Aloha to Weekly Winners, Beach Blanket Bingo, Ella Quinn, and THE SECOND TIME AROUND

We have winners at SOS Aloha - LSU, Mary P., and Di win a book choice from my convention stash.  

We are counting down to the RT Booklovers Convention (link) and Beach Blanket Bingo (link):

Join Annette Funicello (Kim Rocha) & Frankie Avalon (Kim Lowe) for a special edition of Book Cover Bingo. Expect spontaneous singing, dancing, & flirting with lifeguards inspired by the beloved 60s film. Readers will join sun loving authors at their favorite beaches and compete for the book laden gift baskets ... perfect for the sand and surf!

Historical author Ella Quinn will join us for Beach Blanket Bingo ... Ella knows a thing or two about beaches.  From her bio (link):

Ella Quinn lived all over the United States, the Pacific, Canada, England and Europe before finally discovering the Caribbean. She lives in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with her wonderful husband, three bossy cats and a loveable great dane.

Ella loves when friends connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Ella is celebrating the release of THE SECOND TIME AROUND, The Worthingtons 2.5, on February 28:

Can a beautiful Worthington widow find love again? Depends on who’s asking . . .

Before he died, Patience was the Earl of Worthington’s second wife. So why shouldn’t Patience be allowed a second chance at marriage, too? Of course, finding a new husband was not something the mother of four had ever planned on. But a surprise encounter with her first love has suddenly made the impossible seem possible all over again . . .

It seems like a lifetime ago that Richard, Viscount Wolverton, was halfway around the world, looking for adventure . . . while Patience, at her coming-out, was left with no choice but to take old Worthington’s hand. Richard never forgot the woman whose heart he yearned for—and now that he’s back, he’s not going to let her slip away again . . .

 

Ella selected to decorate her table in honor of Maho Beach in St. Maarten where even planes love the sand!  So let's chat about those low flying aircraft ... would you be on the beach taking a photo or holding on for anything that gets caught in the jet blast?  I think I would be sitting at some distance, watching others struggle with the blast.  One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash. Comments are open through Sunday, March 5, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Monday, March 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books in the Worthington series ....

Aloha to Weekly Winners, Army Football, and Ella Quinn

We have winners at SOS Aloha - Artemis and Debby win a book choice from my convention stash.

Army is also a winner over Navy, 21-17, during the 117th football game between the two military academies. Army's win is the first in 15 years ... and probably delighted Army veteran turned romance author Ella Quinn:

Ella Quinn lived all over the United States, the Pacific, Canada, England and Europe before finally discovering the Caribbean. She lives in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with her wonderful husband, three bossy cats and a loveable great dane.

Ella loves when friends connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Ella will be hosting a Caribbean themed table at the Beach Blanket Bingo during the RT Booklovers' Convention in Atlanta (link). No doubt she'll be chatting about the Worthington Family, including WHEN A MARQUIS CHOOSES A BRIDE ... 

Thanks to their large extended family and unconventional courtship, the Worthingtons have seen their share of scandal and excitement. But nothing has prepared them for this...
The Dowager Lady Worthington isn’t quite sure what to make of country-girl Dorothea Stern. As the granddaughter of the Duke of Bristol, Dotty is schooled in the ways and means of the nobility. But her sharp wit and outspoken nature has everyone in a tizzy. Especially their cousin, Dominic, the Marquis of Merton.

Prematurely stuffy, Dom was raised by his cheerless uncle to be wary of a host of things, including innovation, waltzing, and most perilous of all: true love. Still, there’s something about Dotty, beyond her beauty, that Dom cannot resist. But the odds are against him if he intends to win her as his bride. Will he choose loyalty to his family—or risk everything for the one woman he believes is his perfect match…

Have you visited the Caribbean?  My first visit came last year on a weekend cruise to the Bahamas.  One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash. Comments are open through Sunday, December 18, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Monday, December 19.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books in the series ...

Military Appreciation - Winners

We have winners from May is National Military Appreciation Week:

Five winners, for each branch of service, receive a book choice from my convention stash

- Linda M., Karen C., Mary K., Catslady, and LSUReader 

Grand prize winner receives a box of books and swag from the authors who supported the SOS America Military Tribute

- Debby G 

Melissa Cutler's GAME CHANGER
- Jane and Danielle D. wins a copy from Melissa

Jessica James' MEANT TO BE: Video Trailer 

- Cathy P. wins a book choice from my convention stash

Ella Quinn's A KISS FOR LADY MARY

- Barbara E. wins a book choice from my convention stash.

Winners, please claim your prize by sending your mailing address to sos.aloha@yahoo.com.  

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Ella Quinn

Ella Quinn cohosted the international table at the SOS America Military Tribute.  From her bio,

Ella Quinn lived all over the United States, the Pacific, Canada, England and Europe before finally discovering the Caribbean. She lives in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with her wonderful husband, three bossy cats and a loveable great dane.

Ella loves when friends connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Ella is standing in the front row, second from right.

Ella is celebrating the release A KISS FOR LADY MARY, Book 6 in the Marriage Game:  

Handsome, charming, and heir to a powerful Viscount, Christopher “Kit” Featherton is everything a woman could want—except interested in marriage. So when he hears that someone on his estate near the Scottish border is claiming to be his wife, Kit sets off to investigate.

Since her parents’ death, Lady Mary Tolliver has been hounded by her cousin, a fortune-hunting fool after her inheritance. Refusing to settle for anything less than love, Mary escapes to the isolated estate of rakish bachelor, Kit Featherton. Knowing he prefers Court to the country, she believes she will be safe. But when Kit unexpectedly returns, her pretend marriage begins to feel seductively real… 

Edinburgh Castle circa 1753
Public Domain (link)

Ella offers a guest post ....

As an historical author I love taking my readers to different places. In A Kiss for Lady Mary, even though my heroine desperately wanted to go to London for a Season, Circumstances forced her to settle for the capital to the north, in other words, Edinburgh. The reasons for that will become clear if you read the book. Unfortunately, other than one scene in an earlier book, I had never placed a book in Scotland before. And although I knew they had a Season, I knew nothing about it. Suffice it to say that the research ended up being intensive and rather illuminating.

Since I had a number of gentlemen, I found it necessary to research gentlemen’s clubs. Unlike the English clubs such as White’s and Brook’s the Scottish clubs didn’t affiliate themselves with particular political parties. There was a betting book, but the Scots considered it ill-mannered to bet on anything a lady may do (I can’t say I disagree) and downright stupid to bet on raindrops racing down a pane of glass. Scotch not brandy was the drink of choice. Who didn’t see that coming? Still, they were the place gentlemen went to commune, dine, catch up on the latest news, and get away from the ladies.

Ladies, on the other hand, had endless morning calls. They not only began earlier in the day, but, as there was no Promenade à la Hyde Park, they lasted much of the day.

In the evenings, the Scots engaged in the same round of balls, dinners, theater, and other forms of entertainments, but not on the grand scale as their London counterparts. A surprise to me was that public assemblies were quite popular. Assemblies in England were restricted for the most part to Bath, and county towns.

One piece of information I found interesting was that the grounds of Holyrood Palace were used by debtors to escape debtors prison. If the debtor was on the grounds of the old church, they were immune to arrest.

All in all, it sounded like a good time to me without the grand drama of the ton. London or Edinburgh? What do you think?

Holyrood Palace circa 1649

Public Domain (link)

Ella is giving away an ecopy of A KISS FOR LADY MARY to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Answer Ella's question - London or Edinburgh?

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Ella Quinn and MADELEINE'S CHRISTMAS WISH - Guest post and giveaway

 

Season Cheer!

Thank you so much for having me back on SOS Aloha! Christmas is one of my favorite times of year, and I’ve had the good luck of being able to live in and visit countries who take the whole season of Advent very seriously! So, I’m going to tell you about some of them.

Throughout most of Europe Christmas is celebrated on Christmas Eve. It is a large celebration with family and friends that begins with dinner, gift giving and church services at midnight. All over the continent church bells ring out.

The season begins on the first day of Advent, which is right after our Thanksgiving. Christmas markets, large and small spring up. Most of them are hundreds of years old. Paris has one for almost every section of the town! One of the nice parts about Christmas in Europe is that it is not nearly as commercial as in the States. The decorations are pretty much as they have been for hundreds of years, and the customs are as well. One can find freshly roasted chestnuts everywhere.

We lived in Stuttgart where the Christmas market is over 300 years old. What I liked best about it was the variety of items you could buy. There were, naturally, Christmas ornaments, such as this straw one, but you can also find dishes, knit goods, sweets ranging from marzipan figures, pigs are especially prevalent for good luck, ginger bread squares, men, women, and hearts, Christmas breads, and candied nuts are just a sampling. There are food stands serving everything from whole meals to quick snacks.

The variations in the markets are mostly in size and food. Strasbourg calls itself the home of the Christmas market as theirs dates from the 16th century. The main market surrounds Strasbourg’s cathedral, then spills out into the city.

Situated at the base of the large hill upon which the castle sits, Salzburg, Austria’s Christmas market is much smaller, but beautiful. The first time I was there a light snow began, giving it a magical appearance.

The markets all end the day before Christmas Eve so that everyone can be home for the holiday. After that the stores are closed for the next two or three days depending on the country. Christmas doesn’t officially end until January 6th, Three Kings Day.

How do you like to spend Christmas? Have you ever visited a Christmas market? If so, which was your favorite one? 

MADELEINE'S CHRISTMAS WISH

The bachelors in Ella Quinn’s Marriage Game series make a habit of resisting the irresistible. But during the season for giving, surrendering to temptation may be the greatest gift of all…

A French spy, Georges, Marquis Cruzy-le-Châtel, has lived in England for years, sacrificing his life for his country—but not his heart. For he’s never been able to forget his childhood friend, Madeleine. And now, in her hour of need, he is there to rescue her…

The victim of a ruthless statesman, Madeleine, Comtesse du Beaune, has been abducted and sent to England to work in a brothel. Her greatest wish is to return home for Christmas, and her only hope of it is to marry Georges—though she will be his wife in name alone. Yet as they steal across the snowy countryside, Georges decides to woo her—with kisses that melt the winter’s frost and leave her longing for a holiday miracle…

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Ella Quinn lived all over the United States, the Pacific, Canada, England and Europe before finally discovering the Caribbean. She lives on a sailboat St. Thomas, Virgin Islands with her wonderful husband of over thirty years, two bossy cats and a lovable Portuguese Water Dog. Ella loves when friends connect with her.

ellaquinnauthor.com
facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

Mahalo, Ella, for sharing holiday memories with us!  Ella is giving a print copy of the preceding novel in the Marriage Mart series, ENTICING MISS EUGENIE VILLARET:

William, Viscount Wivenly, plans to remain the most eligible of bachelors. He refuses to surrender to the schemes of husband-hunting ladies and matchmaking mamas. Fleeing the pressure of the ton, he’s bent on finding refuge in the West Indies. What he finds instead is a fascinating stranger, a woman so unlike those of his society that he can’t resist such a beguiling distraction…

Determined to let nothing complicate her mission to protect her family’s livelihood while covertly rescuing orphaned slave children, Miss Eugénie Villaret does her best to evade suitors. But when dashing William lures her down a path of forbidden adventure and delicious danger, she may be convinced that business can indeed be mixed with pleasure—and persuaded to add passion to her priorities...

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Christmas Marts/holiday bazaars.   My church is hosting a Fall Festival next week with a craft fair, bake sale, and homemade soups.  I'm leading the Youth Group in hosting the White Elephant sale.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 1, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 2.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Ella Quinn and ENTICING MISS EUGENIE VILLARET

Oh, purple is my new favorite color!  Ella Quinn is celebrating the release of ENTICING MISS EUGENIE VILLARET:

William, Viscount Wivenly, plans to remain the most eligible of bachelors. He refuses to surrender to the schemes of husband-hunting ladies and matchmaking mamas. Fleeing the pressure of the ton, he’s bent on finding refuge in the West Indies. What he finds instead is a fascinating stranger, a woman so unlike those of his society that he can’t resist such a beguiling distraction…

Determined to let nothing complicate her mission to protect her family’s livelihood while covertly rescuing orphaned slave children, Miss Eugénie Villaret does her best to evade suitors. But when dashing William lures her down a path of forbidden adventure and delicious danger, she may be convinced that business can indeed be mixed with pleasure—and persuaded to add passion to her priorities...

How Do You Say Hello

by Ella Quinn

Good day, Kim and thank you for having me back on your blog!

Unlike in Hawaii, we don’t give lei when a visitor arrives in the Virgin Islands. Guests are more likely to receive a shot of our excellent rums. Why am I telling you this? Because my latest release, Enticing Miss Eugénie Villaret is set in St. Thomas, which is currently a United States Territory, but in 1816, the year the book takes place, it was part of the Danish West Indies.

Charlotte Amalie was and still is the main town in St. Thomas. My heroine and her best friend live off the Ninety-nine Steps, one of the many step-streets in St. Thomas.  They were originally constructed from the ballast in ships. The Ninety-nine Steps are located on King’s Hill where many of the wealthy merchants lived. All the houses lining the step-street had one or two gates built into their wall.

One of the interesting things I discovered while researching this book was that the old houses were built with one main floor where the dining room, a large drawing room, office, pantry, the master’s bedroom, and parlor were located. Children lived on the next level lower. There were no inside stairs, therefore, staircases were located at each end of the house on the outside leading to the lower levels and garden. Kitchens could be across a small courtyard from the main house or on a lower level.

Since I mentioned rum, you’ll probably be surprised to know that unlike in England, ladies drank it as well. The most common concoction was a rum shrub, which consisted of fruit juices mixed with rum. You can try some yourself. All you need is some fruit juice and a jigger or two of rum. 

Barnes & Nobel and Amazon bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them.

She is married to her wonderful husband of twenty-nine years. They have a son and granddaughter, Great Dane and a Chartreux. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make St. Thomas, VI home.

Ella is a member of the Romance Writers of American, The Beau Monde and Hearts Through History. She is represented by Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency, and published by Kensington. Her debut novel The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, released in September 2013.

Website: ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter: twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog: ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

Ella is sponsoring a giveaway at this link.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Ella Quinn and DESIRING LADY CARO

First, thank you Kim for having me back on your blog! It’s a thrill to be here.

Desiring Lady Caro is book #4 in my series, The Marriage Game. The story takes place mostly on the road from Venice to Paris. I have a good deal of familiarity with the route, and my research mostly dealt with what things looked like at the time. Having been to Austria through Switzerland, and knowing how difficult a route that was, I decided to take my Caro and Huntley through the Brenner Pass, which was a much easier way to go, and links northern Italy (South Tyrol) with Austria (North Tyrol). However, imagine my excitement when I discovered that in 1777 Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, had a carriage way built, which was a great improvement on the old path. I also discovered many hotels and restaurants had been around for at least a couple of centuries.

So, because I know how much Kim likes to travel, I thought we’d take a short trip through the pass.   Caro and Huntley spent the night in Brennerbad at the Hotel Kerschbaumer before crossing the pas the next morning. The hotel really did exist at the time. They also strolled around the town. The good thing for you is that many of these old towns haven’t changed much over the past couple of centuries. Here are some photos of what they saw. 

When you read the book, you’ll discover that there is a lot of food. In Brennerbad two of the dishes they ate were Gerstensuppe which is a type of barley soup.  

Caro has a weakness for chocolate, something many of us can identify with. There was no hard chocolate in the area, but they did have Baumkuchen (tree cake) which is a cake baked on a spit. The pieces that fall off are covered with chocolate.

The next morning they started across the pass, which was fairly uneventful until . . .

How do you like food in books?

Barnes & Nobel and Amazon bestselling author Ella Quinn’s studies and other jobs have always been on the serious side. Reading historical romances, especially Regencies, were her escape. Eventually her love of historical novels led her to start writing them. 

She is married to her wonderful husband of twenty-nine years. They have a son and granddaughter, Great Dane and a Chartreux. After living in the South Pacific, Central America, North Africa, England and Europe, she and her husband decided to make St. Thomas, VI home.

Ella is a member of the Romance Writers of American, The Beau Monde and Hearts Through History. She is represented by Elizabeth Pomada of Larsen-Pomada Literary Agency, and published by Kensington. Her debut novel The Seduction of Lady Phoebe, released in September 2013

Website: ellaquinnauthor.com
Facebook: facebook.com/EllaQuinnAuthor
Twitter twitter.com/ellaquinnauthor
Blog ellaquinnauthor.wordpresscom

Ella is giving away an ecopy of DESIRING LADY CARO:

Haunted by her past, Lady Caroline Martindale fled England for the solace of her godmother's palazzo in Venice. But if Caro was hoping to escape the charms of marriage-minded men, she's come to the wrong place. And she'll resort to extreme measures to spurn the advances of a dangerously determined Venetian marquis. . .

Though most of his friends have married off, Gervais, Earl of Huntley, remains bent on eluding the parson's mousetrap. But his convictions begin to falter when he arrives in Venice and meets his match in the alluring Lady Caro. What began as a hastily concocted lie to save her from the marquis may become a chance for them both to relinquish their fear--and embrace what they can no longer deny. . .

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment to Ella's question, How do you like food in books?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, April 5, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, April 6.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City