Facing down Irene

gayleeggenaanensen — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 18:37:09 +0000

I’m writing from Ocean Grove, NJ, two blocks from the Atlantic Ocean, where Irene is already shaking her frothy skirt at the water’s edge. Shore towns have stretched yellow tape across beach entrances in an attempt to keep people out of harm’s way as the waves build, but in true Jersey fashion, dozens of people lifted the tape (or jumped over it) to run toward the surf. The air is wild and wet and briny–and we still have hours to go before Irene arrives. I’ll write again, if the electricity holds.

Brave New World

gayleeggenaanensen — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 16:59:31 +0000

Gayle here, entering this strange new blogosphere for the first time. “Testing, testing, testing,” into the great abyss. Will anything bounce back to me? I’m about to find out.

This reminds me of the day I digitized the accounting system at our family business, Aanensen’s, a successful home remodeling firm. My lined ledgers, carefully pencilled in by category, disappeared forever. Handwritten checks? Gone. The calculator I used to balance bank accounts? Covered in dust. The computer did everything. So will my means to communicate be forever changed after blogging today? No more licking stamps? Oh, wait, that’s gone already. Stamps are stick-on now. Gotta keep up!

And so I step bravely into the blogosphere, not really knowing who will listen, or why they’ll listen. I know why I’m doing it–I blog for my baby, my just published paperback of historical fiction set in 1905 Ocean Grove, NJ, titled “Summer of the Suffragists.” It’s the second in a series, following my first book, “The Little Rough Rider at the Jersey Shore,” based on the day President Theodore Roosevelt made an historic visit to Ocean Grove. I’m hoping to dialogue with readers and writers and history lovers (and anyone else who cares to join us).

You can find out more at my website: GayleEggenAanensen.com Kindle readers can find “Summer of the Suffragists” on their hand-helds. Thanks to anyone out there reading this. Anyone? Anyone?