One Writer’s Happiness

August 19, 2017 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

Thirty seconds was all it took for me to get that little thrill of happiness as a writer.

I’d just returned from my morning run along the beach and decided to check my email before having breakfast.

This is what I found. A lovely note. A person out there read my book and took the time to tell me what they thought.

Just finished your book and really enjoyed it! It kept me glued to until I could finish the book. The mystery, and the family issues.

Your descriptions of the anchorages all through the Exumas are so spot on. From the crossing of the Gulfstream to the adventures in G-Town, your descriptions are so wonderful to read.

You captured the spirit of cruising the Exumas so well. Even down to the mental mind set of being in Georgetown, with all the different “personalities”. Even mentioning “Top to Botttom”, which I must admit brought a smile to my face.

We cruised the Bahamas for thirteen years on our catamaran. And again, your really did capture the spirit of the islands.–

Look the Other Way Createspace 6x9 252pg

Doesn’t get better than this 🙂 You can buy Look The Other Way on Amazon.

Thanks for reading.

WiFi, Goats, Sailing, and Writing

July 27, 2017July 26, 2017 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

One day closer…Getting nervous. But why am I talking about goats and WiFi?

In Look the Other Way, the love interests, Shannon and Jake have to get used to being out of communication with the rest of the world. Something we’re just not used to. Can they rely on each other and stay safe? Especially when a murderer is in the area.

SUBMERGED BENEATH THE DEPTHS IS A SEA OF SECRETS

Imagine being disconnected from the internet for a week. It not as bad as you think. It gave me a lot of time to write without being interrupted. Sometimes I was lonely and wanted to call home, but couldn’t. Sometimes major events happened in the world, and we found out a week later. But most of the time, it was wonderful.

There are places in the Bahamas where a sailor can buy access to WiFi. My favorite was the store where I could buy a goat and a WiFi card.

So which one did I buy?

Wifi

I chose to go with the WiFi card. How would I explain to Mathew I’d brought a goat on board?

I’d love it if you pre-ordered Look The Other Way. It will show up on your Kindle August 1st, and you can live the adventure through reading.

Look the Other Way Createspace 6x9 252pg

Thanks for reading…

Lobster Hunting, Provisioning, and Books

July 26, 2017July 26, 2017 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

You all know I’m in the count down to the publication of Look The Other Way and I can barely sit still. It’s like waiting for Christmas morning when I was seven. How am I supposed to get anything done?

Writing this story was a journey into my own life. Don’t get me wrong, the story is completely made up, and no one was murdered while I was sailing, but I did spend 5 years living on a sailboat.

In Look The Other Way, Shannon and Jake (read spicy love interest) figure out how to provision a boat with food for six months, how to capture their own food when their stores were getting low, and how to get along in small space.

Provisioning

I may be filling the freezer, and Farley is lying in wait in case I drop something, but Mathew caught the lobster. After years of trying, the best I could do is bury my spear in the sand.

Hence, me trying to find my spear…

Kristina Snorkellin

I finally gave up on spear fishing and drove the dinghy while others got to work catching our dinner.

Jake and Shannon have their own adventures in Look the Other Way. They each bring their own baggage to the tight quarters, and have a hard time getting along. Both seem to want to the captain when there is only room for one.

In case you get the urge to shop, you can pre-order Look The Other Way and it will be delivered to you kindle on August 1st!

Anyone else good a lobster hunting?

Thanks for reading..

Storms at Sea! Research for A Novel.

July 25, 2017July 25, 2017 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

One Week! That’s all I have to wait until Look The Other Way is published. Geez – this never gets old.

Look the Other Way started ages ago, and now it’s almost here.

I wrote the first draft during the summer of 2012, but long before that my life had already started to influence what I would write.

In the fall of 2009, my husband, Mathew, and I started our journey across the Gulf Stream from Florida to the Bahamas. We were aboard our catamaran, Mattina, feeling pretty good about the day…

But no matter how much you plan, the weather can sneak up on you.

We set out from the Florida coast at 11 at night in flat seas, low winds and a perfect weather forecast. Just enough wind to keep our sails up and the boat moving at 6 to 8 knots.

By the next morning, the wind and seas grew. You can see by the foul weather jacket Mathew is wearing that we knew a storm was coming.

Sailing in Storm Matt

Little did I know this day would be research for Look The Other Way. Bigger seas, stronger winds. Too bad I’d put the camera away.

The bilge pump started – which it shouldn’t if the bilge is dry – and my adrenaline rose. Did we have a leak? Were we taking on water? Now, I can’t ruin the surprise, because I used this adventure in one of the scenes in Look The Other Way.

More to come on our sailing adventures.

Thanks for reading.

Guests At Work On A Cruising Sailboat

March 19, 2014 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

When guests arrive on Mattina, they may think they’re coming for a vacation full of fun and relaxation, but …

Okay, it’s true there is a lot of fun and relaxation, but we also put our guests to work.

My nephew got the fun job of checking the anchor. Even though we have a pretty good anchoring process, and we love our Rocna anchor, it never hurts to have a pair of eyes check the anchor is fully buried.

Lucky nephew. He got the good job. Others, like cleaning the galley, are not so fun.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Dog Happiness

November 22, 2013November 14, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

I’m in the Bahamas and this is how I feel:

Farley Running Happiness

Woof Woof. Yipeeeee! Woof Woof

Lagoon 380 S2: Air Conditioning

November 20, 2013November 14, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

How to keep happy on a Lagoon 380 in the heat of the south, you ask.

Air conditioning is certainly a personal choice and depends on where you plan to sail your boat. For us, we have two units on Mattina. One for the main salon and one for our cabin.

Every year, Matt checks the units to make sure they are functioning properly and does any maintenance required. Wouldn’t want to have to overheat.

Airconditioner

No surprise to anyone, but Florida is hot and the three of us love to turn on the air. Our dog has figured out the coolest spot on the boat is close the vent. The unit is our cabin is situated perfectly to blow air across the bed. I can’t imagine being in the tropics without this luxury.

There’s nothing like a cool boat to give a person a good night sleep.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Underway.

November 15, 2013November 6, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Farley here.

So I’m sailing again. What do I do underway? Well, unless there are dolphins swimming by, I get bored.

And when I’m bored, I get crazy.

I go to the forward guest cabin and I roll right . . .

Farley Rolling 1

And then I roll left.

Farley Rolling 2

And lastly, I play with my squeaky toy.

Farley Rolling 3

I mean what else does a dog do when sailing. Matt and Kristina won’t let me steer, at least not all the time.

It’s a talent being able to entertain yourself.

Woof Woof

Dinner on a Lagoon 380

November 13, 2013November 6, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Eating seems to be a big part of cruising, so I thought I’d share where we dine.

We have two choices.

Inside:

Dinner on Mattina

Or outside in the cockpit.

The cockpit table has two leaves, but instead of opening down so the leaves block your legs, we had then made to fold up and lay flat on the top. We designed the table for three settings.

Breakfast Nook: One side is open.

Cockpit Table breakfast

Happy Hour: Both sides closed

Cockpit table happy hour

Dinner: Both sides open.

Cockpit Table Dinner

Both work well while we are underway. The array of windows at the front give us a great view forward, so we can watch for traffic while we eat. A catamaran sits flat while sailing, and eating underway becomes a joy instead of something to do quickly while healed over.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Wheaten Terrier And His Dinghy

October 18, 2013October 13, 2013 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Farley here.

I almost missed the maiden voyage of Allura: our dinghy.

Matt thinks he’s so smart. He uses our dinghy hoist to quietly lower the boat off the stern of Mattina. I hear the splash.

“Wait,” I bark from below. I know what he’s doing.

Then I hear it. One pull and the engine starts. Matt is smiling because it’s the first pull of the season.

I jump up the three stairs from the port hull, that’s my side by the way, and rush to the stern.

“Wait for me!” I bark.

Kristina is passing Matt a life jacket and I nudge her (gently) out of the way. I bound from the top step to the dinghy in one leap. I haven’t forgotten how to do this and am proud of myself. Once I jumped, current took the dinghy, and I went swimming. I try not to do that anymore.

Farley in Dingy