California Golden
New book now available!
Two sisters navigate the thrilling early days of California surf culture in this dazzling saga of ambition, sacrifice, and the tangled ties between mothers and daughters.
California—glittering neon nights at Whisky A-Go-Go and endless summer days surfing at Malibu—is the golden backdrop for this stirring saga of two sisters navigating their way through the turbulent 1960s. One sister finds herself swept up in celebrity complete with Beach Boys, parties at The Playboy Club and USO tours to Vietnam; the other, tugged down into the counterculture of drugs and cults. Both of them still grappling with their unorthodox childhood spent trying to keep up with their mother, a legendary female surfer in an era when housewives were expected to be Donna Reed, not Gidget. This gripping tale of ambition, sacrifice and finally, forgiveness, is ultimately an exploration of motherhood, sisterhood and womanhood in a time when society was shifting as tempestuously as the breaking waves.
Praise for California Golden
As an armchair historian, I’ve always been drawn to stories from the past, stories that still resonate today—stories we may not know or remember. Deeply personal stories that link the past with the present, because history only comes alive when we remember that it was made by real people, people just like us. This is why I write historical fiction; because facts are for the historian but emotions and imagination are the province of the novelist.
I hope you enjoy this site, and make sure to visit the “behind the scenes” pages of each of my books for additional tidbits!
Melanie
Events
2023
Note: more events to come; please check back soon!
TUESDAY, AUGUST 8 – CHICAGO, IL
7:00 PM CT
The Book Cellar
Talk & Signing
4736-38 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625
FRIDAY, AUGUST 18 – PETOSKEY, MI
7:00 PM ET
McLean & Eakin
Book Talk & Signing with wine and cheese
307 E. Lake St, Petoskey, MI 49770
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 – LA JOLLA, CA
11:45 AM PT
Warwick’s at La Jolla Country Club
“Booked for Lunch” Author Luncheon & Signing
7301 High Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037
*Reservations required
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 – LA JOLLA, CA
7:30 PM PT
Warwick’s
In Store Book Talk & Signing
7812 Girard Ave, La Jolla, CA 92037
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14 – MISSION VIEJO, CA
6:00 PM PT
Mission Viejo Library
Book Talk & Signing
Mission Viejo Council Chamber | 200 Civic Center, Mission Viejo, CA 92691
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 15
11:30 AM PT
{pages} at Nomad Eatery
Author Luncheon
Restaurant address: 2041 Rosecrans Ave #190, El Segundo, CA 90245
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 – PALM SPRINGS, CA
4:30 PM PT
Welwood Murray Memorial Library
Book Talk & Signing
100 S. Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs, CA 92262
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 18 – SANTA BARBARA, CA
6:00 PM PT
Chaucer’s Books
Book Talk & Signing
3321 State St, Santa Barbara, CA 93105
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 19 – OAKLAND, CA
7:00 PM PT
A Great Good Place for Books
Book Talk & Signing
6120 La Salle Avenue, Oakland, CA 94611
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20 – PLEASANTON, CA
5:00 PM PT
Happy Hour and discussion at Wine Steward
641 Main Street, Pleasanton, CA 94566
Sponsored by Towne Center Books
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 – WINNETKA, IL
6:30 PM CT
The Book Stall
Book Talk & Signing
811 Elm Street, Winnetka, IL 60093
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 6 PM — CHARLOTTE, NC
Verse and Vino fundraising event for the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library
Charlotte Convention Center
More information here
