Last Thursday night, all of our air conditioners on the boat turned off. We were all tired but we didn’t want to sleep without cool air so we went to work trying to fix the problem. Max (almost 18) pulled out the equipment for flushing the lines, and for burping the system (releasing excess air). Mason was in charge of the circuit breaker. I was lugging the hose back and forth and turning it on and off. The flushing process is required when too many marine creatures start to clog your system and takes approximately four hours. It was already 11:00 p.m. when we started. 
At 3:30 a.m., after all that work, the air conditioners still wouldn’t turn on without flashing an error so we gave up, and drove to the satellite office here in town, which has nice, cold, refreshing air conditioning. We were all pretty sweaty and miserable. (The satellite office also has fold-out mattresses for emergencies…like HURRICANES!)
We had to park about a block away and I saw a guy ambling along toward us on the sidewalk. Being the past victim of an assault, I have a carry and conceal license. I opened the special pocket in my purse, and put my hands on my firearm, just in case since I was walking alone, in the dark, with children at 4:00 a.m. (One of those kids is 6′ 2″ but that didn’t make me feel safer.)
The man got closer and, when he emerged under a streetlight, we discovered he had blood all over him. He seemed okay health-wise. And, as he passed, he smiled, and said, “Good evening!”
Then, he kept on walking. Man oh man, I wish I knew the story behind THAT!!
Later, I wondered if it was his blood or someone else’s but I certainly wasn’t going to engage him in a conversation at 4:00 in the morning on a dark street with two children in tow.
I am fascinated by eccentric people. Some day, I think it would be fun to retire, meet really interesting people, and write their stories. But, for now, publishing keeps me more than busy and I LOVE IT. 🙂
In case you’re wondering…our air conditioner pump had gone kaput. We had to buy a new one the next day. We’re all nice and cool now!
Oh, and we’re getting a tropical storm this weekend! We are stocking up on gasoline and water today just in case. It’s gonna be a bumpy weekend here on No Tan Lines but we’re ready! 🙂
THIS IS A REMINDER that the WritersWeekly.com Fall, 2019 24-Hour Short Story Contest is only 11 DAY AWAY!
What will the topic be??? See the link below for all past topics and winning stories. Only 500 participants are allowed per contest so don’t delay if you wanna play!
COME JOIN US RIGHT HERE ON SATURDAY, 9/7/19! It’s a blast! 🙂
1st Place $300 + a Book Publishing Package from BookLocker.com! (Value: $875)
2nd Place: $250
3rd Place: $200
+ 80 other prizes!
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Angela Hoy lives on a mountain in North Georgia. She is the publisher of WritersWeekly.com, the President and CEO of BookLocker.com and AbuzzPress, and the author of 24 books.
Follow Angela: twitter | facebook | linkedin
Angela is the creator of the Original 24-Hour Short Story Contest!
Learn more here: https://24hourshortstorycontest.com/
HOW TO REMEMBER, WRITE AND PUBLISH YOUR LIFE STORY
Angela Hoy's popular online class is now available in book format!
Remember Your Past
Write It and Publish It
in as little as 12 weeks!
Angela Hoy's book will get you started!
- Using Angela's MEMORY TRIGGERS, recall memories that have been dormant for years
- Record those memories in chronological order in your memory notebook
- Using the memory notebook as your outline, write your autobiography!
- Also works for biographies and memoirs!
Read more here:
https://booklocker.com/books/4764.html
90+ DAYS OF PROMOTING YOUR BOOK ONLINE: Your Book's Daily Marketing Plan by Angela Hoy and Richard Hoy
Promoting your book online should be considered at least a part-time job. Highly successful authors spend more time promoting a book than they do writing it - a lot more.
We know what you're thinking. You're an author, not a marketer. Not to worry! We have more than a decade of successful online book selling experience under our belts and we're going to teach you how to promote your book effectively online...and almost all of our techniques are FREE!
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Yes, online book promoting can be EASY and FUN! Let us show you how, from Day 1 through Day 90...and beyond!
33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About Blind Characters
I admire any writer who wants to tackle a blind character. But so many writers take up this challenge and FAIL. They research blindness by reading other fiction books, by observing their blind colleagues and acquaintances, and by tying on a blindfold and pretending to be blind themselves.
I understand the challenges your characters face, their triumphs, their hopes and their fears, because I've lived them. I work with people who have varying degrees of blindness every day, so I've seen every challenge, every situation you could imagine.
Let me share my knowledge to improve your writing. You can create blind characters that readers will fall in love with.
~Stephanie Green
I think I would have gone to the A/Ced office closer to 9-10PM and only started the FOUR hour+ A/C job the next morning. Or I would have flushed those lines weeks earlier.
I would have done that, too, if it were fall or winter but, here in St. Petersburg, Florida, it’s beastly hot and humid just 30 minutes after sunrise in August (and July, and June, and September…)
And, the lines had been flushed a week early. Max had even checked the seacock for grass/growth that evening and it wasn’t bad at all. The problem ended up being the pump for the air conditioners. It went kaput. We replaced it the following day.
Angela