Been gone so long I almost forgot how to blog again! Sorry, readers for the long absence. What can I say? I’ve been on the road again. Taking a post-Christmas vacay, a two-week writing binge in beautiful Anna Maria Island, Florida, then a couple quick trips to Tybee Island, another trip to South Florida, and now home again. Back in the saddle, trying to balance writing the new new book (for Summer 2013) and working on plans for the June 5 release of SPRING FEVER. We are nailing down tour stops and event dates and lots of fun promotions, so keep watching this space (and my Facebook and Twitter posts) for updates and deets on how you can catch SPRING FEVER. In the meantime, here’s a rundown of what I’ve been up to.
Ahhh. Anna Maria
In January, right after New Year’s, I fled Atlanta for the sunny shores of Anna Maria Island, Florida, for some quiet writing time and a quick reunion of old friends from my hometown of St. Petersburg. Don’t want to give away too much, but the plot of my book for Summer 2013 will be set in this area, so the visit really was for research. Shh, don’t tell anybody, but I also managed to fit in a lil’ junking. Some days, it’s good to be me!
My suitcase was barely unpacked from the Florida trip before I headed down to Tybee Island and Seaside Sisters for a fun fund-raiser put together by my friends at Mermaid Cottages for an organization that trains and provides assistance dogs for servicemen and women. Here I am pictured with six-week-old Buddy, a black lab puppy who is in training to become a service dog. Buddy was so chill I really wanted to sneak him home in my suitcase.Wouldn’t Wyatt and Weezie have loved having a new playmate?
Of course, while I was on Tybee, I couldn’t resist doing a little fluffing at The Breeze Inn. I found a queen-size sleeper sofa on Craigslist that seemed like the perfect addition to our living room, so I swapped the old sofa with Mermaid Diane, and got the new sofa installed. I also switched out the queen-size bed in the master bedroom for a king-size that I’d found at an estate sale in Atlanta. As soon as I have all the new linens gussied up for the room, I’ll show you pix of that. But in the meantime, I’m hoping our guests will love the new, bigger bed as much as I do. PS, if you’re thinking of booking a stay at the Breeze, you might want to check our calendar–we’re already starting to fill up for spring and summer. Hey–maybe I better book our next stay!
.An invitation to give a talk at the Palm Beach County library branch in Delray Beach provided a great excuse to go back down to Florida–this time I invited Mr. MKA along. We hooked up with our dear friends Linda and Cliff (Linda and I have been friends since junior high–so she really does know where all the bodies are buried) for a lil’ jaunt down to the Florida Keys. We stayed at an adorable little mom-and-pop motel on Marathon called The Ranch House, and could not have had a better time. Owner Diana spoiled us rotten, serving us her home-made smoked fish dip and mango salsa and chips–she even baked the boys a Key Lime Pie with limes from her own trees! While the guys fished on Saturday, Linda and I did what we do best–we cruised down to Key West for a day of shopping and strolling. Scored some cute sandals at the Kino Factory, and generally enjoyed that gorgeous sunshine.
That Tuesday, it was time to sing for my supper with an appearance at the Delray Beach branch of the Palm Beach Public Library. That’s me, above, with librarian buddies Stacy and Nora, who I met nearly ten years earlier on another visit. Never forgot their hospitality, especially since they took me to their super-secret junking spots and afterwards sent me a gorgeous bracelet I admired in one of the shops. Since they knew I loved vintage, the PBPL folks made sure I stayed at what might be my favorite hotel ever, The Colony, a fabulous 1920s Spanish-style hotel smack in the middle of downtown Delray, Sitting on their porch, sipping a drink, I felt transported back to another time and place. Note to self: must go back!
After the South Florida trip, I just HAD to get in a quick trip to the Scott’s Antique Market before I headed out of town again. But this trip came under the heading of research, as I was doing a scouting mission. Next month, junk goddess and Flea Market Style magazine guru Ki Nassauer is coming to Atlanta to shoot a junking story with me. My favorite find was one I couldn’t actually buy; this fully restored Chevy Bel-Air in my absolute fave two-tone turquoise and white combo. Talk about a sweet ride! Following that, we took another quick trip down to Tybee, where I fluffed my booth at Seaside Sisters while Mr. MKA did some honey-dos at The Breeze Inn. On Sunday, I hopped over to Hilton Head Island, where I participated in the Cooks n’ Books event, a wonderful annual fund-raiser for Low Country Literacy. Whew! So now you know where I’ve been. Please excuse me while I finally unpack my suitcase. Again.