Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Aloha to Rachel Grant and Mary Sullivan, Treasure Hunters at RWA


My favorite panel during the 35th Annual RWA Conference was Treasures, Artifacts, and Curses: Archaeology 101 for Writers:

Rachel Grant and Mary Sullivan

An archaeology professor and private sector archaeologist give a behinds the scenes look at real life work of archaeologists. They'll alert attendees to common pitfalls they see in novels and discuss how to weave realistic archaeological details into stories.  

Rachel and Mary addressed the myths about archaeology that are often romanticized in pop culture - in reality, Indiana Jones was a thief!  I came to appreciate the effort of these archaeologists in uncovering the past.   Both confirmed that archaeologists take many notes ... so it must be a natural progression to write romances featuring archaeologists!

The bonus - both Rachel and Mary have lived in Hawaii.  Plus Rachel's husband, an underwater archaeologist for the US Navy, recently returned from a trip to Djibouti, Africa.  She shared a stone he received for teaching purposes that is dated as a million years old.  I was impressed!


25508226

Mary co-wrote the Case Study in Archaeology - A Student's Perspective.  Rachel is the author of the Evidence series with smart heroines and sexy heroes.  Back in May, she celebrated the release of Book Five, COVERT EVIDENCE:

Falling in love was never part of his mission…

With visions of professional glory, underwater archaeologist Cressida Porter embarks on a research trip deep into the heart of Eastern Turkey. Her dreams turn into nightmares when she becomes the unwitting courier for a terrorist network. Stranded and unable to speak the language, she turns to a handsome and enigmatic security specialist for help, even while fearing he may be behind a violent assault that leaves her vulnerable.

CIA Case Officer Ian Boyd’s mission is clear: follow the courier, identify the terrorist leader, and intercept the microchip before it falls into enemy hands. For Ian, cozying up to the alluring archaeologist to find out where her loyalties lie isn’t exactly hardship duty. But spending time with her proves dangerous when she awakens a longing for a life he can never have.

Attraction wars with distrust as Cressida and Ian are forced on the run. When violence erupts in the already unstable region, Cressida discovers everything she knows about Ian is false. With all secrets revealed, Cressida must decide if she can trust the spy with her life, while Ian faces his own impossible choice: Cressida or his mission.


177337401824381220764988

I am giving away RWA conference "treasures" (aka swag) to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you have a favorite "treasure hunting" movie?  For hints, check out this list.  I enjoyed the movie THE DA VINCI CODE although I did not read the book. 

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 22, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, August 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Hawaii offers many treasures ....

19 comments:

  1. I enjoyed The Da Vinci Code too....movie and book. I also like Clive Cussler's treasure hunting novels.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Some good movies on that list. I did read THE DA VINCI CODE and the book was so much better than the movie. As good an actor as Tom Hanks is, I don't think he was right for the part. Of the others, ROMANCING THE STONE (great fun) and INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (great chemistry between Connery and Harrison Ford, its wonderful, and it was my first glimpse of Petra).

    From grade school on up, I would spend my Saturdays in the library reading books on lost cultures and civilizations. I wanted to study archeology in college, but the school I attended didn't have a program in it.

    No need to enter me in the contest, I am still sorting through my swag from RT.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I like the movie NATIONAL TREASURE with Nicholas Cage. It's lots of fun.

    ReplyDelete
  4. My all time favorite that I can watch over and over is National Treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I have to agree with everyone - loved The Da Vinci Code (both the book and the movie) and National Treasure. And have watched both numerous times!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I too enjoyed The DaVinci Code so I went out and read the book as well.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I've seen Pirates of the Caribbean & The Librarian, enjoyed the leading men but the movies not so much.

    ReplyDelete
  8. I've seen a few of the movies on the list. I enjoyed Nicholas Cages one a lot. Now, STARZ, has a great series called "Black Sails" (currently on hiatus), and they're looking for treasure all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love the Indiana Jones movies, especially the first one. So many good lines to quote! The DaVinci Code--book and move--I found only so-so, with the book the better of the two.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I've seen most of those movies - I love going to the theater for the big action movies - and I've enjoyed all of them. I've only read a few but The Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons are two that I enjoyed very much.

    ReplyDelete
  11. The Goonies is one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  12. I love the movie National Treasure, I have seen it several times now.

    ReplyDelete
  13. I loved Stargate the series. I was really bummed hen it got cancelled.

    ReplyDelete
  14. I enjoyed Raiders of the Lost Ark and National Treasure.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mahalo for the shout out, Kim! I'm so glad you enjoyed the workshop! My favorite treasure hunt movie is The Mummy. It's silly, sexy, fun and over the top in many ways, and I love every minute of it.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Indiana jones,the goonies,etc.

    ReplyDelete