Thursday, March 19, 2015

The Accidental Nudist by Guest Blogger Carlene Love Flores



“Sometimes in life, we go hiking, and end up at a secluded nude beach. That’s just the way the cookie crumbles. Also, don’t wear flip flops when you’re accidentally hiking down mountains to nude beaches.”  ~Carlene Love Flores
            




     Hi everyone. Quick show of hands (tell me in the comments pretty please if you feel inclined to share), who out there has been to a nude beach? Okay, now who hasn’t, but would give in to the curiosity and visit one? And who feels this just isn’t their cup of tea and prefers not to get all that sand in their lady parts?
     Well, I’ll tell ya, I’m about five months into being forty years old. Around the time of my b-day, a girlfriend of mine turned fifty and had taken a pledge to do something new each week for one year to commemorate the occasion. I admired her so much that I decided I was going to steal the idea but decided I would celebrate by doing a brand new thing once a week for the rest of my life. Somewhat lofty, but I started out on fire!
     I did things like ride in a helicopter over the Hoover Dam and go to my first male revue show at the invite of my mom. (She chose Chippendales. It was fun and I blushed and sat with my hands over my mouth the whole time.) I let go of fear for what others would think and wrote my first super erotic heat level romance. I was on a roll for a good two months but then I admittedly petered out on the big, grand stuff and realized the rest of my life could quite possibly go on for a long time. (Fist bump for a long, happy life, right?) So I slowed down in an effort not to run out of things to experience, a little too much though. It was just that as a full-time writer and stay-at-home mom, I didn’t get out a whole lot. I had sexy, grand adventures alright, but from the confines of my imaginative little head.
     When I moved back to San Diego after twenty years of being gone, one of the first things I thought about was the beach and how lucky I was to live in this place where all I had to do was hop in the car and drive the twenty miles to the ocean. I vowed not to take it for granted. Except for that’s exactly what I did at first.
     And then this February, I had an enlightening experience that reminded me, “Hey, blondie. Whaddaya thinkin’? You think you got forever? No one’s got forever, babe. Life is short. Don’t wait.” My subconscious was right, if not slightly in your face and Tony Soprano-esque.
     What was I thinking sitting around wasting precious time?
     So long story short, I now go to the beach as often as possible. I go there to think, or not think and just be. To walk. To swim at sunset. To watch and be inspired. I haven’t found a more peaceful place. It’s as easy to lose yourself there as it is to find yourself. I do both frequently. Any other ocean lovers out there?
     One of the things I love most is how comfortable everyone is in their own skin. I didn’t used to feel that way, but thanks to that February reminder, I do now too.
And then this past weekend happened. I was standing on a cliff, looking out at the gorgeous, endless view of the ocean when I saw people in their swimsuits hiking down a trail. I wasn’t dressed for the water or hiking. I was dressed for cliff-top gazing. But the trail and the people in their flip flops and a quiet inner chant of “Be Here Now” called me. So off I went.
     It was steep, and unsteady, and my shoes preferred to slide over the sandy rocks rather than stick like I wanted them to. But I made it! When I finally arrived at the shore, I realized where I was. This was Black’s Beach, San Diego’s secluded nude beach I’d heard of my whole life but never visited. I was prepared to be incredibly uncomfortable.
     I was not and I know that’s because of February.
I had a curious look around, admired the cute couples of all ages walking hand in hand and the adorableness of their bare cheeks from behind, and decided I’d like to go back some day. Although I have to find a better way to get there! For now, that route exists in the sexy story I’m currently working on called Let Me See (These Three Words, 2) about a practical jokester and dancer who discovers the hard way why his lady is so hesitant to let him see her naked.
     Next on my “Be Here Now” list is to swim in the ocean at night.
     What’s on yours? I’d love to hear it! Thanks for having me here today!

Always love,
Carlene Love
Wicked Flower (A Sin Pointe Novel, Vol 5)
by Carlene Love Flores


Sin Pointe front man Stefan Calderon is playing a very dangerous game and his mom’s live-in caretaker, Dani Foster, just landed right smack in the middle of it. Practically strangers when Stefan rolls into his small hometown looking to patch things up with Mom, his and Dani’s worlds collide with a hot and intense hook up. He knows right away this woman will make the perfect partner for his two weeks in town. But when she realizes whose son he is, and what he’s there to do, sexy times come to an abrupt halt. That is until they come up with a solution. Rules. Every game needs them. The question isn’t if they’ll break them, but when and how hard. It’s a wickedly delicious game, one neither of them intends to lose.

Carlene Love Flores is a big fan of the stars (especially Orion), clever music (especially Depeche Mode), and the ocean (especially at sunset). These things inspire her intimate style of romance writing. She feels honored to be a member of Washington DC Romance Writers (WRWDC)RWA San Diego (RWASD), and the Waterworld Mermaids. Carlene currently lives in the San Diego area where she can often be found listening to live music and looking up at the sky on clear nights. If she could touch someone’s heart with her writing the way others have done for her, she’d say truly there never lived a luckier girl.   
Carlene would love to hear from you, find her here:


11 comments:

Dalton Diaz said...

Still wondering how many times you "accidentally" hiked there...

Carlene Love said...

Oh Dalton, if you only knew...
Just kidding, it was only this one time so far. It was just so funny. The cliffs I was visiting are owned by a local Glider Port. It's an official aviation area. Very. Official. I'm thinking what a wonderful thing to try out, gliding out over the Pacific Ocean, clueless as to what lie below. ;-)

Hot Ash Romance Novels said...

Awesome post!
We went on a "Rhino rider" in the Caribbean and came upon a place called Happy Beach. Yup. My husband, Mr. Amazing, was happy when he came upon a couple of nude sunbathers. LOL We gave them their privacy. I figured if they wanted to be oogled, they wouldn't have been off behind some rocks.

Carlene Love said...

Hi Ashlyn :-) Aww, thanks! Oh, that is too funny about the rocks! Yes, privacy is so very important. The folks at Black's Beach seemed extremely open although so I think they must have been comfy with the people like me walking around fully clothed. I'd say there was probably 60% nude and 40% bathing suited. :) Have a wonderful day!

Dalton Diaz said...

Yikes! Aren't you supposed to look for a flag or something to know where to land? There could be a lot flapping in the breeze down there!

Carlene Love said...

Hahahahahahahahahaha! You're supposed to land back up on the cliff but I'm sure they have unsuspected landings down below. I'm thinking the sunbathers probably get a few good laughs in as well. There was one poor glider guy who was engrossed in a serious battle with his apparatus. ;-)

Slick said...

I've actually been to the nude beach in St. Maarten several times and to one in Honduras. It's a really freeing experience and what I love is that there are all body shapes, sizes, and ages there and no one gives a damn. For me my "I don't give a damn" came about age 45 and I started trying a lot of new experience and I can honestly say it's been a lot of fun. Enjoy!

Carlene Love said...

You're officially my hero, Slick! I love hearing this. And what a place to have this experience. So is there anything new you want to conquer now that this one is old hat?

Casey Crow said...

Welcome to NAC, Carlene! Never been but in Jamaica I was right beside one. Have to admit, I kept staring though it would have have been better looking at hot naked guys and not what I actually saw!

Carlene Love said...

Hahahaha, Hi Casey! Nice to *meet* you and thank you. I'm just smiling over here, thinking of what to say. We're talking big cheesy grin. ;-D Yes, that would be nice, right?

Hot Ash Romance Novels said...

Hi Carlene,
I've been to a nude beach, but didn't go nude. In fact I swam there in my shorts! LOL
I didn't see any nude bathers, but my husband did. He walked a little further behind the rocks. 😉