This pic is of the Ross Apartments in the late 50s. I was maybe four of five. The place is gone, I think Hurricane Fran took it out. But looking through those time goggles we all have hanging around our childhoods, those were some good times. The old building was a renovated World War II barracks. I think we were the largest one on the beach since we had a cellar and lock room. I remember riding my tricycle down the long hall as they renovated the place, I also remember the 3 two story sand dunes in my back yard–all the cacti and stickers (sand spurs to yankees), the yucca plants, hairawn muhly and blue stem. I remember running across the empty lot across from my home, stepping lightly, quickly, and avoiding the stickers till I reached the giant sand dunes before the ocean. I was home.

All  these memories are fine and good, and they make great fodder for the writer in me. Combining those nostalgic feelings with the present day, questioning the status quo, realizing that all was not perfect back then, Knowing in my mind’s eye what   is and was true and presenting it to the page. Your characters speak your truth. And ain’t it cool as hell?

QUOTE: “Even in literature and art, no man who bothers about originality will ever be original: whereas if you simply try to tell the truth (without caring twopence how often it has been told before) you will, nine times out of ten, become original without ever having noticed it.”  C. S. Lewis

I love this time of the year-the way the ocean looks, the crispness in the air (oh, please stay), no tourist season, and a return to feeling, once again, that Topsail is my home. Summer time is just too busy, everyone is trying to make a buck (including me) just to make it through the slow months. These last two months of the year are my favorite, filled with hope and anticipation -Thanksgiving and Christmas, and all the people and things that are important in our lives. We want, we want, we hope, we hope–I know the anticipation of seeing my loved ones and friends enjoying themselves fills me up–don’t need turkey for that or gifts. At this age the joy comes by watching the ones we love enjoy and build their own lives. In this changing world I often worry for those people. Even our little town has its drama. I love Topsail and want to see the best for her so I have strong feelings about the upcoming local elections. But soon this horrible political season will be over and maybe some fences will be mended. God bless the winners and guide them to do the right things. Still, I’m not so naïve to believe that politicians can ever change their strips–all the old adages, you know. My favorite is – don’t pet the snake. Oh well, guess it’s time for that refreshing walk on the beach.

QUOTE:  “In our age there is no such thing as ‘keeping out of politics.’ All issues are political issues, and politics itself is a mass of lies, evasions, folly, hatred and schizophrenia.” George Orwell  (George Orwell was born in 1903–you see ugliness in politics is not new.)

WRITING NOTE: Just finished up a wonderful writing class at the college. Another will be starting in March. We have fun and learn a lot. Come and join us. Thank you.

To be quite honest I have not thought much about our little bridge since its demise. I tend to do that–erase things that  weigh on my heart, I sort of shut down until I can cope with it. It’s been a year, or nearly one, since they hauled our history away and I guess that’s the way I see the departure of the swing bridge–our history-what makes us who we are (or were), being dismissed, forgotten–as if it was never really that important. That bridge MADE US SLOW DOWN.  It made us take time whether we liked it or not. Now it is more, more, faster, faster, bigger, better. To me those things are pretentious, and I only see how these things diminish us as human beings. I like to think that patience is still a virtue, that kindness is love, that honesty is the best policy, that we are our brothers keeper, and that lying is always wrong. But morality has become very muddy here on our island, especially with the local political climate. Shame, shame. Alas, I still love this little strip of sand.  Someone asked me the other day if I ever thought of leaving–“Oh yes,” I replied. “I think about it all the time.” And I was gone for around 20 years once, but I still think there are grains of sand on the beach that I walked on as a kid, teenager and adult. The history is in my heart and this is my home.

QUOTE;  “The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.” Henry David Thoreau

I finally realized what it is about Surf City and Topsail Beach that makes us so unique, so really cool–and that is that this little sand bar (everyone calls it an island) offers a plethora of eccentric  personalities. I mean, why in the world does anybody want to be like someone else? It’s the individual soul that soars, and boy does Topsail Island have its fair share of those. The most interesting of these souls is the free lancer, not the guy who came here to get rich, (and suck the life and beauty our of our little stretch of sand) but the person who loves the lifestyle-who has shifted down a couple of gears and doesn’t give a damn–except about true friendship and patience. It all kind of reminds me of Tortilla Flats, a novel by John Steinbeck–he’s the ordinary man’s penman–no frills, no veneer.

The above picture was taken in the early sixties or late 50s at the VFW. Any old fogies out there recognize anyone? Talk about eccentricity–whoa!

Not sure who the man on the left is, not sure about the fish either, but the tall blonde on the right is Slim Rackley. I remember him, man was he tall (especially to a little kid) and a nice guy too. He was the first cop we had on the island, starting in the 1950s. Back then a lot of ex Marines settled down on Topsail to raise their families, to have a simpler life after WWII and Korea–not expecting to get rich, just live life in a place not swarming with bad guys and sheister’s.  Oh well, all this progress–umm. But I digress, the island was a great baby sitter for children with giant sand dunes and parents watching out for each other’s kids. Slim’s children went to Topsail School and I think one was in my class–but that was a long time ago and I’m not sure. Ward Realty was part of the Superette shopping center–where the IGA shopping center is now and if you didn’t want to drive all the way to Wilmington or Jacksonville, or even Boom Town in Holly Ridge, it was the place to go. Ahh, the good old days…………….

QUOTE:  “There are new words now that excuse everybody. Give me the good old days of heroes and villains, the people you can bravo or hiss. There was a truth to them that all the sick credulity of today cannot touch.” Bette Davis

WRITING TIP: Heroes and Villains–shouldn’t  your characters be a little of both.

look familiar? these are those little bitty crabs that hang out in the marsh when its low tide. They are cute, aren’t they? They’re always to quick for me to pick up and examine, but I guess that’s a good thing. Anyway, they have a bit part in the new book ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS. (they are a bunch of little things, aren’t they?) I’m really getting into this book (something new is always exciting) and the new character Kae. A sneak peek–Kae learns a whole lot about life in this book-lots of eye opening passages in this one. Don’t you hate it when you learn something new about something you think you knew everything about? Geez, life is funny that way. And then there’s the murder!!!!! Well, that throws a wrench into everybody’s day.

Quote: “Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” Mark Twain

Writer’s tip: Class is still open for newbies. Monday night 5:45 –come learn and have fun doing it.

Life does go on –until it doesn’t anymore. In the meantime we all do our best-(or at least what we think we are capable of). Some people sleep well with their choices, others do not. ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS, the 6th book in the mystery series, is about those people and if you’ve been reading the Topsail Island Mystery series, you know of whom I write. I like to think that my books are not just murder stories but are about the ups and downs, the struggles, disappointments and joys we all have in our lives.

QUOTE: “Life is not linear; you have ups and downs. It’s how you deal with the troughs that defines you.” Michael Lee-Chin

Writer’s tip: Class starts Sept. 9, Y’all come now. Gonna be fun! CFCC Creative Writing–Carol Overstreet

This is sort of what the cover of the new book will look like. Still tweaking and will be doing so for quite a while. But I do have the title– ALL THESE LITTLE THINGS. Guess I do it bass ackwards, have to have a title before I can start a book. So, I’m off. Hopefully this one will be done by next spring. Excerpts will be posted periodically.  Still hawking for students for the writing class at CFCC. For more info on that go to the college website. Thanks and hope to C U there.

Often at the Topsail Beach market I’ll mention to folks that there is a picture from the 1930s on my blog but that it was posted years ago. It’s a real drag to have to scroll through all my stuff just to get to it, so I posted this lovely photo again. Look at our dunes covered in sea grasses, the squatty water oaks in the distance–beauty is a simple thing. It is not ornate. Yes, this was the best place to grow up.

QUOTE: “Yes: I am a dreamer. For a dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world.”
– Oscar Wilde

WRITER TIP: Writing class begins September 9 at Surf City Cape Fear Community College. Please sign up – lots of fun, lots of learning.

If you’ve ever been in one of my writing classes you may have heard me talk about skiffs, sailboats and tankers. I liken them to people and thus to characters. All three, the skiff, sailboat and tanker traverse the water; each can handle different amounts of what the ocean has to offer. People experience a whole spectrum of emotions. If  they have experienced only a small amount of what is out there, never venturing into  deep water, then they are a skiff, but the oil tanker–ah, he does deep water all the time. Some people are skiffs some are sailboats and some are tankers. I don’t ever want to be a tanker. There are things I never want to know, things I don’t want to feel. So it’s a sailboat life for me. As for the characters in your life-ask yourself what they are. Which are you and why?

QUOTE: “We must free ourselves of the hope that the sea will ever rest. We must learn to sail in high winds.”  Aristotle Onassis