Wrap Up - August Reading Challenge - Bring Me Heroes

August celebrated the US Coast Guard,
William Wallace, and Duke Kahanamoku

Aloha!  I have some newsworthy tidbits for you:

- I still welcome readers' feedback to the print book vs e-book survey at this link.

- I still welcome readers' comments to "how best to promote a book" at this link.

- Last night, CBS broadcast its teaser for the new season of Hawaii Five O, (paraphrase), "McGarrett is in jail and his team is disbanded.  Only one man can save them" and Terry O'Quinn from Lost walking down the ramp of a C-17 in uniform.   According to TV Line, O'Quinn will play the Navy Seal who trained Steve McGarrett and served with his father, John McGarrett, in Vietnam.   I had goosebumps.

How did I miss this filming on base?

- The season premiere is scheduled for Monday, September 19, 10 pm EST ... but the producers are hosting as a special screening on Saturday, September 10, on Queen's Beach.  The cast is expected to "walk the red carpet."   Guess where I'll be?!?!

Queen's Beach 

Today we wrap up the August Reading Challenge - Bring Me Heroes.  I asked you to consider which heroes (or heroines) inspired you from books you read in August.   I enjoyed the heroes and heroines from all the books I read this month but one stands out - Em from Jill Marie Landis' MAI TAI ONE ON.   Em is recovering from a recent divorce and near bankruptcy when she is called to Kauai to look after her aging Uncle Louie.   She gently "takes over" his iconic watering hole, the Tiki Goddess Bar, gives the aging Hula Maidens a permanent home to perform, and hires a down-on-her luck Sophie.   Em also solves the first murder in this new cozy mystery series ... and is rewarded on the very last page (to tell you more would be a spoiler).   Em inspired me because she cared about those in her community (a reflection of how Hawaii cares for its own).

To learn more about Jill Marie Landis and MAI TAI ONE ON, check out its website at www.thetikigoddess.com.

To read my review of MAI TAI ONE ON, check out this link to Goodreads.

I am giving away a book of choice from my RWA stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about which hero or heroine inspired you this month.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

We also also spotlighted military heroes including:

- Tamara in Afghanistan at this link; Tamara is coming home in September!

- Thomas Young at this link.   Thomas is the author of SILENT ENEMY.

- Artemis as we celebrated the anniversary of women enlisted in the US Marine Corps at this link.

- Jennifer L. Hart as a Navy spouse at this link.  Jennifer is the author of WHO NEEDS A HERO?

- Operation Spartan Stork at this link.  It is an initiative of US medical personnel in Afghanistan to reduce the infant mortality rate.

- Eric Johnson who is deployed to Egypt at this link.   Eric is the author of the 2/4 Cavalry Series.

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Aloha to Ashlyn Chase and THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR

My fifth grade son recently wrote an essay on Scotland.  His teacher suggested using quotes for the introduction - he selected one from Shakespeare's MacBeth:

“Double, double, toil and trouble; 
Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

The paranormal elements in MacBeth were "scary".  In contrast, today's guest proves that paranormal can be fun!  Please join me in welcoming Ashlyn Chase.  From her bio,

Multi-published author Ashlyn Chase specializes in characters who reinvent themselves, having reinvented herself numerous times. She has worked as a psychiatric nurse, for the Red Cross, and has a degree in behavioral sciences. The first two books in the Strange Neighbors series are Strange Neighbors and The Werewolf Upstairs, which are both available now! She lives with her true-life hero husband in beautiful New Hampshire. For more information, please visit www.ashlynchase.com.

Kim:  I loved New England during my first assignment in the Air Force.  It was a striking change to my Florida roots. Can you share a favorite sight, sound, and smell?

Ashlyn:  Sure. The ocean, the ocean and the ocean. LOL. Let me elaborate. Sight: There’s nothing like walking along the beach and glancing down to see what treasures Poseidon washed up with the last tide. The landscape is ever changing and the beauty of the water itself is awe inspiring. Sound: Waves lapping against the shore, children laughing, and the cry of seagulls. Smell: The fresh salty air…at HIGH tide!

bostontours.us

Kim:  I enjoyed reading your blog, especially your experiences at RWA - learning to use chopsticks and spotting Elijah Wood on the train (see blog at this link).  Did you meet any fans in NYC?  

Ashlyn:  I missed the deadline to sign up for the big public book signing, so fans didn’t find me if they were looking. However, I walked through the line of readers waiting to get in and passed out my cute little blood bags (filled with cherry syrup) and bookmarks for The Vampire Next Door. They were a huge hit and it gave people in a long line something to chuckle about. 

chopstickcinema.thingsasian.com

Kim:  For those new to your paranormal series, can you share what inspired it?

Ashlyn:  I heard that Tom Brady (Patriot’s quarterback and all around hottie) owned a condo building in my old neighborhood—Boston’s Back Bay. I thought, wouldn’t it be fun to live in that building? Then my warped imagination stepped in and ran with it.

Back Bay at night
planetware.com

Kim:   What's next for Ashlyn Chase?

Ashlyn:  I’m working on a series for Ellora’s Cave called Fangtastic Lovers. Vampire Vintage was published a few years ago and fans have asked for the other 3 girls in the beginning to have their stories told. Now I’m doing it. I just finished book two—Hey There, Tiger, and I’m starting book three (still unnamed). 

I also put in a proposal for a spin off series from Strange Neighbors, about will be about Nick, the twin brother of Konrad, the hero from The Werewolf Upstairs.

     Mahalo, Ashlyn, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR:

Room for Rent:  Normal need not apply.

This old Boston brownstone is not known for quiet living… first the shapeshifter meets his nurse, then the werewolf falls for his sassy lawyer, but now the vampire is looking for love with a witch who’s afraid of the dark… and you thought your neighbors had issues!

Undead Sly is content playing vigilante vampire, keeping the neighborhood safe from human criminals, until Morgaine moves in upstairs. Suddenly he finds himself weak with desire, which isn’t a good place for a vampire to be. And Morgaine isn’t exactly without her own issues—will the two of them be able to get past their deepest fears before their chance at “normal” slips away?

I enjoyed reading THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR - see my review at Goodreads and Amazon.   Sourcebooks is giving away two copies of THE VAMPIRE NEXT DOOR to randomly selected commenters.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Ashlyn Chase, New England, and/or humorous paranormals. 

2.  This giveaway is open to US and Canadian residents only but I welcome comments from all readers!

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winners on Sunday, September 4.   

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii 

Note:  I interviewed Ashlyn in early August.  I send positive thoughts to her family and neighbors as New England cleans up from Hurricane Irene.

New Hampshire
planetware.com

Aloha to Laura Griffin and SNAPPED

My mother hails from Devon in Southwest England. Yet her favorite place is one county west - Cornwall. It is home of things that that go bump in the night - smugglers' coves, rolling mists, and Bodmin Moor. These natural landmarks inspired Daphne Du Maurier to write her thrilling stories, including Jamaica Inn.  Du Maurier is the namesake for the annual award given by the RWA's Kiss of Death Chapter.  I feel a certain kinship to an author who receives the Daphne Du Maurier Award  .... please join me in welcoming NYT's bestselling author and the Daphne Du Maurier Award winner, Laura Griffin.  Her bio is just as intriguing as her books:


For the first few years, I lived all over the place doing what I call extreme reporting--either slogging through snow and ice to cover riveting school board meetings in the Chicago suburbs, or braving scorching tropical heat to interview American expats living in the Philippines.

Laura in the Philippines

Kim:  Can you share an unusual experience (or something unusual you learned) during extreme reporting?


Laura:  I learned never to look down when you’re careening around a mountainside in a jeepney. The Philippines was definitely an exciting place to live and work!

Actually, one of the most useful things I learned during my reporting days came from my first news editor. He told me, “Don’t write from you chair.” I learned that any story is better when the writer goes out to meet and interview the people affected by a news event. When you meet someone in person, you get so many important details you might otherwise miss, and it’s those details that bring your story to life.

Austin, Texas

These days I make my home in Austin, where the sun shines about three hundred fifty days a year and the favorite local slogan is 'keep Austin weird.'


Kim:  What's "weird" about Austin?

Laura:  Austin is an amazing place. It’s outdoorsy, artsy, vibrant. It’s known as the live music capital of the world, so there’s a feeling of creativity downtown. Austin has a huge university and a strong tech industry--both of which attract lots of young people. And of course Austin’s also home to the state capitol, which is good for keeping a few suits in town.

FBI' s training area

Kim:  Your website includes photos from your Kiss of Death "field trips" - which has been your favorite?  

Laura:  My favorite so far was visiting the FBI Academy at Quantico. Not only did I get to meet scores of interesting people, I got to tromp around the campus, visit Hogan’s Alley (where new agents practice take-downs and arrests) and learn to shoot a pistol at the firing range. Most importantly, I met some special agents who have been incredibly helpful in answering my pesky story questions.

  

Kim:  What inspired the Tracers series?

Laura:  I first started thinking about the Tracers series when I visited a crime lab and got a look at an evidence room jam-packed with boxes from cold cases. The shelves filled with rape kits, in particular, made an impression on me. Although we have the technology to solve many crimes using DNA, so many labs are terribly backlogged. In the Tracers series, I explore the idea of what it might be like if someone set up a privately funded lab where homicide investigators and cold case detectives could go for help solving their very toughest cases.

The Tracers came out of this idea, and it’s been my joy to populate the books with dedicated cops, detectives, and forensic specialists who use cutting-edge technology to get justice for crime victims. All the books are romantic suspense, so every mystery is interwoven with a love story. My goal is to keep the reader’s heart pounding.

Next up in the series is Snapped, which is book four. People often ask me if they need to read the Tracers books in order, and I tell them it isn’t necessary. The characters overlap, but each plot stands alone, so feel free to dive right in!

Mahalo, Laura, for joining us today!   To learn more about Laura, her books, and her awards, check out her social media:

- Website:  www.lauragriffin.com 

- Facebook:  www.facebook.com/LauraGriffinAuthor

Laura's website has a special page for The Tracers series - check it out at this link.

Thanks to Pocket, I am giving away a print copy of SNAPPED to one randomly selected commenter:

SOPHIE BARRETT THINKS SHE’S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE.
SHE MAY BE DEAD WRONG.

On a sweltering summer afternoon, Sophie Barrett walks into a nightmare. A sniper has opened fire on a college campus. When the carnage is over, three people—plus the shooter—are dead, and dozens more injured. Sophie escapes virtually unscathed. Yet as details emerge from the investigation, she becomes convinced that this wasn’t the random, senseless act it appeared. No one wants to believe her—not the cops, not her colleagues at the Delphi Center crime lab, and definitely not Jonah Macon, the homicide detective who’s already saved her life once.

Jonah has all kinds of reasons for hoping Sophie is mistaken. Involving himself with a key witness could derail an already messy investigation, not to mention jeopardize his career. But Sophie is as determined and fearless as she is sexy. If he can’t resist her, he can at least swear to protect her. Because if Sophie is right, she’s made herself the target of a killer without a conscience. And the real terror is only just beginning. . . .

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about what draws you to a mystery, suspense, and/or thriller book.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

The Jamaica Inn is a real pub on Bodmin Moor!  It is home of the Daphne Du Maurier Museum - hubby and I checked it out in 2008 on our way to Cornwall's castles.  I learned that Du Maurier was married to Lieutenant General Sir Frederick Browning, father of "British Airborne Forces" and Deputy Commander of Operation Market Garden (which inspired the movie A BRIDGE TOO FAR).   

While Cornwall is breathtaking, its weather is unpredictable.  Plus Laura is closer to Hawaii than England.   Perhaps I can entice her with a visit to the Honolulu Police Department Museum.   It has a display dedicated to the "real" Charlie Chan - Chang Apana.   When our Scout Den toured the museum in spring 2010, it had a small display for Hawaii Five-O memorabilia.   With the success of the new Hawaii Five O, I expect the display to grow larger.   

Chang Apana and "Charlie Chan"

Aloha to Sharie Kohler and NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED

Earlier today I posted a blog about Shave Ice at this link.   How about another cold treat in an exotic location?   Enter paranormal author Sharie Kohler and her new release, NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED.   From Sharie's bio:

SHARIE KOHLER took her adolescent dreaming one step further and penned her first story in the back of her high school Spanish class. This passion led her to pursue a degree in English and History. After several years teaching, Sharie decided it was time to pursue her long-held dream of writing. Now a full time author, she also writes historical romances and young adult romances under the name, Sophie Jordan. She believes her decision to write paranormal stems from her long-sustained love of horror movies (big fan of Alfred Hitchcock!) and a good love story.

This week Sharie celebrates the 5th book in The Moon Chasers series:

For thousands of years, soulless bloodthirsty lycans have roamed the earth, at their most dangerous every full moon when their insatiable need to feed must be satisfied … and human blood runs.


The only thing standing between these monsters and mankind is a secret society of lycan hunters that will stop at nothing to see the lycan race destroyed. These hunters are hardened men, without hearts, driven by duty and an inflexible code: destroy them at all cost.


Only forces that have been brewing for generations are gathering in the form of a prophecy … and a few men and women are about to meet their destiny in the quest to rid the world of lycans.


Suddenly the rules have changed, and hunters are breaking the codes by which they live … facing their inner demons as well as the nightmarish fiends stalking the night. All for a chance at love.

And for the cold treat in an exotic location - NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED.

Darby lives her life below the radar, moving from town to town in the coldest climates, eluding the demons that hunt her—and never allowing herself to get close to anyone. Now, in frigid isolation, Darby waits tables in a small town and tries to forget who she is—what she is—and the danger forever nipping at her heels. Until a new danger finds her—a lycan pack whose distant howls have the locals on edge. But the call of the lycans has also drawn a handsome, menacing stranger. . . .


For years, Niklas has searched for the bloodthirsty pack that murdered his mother and infected him. Darby is overwhelmed by his raw appeal and dangerous strength. Niklas senses her need and vulnerability . . . and together they give in to the hungry attraction blazing between them—but desire this fierce brings dangers of its own. When Darby is targeted by the lycans, the stakes are higher than ever—and Niklas is not about to lose another woman he loves to their evil bloodlust.

Sam's Cafe - did it inspire Sam's Diner
in NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED?

I applaud Sharie for a paranormal tale with unique elements - she gives readers a fresh perspective of witches, werewolves, and the Great White North!  NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED will satisfy the inner paranormal fan in you!

To learn more about Sharie and her books, log onto www.shariekohler.net.

I am giving away a print copy of NIGHT FALLS ON THE WICKED to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about the Great White North - Alaska or Canada!

Many moons ago,  I visited Mont Tremblant in Quebec for a ski weekend.  We loved the Canadian beer but we did not spot any paranormal creatures.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through  Saturday, September 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 4.   

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Here is something "out of the ordinary" that sails between Hawaii and Alaska - the floating golf ball!  Actually, it is a  Sea-Based X-Band Radar (SBX), a 10 story high radome atop of a semi-submersible oil rig.   Its radar can track a baseball in space.  The SBX periodically docks at Ford Island for regular maintenance and then returns to the Pacific Ocean.  It is an amazing site to see it navigate the Pearl Harbor Channel.

Hale'iwa, Turtle Bay, and Shave Ice Taste Test

The 3rd Engineers built Schofield's Kole Kole Pass in 1937.
25idl.army.mil

Aloha!  I am feeling great ... so I asked my family to take me out on Saturday!   We ventured to the North Shore, first stopping at Schofield Barracks for gas.  Schofield is a historic Army camp located in the middle of the island - it sits at the foot of the Wai'anae Mountain Range.  It is absolutely gorgeous!

Hale'iwa is Hawaii's Surf Capital.

We continued north to Hale'iwa - Hale is home and iwa is a bird.   Hale'iwa previously hosted a missionary school patronized by Queen Lili'uokalani.   Now it is home of the winter surf season.   We ate lunch at Cholo's Mexican Restaurant - a popular eatery with both kama'aina (residents) and malihini (tourists).   After lunch, we drove over to Turtle Beach - a cove along the North Shore where the Hawaiian sea turtles congregate.   It is illegal to touch the sea turtles but families still frequent the beach to swim with the turtles or admire the turtles when they beach themselves for a few hours in the sun.  Today, the turtles were snorkeling ....

Hawaiian Sea Turtle "snorkeling" at Turtle Beach!

We drove back to Hale'iwa for our primary mission - taste test the shave ice from Aoki's versus  Matsumoto's.

Shave ice is a island treat enjoyed by kama'aina and malihini.  You can eat it three ways:

- plain:  shave ice plus flavoring
- shave ice atop of ice cream
- azuka beans atop of the shave ice
(or all three)

We opted for plain as shave ice is refreshing on its own.

David at Aoki's.

Aoki's is a general store that has served shave ice since 1981.  It is probably the favorite for kama'aina as it has easier parking and less lines.   Aoki's shave ice is 25 cents more than Matsumoto's but they serve it with a plastic spoon (Matsumoto's serves its shave ice with a flat wooden spoon).

Hubby and Andrew in line at Matsumoto's.

Matsumoto's is also a general store that has been open for business since 1951.  President Obama has taken his daughters to Matsumoto's ... and the tourists have followed.  Thus, the lines are longer and parking is difficult.

Too many choices ...

My children ordered  plain with cherry, vanilla, and sour apple from both stores.  Hubby and I ordered plain with cherry and lime from both stores.  After careful consideration, we all agreed that Matsamoto's flavorings were stronger in the "ice".  Once both ices melted into the cups, it was negligible which tasted better.   We preferred Aoki's plastic spoon to Matsamoto's wooden spoon.  I prefered Aoki's shorter line but hubby said it was worth the wait at Matsamoto's.

Taste testing shave ice.

I hope you have enjoyed a glimpse into the North Shore!  I am giving away a North Shore souvenir to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about a local delicacy in your neighborhood.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winners on Sunday, September 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I didn't see any coconuts in the tree.