Guest Author Jillian Chantal

Many thanks to Flossie for inviting me to visit today to talk about Surf Break, my story set on my local Beach. I actually met Flossie at that beach at a writer’s conference where I was the chairman and she was  lucky enough to be an attendee who could enjoy the lovely weather and the interesting workshops. Me? I was the one running around putting out fires.  Flossie is also a writer with Secret Cravings and I love that we’re both with the same publisher.

For this blog post, I thought I’d share some surfing definitions since the heroine in my story is a former professional surfer. So, ready to learn some terms and definitions?

1. Riptide-  a rip tide is a strong current running along the surf line. If you get caught in one, relax. If you try to swim out or fight it, you could very well drown. Imagine the strongest river current you’ve ever been in and add a torquing twist to that and multiply by three. It’s a super strong current. If you relax, it will let you go sooner than if you fight it. Trust me on this. Been there.
2. Wahini– A wahini is a female surfer.
3. Hodad- a non-surfer who hangs out at the beach and pretends to be a surfer
4. Paddle-out –  A paddle out is when a surfer sits or lies on the board and paddles the water to get out past the swells to catch a wave.  There is also a paddle-out memorial that happens when a surfer passes away. His friends gather and paddle out past the wave line with flowers or wreaths and have a service for their fallen comrade.
5. Longboard– a surfboard from 9-12 feet long is considered a longboard. Usually they have one fin and are used to ride waves that are too small to use a regular board. A lot of new surfers use them as they are easier to learn on but there are a lot of professionals who love a longboard.
6. Hang–ten– When a surfer walks out to the nose of the board and places his toes on the edge.
7. Leash– the leash goes on the ankle. It’s a cord to hold the board to the surfer so the  board doesn’t get lost if the surfer falls off, or more importantly, doesn’t hit anyone else who happens to be in the water.
8. Red Flag Warning– means stay out of the water. So, if you’re ever at the beach and see those red flags flying, stay on the sand. Yellow means only strong swimmers need to be out there (i.e. the ones who know about rip currents, etc) and green means safe for all. Well, as safe as water can get anyway.

Okay, there’s a little primer for you. Any questions? There will be a test later.

Thanks again to Flossie for being a great hostess. I hope you all learned a little today about surfing.

Blurb: Her past life as a professional surfer comes back to the fore when Juliette Mackey spends her summer break surfing the Gulf of Mexico. She left the pro-circuit when her former husband broke her heart. Returning to her beach roots, she signs on to work part time at a local burger joint to have the funds to rent a cottage on the shore. While working there, she meets a local cop named Pete Schwartz who is determined to let the world know about her surfing skills and force the younger crowd to acknowledge her gifts.

Attracted to Pete but wary of risking her heart again, Juliette resists Pete’s advances and wants no part of his plans to have her display her surf skills. It’s a battle of wills that Pete is determined to win. More importantly, he’s on a mission to break the wall Juliette has built around her heart.

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