progress, or lack there of, at http://tinyurl.com/3mhj7gz

Check my website at http//www.rolynnanderson.com