Beach Besties

 Since I'm enjoying some beach time today, I thought I'd share this piece from five (!) summers ago, with a little bit of an update. The last MAC book (Courting Peace) has been out for two years now and my fiction focus has been on Genevieve, mentioned in the last paragraph below. I'm two thirds of the way through her book (working title: Beach House Lists), and she has yet to don a swimsuit. She has, however, taken a few walks on the beach, as well as spending some time at her friend Esme's bookstore. 

Stay tuned :-)

I spent last weekend at the beach and, as I sat on the screened-in porch (my favorite writing spot and second favorite inspiration spot), I began to wonder how my characters would spend a weekend at the beach. Charli would, no doubt, hit Grotto Pizza and spend lots of time at the beach on a boogie board. Or maybe she'd be more like my daughter, preferring the pool at the condo complex to the beach, lying out on the chaise lounges there until she got too hot and then jumping in the water to cool off again.

Nah. I see Charli as the beach type -- volleyball, boogie boards and maybe even a run by the ocean.

As for Marita and Bets, their agenda would depend on who was on the trip. Is it a girls' weekend or are they there with Charli? The days would be much the same either way, spent on the beach, preferably close to a lifeguard stand where they could scope out those in charge of keeping them safe -- purely a precautionary measure, of course, especially once Marita realizes the lifeguards are closer to Charli's age than hers. Talk about a reality check!

Bets' swimsuit of choice would be a bikini, of course, accessorized by a big hat and little-to-the-imagination cover-up. She'd skip the cover-up completely if it didn't complete the ensemble with the hat (protecting her fair skin) and all.

Marita's suit of choice would be a one piece with enough cut-outs to show some skin -- something in black or a bright color (fuchsia, maybe?), just this side of a two-piece (which I now know is called a monokini....)

Angel would definitely wear a one piece, too modest, especially now that she's a mom, to go any other way. If she'd gone shopping with Marita or even Jim, she might have come home with something like the suit at left. Otherwise, a traditional styling in a floral or a pastel color would most likely be her choice. 

Pixabay

It's always fun imagining what my characters are doing outside the pages of the book, especially when I'm at work on another book they populate, as I am with Marita, Angel, Bets and Charli.

Genevieve, a character I'm in the midst of creating now for a book that won't get written for quite some time, is significantly older than Marita and Bets. She would grace the beach only in the early morning if at all, settling under an umbrella with a cup of coffee made from beans she ground herself. In her current incarnation, Genevieve is reclaiming the beach, a place she has assiduously avoided for decades.

Dressed in a classic black one piece.