Day at the Beach

Today I am going to share with you some of my pictures taken at the beach, since that is where I have been recently and where I prefer to be rather than writing a blog post.

Seacliff State Beach, Aptos

This beach is known for its fishing pier and concrete freighter, The Palo Alto.

In 1910 a Norwegian civil engineer named Fougner thought of using concrete to build ships. It wasn't until 1917, when wartime steel shortages required the use of cement for construction that Fougner's idea was used. Three concrete ships were built. Two, the Peralta and the Palo Alto, were built at the U.S. Naval Shipyard in Oakland, California while the third, the Faith, was built in a shipyard in Redwood City, California. The Peralta and the Palo Alto were built for wartime use as tankers, however World War One ended before ship construction was finished -- so they were never used. 

The Palo Alto remained docked in Oakland until 1929, when the Cal-Nevada Company bought the ship with the idea of making her into an amusement and fishing ship. Her maiden voyage was made under tow to Seacliff State Beach. Once positioned at the beach, the sea cocks were opened and the Palo Alto settled to the ocean bottom. By the summer of 1930 a pier had been built leading to the ship, the ship was remodeled. A dance floor on the main deck was added, also a cafe in the superstructure was built, as was a fifty-four foot heated swimming pool, and a series of carnival type concessions were placed on the afterdeck. The Cal-Nevada Company went broke after two seasons -- then the Palo Alto was stripped, leaving the ship and the pier to be used only for fishing.

Unfortunately, the ship is unsafe and closed to the public. The pier is also closed for fishing until needed repairs can be made.

[http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=543]

Monterey Bay

The first European to discover Monterey Bay was Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo on November 16, 1542 while sailing northward along the coast on a Spanish naval expedition. He named the bay Bahía de los Pinos, probably because of the forest of pine trees first encountered while rounding the peninsula at the southern end of the bay. Cabrillo's name for the bay was lost, but the westernmost point of the peninsula is still known as Point Pinos.

The present name for the bay was documented in 1602 by Sebastián Vizcaíno, who had been tasked by the Spanish government to complete a detailed chart of the coast. He anchored in what is now the Monterey harbor on December 16, and named it Puerto de Monterrey, in honor of the Conde de Monterrey, then viceroy of New Spain. Monterrey is an alternate spelling of Monterrei, a municipality in the Galicia region of Spain from which the viceroy and his father (the Fourth Count of Monterrei) originated.

[Wikipedia]

Shell Beach

Shell Beach from the top of the cliffs 

Shell Beach is located just south of Pismo Beach. Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast area of California, United States.

Pelican Rock seen from cliffs above Shell Beach

 Zina Abbott is the pen name used by Robyn Echols for her historical novels. Her novel, Family Secrets, was published by Fire Star Press. 

The Kitten of the Apocalypse

Some people collect stamps or coins, my family collects cats. It's not an intentional thing, it just is. We used to call it "The Cat of the Year Club" because another cat cat would show up every year, usually in June or July. Even our vet says that we have an invisible sign in our yard telling cats to come to us for a good home. My family "blames" me. Apparently, my super power is attracting cats. However, our newest family member comes courtesy of my husband.

Dear readers, meet Kota.

Several weeks ago, my husband went outside to do a few things before we left for work and heard something yelling from the far side of our back yard. Being the good man that he is, he donned gloves and went in search of the source. A brief search and chase later, he came in carrying a small gray kitten. At some point during the ensuing conversation, I said something along the lines of "It's just a kitten; it's not even one of the four kittens of the apocalypse." And thus, the name Kota (Kitten Of The Apocalypse) was born.

Our original plan was to find a home for Kota, but one thing lead to another and, as so often happens, Kota's furever home is with us. However, no many how many strays we take in, there are always more that need homes and help. 

My love for animals makes its way into my stories which all feature animals and animal rescue. Like my fellow Fire Star Press author Mollie Hunt, I am working to change the world one book at a time. In addition to hoping to raise awareness through my stories, I also donate a portion of the proceeds of all of my books to animals in need. 

My newest mewse is already hard at work walking across my keyboard in an effort to put her own spin on my stories. My brain is also busily chasing plot bunnies (or maybe they are plot kittens) while it tries to work out the details of a story about the kittens of the a-purr-calyse.

Please, share a picture of your fur-baby in the comments. Furry faces make every day better!

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Changing the World Through Fiction, by Mollie Hunt

Changing the World Through Fiction: Introducing altruism into your writing without using soapbox rhetoric (or putting your reader to sleep.)

As a fiction writer, I create an engaging and entertaining story; as an animal rescue advocate, I raise awareness of our companion animals and the ways we can help them. By introducing characters and situations involved with animal welfare into my cozy cat mysteries, my readers come away with something more than a pleasant read.

Whether it’s LGBT rights, saving the whales, or the beauty of the state of Alaska, if you are passionate about it, you will – and should – show it in your writing. A cause can give your character a more profound persona. Belief is inherent in all of us, and unless you plumb the depths of your characters’ convictions, they may come off as more two-dimensional than you would like.

The hero of my Crazy Cat Lady series, Lynley Cannon, is, like me, a grateful cat shelter volunteer. Through her, I can enlighten, promote, and advise without getting up on a soap box to do it. That’s the trick. Inserting a long commentary about the immorality of declawing or the evil of animal abuse would make my audience disappear faster than a feral cat. A one-sentence thought or insight through the eyes of Lynley is all that is needed to get the point across.

My readers are cat people and often tell me how much they appreciate the epigraphs at the beginning of each chapter. These are stand-alone notes or tips on cat behavior, health, and lore that impart something useful and interesting. In the same vein, a cooking mystery might be prefaced by favorite or nostalgic recipes, and a novel taking place in the wilds of the Yukon might use Robert Service’s poetry as epigraphs . Not all subjects lend themselves to this type of chapter prefacing, but for those that work, it’s a place to reach out to readers about a specific issue.

I like reading fiction books that get me thinking and help me learn something I didn’t know, but I don’t want it to seem like a lecture. Just the mention that your character is a communist, a hospice volunteer, a blood donor; that she marches in the Pride Parade or joins the beach clean-up every year; that he gives anonymously to the March of Dimes or hosts a fundraiser for his favorite independent candidate is enough to give new insight into a personality. 

What do you love? What do you feel strongly about? What do you think would make the world a better place? Don’t be afraid to let a little of your own passion slip over into your fictional world. You may find it brings in a whole new group of readers, ones with similar sympathies to yours.  

"Writing is a bit like lying - the closer you stick to the truth, the less likely you are to slip up."

Check out more blogs by Mollie Hunt at:

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries and more

Happy reading!