Friendship at RWA

I still have a few more tidbits to share about the RWA Conference in Orlando ....

... during the RITA ceremony, RWA played several video clips about friendship:

- Angie Fox awoke the morning of her departure from RWA 2012 to find the clothes she set out the night before were missing.  It seems her roommate, Jeannie Lin, packed them in error in her rush to return home.  Their third roommate, Shawntelle Madison, suggested Angie fly home in the pink shorts she used as PJs.  As Angie walked through the lobby, Patricia Rice spotted her and questioned her sanity.  After Angie shared what happened, Patricia called Mary Jo Putney, similar in size to Angie, to lend her some clothes ... hence, the sisterhood of the traveling pants!

- Linda Goodnight shared her family's loss when her son was diagnosed with terminal cancer.  During this challenging time, the deadline for the RITA contest passed.  Since she did not enter the contest, Linda offered to be a judge in her own category. However, the RWA staff informed her that she was, in fact, entered. An anonymous author contacted RWA to ask if an exception could be made for Linda to be entered after the deadline. RWA responded that an author in that category would have to withdraw ... and an author did.  An author also purchased five copies of Linda's books to mail to RWA for the contest judging. To this day, Linda does not know who contacted RWA, withdrew her own submission, and mailed the books.

- Julie Leto was shaken by the events on 9/11, wondering if her job as a writer was worthy in comparison to others who were taking up the charge to serve. Then she received an email from a reader (and future author) Diana Peterfreund who shared her experience on 9/11. Trapped on an airplane circling NYC on that fateful morning, Diana read and reread Julie's book she brought for the flight, bringing her comfort in the chaos. Julie and Diana became friends ... and Julie became Diana's mentor as she embarked on her own path to publishing.

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

1. Have you had to borrow clothes from a friend ... or stranger? Have you nominated a friend for an award? Have you read a book that helped you through a crisis?

In the Netherlands, I nominated my friend Sandy for her countless hours in volunteering at the Thrift Shop at the Army Base in Schinnen.  She won "Civilian Volunteer of the Year"!

The Thrift Shop is where I discovered romance ...

2. Comments are open through Thursday, August 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Friday, September 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Angie Fox and IMMORTALLY EVER AFTER

Over the weekend, my family dined with friends from my "lieutenant days" who live in the local area.  The host family previously lived in Korea, so we shared stories from our recent travels, including the "juicy girl protest" outside Osan Air Base (link).   My mother pointed out, "It sounds like an episode of MASH."  Indeed, visiting Korea gave me a greater appreciation for the humor behind the popular 70s series, MASH, featuring the dedicated (but outrageous) staff of the 4077th Mobile Surgical Army Hospital.    

Angie Fox pays homage to MASH with her paranormal series, Monster MASH - she offers the same humor, drama, and romance.   Angie is celebrating the recent release of the third book in the series, IMMORTALLY EVER AFTER:

The hard-won cease-fire between the battling immortals doesn’t last long. In the blink of an eye, human surgeon Dr. Petra Robichaud is back on the frontlines, and starring in yet another of the oracle’s prophesies. As the only healer who can talk to the dead, Petra doesn’t have much choice about her role—even when her breathtaking ex-lover shows up at exactly the wrong time…

Petra may have moved on when Commander Galen left her, but she never forgot him—and the passionate moments they shared. Seeing him again is a distraction she really doesn’t need with both armies honing new weapons, and wounded all over her M*A*S*H unit. But how can she resist him? It’s now or never for the demi-god Galen to become Petra’s mate…but with the fate of humanity at stake, will their desire be worth the cost?

I am currently reading IMMORTALLY EVER AFTER .... and loving it!   Mary Gramlich, the Reading Reviewer, posted her review at this link.   I am giving away a print copy of IMMORTALLY EVER AFTER to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.   Do you have a favorite character (or episode) from the TV series, MASH?  My favorite episode focused on the MASH having to relocate behind the "front line".  As the convoy is driving along the bombed out road, Colonel Potter spots a house to set up camp.   The women in the house (probably juicy girls) trade it for Klinger's dress collection hanging on a rolling rack (as part of the convoy).   

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 14, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 15.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Angie and her books, check out her website at angiefox.com.

Aloha to Angie Fox and MY BIG FAT DEMON SLAYER WEDDING

My family watches PAWN STARS on Thursday night.   The cast members - Rick, Big Hoss, and Chumly - are Harley riders. In fact, one of the episodes followed them to Sturgis, South Dakota - the mecca of biker gatherings.  I chuckled to myself every time I see the cast ride ... as I have a college buddy (and sorority sister) who is just as bad ass as a Harley enthusiast!

Perhaps Angie Fox is now a Harley enthusiast ... from her bio:

Angie Fox is the New York Times bestselling author of several books about vampires, werewolves and things that go bump in the night.

She claims that researching her stories can be just as much fun as writing them. In the name of fact-finding, Angie has ridden with Harley biker gangs, explored the tunnels underneath Hoover Dam and found an interesting recipe for Mamma Coalpot’s Southern Skunk Surprise (she’s still trying to get her courage up to try it).

Angie earned a Journalism degree from the University of Missouri. She worked in television news and then in advertising before beginning her career as an author. Angie enjoys making up fun quizzes and thinks you should take one right now.

Angie joins me for a cozy chat ...

Kim:  You hail from Missouri - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Show Me State?

Angie:  Sight: Cardinal baseball; sound: riverboats; smell: Italian food on The Hill.

Image provided by Angie Fox

Kim:  I commend your efforts in the name of research - can you share a tidbit from your ride with the Harley biker gang? 

Angie:  Well, I learned right away that you should not wear a pink t-shirt to a biker rally. At least I stood out! I also learned that dogs love to ride on motorcycles. In the first Accidental Demon Slayer book, the heroine has a dog and she also needs to ride off with her grandma's gang of biker witches. Seeing how real dogs can and do ride Harleys (they even have little motorcycle glasses called "doggles") helped me make my books more real. Oh, and shameless plug here, the first book in the series is free right now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Nook and Apple iBooks. Look it up. It's called The Accidental Demon Slayer.

Image provided by Angie Fox

Kim:  What have you learned from journalism, television, and advertising that you an apply to romance writing?

Angie:  I’m all about creative marketing. It’s fun and my brain just thinks that way. Like for the Accidental Demon Slayer series, I developed the What’s Your Biker Witch Name quiz? It went viral, which has been a blast. You haven’t lived until you get emails from physicists in China telling you that their biker witch names are things like Wino Wally No Brakes and Two Date Tessa Hard Rider. And now for a shameless plug: you can get your biker witch name at: www.angiefox.com

Kim:  Tell us about MY BIG FAT DEMON SLAYER WEDDING - what inspired it?

Angie:  The whole idea just cracked me up. I mean here you have this badass demon slayer who hasn't quite gotten around to telling her overbearing mother what she does for a living (heck, her mom doesn't even know magic exists). So Lizzie the demon slayer is trying to think of ways to break the news to her mom, while managing the biker witches and her in-laws, who have all descended on this eccentric seaside mansion the week before the big event. She can't seem to get any alone time with her studly shapeshifting griffin fiance, and as a result, keeps getting caught mid-grope - thus horrifying her uptight mother almost as much as a demon popping out of the wedding cake - which it just might if she can't get a handle on the Earl of Hell. I had an absolute ball with this book.

Kim:  What's next for Angie Fox?

Angie:  My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding was so much fun to write, and it's done so well with readers, that I'm writing the next demon slayer book right now. It will release in early 2014. I'm also going to be releasing a holiday short story, The Ninth Dark Lord A Leaping, that is set in the demon slayer world.

Thanks for having me! I'd like to give away a signed copy of My Big Fat Demon Slayer Wedding.

Mahalo, Angie, for being my guest!  I posted my review of MY BIG FAT DEMON SLAYER WEDDING on Amazon (link) and Goodreads (link).   To enter Angie's giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about a wedding (other than your own) that was fun to attend.   

Last summer, we attended a family wedding in Ohio - we are related to the bride.   My side of the family is loud and proud.   But we had the most fun meeting a member of the groom's family - his uncle lived in Honolulu.  How cool is that?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 31, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City