Tag Archives: #CoralMcCallum

Silver Lake Book Tour Pt 2

Posted on July 24, 2024 | Leave a comment

As I mentioned in my previous Silver Lake blog, I recently returned to spend some time in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, USA, the setting for my Silver Lake series of books.

On my first day back in town I was up early to be on the beach for sunrise at 5:40am. (Jet lag helped here lol) Sitting on the sand, watching the sun creep up over the horizon felt truly magical…then I looked north up the beach and saw them… the two WWII fire control towers that are mentioned many times in the books as Jake Power goes for an early morning run along the beach to turn at them.

My running stamina doesn’t extend to running that far on sand (more on that in a future blog) but I decided I could walk out to them instead.

Walking along the waterline with the waves washing in over my bare feet as the sun slowly climbed higher in the sky was so peaceful. There were a few other early birds out walking on the beach, so I wasn’t the only one watching the sky turn many shades of red through gold. It was the perfect way to start my first day in town.

Two or three locals ran past me as I walked. I really wasn’t hard to imagine that one of them was Jake.

The towers proved to be slightly further north than they looked but eventually I reached them. A chill ran up my spine as I realised that I’d stepped into the pages of my own novels.

There are 11 fire control towers in total across Delaware and southern New Jersey. They were commissioned by the US Army in the 1940s and were watch towers. The two at Rehoboth Beach, Towers #5 and #6 stand about 60 feet high. Their entrances and windows are sealed off but as I stood looing up at them I couldn’t help but wonder just how spectacular the view of the ocean would be from the top.

I wonder if you can see Jake and Lori’s beach house which lies about 3 miles south along the beach from the top?..

If you’ve missed the Silver Lake series you can find them for sale worldwide on Amazon

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

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Silver Lake book tour – part 1

Posted on July 16, 2024 | Leave a comment

Eleven years ago, give or take a month or two, I created a fictitious rock band in my debut novel, Stronger Within,

For those of you who haven’t read it (tut tut) the book is set in the small town of Rehoboth Beach, Delaware USA. I wanted my rock band to have a name that reflected where their roots lay. Cue a Google maps search of the area looking for inspiration…. then I spotted it. A small lake, just inland from the south end of the boardwalk – Silver Lake. (It is in fact one of only two freshwater lakes in the area, originally formed from the runoff from the Wisconsin glacier.)

The rest as they say is history…. read the Silver Lake series to see how the rock band worked out.

Recently I spent some time back in Rehoboth Beach. That small town is one of my favourite places on earth. It had been twelve long years since my last visit, and I had never seen Silver Lake in real life. As I walked along the beach and the boardwalk everything felt surreal. I felt as though I was walking through the pages of my own novels.

It goes without saying that one of the first places on my “must see” list was Silver Lake. It did not disappoint!

Stronger Within starts with our favourite aspiring rock star, Jake Power, helping artist Lori Hyde home along the boardwalk after a fall on the beach. As I walked along the same stretch of boardwalk I could imagine them by my side. I followed the boardwalk to its south end then made a short pilgrimage along the beach to where Lori’s house is in the books. There’s a gap in real life between the third and fourth houses off the end of the boardwalk and its in that gap that is site where I imagined Lori’s house to be situated.

Next on my book tour was Silver Lake. I headed down Prospect Street towards East Lake Drive and there it was shimmering in the afternoon sun in front of me. Silver Lake!

It took my breath away!

Even if I do say so myself, I’d pictured it perfectly in my books. I feel I’d done a pretty good job of describing East Lake Drive too.

Actually standing in the spot that was meant to be the end of Lori’s driveway, looking out over Silver Lake was a special and emotional moment that will live with me for a long time.

I could almost hear Jake practicing his guitar in the background.

If you’ve missed the Silver Lake series you can find them for sale worldwide on Amazon

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links  –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

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Gone to the beach….

Posted on July 8, 2024 | Leave a comment

Normal blog service will resume next week 🙂

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One Last Chance

Posted on July 1, 2024 | 1 comment

What I’d give for one last chance….

One last chance to hold you close

One last chance to feed you tidbits

One last chance to see you roll over to get your belly rubbed

One last chance to see you asleep on the couch with Pooh

One last chance to hear you complain about getting soaked in the rain

One last chance to hear you purr…boy, could you purr!

One last chance to see you swagger off, tail held high.

One last chance cruelly denied…

Stinky  17/06/2016 – 12/06/2024

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Angel (acrostic poem)

Posted on June 25, 2024 | 1 comment

A new day

New opportunities to heal

Growing stronger each day

Edging herself back out into the world

Learning to live again

Image sourced via Google- credits to the owner

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The Meaning of Life…. a beginner’s mission

Posted on June 10, 2024 | Leave a comment

I stumbled across the above quote on Facebook recently and it struck a chord with me.

No, I’m not about to get all philosophical here. Definitely not my style. I’m not even going to theorise about the meaning of life. I mean all good Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy fans know its 42!

What I will share though is my growing collection of mini “mighty oaks”.

A few years ago now, I picked up a handful of acorns one October afternoon while I was out for a walk and decided to plant them. I didn’t really expect any results but much to my amazement, several months later four small trees began to grow. I’ve nurtured them ever since.

Last October, I was walking in the same area and found more acorns…yes. you guessed it. I brought those home and planted them and a couple of weeks ago, they began to grow.

I now have 12 “baby” oak trees in total. And while I may never sit under their shade, I’ll enjoy nurturing them over the coming years.

“Google Brain – how do you bonsai an oak tree?”…..

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Hope

Posted on June 3, 2024 | Leave a comment



The author sat at her desk, pen in hand, gazing down at the
fresh blank page in front of her. Snatches of ideas were scattered through her
mind. Fragments of storylines and characters but the words to connect them were
missing.

She took a sip of her wine and sighed.

Words and sentences and whole paragraphs used to flow so
freely from her pen…but that was before. Now, every word and sentence required
effort. Paragraphs were exhausting.

Closing her eyes, she offered up a silent prayer, a plea, to
her creative muse.

A movement at the edge of her consciousness caught her
attention. It was a figure, a young woman who seemed just out of reach.

“Relax. This is all going to work out. Look around you. Look
deep within. All those words, your gifts are still inside you. You’ve buried
them deep within to keep your unique talents safe but now is the time to trust
yourself and set them free. It’s time to let your stories shine once more. You
have so much still to give.”

“Who are you?” asked the author quietly.

“I’m Hope,” replied the woman. “Go on. Pick up your pen. Let
those words flow onto the page. It’s time to heal those emotional wounds and to
trust that you can reach your gifts. They are waiting for you to set them free.”

The author blinked, hardly daring to believe what she’d just
heard. Hope? Was it really that simple?

She took a deep breath, glanced down at the page, and began
to write. Slowly the words stumbled onto the page then they began to gather
pace…. they began to flow.

“Keep going,” whispered the voice in the distance.



 



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Flashback Friday….. Stronger Within

Posted on May 31, 2024 | Leave a comment

Flashback Friday….

She had just put the finishing touches to her makeup when she heard a truck crunch over the gravel in front of the house. By the time she had made her way down the hallway to the front door, Jake was already on the porch. His long hair was still damp – signs of a recent shower- and he too seemed to have taken care with his wardrobe. Behind him in the driveway she could see a black Dodge Ram pickup truck parked under the tree.

“Your chariot awaits,” he declared theatrically.

“Hi, Jake,” she smiled, stepping out onto the porch, pausing to pull the door closed behind her.

“Hi,” he replied. “Are you still ok with this?”

“Of course! I’ve been looking forward to it,” she said. “And to seeing you,” she added silently to herself.

“Ok. Let’s go then. The local metropolis awaits you.”

Getting into the passenger seat of the truck proved to be a challenge, but Jake swept in and lifted her up into the seat. He slid her crutches in behind then handed her the strap of the seatbelt.

“I hope you’re impressed. I even cleaned out the truck for you,” he said proudly. “It’s not usually so tidy.”

“I’m honoured. Thank you.”

As Jake turned on the ignition, the stereo burst into life and the cab was suddenly filled with very loud hard rock music. He reached to switch it off, but Lori stopped him.

“No worries. It’s fine with me,” she assured. “Is this the kind of stuff your band plays?”

“Yeah,” said Jake reversing out into the narrow road.

Want to know where they went? Want to know how their date went?

Want to know more? … then check out the Silver Lake series on Amazon

Amazon.com links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08RR1FGLG

Amazon.co.uk links –

Stronger Within – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Impossible Depths – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01C0GS30K

Bonded Souls – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B06XSQHG71

Shattered Hearts – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07ZY8ZSDM

Long Shadows – https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08RR1FGLG

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The Measly Jar of Motivation – the ocean- have you seen it?

Posted on May 27, 2024 | 1 comment

Have you ever seen the ocean? I don’t mean on TV or in films or on social media. Have you actually stood on the beach and gazed out over the ocean?

I have. Two of them to be precise but let’s stick with one for the purposes of this blog.

I first saw the ocean fifty years ago this August on a family holiday to the USA. (Lord that makes me sound ancient!) I was four years old but still have some vivid memories of that trip. Among the clearest are those of visiting Ocean City NJ, playing in the icy cold sand under the boardwalk, paddling in the ocean itself and watching my cousin build “drizzle” sandcastles. Some of that sand and ocean seeped into my soul that summer.

We returned six years later for another family reunion. That trip marked the start of another ocean related love affair. We spent a few days staying in Rehoboth Beach DE. (If you’ve read my Silver Lake series, you’ll be familiar with Rehoboth Beach) That small town stole a piece of my heart there and then.

It was another twenty-four years before I returned to the USA for a family trip. This time it was me taking my own young family to experience the ocean’s magic.  We spent a few days in Ocean City MD but on the way back to my aunt’s house, my cousin took the kids and I to Rehoboth Beach. I was a little anxious in case the magic had faded. I needn’t have worries. That ocean magic was still there even if the Weather Gods weren’t being kind that day. We got soaked to the skin in a downpour!

I returned several times over the next eight years and a highlight of each trip was a day at Rehoboth Beach.

Thanks to the wonders of modern technology, I’ve been able to enjoy the ocean and the beach from afar. In fact, watching the sunrise via FB live videos shared by wonderful local photographers and the webcam on one of the oceanfront hotels helped keep me going through the three years of the Big Green Gummi Bear’s illness.

That ocean kept whispering to me.

As I watched those virtual sunrises, I made a promise to myself to return to Rehoboth Beach and sit on that sand and watch it for myself.

I’m honouring that promise at the end of next month.

My world has changed since my last visit to Rehoboth Beach and my last view of the Atlantic Ocean. My kids have grown up and have lives of their own to lead. I’m now a widow (still not too sure about that word) and I’m returning on my own this time.

I hope that magic is still there….

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Memorial Day free e-book – Stronger Within

Posted on May 27, 2024 | Leave a comment

When she came out of the restaurant a few minutes later, Jake was standing waiting for her beside the truck. He was smiling and looked every inch the rock star with his tight black jeans, loose black shirt and long blonde hair. Everything about him was the polar opposite to her previous boyfriends. Well, it was time she had a bit of fun she guessed, as she reached the truck. As he lifted her up onto the seat, he leaned forward and kissed her gently on the forehead. She lifted her face and brushed a gentle kiss onto his cheek.

“Thanks for dinner.”

“Pleasure,” said Jake, closing the door gently.

Lori noticed the half full bottle of wine was sitting in the centre console storage box. She also caught sight of a guitar case behind the driver’s seat.

Want to know more… well Stronger Within, book one in the Silver Lake series is FREE to download today.

Check it out using the links below:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VXDSC1Mhttps://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00VXDSC1M

Happy reading 🙂

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