Under the Gulf Coast Sun

The last thing on Kassie Hernandez’s mind is falling in love, but when she meets surfer Connor O’Reilly at one of  Port Aransas’s famous Pod House parties in 1978, everything changes.
 

Kassie and Connor can’t keep their hands off each other, and Kassie  senses a growing threat to her lifelong dream of working in the space  program. Connor is falling for her fast, but Kassie is attracting the  attention of every man on the Island – is Connor Mr. Right or just Mr.  Right Now?
 

Unsure of themselves, the inexperienced couple  navigates their feelings and passions, struggle through conflict and  jealousy against a backdrop of wild parties, comical bar episodes, epic  surf sessions, and family dynamics that have formed their most sensitive  vulnerabilities. Kassie can’t handle a jealous man with no  self-confidence who wants her to stay home in the kitchen. Her uncle did  that to her aunt, who was so brilliant that she got a scholarship to  study math at MIT, but she never went to college. Connor fears being  dumped by a woman he loves – a fear caused by his mother abandoning him  and his father when she ran off with another man.
 

Kassie’s  end-of-summer party turns disastrous, as both believe their worst fears  about each other are true. Separated by alcohol-fueled anger and  questionable decisions, they both have deep regrets. After talking it  over with her Mom and most trusted friend, Kassie decides to make  amends. Connor discovers he completely misinterpreted what he saw happen  at the party. But before they let each other know they want to give  themselves a second chance, Connor is lost at sea in a freak accident.  Their determination to reunite is pitted against the awesome, deep, and  indifferent power of the Gulf.
 

Port Aransas, Texas has been a  beloved vacation destination for millions of Texans for decades. This  story of second chances, ambition, and heartfelt love will appeal to  everyone who has fond memories and a tinge of nostalgia for summers  past, wild spring break parties, and all those chill times spent gazing  out at the beauty and mystery of the sea.

About the Author: Skip Rhudy grew up surfing in Port Aransas, Texas. He has translated poetry and prose from the German and translated Wolfgang Hilbig’s novella Die Weiber for his master’s thesis in 1990 at UT Austin. His short stories were published in numerous small press magazines in the mid 1990s, and his novella One Punk Summer was published in 1993 and reprinted in2021.

Skip works as a software developer. He holds a patent in TCP/IP acceleration, has a post graduate certificate in Artificial Intelligence, and is building an airplane.He and his wife live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, have two daughters, three dogs, and a horse named Pierre.