Steamy Summer Days with @MaddieJames #LastChanceBeach

I've been a water girl since I was a kid. I remember learning how to navigate a boat dock in my very early years--you know, how to balance getting into the boat without slipping between dock and boat and into the water. My sister and I would fish for bluegill, laying on our bellies on the dock to pull them up, look at their pretty scales, and then release them. We also learned to fish off the banks and "creek fish" if that is such a term. This was all stuff we did with my dad.

Family fishing - Depositphotos_223819174

When I turned fifteen, dad asked if I intended to keep fishing with him now that I was older. I hadn't thought that I wouldn't--but I think he saw the signs of boys taking up more of my time, and wondered if fishing would go by the wayside. He said, "Well, I'm going to have to buy a license for you when you turn 16." Turns out he didn't have to buy that license and our fishing days pretty much ended.

Sometimes I regret that--but when you're fifteen, life is different.

My mom was the beach bunny. She'd pack us up, haul us to a nearby beach where she'd meet her friends, and we kids would all play in the lake and sand all day, under the watchful eyes of the moms. Sand in our swimsuit bottoms. Water up our noses. Sunburns on our shoulders.

We loved it.

When I was in the eighth grade, the Army Corp of Engineers built a dam about five miles from where we lived, which created a huge lake and recreational area. The beach went in the next year and back then, we all boasted that it was the largest inland beach in the state of Ohio. It still could be, I don't know. That was over 40 years ago.

But throughout high school in the summer, we were there. Every day. So was my mom, most days, but no longer were we under her watchful eye--my sister and I were somewhere else trying to catch the eyes of the lifeguards. Those were steamy, fun-filled, lazy, and unforgettable summer days. I treasure the memories. Mostly I wish that I could still fit in my bikini--sort of. 

College came and went. So did marriages and divorces. And babies, and later on grandbabies. Beaches, however, were a constant. As I shared in this post on Gems, I passed the love of water--and the beach--on to my progeny. While my kids and I spent our share of time at the lake--my parents had bought a lake house by then--I also introduced them to the ocean. After 20+ years of ocean beach vacations, when any of us say we are "heading to the beach" we know exactly the one we are talking about.

So, all that said, how could I say no to the opportunity to contribute to a box set called Last Chance Beach: Summer's End? Well, I couldn't. I'm super excited to share that my story, That One Summer, will be included in the #romancegems Last Chance Beach box set releasing in early August. Here's the blurb for the story and officially, my cover reveal! 

THAT ONE SUMMER

Twenty years ago, Lia Langston left Last Chance Beach, leaving behind friends, a really good job offer, and the young man she’d fallen in love with that summer. The breakup hurt them both—but she was expected back home in Chicago where a job was waiting. From there, she meandered through life—marriage, a child, divorce, career—yet, there was one constant. She never missed the annual week at Last Chance Beach with her college girlfriends.

Same week, same beach house, same beach town. The routine was safe and predictable. By the time beach week rolled around every year, she was more than ready.

Except for this year.

When Zach Allen—the young man she left behind—steps back into her life, she must face the twenty-year-old consequences of her leaving. Will Last Chance Beach allow her a second chance at love?

WON'T YOU JOIN US AT LAST CHANCE BEACH?

NOW AVAILABLE TO PRE-ORDER AT AMAZON!!!

Read about the legend of Last Chance Beach written by Joan Reeves here, and get a full description of the box set by visiting Jan Scarbrough's post last week. 

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And...while I have you, I'll also share that I have a Sweet to Heat Summer Romance Reads box set on sale right now at all ebook retailers. Grab your set for 99cents by the end of August. Don't let the steamy summer days go by without binge reading this set! 

CLICK HERE FOR UNIVERSAL BUY LINKS!

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And don't forget our July Rafflecopter! You don't want to pass up a chance to win an Amazon gift card, right?

CLICK TO ENTER THE ROMANCE GEMS RAFFLECOPTER!

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Visit me at www.maddiejames.net.