Four San Diego women in their late fifties decide to write a book. It will consist of four memoirs. As the women have been friends since their youth, they share many experiences, but they also have adventures of their own. Each in a different year, reminisces about her past. Vangie, the newspaperwoman, suggests the project, but Ginny organizes the effort. Vangie introduces us to George whose unique antics both exasperate and delight his companions. He is watched over by Alex, a friend since childhood. Vangie also describes a Great Luau that takes place on a La Jolla beach. In her memoir Ginny tells about an extraordinary family she once knew. Jean remembers an eccentric but kindly neighbor. Melissa describes her troubled romance at the Chicago Art Institute. At the end of the book Ginny brings everyone up to date and hints at what the future may bring.

California's Girl is the story of a young girl growing up on the beach in Southern California during the 1960s and '70s. It is told through journal entries, short stories, poetry, and associated recollections. It begins with an idyllic childhood in a small beach town on the California coast. It details the lifestyle unique to the beach culture. A timeless span of innocence, bursting with the joy of life, surrounded by sand and sea. Adolescence arrives during an era of rebellion and social upheaval. Through the high school years, lessons are learned, and the complexity of life is examined. Reality begins to erode the fantasies of childhood. The first kiss, the first heartbreak, the loss of innocence, and the emergence of personal identity are seen through the eyes of a young girl. The beginning of one life's journey, when choices are made that will ultimately affect the unforeseeable future. A young girl does the best she can, makes mistakes, and savors the triumphsa microcosm of the human experience.

California’s Girl, Book Two is the continuing saga of a young woman growing up on the beach during the early 1970s. It is told through journal entries, short stories, poetry, and associated recollections. It offers a deeply personal glimpse into the female experience within the unique beach culture of Southern California. On the cusp of womanhood, amid the hot sand and cool ocean, she searches for personal identity, lasting love, and the meaning of life. As she struggles to reconcile her childhood fantasies with the bittersweet reality of life and human entanglements, she discovers a deep connection to the natural world. Nature becomes her sanctuary, inspiring and nourishing her soul while teaching valuable lessons of self-worth and independence.

This book is not written for the specialist, but for that restless, seething multitude known as "the masses." It is written for busy people, for workers, such as the shop-girl, the factory-girl, the clerk, the mechanic, the farmer, the merchant, and the busy housewife; but ministers, lawyers, and doctors may find food for thought within its covers. My heart goes out to God's secular army, composed of those who have neither time nor opportunity to go through learned treatises and scholarly essays, yet whose natures are hungering for something better than they see and hear about them. So I have tried to weave into this story the best and latest thought that has been given to the world, believing it to be what the workers most need in the performance of their daily duties, and what will help them out of bondage. People whose reading and observation have been limited may think that I have drawn on my imagination altogether for most of the material in this book. I can assure them that such is not the case; much of it is real. In regard to Penloe, there have been men who had greater spiritual gifts than he, and I call to mind one, still living, whose illuminated countenance and remarkable personality are superior to his. In Penloe is seen the interior life of the Hindu combined with the best practical thought of the West. Let a youth or maiden commence to live the life described by the man who won the heart of the "Oriental Lady," related by Penloe in his "Original Address," and he or she will then realize the facts which have made the characters of Penloe and Stella. To any sensitive, fastidious reader I would say, it becomes an author, in order to be true to life, to present certain characters as they really are, and put into their mouths the language they actually use. Whatever there is of error in the book is the result of egoism; whatever of truth and love is the work of Him who has brought me up out of the marshes and lowlands, and caused me to drink at the crystal fountains of the hills.

Alys Seagraves has lost a home and a husband—she’s not about to lose her best friend, Mame. The elderly widow disappears from her hospital bed with only the slightest of clues to her whereabouts. With no transportation or understanding of where Mame has gone, Alys commandeers her friend’s ancient pink Cadillac and uptight nephew, Elliot Ross, to aid in her search. As much as he loves the unpredictable aunt who raised him, Elliot is furious with Mame. He refuses to listen to the ludicrous fears of an obviously neurotic female who thinks she knows more than qualified professionals—whether they be doctors, like him, or the police. But as she drags him from his comfort zone on a mad ride down historic Route 66, he realizes Alys has more insight into his aunt’s dangerous path than he does. Battling blizzards and murderous semi-drivers, they follow Mame’s trail in a last dash to save her life—and their own. “CALIFORNIA GIRL is a true gem and a call to live life everyday to the fullest. . . .Patricia Rice has penned an emotional and riveting masterpiece…” Missy Andrews, Fallen Angel Reviews Keywords: California, heart disease, doctor, Route 66, Cadillac, road trip, widow ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Patricia Rice is a master storyteller.” —MARY JO PUTNEY “The fast-paced story line and characters that you can’t help but fall in love with make CALIFORNIA GIRL a must read for all romance fans.” Dina Smith, Romance Junkies “Alys and Elliott are like oil and water, both with a checkered past of pain and loneliness, but compliment each other so well. The romance is fresh, and the storyline flows seamlessly….CALIFORNIA GIRL makes a nice addition to this reviewer’s keeper shelf.” Amy Cunningham, Romance Reviews Today

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