The Short Story

Kathy grew up 8 miles from Disneyland and the beach, met Prince Charming Rich in Silicon Valley, they married, honeymooned on Maui, and started cruising. But once they went to WDW for the first time together in 1999, they knew they had to live in Florida, which started them moving to/from Florida and the West Coast too many times to mention, writing books and music, and documenting it all on blogs and in videos.

The Longer Story

Kathy’s childhood was highly influenced by living near Disneyland and the beach, but her “San Francisco Mad Woman” days (producing copy for advertisers and printing companies), influenced her as an adult. For example, one of her clients was Royal Viking Cruises about the same time the Love Boat splashed on our TV screens. So, then, of course, she had to cruise!

Her first cruise was aboard Carnival’s first cruise ship, the original Mardi Gras. On this same trip to Florida,she also experienced Walt Disney World for the first time for the opening of Epcot. She’s been mesmerized by the cruising life and other travels ever since. This is often a theme in her novels and songs.

So when she met Rich at work in Silicon Valley, they married, honeymooned on Maui, started cruising, it was only a matter of time that they would also visit WDW for their first time together. That’s when they became determined to move to Florida, which they have now done too many times to mention.

During that time time in Florida, Kathy acquired a literary agent and first publishing contract for Real Women Wear Red (3 women on a Caribbean cruise) and its sequel Real Women Sing the Blues. 

You can find out more about her travel-inspired writing below.

NOVELS:

REAL WOMEN WEAR RED

“I may dye my hair blonde, I may drink pink drinks, but I am not doing pink toe polish. Red, that’s my color. After all, real women wear red.” – Cyn

When 40-something Kate “Cyn” Francis changes her name, her hair color, and her age in order to snag a younger man on a Caribbean cruise, the last thing she expects is to fall overboard for a Cary Grant look-alike.

Sandy Brown, 20-something and eager to get over a broken heart, is also looking for love.

Millie Evans, having recently sold her publishing empire, is on a succession of one-week cruises, looking to reconnect with a past love. But this is no ordinary love boat.

Three women, three generations, all connected in an unexpected way. And it’s more than sharing the same motto that “real women wear red.”

AVAILABLE NOW on Kindle and in Paperback.

REAL WOMEN SING THE BLUES

“In that moment, I knew I could no longer be a Wall Street monkey, and somewhere out there the Blues were calling my name.” – Robin from Real Women Sing the Blues

When the women of Real Women Wear Red return from their Caribbean cruise, each woman must deal with the consequences of secrets shared onboard ship. Millie’s secret sends Robin reeling all the way to Blue Hawaii, and she finds herself chasing Moondoggie and singing the Blues. This sets off the “Millie Domino Effect.”

Millie chases after Robin and Monterey Jack chases after Millie. Cyn joins Robin and Millie on the cruise when her “Cary Grant” gets too serious too fast. And Sandy runs to Cyn for motherly comfort when her shipboard romance blows up.

Four women, four islands, and a seven-night cruise to Paradise. Is there life after Hawaii, or will they end up singing the Blues?

AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon.com for Kindle and NEW for Paperback.

LETTERS ON BALBOA ISLAND

“When I was seventeen, I knew two things that were true: (1) You couldn’t help but meet a man in a military uniform in southern California in the 1950s, and (2) Sooner or later, men would leave. ” – Rosalie

When Rosalie Martin chooses to spend her life with a military man in the post Korean War era of the 1950s, she can’t forget another she met during the war. And when letters surface on Balboa Island years later, she realizes she may have chosen the wrong man. So when fate offers her the chance to make a different choice, will she? Or has she lived a life of lies for too long? AVAILABLE NOW on Amazon.com for Kindle and in Paperback

LUCKY’S LAST CHANCE (previously published as The Tom Jones Club)

“I can tell what kind of man he is by the wine he drinks.” – Lucky

International wine director Lucky Stryker, the “Lucky Lady,” is lucky in the boardroom, but unlucky in love. But when Lady Luck throws the red hot dice, Lucky cashes in on a red hot sizzling romance. But when her past catches up with her, she is forced to answer these questions, “Can her heart keep the promises her body has been making?” and “Will she finally get lucky in love?”

AVAILABLE NOW at amazon.com for Kindle.

DEJA VU AT THE BLUE DIAMOND ”Everything in Vegas looks better at night.”- Nikki Nikki Durrance escaped the worst nightmare of her life when she fled Las Vegas for San Francisco, leaving her husband behind at the Blue Diamond Saloon to build a new life. So when the perfect Dr. Mike Fischer proposes, she accepts. But when her new Mr. Right begins to transform into a guy just like her ex-husband, she begins to question everything, including her sanity. Nikki longs to trust Mike, but with an overwhelming feeling of déjà vu, Nikki’s fear propels her into discoveries of betrayals and underworld connections that will send her running for her life again. BUY NOW on Amazon.com in Kindle and Paperback.

NOVELLA

RAINING MEN

When California girl Brooke Slade, looking for love in all the wrong places, is presented with an opportunity to move to the Pacific Northwest, she turns it down, refusing to leave her life in Sunny California. But when she loses her job, she decides to give the Northwest a chance for thirty days and discovers it’s raining more than the wet stuff – it’s raining men. Wading through so many Mr. Wrongs, can she find Mr. Right? BUY NOW on Amazon.com for Kindle.