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.

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 in 2021.
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.