Aloha to Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week with Rachel Goodman and INTERCEPTING THE CHEF

Today I welcome fellow Delta Gamma Rachel Goodman ...

Thanks, Kim, for hosting me on SOS Aloha in support of Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week. I love connecting with my fellow DG sisters!

A little about my DG history: I was president of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of DG at Southern Methodist University, and while I am a member of an alumnae chapter here in Dallas, I'm most active in the collegiate chapter since I'm a current professor at SMU. I love connecting with my DG students in and out of the classroom and offering the girls support, guidance, ideas for chapter activities, and helping them implement past DG traditions. My favorite thing is when one of my students finds out that I am their great-great-great-great-etc grand big in our DG family.

One of the greatest gifts Delta Gamma gave me apart from life-long friendships was a deep desire to give back to the community—something that had been lacking in my life prior to joining. Now service is an integral part of my daily life.

I support various organizations, but I am most passionate about the Abandoned Pet Project (abandonedpetproject.org), a non-profit organization that provides funding for abandoned, abused, and homeless pets so that they may receive proper medical care though a network of rescue groups and veterinarians in the hopes that these animals will go on to live happy and healthy lives in loving forever homes through the adoption process.

The Abandoned Pet Project has shown me that adopting a pet isn’t just beneficial for the pet; it’s beneficial for the owner, too. These incredible, adorable, hilarious little creatures can touch your heart and change your mindset. Pets can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and add unconditional joy and love to your life.

They're also excellent at dropping a toy at your feet every five seconds wanting to play while you're cooking dinner and guilting you out of that last slice of pizza and dragging you outdoors for the dreaded daily exercise. If they occasionally bring in treasures from the yard--snails and snakes and possums, oh my!--and snore in your ear, surely they can be forgiven.

In fact, my support of the Abandoned Pet Project—as well as my own furballs, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut—inspired my upcoming novel RESCUING THE RECEIVER (Book 2 in my "How to Score" sports romance series), scheduled to be released in Summer 2018, about a cocky NFL wide receiver who is assigned to volunteer at a dog shelter and falls in love with the sweet-natured, loyal owner :).

Rachel is a mojito lover, cheese enthusiast, wanderluster, book junkie, romance writer, and an enginerd. She is a Colorado native displaced in Texas and an engineer and university professor. When she's not creating optimization models or traveling the world, eating her way through city after city, she is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up stories and typing away on the computer. She lives in suburbia Dallas with her husband and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut. Visit her online at rachelgoodmanbooks.com.

INTERCEPTING THE CHEF (How to Score Book 1):

“Smart, sexy, and funny” (Publishers Weekly) contemporary romance writer Rachel Goodman is back with a brand new series about a quarterback trying to score in the most important game of his life—the game of love.

Gwen Lalonde is a rising star in the eyes of the elite restaurateurs of the world. But when her celebrity chef boss and now ex-boyfriend fires her, she finds herself playing a different game. Forced to flee San Francisco and return home to Denver, Gwen lands a spot as the executive chef at Stonestreet’s, a new restaurant owned by NFL golden boy and Colorado Blizzards quarterback Logan Stonestreet. When Logan starts pursuing Gwen romantically, she pulls a classic duck and weave and avoids any advances by throwing herself into reestablishing her reputation in Denver.

But Logan Stonestreet is persistent—he didn’t become one of the best football players in the league by throwing in the towel at the first rejection. Something about Logan’s unwavering determination—and amazing body—keeps Gwen around, and soon there’s more that’s sizzling than just the steak on the grill. Things are getting more serious than either side cares to admit, and when Logan suffers a severe injury in the playoffs, they’re both forced to make game-time decisions. The perfect romance for football fans and foodies alike, Intercepting the Chef is a delicious read that’ll have you hooked until the very last play.

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I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway, 

1. Leave a comment about pet names - have you met any furry friends with humorous or unusual names?

Rachel's dogs are Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut.  I've posted pictures of my cats from Hawaii - Zsa Zsa (she has a Gabor personality, Zane Grey (he is gray), and Zulu aka Kono (named for the actor Zulu who portrayed Kono in the original H50)

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books from Rachel