Sultry Southern Summers

by Adriana Anders

With the blazing heat of summer still lingering and the humidity wrapped around us like a damp beach towel, I can’t help but think about the second book in my Blank Canvas series—By Her Touch. It’s a moody, emotional read, set in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. When we meet our hero and heroine, they’re in the midst of a midsummer heat wave. Have you ever experienced one of those in the South? If you have, you’ll know that you’ve got two choices. Escape it by heading for cooler climes or embrace it with some of these sultry southern summer pursuits. They may not help you beat the heat, but they might get you to forget it.

• Slow times with good friends on porches. Ever notice how people down south can spend hours just watching the world go by? There’s a reason for that: they know better than wasting valuable energy trying to move.

• Sittin’ and Sippin’ Mint Juleps, Sweet Tea, Bourbon or Sour Mash. It’s just a matter of taste what poison you choose. 

• Catchin’ light. There’s nothing like waiting out those early evening hours (beverage in hand) just waiting for lightning bugs (fireflies to many folks) to show. It’s that slow, sweet crawl into nighttime that makes mid-summer so special. 

• Watching sweaty hot men at work and at play. Shirtless carpenters roofing a house, big bearded men throwing a football under a blue sky, men in the vineyards (yes they grow a lot of grapes in the foothills of Virginia) with work-busted hands, farming the red clay.

• Late night skinny-dipping down at the creek (nekkid crick swimmin’, if you’re from around here).  Invite the neighborhood boys along and call it a party. 

• Bluegrass on a blanket. How do you know your picnic’s in the south? It’s the tunes that’ll tell you. If the grass is blue, you’ve probably crossed the Mason-Dixon line, where the banjo is king and vocal harmonies take you to heaven. 

• Gettin’ sweaty between the sheets. When the festivities end for the night, but it’s too hot to sleep, there’s always a way to keep busy with your man.

What are your favorite hot-weather activities? How about sultry summer reads? 

Adriana Anders has acted and sung, slung cocktails and corrected copy. She’s worked for start-ups, multinationals and small non-profits, but it wasn’t until she returned to her first love—writing romance—that she finally felt like she’d come home. Today, she resides with her tall French husband, two small children, and fat French cat in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she writes the dark, emotional love stories of her heart.

Visit Adriana: www.adrianaanders.com

Read more: www.booksmarttarts.com

Facebook/adrianaandersauthor

Twitter/adrianasboudoir

Instagram/adriana.anders