Welcome to Seagull Street: That Summer in Ocean City, Maryland

by Alissa Arford

That summer in Ocean City, Maryland… What if starting over meant facing everything you thought you’d left behind?

In Ocean City, the summer sun doesn’t just shine, it sparkles with potential. Sunrises over the waves, sunsets melting into the bay. The Boardwalk buzzes with energy. Ice cream melts too fast. Strangers meet. Hearts break and mend. And under the two watchful eyes of a pair of oddball seagulls, anything can happen. During a summer like this one, the possibilities feel limitless.

Just a few blocks from the crashing waves and soft sand, on a quiet little bayside street, three lives are about to tangle in ways that will change them forever.

Ray Anders likes her quiet life as a cybersecurity analyst. After losing so much during the pandemic, she moved into her grandparents’ old beach house on Seagull Street to hide away. No connections. No noise. Just her dog Charlie, the water, her thoughts, and the comforting sound of birds overhead.

But then Olivia McNalley moves in next door.

A fast-talking, funny, fiercely loyal third grade teacher turned summer waitress, Olivia is trying to rebuild after a bitter divorce from a man whose spiral into conspiracy theories and dangerous real-world actions left her shaken and constantly looking over her shoulder. She came to Ocean City to start over. What she didn’t expect was to find an immediate, easy friendship with Ray… or to start imagining a new version of home.

Enter Evan an Eastern Shore native, marketing manager by day, surfer by weekend, and friend-to-all by default. Newly single and learning to redefine his own story, Evan sees what others don’ the way Ray flinches when someone gets too close, and how Olivia’s bright smile hides something darker.

Then things start to unravel.

Catfishing. Theft. A Boardwalk tram hijacking. And threats that hit far too close to home. As the summer heats up, so does the tension, and the past each of them thought they’d left behind begins creeping back like the next high tide.

In a summer of second chances, can three unlikely allies rewrite their stories… or will everything they’ve built wash away before Labor Day?

Told like a diary of summer 2023, with warmth, wit, and a touch of suspense, Welcome to Seagull Street is a slice-of-life beach read where romance, mystery, and unexpected friendship collide. Set against the backdrop of Ocean City, Maryland, it’s a story of fresh starts, personal resilience, and deep-rooted social issues that shape our everyday lives. Through it all, two peculiar seagulls—one with a missing foot, the other with a beak that curves just so—keep silent watch from the rooftops, witnesses to every twist, turn, and truth revealed.

Featuring original cover art by Ocean City’s own Marc Emond, editorial cartoonist and creator of Stinky Beach Studio.

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2025

About the author

Alissa Arford is a Maryland native, lifelong writer, and marketing communications leader with a passion for storytelling. A proud third-generation Terp, she earned her journalism degree and later an executive MBA from the University of Maryland—continuing a family tradition that now includes her two children as fourth-generation Terps.

With a career spanning journalism, digital marketing, and branding, Alissa has held senior leadership roles in professional tech consulting firms, SaaS finance apps, nonprofits, and higher education. She founded Red Hill Creek Enterprises, LLC, a consulting and publishing company, in 2023. Throughout her career, she has combined her love of writing, technology, and strategy to create compelling brand narratives and data-driven marketing solutions.

Reviews

[Andrea Walker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading Welcome to Seagull Street today.

The author filled the book with tons of nuggets of information, local flavor, and “current” events throughout. She crafted the storyline of each character into a fantastic total story. Humor, romance, drama, it had it all! Ms. Arford’s attention to detail associated with the characters, setting and plot line was impeccable!

I absolutely loved this book! A must-read for all Marylanders!!!

[Sharon Mccloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the book. It started out slow but if you hang in there it picks up. I am an avid visitor of Ocean City MD so I knew a lot of the places that are described in the book and enjoyed reading someone else’s take on this beautiful place.
The characters are cute, but sometimes predictable the storyline is up-to-date in current times and refers to a lot of things that have and could still happens in the world today. Looking forward to more books from this author and continuing of the story.

[Kolby Kramer]

Sapwood book club

[Charissa Costa Bauhaus · Rating 5 out of 5]

This lovely story is set in our beloved Ocean City, Maryland, and what a treat! This coming-of-age saga follows a group of young adults moving to OC after the Covid pandemic and shutdown, each with their own reasons for starting over. Fun times and chaos abound, and I was both thrilled and surprised when the story, which initially felt like women’s fiction meets romance, took an unexpected turn into full-fledged action and adventure!! I didn’t see that coming!

What I loved most of all was Alissa’s unique take on everything Ocean City. She effortlessly weaves in local history, surf schedules, landmarks, and yes… even the iconic Jesus sandcastle! Looking for Dumpster’s Ice Cream and Thrasher’s Fries? Berlin and Assateague? Candy Kitchen and the arcades? It’s all here!!

WELCOME TO SEAGULL STREET isn’t just an entertaining story, it’s a love letter to Ocean City. Marylanders will enjoy the local references woven throughout, and those of you who don’t live here will want to plan your next vacation ‘down the ocean’. WELCOME TO SEAGULL STREET is a delightful, fun read for anyone craving Maryland-centric stories. Thanks, Alissa!!!

[Derrick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alissa Arford’s debut novel is a summertime story set in Ocean City, Maryland. Here is a novel that not only captures the essence of a mid-Atlantic beach town, but it also shows the reader a full picture of summertime at the beach. Welcome To Seagull Street is at once idyllic and adventurous, and the author employs stellar fiction writing techniques when detailing the friendships and rivalries that unfold in exciting, almost never predictable ways. Alissa Arford portrays the lives of young professionals and sun seekers, putting her home state of Maryland and Ocean City on the literary map. This novel encompasses many journeys with a close focus on modern day professional Ray Anders, who comes to the Maryland beach town to get away but ends up being the central character in a slice of life story about, love, choices, and reinvention.

I am quite partial to beach reads and over the years have spent time in Los Angeles since I was young. My take on Seagull Street is that Arford brings a cool, cosmopolitan flair that makes this novel even more enjoyable. Her central characters are thoughtful and concerned about how their actions affect others, at least most of time. As a first novel about second chances, Alissa Arford has authored a story populated by hip, worldly characters who might just as easily be found on a more trendy or famous beach. Ocean City, MD is often not experienced by visitors or even residents beyond a certain touristy surface level, but this book takes the reader to an Ocean City experience as unique and surprising as Maryland’s beloved beach town itself. East Coast tested, and West Coast approved. A big Mahalo to the author for the helpful book club questions at the end!

[Alissa Arford]

As the author, I won’t rate this and I’ll leave that to readers. But I will say this: Welcome to Seagull Street is my love letter to Ocean City, Maryland, and to the kind of summer that changes everything.

As a trained journalist stepping into fiction, I wrote this story as a snapshot of life during the summer of 2023. I tried to capture the everyday moments, small shifts, and human connections that began to return as people emerged from isolation. It’s about friendship, starting over, and finding light in unexpected places.

I hope it reads like a time capsule of a very real, very human summer.

[Erin Grunden · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book because I’m a local of Ocean City, but it just didn’t work for me. The constant name dropping was distracting, and I found myself getting annoyed with how often the pandemic and Covid were brought up. For those of us who live here, that period didn’t have nearly the same impact as the book made it seem. On top of that, I didn’t care for the way politics were woven into the story—it felt unnecessary and took away from the enjoyment. Overall, the book focused too much on Covid and politics, rather than capturing the true spirit of our town.

[Mandy Annah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Seagull Street perfectly captures the charm of Ocean City summers,the salt air, the friendships, and the feeling that anything can happen. I loved how Alissa Arford wove together Ray, Olivia, and Evan’s stories with warmth and suspense. The characters feel real and relatable, and the seaside setting almost becomes its own character. It’s a beautiful mix of humor, heart, and healing, with just enough mystery to keep you turning the pages. Highly recommend this to anyone who loves beach reads with depth and soul!

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book! I live in the area. Met the author. Starts out slow and is very wordy. Three sentences to say what could have been said in one. But, it really does pick up. At one point, it’s barreling toward the end. Enjoyed reading about many familiar places. Very descriptive. It was very easy to visualize so many places. Made you feel as though you were right there, especially the Boardwalk chase. Olivia is a hoot!
Would have given it 5 stars if it weren’t for the wordiness and the reminder that you don’t write her and. That happens a few times. It’s she and!

[Elizabeth Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Seagull Street swept me right into Ocean City’s charm. The setting feels so real you can almost hear the waves and smell the salty air. Ray, Olivia, and Evan are characters you can’t help but root for, each with their own struggles and hopes.

It’s heartfelt, a little suspenseful, and full of warmth—like spending the perfect summer with friends you’ll never forget. And those quirky seagulls? Absolutely adorable. A beautiful story about second chances and finding where you belong.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Alissa Arford, enter indie author! I love to support indie authors and as a bonus she’s from my home state! I picked up this book at the cutest boutique in Ocean City Maryland for a beach read.

🌊new beginnings
☀️ found family
👙post pandemic
☀️beach town
🌊 stalker

This story follows the lives ofRay, Ethan, and Olivia after they all start over after the Covid-19 Pandemic. Each in different spots in their lives, their paths cross in Ocean City Maryland.

If you love OCMD, you will enjoy this book. All the local joints spotlighted. Her book can be found on Amazon for purchase by ebook or paperback. She is working on book two which features OC in the 80s!

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m very familiar with Ocean City, MD, the setting of this book. From that perspective, I enjoyed all the references to things unique and special about OCMD. But I felt the dialogue was too “trendy” in that it was heavy on current slang/jargon which leaned toward being inauthentic. Also, the plot was very predictable. But it is a simple, easy beach book, for what it’s worth.

[Kelly Fitzgibbons · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story set ‘downy ocean,’ in Ocean City, Maryland. If you know the area, you’ll love the references to everything from Fishers popcorn to Assateague. There are multiple plot lines, a surprising amount of politics, and several characters with big personalities.

[Phyllis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! If you’ve ever spent time in Ocean City, MD in the summertime, you’ll enjoy reading about people and places that will be very familiar! I loved the and will miss them- they felt like friends by the end of the book! A fun summer read!

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

An ode to Ocean City where the town is a character too. I can almost taste the salty fries. Loved it!

[Margie Wiedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads like a stream of consciousness…almost like reading someone’s diary. It was cool to read about all the places and events in OC that I have come to know over my lifetime.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read - especially if you have ever been to Ocean City! I could actually picture the places mentioned, and have wonderful memories from a lot of them!