Guest Post: The Boys of Summer by Beth Albright

Today I am welcoming a long-time friend of My Novel Opinion back to the blog, Beth Alright. The latest book in Beth’s In Dixie series, Daydreams in Dixie, was just published (I’ll be reviewing soon) and she is here to talk about summer, promote her new book, and there’s a giveaway too.

 

Southern talk show host and former pageant queen Annabelle Harper certainly knows a thing or two about romance. She is, in fact the local authority on love in Tuscaloosa Alabama as the host of her own radio talk show for the lovelorn: Saved By The Belle. With nearly 50 happy couples to her credit, no one could argue with her success. Annie has never been wrong about the heart of a person. Strange thing is, she can’t seem to get past five dates before the dreaded break-up in her own lovelife.

That is until a new guy pops into town—and a Yankee at that! Sparks fly between Annie and Matt Brubaker – the mysterious stranger who has more than love on his mind. His interests are focused on developing a new company in Tuscaloosa. But his new business will put Annie’s best friend out of business, and place Annie smack dab in the middle of a hot southern mess!

Now Annie must choose — the passion she feels for Matt and the love she has for her long-time friend. The conflict reaches a boiling point and puts her in the middle of a major city-wide protest, with Annie at the microphone. Will she betray her BFF and fall in love with the wrong man? Or like the true southern belle that she is, will she keep guarding her best friends back till the bitter end—even if it means losing what could finally be the love of her life

Beth Albright is at her sassy best with this new Southern page-turner, filled with the Beth Albright brand we have come to love—Sexy romance, comedy and a shot of mystery. Think Steel Magnolias meets Sex In The City—this ride is passionate, sexy and full of love – both the romantic kind and the kind for the women who always have each other’s backside covered in a crisis. Grab your best girlfriends and hang on for this sassy southern beach read!

Daydreams in Dixie is available now from Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

The Boys Of Summer by Beth Albright

The hot, sticky days of a Deep South Summer sweep my heart back to the late 70s and early 80s.  Warm wet stagnant air drips across my skin and I can hear Don Henley singing “The Boys of Summer” Come on, sing it with me….”I can see you, your brown skin shining in the sun, you got your hair combed back, sunglasses on, Baby….” My own browned skin glistening with half a bottle of pure baby oil, laying out in the blistering heat all day… strawberry lip gloss just begging to be tasted by our boys of summer.

In my new book, Daydreams in Dixie, book 3 in my IN DIXIE series, my male hero is loosely based on a boy who kissed me in the sixth grade during a game of truth or dare. He was the very first Boy Of Summer.
I know, I thikg I was born boy crazy—therefore born to be a romance writer.

The barefoot summer days of my later teenaged years in the Deep South were the best of the best…swimming in Lake Lurleen, skiing on the Warrior River, and the road trips to Panama City Beach, Florida…stopping at every roadside stand along the highway for fresh-off-the-vine tomatoes and juicy watermelon… salt shakers in hand!  We were crammed in the back seat of someone’s old car, all the windows down, blowing our hair into each other’s faces, the smells of Coppertone whirling around— sweaty thighs pushed up against each other so we could all fit into the back seat, while The Commodores were blaring from the radio.  White shoe polish scrawled across the back window, “PANAMA CITY OR BUST”  It was Summertime in Dixie!  Let’s find the boys!  Do I sound like I was boy crazy??  Weren’t we all?

The food, the humidity, the beach trips all set the stage, but my boys of summer spice up the memories!  Making out in the extreme wet heat of the Deep South Summer is one sticky, hair-frizzing mess.  Cure for that?  A cool pool! While there were many summers spent with several different young men, I recall one in particular I’ll call the Summer of the “Swimming Lessons”

To say I could be sort of a Miss Priss is like telling the Pope he is “sorta” Catholic!  I was full of myself.  There was one young man I had an -on-again-off-again love affair with since I was a babe of 14.  One summer I thought it would be a delicious idea if I convinced the cute Southern gent to come over to my parent’s pool for some kissing lessons—yep…I said kissing lessons!  I just KNEW he needed my expertise in this fragile, intimate area!  I remember being so excited to be the teacher. Uh huh….really? I was just looking for an excuse to get him in my arms and lip-locked.  Can you believe he arrived ready for lessons—playing right along with me, never letting on that he knew exactly just what I was up to…let me tell you….THAT BOY SURE DIDN’T NEED ANY TEACHING FROM ME!

I remember vividly what it felt like to kiss him under water—warm lips pressed against mine in the cool pool water, sun dapples, sparkling like shadows of glitter on the surface above. My only thought? How long could I keep him there for “school”? Only so much a girl can “teach” about kissin’…but I knew I sure didn’t want him to leave!  I still am reminded about those “swimming lessons” that summer, his body covered in a million freckles, his dark brown eyes looking at me like he could devour me in one bite, knowing full well my ploy—kissing lessons?? Really???  In the years that followed, I often thought of sending him an invitation for “Continuing Education” Ahem.

A Deep South Summer is brimming, over-flowing, with the richest, most textured memories…long sensual stories shared on a front porch, lightening bugs twinkling in the twilight of sunset, crickets murmuring and frogs croaking, creating an orchestra of Summer—ghost stories told in the back of a pick-up truck under a canopy of a jillion stars, and holding hands for the first time with my heart racing in the moonlight. Mid-night walks on the white sandy beaches of the Gulf Coast stir the richest memories, all with my boys of summer.

The sweet sticky drips of orange pineapple ice cream from Pure Process Ice Cream, running down my wrist before it was even half eaten while sitting on the mosquito bitten banks of the river, Summer was when we did our growing up—learning about life as we learned about love and boys and each other.

The Boys of Summer—ahhhhh,  I hear the song, I smell Coppertone. I smile and I am gone.

About the Author

Beth Albright is a Tuscaloosa native, former Days Of Our Lives actress, and former radio and TV talk show host. She is a graduate of the University Of Alabama School of Journalism. She is also a screenwriter, voice-over artist, wife of her college sweetheart, Ted and mother of her favorite person on earth, her brilliant handsome son, Brooks. A perpetually homesick Southern Belle and a major Alabama Crimson Tide fan, she splits her time between Los Angeles and, of course, Tuscaloosa.

Beth Loves to connect with her readers: Website / Facebook / Twitter /Goodreads

 

Giveaway Time

Beth has kindly offered to giveaway one signed copy of Daydreams in Dixie plus some sassy gifts to one lucky reader (US only). All you have to do is enter the Rafflecopter below before the deadline of May 25th. Winner will be contacted by email within 24hours of the giveaway ending.

a Rafflecopter giveaway