Massachusetts-A Break with Carole Ann Moleti

(Image of me, Maya and Tomie)

This year I took a break from blogging about New York, which is fortuitous because there is nothing escapist about the current situation statewide, particularly in my hometown New York City.

I have long, deep ties to Massachusetts. My paternal great grandparents came to the United States from Italy. They arrived in Boston and settled in Fall River, and I still have some relatives living there. Before my grandmother died, we took a trip to there, to and nearby New Bedford for a family reunion with her sister, nieces and nephews, and their children. One of those nephews was Tomie DePaola, the famed children's book author and illustrator, who recently passed. 

 

We toured Battleship Cove, https://www.battleshipcove.org/

 where the USS Massachusetts is berthed. Inspired, my husband and I organized a Cub Scout overnight on the battleship.

We also visited my great grandmother's home (Nana Upstairs in in Tomie's book Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs) on Foote Street.

Vacations included yearly trips to Cape Cod and the nearby islands, Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. The combination of fond childhood memories, beautiful beaches and family friendly activities draws me back.

I will never forget that horseback ride on the beach in Provincetown when I was about twelve. It was followed by a stroll down Commercial Street, which is just as colorful and quirky now as it was in the "hippie" era.

The bike path leads to Race Point, where you can sometimes see whales and, more recently sharks. On a recent trip, a street minstrel band played an accordion and glockenspiel, resulting in tunes that made me feel like I was on Diagon Alley with fellow students from Hogwarts.

I did my midwifery residency on the North Shore in Beverly, and commuted back and forth to Boston. I had a glorious time living in Kenmore area, under the Citgo sign in the shadow of Fenway Park. If I decided to live anywhere else, it would be in Boston. I have a Red Sox tee shirt to prove my allegiance. 

 We have yearly family get togethers in Brewster, which now include friends. Two years ago, a dream came true and we bought a cottage not far from a beach on the Brewster Flats.

At low tide, the water recedes for two miles. And the colors of the sand and mudflats, scattered with oyster farms, driftwood and erratic boulders soothe my soul and inspire my creativity. Every chance I get, I walk out to the ebb tide line and marvel at the numerous sea creatures I encounter, and the savor the peace and tranquility.

Sharks have become a concern at the ocean beaches in Chatham, Orleans and Wellfleet but communities are trying to find eco friendly solutions to a growing problem as ocean temperatures rise and seal populations. 

Each town has a historical society, which pays tribute to the early settlers and sea captains who sailed from the harbors. Many historic homes, like the Elijah Cobb House in Brewster, are open to the public. And no trip to the Cape would be complete without sampling fried clams and New England clam chowder--a regional specialty.

It is no surprise that the three novels in the Unfinished Business Series are set in Brewster. And the characters are a mélange of the people I know and love. And some that I have met there.

 I wrote Kayaking with Kids on the Cape for families like mine with young children to keep everyone safe and entertained. A portion of proceeds from sales of Kayaking with Kids goes to the Brewster Conservation Trust.

Bio:

Carole Ann Moleti lives and works as a nurse-midwife in New York City, thus explaining her fascination with all things paranormal, urban fantasy, and space opera. Her nonfiction focuses on health care, politics, and women's issues. But her first love is writing science fiction and fantasy because walking through walls is less painful than running into them.

Carole's work has appeared in a variety of literary and speculative fiction venues Short stories set in the world of her novels are featured in several of the Ten Tales anthologies. The Unfinished Business Series, a three volume paranormal romance, was published by Soulmate.

Excerpts of Carole's memoir, Someday I'm Going to Write a Book: Diary of an Urban Missionary range from the sweet and inspirational in A Quilt of Holidays to the edgy and irreverent in Not Your Mother's Book: On Being a Woman. She has an essay in the award winning Shifts Anthology, and one forthcoming in the Resistance Anthology

Links:

http://amazon.com/author/carolemoleti  

http://Twitter.com/Cmoleti

http://caroleannmoleti.com

https://www.facebook.com/CaroleAnnMoletiNonFiction/