Summertime makes me nostalgic. So many of my childhood memories involve searching for perfect sea glass and exploring the rocky outcroppings that separated the private beaches from the public one. And now that I’m a mother, I watch my own children exploring the creeks and trees of their neighborhood (alas, no nearby beach) and it brings back so much. Setting most of my stories on the coast (Mystic Point, my main series, takes place in a fictional coastal Connecticut town and my upcoming cozy mystery series is set on the Northern California coast) is one way I indulge my nostalgia.

The other way is through music, one genre in particular: Yacht Rock.

I am ADDICTED to this station. I’ve managed to fine tune it (banned all Michael McDonald, who took The Doobie Brothers from Rock Stars to Lounge Lizards; marked almost all of America’s songs as favorites) and here I sit, writing and listening to the music that makes me feel like I’m five again and hanging out on my Uncle Lou’s beach.

This is the music my mother listened to, back when she looked like Twiggy and wore halter tops and bell-bottoms. Back when I was this adorable, dark-skinned, curly-headed little girl who romped around the beach and charmed Uncle Lou into letting me play in his rowboat. (Without a life jacket, I used to row out a few meters from shore to the nearest sand bar by myself. Can you imagine letting your kids do that now? I don’t even let mine in the 1-foot-deep kiddie pool without supervision!) I listen to Seals & Croft and I can smell the honeysuckle and Coppertone mingling with the salt in the air from Long Island Sound. When Christopher Cross begins to play, I’m transported to a time when our main source of decor was macramé. Ambrosia plays and my world turns avocado green and sunflower orange.

Someday, I’ll be a coastal chick again. For now, I’ll just have to conjure up those beachy feelings from a simpler time, basking in the sun listening to Peaches and Herbs (Reunited and it feels so good!) and The Pina Colada Song, just like my mom and I used to so many years ago. (I’ll let you do the math as to how long ago that was.) The only difference is that instead of slathering myself with suntan lotion I now use sunscreen, and instead of drinking those Hugs barrels, I can relax with an actual Pina Colada while my children burnish their own summer memories in their minds.

What invokes your summer memories?

Mystic Point

Cate Tayler is a beach baby, born and raised on the Connecticut coastline. She met the love of her life while serving in the US Air Force, and after extensive overseas travel, they are now raising their four children in the wild suburbs of Maryland.

Her latest release is the Mystic Point Box Set – Volume 1. It includes the first 4 books of her steamy contemporary romance series PLUS a bonus Mystic Night novella never before sold!

https://books2read.com/MPvol1/

Love Me Once More
Lainie has spent the past year in a solitary confinement of her own making. She once had everything—a successful career, a home in a big city, and the man of her dreams. But she took it for granted and ended up losing it all. Now she’s been given one last shot at redemption, one last chance to show Ethan she never betrayed him, one last time to convince him their marriage is worth fighting for.

Love Me Now
Feisty and determined, Calista will do anything to save her family’s restaurant. After a devastating storm nearly wipes out their beloved Greek diner, it’s up to Calista to put her dreams on hold to keep the business afloat. But with a land developer lurking around, she needs nothing short of a miracle.

And Miles could be the miracle she’s hoped for all along…

Love Me Like You Do
Haley knows the darker side of love. She’ll never give anyone power over her heart. Will has seen the beauty and healing power of love. He must prove love isn’t just another four-letter word and his kind of love is what she needs. But as she begins opening herself to the idea of a future with him, ghosts from the past return and present-day secrets threaten their fragile relationship.

Love Me Harder
Juliet earned her saltiness. The sassy chef made a fresh start in Mystic Point after divorcing her cheating bastard of a husband. Now the renowned head chef of the local French bistro is living the free life she wants, surrounded by good friends and the occasional casual fling. Until one tempting night with a scrumptious cowboy gives her a taste of what she’s missing.