E Komo Mai - Welcome to SOS Aloha (Bio & Contact)

E Komo Mai - Welcome to SOS Aloha!

From the Sunshine State to the Chesapeake Bay, I have been blessed to sample many cultures. I grew up in Miami, attended high school in Clearwater, and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics from the University of Tampa. My commission in the United States Air Force led to assignments in Boston, Germany, the Pentagon, and Illinois. I traded my dog tags for a diaper bag, becoming a mother to two boys (and four cats) while following my military husband to the Netherlands, Baltimore, Pearl Harbor, and back to Baltimore. Along the way, we have traveled throughout Europe, Egypt, Japan, Korea, and China.

I discovered romance books while living in the Netherlands (link). Romance books inspired an Old Fashioned Tea Party (link) and travel to author events (link).  

I created this blog while living in Hawaii as a means to stay connected across the Pacific. I now live outside Baltimore, bringing the Aloha Spirit to Charm City.

I enjoy dark chocolate, long walks, and historic places.  

Connect with me .... 

Email:  sos.aloha@yahoo.com

Twitter:  twitter.com/sosaloha

Facebook:  facebook.com/sos.aloha

Travel Blog - Aloha On My Mind, alohaonmymind.blogspot.com

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Jamie Rae

Meeting Jamie Rae in Dallas was one of my top moments at the RT Booklovers Convention.  She cohosted "We Love Pilots" table at the SOS America Military Tribute.  From her bio,

JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind–create stories with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they’ve finished reading.

Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook, though she will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren’t pretty!! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck!

In her other life, Jamie Rae is an orthodontist, and she keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three. She has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran and has finally embraced that home is where the Air Force sends you. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues.

Learn more about Jamie and her books at jamieraewrites.com.

I purchased a copy of Jamie's debut book, CALL SIGN KARMA, from the Giant Book Fair:

TINKLEE Pinkerton is chosen as the first female fighter pilot to fly the Air Force's prodigy, the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, the same jet that killed her brother, leaving her emotionally numb. Now, she’ll do anything to prove his death wasn't due to pilot error and fly her heart away from anyone who tries to get through her walls.

Then she meets Locke Sinclair, a handsome stranger with entrancing eyes and charming accent. For the first time since her brother’s accident, Tink allows someone to get close and hopes she may finally begin to heal.
​
​Until she discovers Locke is no stranger. He’s her superior officer, and their secret relationship becomes a definite no-fly zone. With her career on the line, and her plan to clear her brother’s reputation suddenly in jeopardy, Tink must deny herself the one person who makes her feel alive or risk losing everything.

USAF F-35 on its delivery flight to Eglin AFB in July 2011
Public Domain (link)

Mahalo, Jamie, for your service as a Air Force veteran, Air Force spouse, and positive writer!  May is National Military Appreciation Month. For the month of May, I am giving away one grand prize of books and swag from the authors featured this month (link). Plus five more commenters - one for each branch of service - wins a book choice from my convention stash. To enter the giveaway,

1. Have you attended an airshow?  Oh, yes I have!  

2. Comments are open through Sunday, May 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winners on Monday, June 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Greeting the AWACS aircrew at Hanscom AFB
(I'm on the right)

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Leah Marie Brown and FAKING IT

In 1999, Congress designated May as National Military Appreciation Month to recognize the service and sacrifice of those in uniform.  I have dedicated May to spotlighting authors connected to the military.  Today we welcome Air Force veteran and Kensington author Leah Marie Brown.  From her bio,

I am an American writer with a penchant for Paris and all things pink!

Before writing novels, I worked as a print journalist for a Pulitzer prize winning newspaper and served in the United States Air Force as a Radio and Television Broadcaster.

An avid traveler, I have had adventures and mishaps from London to Tokyo, which I write about on my blog, On Life, Love & Accidental Adventures, and in my contemporary romantic series, The It Girls.

I was once a collector of truly useless bric-a-brac and cheesy tee-shirts. My cheesiest? A tee with a cartoon Jesus riding a surf board and the words, "And on the eighth day, Jesus went surfing in Greece."

Today, I prefer to gather friendships and memories as travel souvenirs. 

Kim:  Thank you for your service in the USAF! What did you learn from active duty that you can apply to your writing career?

LMB:  Wow! That's a good question. I learned a lot of during my tour in the United States Air Force, like the true meaning of sacrifice, patriotism, and respect. I also learned:

If you slip the base tailor twenty bucks, she will nip your Blues in at the waist a little to give you something resembling a female figure.  Singing I'm Henry the Eighth, I Am to yourself in a Cockney accent while standing in formation might not keep you from passing out, but helps makes the time pass quicker.

In a pinch, two packs of the earplugs issued on Space A flights can be fashioned into a temporary cork for a half-consumed bottle of champagne.  Birth Control Glasses are not an effective means of contraception.  Those might seem like ridiculous lessons, but it's really about finding the humor in any situation. Having a sense of humor has been vitally important in my writing career - to keep me buoyed during the difficult times and to help me savor the good times. Have a good sense of humor is important in developing resilience, and resilience is a necessary characteristic for being a writer.

Kim:  Paris, London, and Tokyo - you are a travel name dropper!  Can you share a funny moment from your international travels?

LMB:  Am I? A travel name dropper? Yikes. I met another travel name dropper when I was in Ireland earlier this year. We spent a lovely hour in a pub in Kenmare talking about our experiences in Italy, Scotland and Panama. (Did you see how I dropped five more place names in two sentences? Clearly it's a problem I need to address.) 

At the risk of being called a travel anecdote dropper, I must confess to having many ridiculous stories. I am a bit of an accidental tourist - bumping along, pushing the boundaries, taking risks in the spirit of joie de vivre - which means I come home with a lot of outrageous tales (all of them true, though some of the embellished a wee bit for affect because I am Irish.)

I was detained by Buckingham Palace Guards on suspicion of being a terrorist. It was really quite ridiculous. I am a five-foot-four, overly chatty, super-conspicuous blonde who dresses in bright "NOTICE ME" pink. I don't skulk in darkened corners or try to blend in. To make matters worse, when the guards burst through our hotel room door (I was traveling with my best friend, fellow writer, Cindy Miles), I began blathering like an idiot - making poorly timed, nervous jokes about Prince William and telling the lead guard he looked like Basil Rathbone (the British actor who played Sherlock Holmes in the old black and white movies). He was not amused. How we escaped being thrown into a cell just for my nervous prattling is still a mystery. I write about this episode in Finding It, book two in the It Girls series.

Kim:  Tell us about FAKING IT - what inspired it? 

LMB:  Faking It is a contemporary romance. I like to refer to it as a chick lit book, but I know that is not a popular name for the genre anymore. Nevertheless, it is a humorous novel about female empowerment and growth. Vivia Perpetua Grant was a fun character to create because she is young, always-in-her-head, wears rose-colored-glasses, and suffers from a bit of verbal incontinence when she is nervous (sound like anyone else we know?). A lot of the book comes from my travels with my two best friends.

The line, "I've told more than one man I was a virgin" came to me one day while I was running (okay, fast walking) on the treadmill. I was intrigued by the idea of a character who lied about her virginity, her motivation for the lie, the consequences of the lie, and what happened after she was exposed. I wrote the first two chapters of Vivia's story and then went back to writing historical romances. Vivia, the Perpetual Virgin, was stuck on a file on my computer for six years before I dug her out and fleshed her out. I was in a bit of a slump, bummed because editors didn't want French Revolution set romance novels, when my best friend said, "You're funny, Girl. Write funny. What about that perpetual virgin story? Write that." So, I took her advice and tried to write funny. Hopefully, I succeeded.

Kim:  What's next for Leah Marie Brown? 

LMB:  Another trip (I won't drop the name). Another mishap. Another book. Repeat.  Thank you for the interview.

Mahalo, Leah, for kicking off National Military Appreciation Month!   Leah is celebrating the release of FAKING IT, Book 1 in the It Girls series):

Vivia Grant couldn’t be happier. She has her dream job and is about to marry her dream man. Does it really matter that she’s led him to believe she’s a virgin? After all, being in love makes every experience feel like the first time anyway! But an unexpected encounter with an ex-lover is about to expose her embarrassing lie…

When Vivia’s fiancé discovers the truth, he ends their engagement—via text—and uses his connections to get her fired. Unemployed and heartbroken, Vivia begins planning her new future—as a homeless spinster. But her best friend has a better idea. They’ll skip the Ben & Jerry’s binge and go on Vivia’s honeymoon instead. Two weeks cycling through Provence and Tuscany, with Luc de Caumont, a sexy French bike guide. Too bad Vivia’s not a big fan of biking. And she’s abysmal at languages. Will she fib her way through the adventure, or finally learn to love herself—and Luc—flaws and all?

For the month of May, I am giving away one grand prize of books and swag from the authors featured this month (link). Plus five more commenters - one for each branch  of service - wins a book choice from my convention stash.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you like biking?   I like biking on flat surfaces, such as the Netherlands!

2.  Comments are open through Sunday, May 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winners on Monday, June 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Leah and her books at leahmariebrown.com.

Coming in September 2015

Aloha to Jamie Rae and CALL SIGN KARMA

It is my distinct pleasure to welcome my fellow AF veteran, Jamie Rae.  She is celebrating the release of  CALL SIGN KARMA.  Jamie joins me for a cozy chat ..

JAMIE RAE is a New Adult and Young Adult author. She writes with one goal in mind - to create a story with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading.

Jamie is an avid reader and loves discovering stories with a great hook! She will not eat, sleep, or speak until she reaches the end. The Harry Potter years weren't pretty!! Convinced that her Hogwarts letter was lost in the mail, she keeps a watchful eye for owls hoping her children will have better luck!

​In her other life, Jamie Rae creates smiles to last a lifetime as an orthodontist, keeps her heart overflowing with love as a mother of three and has perfected the art of nomadic living as a military spouse and Air Force veteran. Jamie has a passion for critters of all shapes and sizes and you can often find her sneaking them into her own home or volunteering for rescues.

Kim:  Thank you for your service as an Air Force veteran! Can you share a funny story from your active duty? 

Jamie:  Oh, wow! I have so many and some may have found their way into the story. At least the names have been changed to protect the not-so- innocent! ;-) How about a toned down one. I met my hubby when we were both stationed at Osan AB in South Korea. Our first “official” date was a Bad Company concert on the Fourth of July in the commissary parking lot. It doesn’t get any more romantic than that! ☺

Kim:  I appreciate your statement, to create a story with a positive message that will stay with the reader long after they've finished reading. Why is this important create a positive message?

Jamie:  I want my story to go beyond the words on the page. The story should entertain but I also want to provide something more of significance. If I am able to make a difference in someone’s life, even if it is only one person, then I know that I have done my job. I have received messages from readers that have said Call Sign Karma had them laughing, cheering, swooning, and gripping the edge of their seats. I absolutely love that readers are connecting to the story in this way.

I’ve also had readers say that they love that Tink is a strong female lead and we need heroines that are more relatable. When I wrote Tink’s character I wanted her to be “real” and to show that even though life has kicked you in the gut, you can still find the strength to come out on top and survive.

One of my most special comments came from a reader who reached out to me about the Post Traumatic Stress aspect of the story. She shared a personal situation, passed along a portion of the story in particular that spoke to her, and gave her a sense of clarity. It brought tears to my eyes and I knew that I had accomplished what I had set out to do with this story.

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

Jamie:  It’s been a long an interesting path. I don’t know how to take no for an answer. I worked hard and kept myself focused. Thankfully I had so many wonderful people in my corner who encouraged, critiqued, submitted, and championed my work. I feel very blessed.

Kim:  Tell us about CALL SIGN KARMA - what inspired it?  

Jamie:  As a military veteran and Air Force spouse to a fighter pilot, I wanted to write what I knew and write what I love. And that’s the Air Force. In addition, in my life, I’ve been blessed and surrounded by many strong female role models and I wanted to be certain that Tink could inspire with a message that women can succeed and excel in what may not be considered a traditional female role.

Kim:  What's next for Jamie Rae? 

Jamie:  I’m currently working on Book 2 in the series titled Operation Keeping the Faith as well as revising my Young Adult Paranormal, Jinx.

Mahalo, Jamie, for promoting positive role models for young women!   I am giving a digital copy of CALL SIGN KARMA to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your "call sign" - what would be your nickname?  Mine would be Hula for my love of Hawaii.  

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, February 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Jamie at jamieraewrites.com.

The War Memorial of Korea

Aloha to Larissa Ione and REVENANT

My fellow Air Force veteran, Larissa Ione, joins us today to celebrate the release of REVENANT ...

Kim:  What is your favroite Star Trek character, episode, movie, or franchise?

Larissa:  THIS is a super hard one, because I have SO many favorites when it comes to Star Trek. I will say that my favorite franchise is the original series, but The Next Generation is a very close second. I’m LOVING the new Star Trek crew, though, and I think the first new Star Trek movie might actually be my favorite of all of them, just barely edging out Star Trek 6: The Undiscovered Country. Gah…I could talk Star Trek for HOURS!

Kim:  Do you watch the weather channel and/or make your own predictions?

Larissa:  I do watch The Weather Channel sometimes, especially if there’s a major weather event happening. And yes, I’m a bit of a weather geek, so I tend to grab surface and pressure charts from NOAA websites and make my own forecasts. I’m actually really good with radar, and I can generally time a weather event like rain or snow almost down the minute (if it’s happening the same day. Any farther out than that, and things get dicey!)

Kim:  What brand of champagne is chilling in your fridge? Do your characters like champagne?

Larissa:  Right now, I’ve got Martini & Rossi Asti Spumante in the fridge. We’ll probably have it on Revenant’s release day. Celebrate everything! J And yes, my characters LOVE champagne. Because yum.

Thank you again for having me! It’s ALWAYS a pleasure. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

REVENANT by Larissa Ione (December 16, 2014; Grand Central Publishing Mass Market; $8.00)

HELL HATH NO FURY . . .
For five thousand years, Revenant believed he was alone in the world, a fallen angel beyond any redemption. Now he finds he has a twin brother who had all the light and love Revenant was denied. Caught in a tug of war between Heaven and Hell, he must weigh his thirst for revenge against his desire for a mysterious female named Blaspheme-a female whose very origins could deliver him into salvation . . . or destruction.

LIKE AN ANGEL SCORNED
Blaspheme has a deadly secret: she's the forbidden offspring of an angel and a fallen angel. Hunted by both heavenly and satanic forces, she has survived only by laying low and trusting no one. When Revenant claims he can save them both, how can she possibly believe him? But the powerful angel is persistence incarnate and for Blaspheme, there's no place she can hide in Heaven or Hell where he won't find her . . .

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A former meteorologist and EMT, Air Force veteran Larissa Ione now gets her daily dose of excitement from vampires, werewolves, demons, and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. She lives in wintery Wisconsin with her U.S. Coast Guard husband, her teenage son, a rescue cat, and her hellhound, a King Shepherd named Hexe.

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Forever is hosting a giveaway at this link ....

... and offers an excerpt below: 

Since the moment Revenant bumped into Blaspheme at the hospital a few weeks ago, he’d been obsessed, and now, as her long legs ate up the asphalt as she walked toward him, he imagined them wrapped around his waist as he pounded into her. The closer she came, the harder his body got.

“Blaspheme.” He stepped out from between two black ambulances, blocking her path.

She jumped, a startled gasp escaping full crimson lips made to propel a male to ecstasy. “Revenant.” Her gaze darted to the hospital doors, and he got the impression she was plotting her escape route. How cute that she thought she could get away from him. “What are you doing lurking in the parking lot?”

Lurking? Well, some might call it that, he supposed. “I was on my way to see you.”

She smiled sweetly. “Well, you’ve seen me. Buh-bye.” Pivoting, her blond ponytail bouncing, she headed in the opposite direction.

“Come home with me.”

“Wow.” She turned and crossed her arms over her chest, which only drew his attention to her rack. Niiice. “You get right to the point.”

He shrugged. “Saves time.”

“Were you planning to wine and dine me at least? You know, before the sex.”

“No. Just sex.” Lots and lots of sex.

He could already imagine her husky voice deepening in the throes of passion.

“Oh,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You’re charming, aren’t you?”

Not once in his five thousand years had anyone ever called him charming. But even uttered with sarcasm, it was the nicest thing anyone had ever said to him.

“Don’t do that,” he growled.

“Do what?” She stared at him like he was a loon.

“Never mind.” Dying to touch her, he held out his hand. “You’ll love my play room.”

She wheeled away like he was offering her the plague instead of his hand. “Go to hell, asshole. I don’t date fallen angels.”

“Good news, then, because it’s not a date.” And he wasn’t a fallen angel.

“Right. Well, I don’t fuck fallen angels either.” She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go away.”

She was rejecting him? No one rejected him. No one.

She started to take off again, and he blinked, confused. This wasn’t right. He had his sights set on her, and she was supposed to surrender. This was something new. Something…titillating.

He moved in slowly, matching her step for step as she backed up.

“What are you doing?” She swallowed as she bumped up against a massive support beam.

“I’m going to show you why you need to come home with me.” He planted both palms on the beam on either side of her head and leaned in until his lips brushed the tender skin of her ear. “You won’t regret it.”

“I already told you. I don’t fuck fallen angels.”

“So you said,” he murmured. “Do you kiss them?”

“Ah…no, I—“

He didn’t give her the chance to finish her sentence. Strawberry gloss coated his lips as he kissed her, and he swore he’d never liked fruit as much as he did right now.

Her hands came up to grip his biceps, tugging him closer as she deepened the kiss. “You’re good,” she whispered against his mouth.

“I know,” he whispered back.