Friday, May 16, 2014

Aloha to Gina Conkle and MEET THE EARL AT MIDNIGHT


Gina Conkle is soaking up the atmosphere at the RT Booklovers' Convention while celebrating the release of MEET THE EARL AT MIDNIGHT.  She joins me for a cozy chat ...

Kim:  Aloha, Gina! You seek escape, entertainment, and enjoyability in the novels you read. Let's chat outside books. Where do you escape when you need to recharge your creative juices?

Gina: I like going outside, going to the bookstore, or a massage is pretty nice to work the kinks out. I also love going to history museums and sites.

Kim:  Other than reading romance, what entertains you (hobby, sports, etc).

Gina: I used to do triathlons but I gave that up (I just didn’t love the cycling part and recently sold all my equipment). The last year has been very imbalanced with a lot of work, so I need to find my equilibrium again. We’re moving soon, so I hope to start running 10ks again once we get settled.

Kim: What do you enjoy doing with your family?

Gina: We like playing games: Monopoly, Rummikub, Connect Four, Chess, Boggle, Scattergories…

We also have some lively dinnertime discussions. We used to read aloud a little each night after dinner but that stopped with recent “busy-ness” and homework. My older son has a passion for metallurgy (he’s 16 but he’s a blacksmith) and he does Mock Trial. My younger son plays volleyball, so right now our away from home activities revolve around their activities.

Kim: You write "adventurous Viking romance and sparkling Georgian romance." Have you seen The History Channel's THE VIKINGS? Thoughts on it? Do you have a favorite movie, TV series, mini series, etc., that captures the sparkles of the Georgian era?

Gina: Yes, I have seen “Vikings” …each episode multiple times! We follow each other on twitter and about every two or three weeks engage in a lively discussion. I LOVE the show, the characters, the writing. There are historical inaccuracies, but if I want historical accuracy, I have a shelf of non-fiction books. Michael Hirst mixes true history with Saga tales and has great knack for spinning a story. Lagertha is the best, and I have a soft spot for Rollo and Athelstan.

As to Georgian era entertainment, I like AMC’s “Turn” about the Culper spy ring during the Revolutionary War (more colonial than English). I also like “City of Vice” a short-lived British show about the beginning of the Bow Street runners (very gritty – be warned), but they combed history well with that one. I also liked the movie “The Duchess” and loved “A Royal Affair” though that one is set in Denmark.

Kim:  Who or what helped you along the path to publishing?

Gina: My local RWA chapter, RWASD, was pivotal. Then, I’d say Bob Mayer even though he has no idea. One of his books put out the question, “Is your writing a profession or a hobby?”

Last but definitely not least, my husband, Brian. He was always supportive. In 2012, we were at cross roads whether or not I should go back to work or write full time. He encouraged me to write full time. When he did that, I didn’t have an agent or even a website. He said, “You’re a writer. You need to write.” I am married to an amazing man.

Kim:  What inspired the Midnight Meeting series and Book 1, MEET THE EARL AT MIDNIGHT?

Gina: This is my accidental series. I started writing Meet the Earl at Midnight because a cloaked character kept showing up in my head, and I wanted a break from the Norse hammers. Coincidentally, we had some rain in southern California, and that must’ve inspired the “It was a dark and stormy night…” feel that marks the story’s beginning.

Kim:  What's next for Gina Conkle?

Gina: The next book will be a Viking romance, Norse Fire (Dec. 2014), with Brand a rough-souled, lone wolf warrior who must work with a feisty slave to save the kingdom. Then comes Norse Wolf, with Addis, a bad boy Viking who finds himself at the mercy of a tender-hearted healer (Mar. 2015). Those are books 2 and 3 in the Norse series.

Then book 2 in the Midnight Meetings series, The Lady Meets Her Match features Cyrus, a self-made man dubbed England’s King of Commerce. The wealthy commoner meets Claire at a masked ball, but the lady is not what she seems. Cyrus soon discovers this is one Cinderella who doesn’t want her shoe back. (Apr. 2015)

Thank you so much for the opportunity to be part of your blog.


ginaconkle.com (where Gina is hosting a NOOK giveaway)
Goodreads: link

Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of MEET THE EARL AT MIDNIGHT:

It's going to take a Beast to tame this Beauty

Enigma Earl. The Phantom of London. That's what the gossip pages call Lord Edward Greenwich, a mysterious nobleman who doesn't show his face in London Society. With a reputation like that, no wonder Lydia Montgomery is horrified to be dragged from bed and packed off to live with him to save her mother from penury.

While Lydia has received all of the training a lady should endure, she's decidedly un-ladylike. She despises her corset and isn't interested in marriage. She'd prefer to remain unmarried and spend her time improving her art. But if she wants a chance at happiness, she'll have to set aside her fear of the earl and discover the man hiding behind the beast.

Will Edward and Lydia's greatest discovery be each other before time runs out?

Book 1 in the series Midnight Meetings

Amazon US: link
Amazon Canada: link
B&N: link
Kobo: link
iTunes: link
Google Play: link

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about any games you enjoy playing with your family.  My kids play poker with their dad.   They indulge me with Scrabble, which always takes longer than expected, and they grow bored.

2.  Comments are open through Sunday, May 18, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Monday, May 19, assuming I survive RT.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City 


42 comments:

  1. I still play pinochle with my friends from high school. Also my sister and I taught my niece so when we get together we have a good time playing pinochle. I also love Bunko.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Danielle,
      My family in Minnesota plays pinochle but I have yet to try that game. Lately, my boys are diving back into chess which I used to play a lot with my dad as a young girl. That is great to have such long lasting friendships from high school and still be close to each other for games.
      Take care!
      Gina

      Delete
  2. My husband has a bocci ball set that he always wants the family to play. It can be fun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Maureen,
      I agree! We had the backyard game set from Target (Bocci ball, badminton, and croquet). Loved all three of those games, but now my boys are older (teens) so Saturdays are a little different. My older son does blacksmithing of all things on Saturdays which changed our family schedule. Love playing games with my guys and it sounds like you enjoy the family games too.
      Thanks for stopping by the blog!
      Gina

      Delete
  3. Hope you are having fun at the RT.

    We played scrabble and all different kinds of board games as well as all types of card games, pinochle, poker, 7 up.

    patoct

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Yes, RT was a blast of high energy. My husband and I used to get very competitive about Scrabble! But I also cherish those fun times with him...a cup of coffee and a game of Scrabble.
      Thanks for stopping by the blog-
      Gina

      Delete
  4. We used to play a card game called Phase 10... but it does take a bit of time to get a winner :) Thanks for sharing and congrats to Gina on her series!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Erin,
      I have never hear of Phase 10. If it takes a long time to get to the winner, it sounds like a good game to play on a snow day. Perfect!
      Take care-
      Gina

      Delete
  5. The grandkids like to play Go Fish and Trouble. The adults enjoy Scrabble, Monopoly and Trivial Pursuit. Congrats on the book, Gina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the congratulations. This has been a fun and interesting new path. I remember the "Go Fish" days with my boys. My son Chad loves Monopoly best of all...maybe he'll grow up to become a tycoon. It's pretty cute how he strategizes. Enjoy your family game times...they are something cherish.
      Take care-
      Gina

      Delete
  6. The game that my son and I enjoy the most is Scrabble. We have a tendency to 'play it to death' and then stay away from it for months. But we LOVE it!!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Betty,
      LOL!! That's how Brian (husband) and I were with Scrabble! We would really get into our games...at once deep thinking and fun. He won a lot because he does crossword puzzles and I'm sure that gives someone the edge.
      I hope you keep enjoying those game times!
      Gina

      Delete
  7. I remember my parents playing cards with their friends, but they weren't big on playing games with us kids. I played games with my daughter when she was young.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Karen,
      That is great you are creating such memories with your daughter. My son Chad has friend who loves to play games with us when he comes over. He likes when we get out the trivia games especially. Thanks for sharing your game memories and have a great day!
      Gina

      Delete
  8. We like Yahtzee, some card games, and Scrabble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Linda,
      Ah Yahtzee!! We've played that with our boys but that one hasn't caught on quite like Monopoly and other games. Brian (my husband) and I played Yahtzee a lot when we first married. We didn't have a TV so we entertained ourselves other ways.
      Thanks for stopping by the blog!
      Gina

      Delete
  9. I love games and would play them constantly if I could (computer helps here when people aren't available lol). I play almost anything but we tend to go in cycles where we play a particular game or two for a while. Right now it's a game called Tripoly - 3 games in one.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I know what you mean about the games going in cycles. I have not heard of Tripoly but will have to check that one out. Thanks for the recommendation!
      Gina

      Delete
  10. Unfortunately I don't have any family left to play games with. When everyone was still alive, we played Pinochle, Yahtzee, Uno, and Scrabble.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cathy,
      So sorry to hear about your loss of family. Do you have friends to get together with to play games? I haven't played Uno in awhile, but that is a fun game to bring back.
      Take care Cathy!
      Gina

      Delete
  11. Hi Kim and Gina!
    I read the first two chapters of Meet the Earl at Midnight on Amazon and can't wait to read the rest of Lydia and Edward story. Congratulations on it's release earlier this month!

    Our families favorite game is one my husband taught me shortly after we met and it's called Acey Duey. He even made a board to play it on and we spent many hours when he was home from tours when he was in the Navy in the 1960's. When our sons were old enough we taught them the game and they are know teaching our grandchildren to play as well and in fact our oldest grandson who is 8 beat my husband the last time we went to visit them!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jeanne,
      So glad you enjoyed Meet the Earl at Midnight (the sneak peek on Amazon). That is funny about Acey Deucy. My dad was career Navy and he played the game with my mom but for some reason that was a game just the two of them played. How fun, though, to have 3 generations playing the game! Must have a whip smart grandson!!
      Take care care and thanks for stopping by the blog-
      Gina

      Delete
  12. Replies
    1. Hi bn100,
      I know not everyone gets into games. Good thing there's books to enjoy.
      Have a great day-
      Gina

      Delete
  13. Over the years, our favorite family game has changed from Fan Tan to Uno to The Great Dalmuti (all card games). We used to play a lot of Trivial Pursuit, but we don't play it much anymore.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      I've played Uno (a lot when my boys were in elementary school) but I haven't heard of The Great Dalmuti (will have to investigate that one). My husband is like a computer when it comes to Trivial Pursuit: he remembers all kinds of details which makes playing with him a fun challenge. We also bought the Jeopardy game which is pretty much a Trivial Pursuit game. The one that gets us laughing is Balderdash.
      Take care and thanks for stopping by the blog-
      Gina

      Delete
  14. We like Uno, Skip-Bo and Rack-O card games. LOL I never noticed they all end with an "O" since I never typed them out before.

    Marcy Shuler

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Marcy,
      Pretty funny that you like "O" games! I've played Uno, heard of Skip-Bo, but have not heard of Rack-O until you put the game here. I will have to check that game out. Thanks for stopping by the blog-
      Gina

      Delete
  15. Replies
    1. Hi Sharlene,
      My mom likes all kinds of Rummy games. She and my dad will stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing each other.
      Thanks for sharing the games you like to play-
      Gina

      Delete
  16. Go Fish is a favorite :-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chelsea,
      That is a classic game that works for all ages and it has a great pace.
      Have a great day-
      Gina

      Delete
  17. We are not allow to play games in the house unless there are other people around. It gets very ugly cause my hubs and I are both competitive. Pretty scary.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Melody,
      So you two are competitive. But it sounds like you both enjoy games in the company of others. I've had some intense games in my life too.
      Take care-
      Gina

      Delete
  18. We used to play Scrabble quite a bit when my son was younger, and at Christmas we always played games with the family - like Pictionary or Charades. Now he's living in another state so I don't play anything.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Barbara,
      Ah Charades! Talk about a giggle-fest right there! At Christmas we do a mix of games and puzzles (the really big 1000 piece puzzles). That is great you and your son could have those memories together.
      Take care-
      Gina

      Delete
  19. Scrabble is one of our favorites too and Euchre.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi,
      Scrabble is tops but I've not tried Euchre. My husband tried to teach me once but for some reason he didn't have the patience, so I gave up on that game. Now that he's older and wiser ;-) maybe we'll try Euchre again.
      Thanks for stopping by the blog-
      Gina

      Delete
  20. When my kids were younger we played so many different board games.UNO and Battleship were two big favorites and today I still love Scrabble as it was my favorite. Now I get to play it with the grandkids. :)
    Carol L
    Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Carol,
      I still LOVE Scrabble too!! We haven't played Battleship in a long time but we still have that game. And how great that you get to play with your grandkids now. :-)
      Gina

      Delete
  21. My kids love to play Monopoly, Phase Ten, Life, and I love to play Othello. We a lot of time play Phase Ten with the grandparents, kids, my husband and myself and have a good time. Thank you for the chance to win. griperang at embarqmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angela,
      I've seen Othello but have not tried it or Phase Ten. Phase Ten sounds like a game all ages can play, which is good. I will have to look into that game for the next holiday time. Thanks for the recommendation!
      Take care and you're welcome about the giveaway-
      Gina

      Delete