We did it! The Alabama
Gulf Coast survived “Snowpocalypse 2025” and the ensuing “Great Melt 2025.”
Here on the
Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay we had 6” of the white stuff and across the bay in
Mobile, there were reports of 9”. Plus we had some bitterly cold temperatures
here dipping down to the single digits. Unheard of along the Gulf. When it comes to a white ground cover, we’re only
used to the pristine white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the pure white of
cotton balls in the fields.
It was fun,
though, and brought back many memories of growing up in New Jersey. My fondest
memories were not so much after the snow had accumulated, but as it fell. The world
became so quiet and still, all sound being muffled by the ground covering blanket.
I sat here in
my writing room watching the kids play out in their yards and in the street
amazed by this once in a lifetime – if that often – event. One local television
station posted online instructions on how to make snowmen. That just comes
naturally, doesn’t it?
Well, the excitement
is over and now it’s time for Mardi Gras here in L.A. I gave up on the party a
long time ago after my daughter started getting older. We used to cover the
parades live on WMML radio back in the 1980s when I worked there. I remember two of our crew sitting atop
the station’s Ford Bronco being pelted by Moon Pies that would spin their headphones
around on their heads. Okay, so maybe it wasn’t such a great idea, but we did
eat well, trading advertising for coolers full of crawfish. This photo is of our sports director, Chip Hill, and an unknown co-host covering one of the parades.
In my writing
world, there is a lot going on. It’s hard to believe that it has been 25 years
since my first book, “Hike America Alabama” (later called “Hiking Alabama”) was
released. And here we are – 20 books under my belt with at least one more set
for release this fall.
I hope you will
join me and some of South Alabama’s best writers and poets at the 51st
annual Orange Beach Festival of Art in Orange Beach, Alabama, March 8th –
9th. Admission is free. I’ll be speaking March 8th at 1:30pm and will
discuss how history has connected my writing the past 25 years and my Mobile
and south Alabama-centric books. I’ll also have copies of my books that I will
be signing.
Be on the
lookout for two new books hitting shelves in April. “The Pig War and the
Pelican Girls: 21 Extraordinary Forgotten Tales from American History” comes
out April 22
nd. The title is a misnomer. There are 21 main stories
but many more “Footnotes to History” that bring to life fascinating history
that has long been forgotten.
The companion podcast for "The Pig War" debuts mid-March. Stay tuned for the premier date.
And hot on the
heels of that release, “Notable Women of Alabama” will hit book stores. There
are so many incredible women from Alabama or who moved to the state that made a
difference not only here, but the world as well. The book tells the
story of 50 of these women, many you may have never heard before.
I do have a
couple more nonfiction history proposals making their way through the acquisition process with publishers and I am still shopping for a publisher for my cozy mystery
series, “Crystal Bay Mysteries,” and the first book in the series, “Dead Air.”
While the manuscript makes the rounds, the second book of the series, “A
Matrimonial Mystery,” has been written. Stay tuned…and keep your fingers crossed.
That’s it for
now from L.A. Until next time…
