On this day in History ... Aloha to Johanna Lindsey!

Johanna's first book .... 

I wasn't sure what I would write today ... so I scrolled through "March 10" on Wikipedia ... and a birthday caught my eye! On this day in 1952, Johanna Helen Howard was born in Germany during her father's service in the Army.  

Thank you, Johanna, for your father's service!  

After her father's death, Johanna and her mother moved to Hawaii, where she met her husband, Ralph Bruce Lindsey.  

Oh, Hawaii.

I discovered Johanna Lindsey while living in the Netherlands - I devoured the romances I found in the American Thrift Shop in Schinnen and the Army Library Annex in Brunssum.  One of Johanna's books still remains on my keeper shelf - UNTIL FOREVER, published in 1995 by Avon Romance:

From the shadows of the past.

Prim and beautiful professor Roseleen White clutches her new prized possession - a thousand-year-old Scandinavian sword. And suddenly, a dream stands before her: a magnificent Viking warrior sworn to satisfy Roseleen's every desire.

Until forever.

Accursed for untold centuries, mighty Thorn is now enslaved to a woman. Yet it is Roseleen who is the true prisoner, held willing captive by a handsome barbarian who sweeps her back to the ancient past on a journey of sensual discovery. But only by banishing him from her life forever can Roseleen free Thorn from immortality's chains - forcing her to make a devastating choice that will either imperil their future or preserve a love more powerful than time.

Do you have a favorite Johanna Lindsey book?  Or a favorite time travel novel?  Or a favorite Viking romance?  One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash. Comments are open through Sunday, March 12, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Monday, March 13.  

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Below is Johanna's former home in Kaneohe, Oahu.  Check out the article about the house at this link.

Aloha to Chris Keniston, the Aloha series, and LOVE BY DESIGN

After an emotional Friday, let's escape to Hawaii with Chris Keniston, author of the Aloha Series. From her bio,

A native New Yorker, Chris Keniston was on her way to Australia when she fell in love with North Texas. Little did she know the balmy seventy-degree October days would turn into fry-an-egg-on-the-sidewalk heat in August!

Twenty years later, she started scribbling short stories about her favorite TV shows, giving them lives more to her liking—and the elusive happy ending. Not long after, a dear friend dragged her to a local writers’ meeting. After winning multiple writing contests and making the finals in the Romance Writers of America’s prestigious Golden Heart contest, she now spends her days, and nights, writing contemporary romantic fiction with lots of emotion, plenty of surprises, and, of course, the happily ever after.

Chris lives in suburban Dallas with her husband, two human children, two canine children, and one grandkitty. Though she loves her four-legged family equally, she admits being especially attached to her German Shepherd rescue named Gunny. After all, even dogs deserve a happily ever after.

chriskeniston.com

Facebook link

twitter.com/CKenistonAuthor

Place of Refuge on the Big Island of Hawaii (link)

Chris joins me to talk story (chit chat) ...

Kim:  I am now curious ... why were you on your way to Australia?

Chris:  A cousin of mine had moved there after marrying a wonderful woman he'd met while backpacking through Europe. At the time, Australia held plenty of career opportunities. So, before leaving the US, I loaded my car and began a drive cross-country to see all the places I'd ever wanted to see. I visited the Amish country, the Blue Ridge Mountains, the land of Elvis Presley, the Smokey Mountains, New Orleans, NASA, and lastly, the stomping grounds of JR Ewing. Dallas. And here I still am!

Kim:  Can you share the TV shows in which you scribbled short stories?

Chris:  Anyone who has read my Aloha series will know that I am quite the JAG fan. One of my favorite scenes to write took place in Aloha Texas when the hero's mother and the heroine's aunt were talking JAG. And boxer shorts. LOL.

Kim:  Tell us about finaling in the Gold Heart contest.

Chris:  The poor woman who called me most likely was asking herself how anyone with a vocabulary of three words – oh my God – could write a whole book. I kept repeating myself until she mentioned I would have to send in a head shot and my mind went straight to – "Oh dear I wonder if it has to be mine?" The next few months were an incredible high of dealing with agents, editors and chatting with famous authors like Robin Carr and Jodi Thomas (who I'm still friends with to this day).

Kim:  Let's chat about your Aloha series - what inspired it?

Chris:  Oh that's easy. A good friend and I meet once a year to vacation together. She's an avid scuba diver and I am a lover of land under my feet. Or at least a boat deck. While she was diving, I sat on board and read. Then I looked up for a moment and spotted the captain at the back of the boat doing pushups. Young, strong, and tanned. All I could think was: "There has to be a book in here somewhere." My friend and I spent the next few meals plotting out a story with a former navy diver, and Aloha Texas was born.

Kim:  If you have visited Hawaii, what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?

Chris:  This is hard. There are so many wonderful things too see and experience. I've been fortunate enough to briefly visit Honolulu and Pearl Harbor. Or as much of it as can be seen on a three hour tour. I'm still trying to figure out why the Krispy Kreme donuts taste better in Maui. They were heaven. Every night the light went on for warm donuts and my friend and I gobbled up a dozen a day. I still have the six pounds to prove it. Of course the sunrise from the top of Haliakela is amazing, and the drive down with daylight may very well be the most frightening thing I've ever done. But my favorite place is Kona. To me that felt like Hawaii. The view from the southern most point of the United States was stunning. I live to return and hear the sound of the ocean at night. But I'm sorry, the smell of those warm baked donuts are going to trump all those gorgeous flowers in bloom all over the islands.

Kim:  FYI, Maui is home to the only Krispy Kreme donut shop in Hawaii.  Boxes are often flown to Oahu at o-dark-hundred and gobbled up by noon at local grocery stores, including the Pearl Harbor Commissary.  What's next for Chris Keniston?

Chris:  There are still quite a few stories to tell from our crew at the Big Island Dive shop. I'll have a short story in the Aloha Series, Love Walks In, as part of a Christmas season boxed set. Though the thing that excites me most about this particular story is that all the proceeds from the boxed set will be going to the Autism Society of America. Between Aloha books, I'm hoping to bring a new family of brothers to my readers.

Place of Refuge (link)

Mahalo, Chris, for sharing Hawaii with your readers!  Chris is celebrating the release of LOVE BY DESIGN, Book 5 in the Aloha series:

Secret billionaire, new boyfriend, new boss. Same guy?

The smartest things architect Ava Everrett had done in a long time was to tell off her chauvinist employer and to unload her freeloading ex. Now, back home in Kona with friends and family, her life is falling into place: a coveted dream project, a fun office renovation, and a sexy new guy. What could possibly go wrong?

Convinced women only want him for his money, billionaire international developer John Maplewood doesn't believe in love. While visiting his sister in Kona, he embraces the chance to be just a regular guy in a world where friends, family, and falling in love matter. His only problem? Keeping the girl once she learns who he really is.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

iBooks
Google

Watch out in Kona!

I am giving away Aloha swag to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you like Krispy Kreme donuts?   When we took the Boy Scouts to Maui for fall break, we stopped by the Maui Krispy Kreme shop ... it is conveniently located next to the airport!  Check out my pictures at this link.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 19, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 20.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Shana Galen and THE ROGUE YOU KNOW

Bad Boy Inspiration by Shana Galen

When we think about Regency England, we tend to think of the balls, the carriages, the gowns. We forget that for every duke or marquess, there were hundreds of thieves and pickpockets living in the slums of the city. Covent Garden was an area of London with plenty of rookeries, and the thieves who lived there often banded together because there’s protection in numbers. My fictional gang called the Covent Garden Cubs is made up of the leader Satin, his second-in-command Beezle, and an assortment of pickpockets and house-breakers with names like Gap, Racer, and Stub. The gang also has one girl, Marlowe, and I wrote about her in Earls Just Want to Have Fun. Her best friend in the gang in Gideon, and he’s the hero in The Rogue You Know. Gideon is the ultimate bad boy who can cheat, lie, and steal with the best of them. He was orphaned at a young age and had no choice but to steal to survive. Now Gideon wants a different life for himself, and if he can just complete one last job, he’ll have it…or die trying.

When writing about my bad boy hero, I had plenty of inspiration.

1) Flynn Rider from Tangled

Yes, I know Flynn is animated, but he is the main inspiration for Gideon. Like the Disney bad boy, Gideon is charming, funny, and self-deprecating. Flynn makes no apologies for his lifestyle, and while he may try to hide his sensitive side, his love for Rapunzel brings it out.

2) George Gordon Byron, Baron Byron

Byron was a poet, nobleman, and ultimate bad boy. Described as “mad, bad, and dangerous to know,” Byron titillated the Regency world. He generated enormous debts, had numerous affairs and liaisons, and ultimately died young and tragically abroad. A bad boy with the heart of a romantic is always an inspiration.

3) Danny in Grease

We’ve all seen Grease so many times we forget that Travolta’s character was really a bad boy. He’s dangerous for Sandy’s reputation and just plain dangerous, period. But like any bad boy we love, love wins Danny over and he’s willing to change to be with the woman who means everything.

4) Patrick in 10 Things I Hate About You

I love a bad boy who sets out to corrupt the good girl and then is corrupted by her instead. Heath Ledger is fabulous as the new kid in school who agrees to date the heroine…for a fee. “How do I loathe thee? Let me count the ways.” The banter between Patrick and Kat makes this bad boy movie memorable.

5) Nick Gentry in Worth Any Price by Lisa Kleypas

While Gideon may be on the wrong side of the law and Nick Gentry a Bow Street Runner, Nick definitely serves as an inspiration. He’s a man with a dark past and much to hide, but Charlotte is able to peel away the layers one by one. Her love for him, and his for her, redeems this bad boy and makes us love him all the more.

I enjoyed taking inspiration from each of these bad boys and creating the character of Gideon. He may be a thief and a rogue, but he is also capable of deep love. And that’s what my books are about—characters for whom love changes everything.

Who are your favorite redeemed rogues?

She's beyond his reach...
Gideon Harrow has spent his life in London's dark underworld-and he wants out. A thief and a con, he plans one last heist to finally win his freedom. But when everything goes wrong, he finds himself at the tender mercies of one of Society's most untouchable women-Lady Susanna Derring.

...and out of her depth.
Susanna has spent her life in London's glittering ton, under the thumb of a domineering mother-and she wants out. When a wickedly charming rogue lands at her feet, she jumps at the chance to experience life before it's too late. But as she descends into London's underworld, she finds that nothing- not even Gideon-is as it seems. As excitement turns to danger, Susanna must decide what price she's willing to pay...for the love of a reformed thief.

Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iBooks
IndieBound

Shana Galen is the bestselling author of passionate Regency romps, including the RT Reviewers' Choice The Making of a Gentleman. Kirkus says of her books, "The road to happily-ever-after is intense, conflicted, suspenseful and fun," and RT Book Reviews calls her books "lighthearted yet poignant, humorous yet touching." She taught English at the middle and high school level off and on for eleven years. Most of those years were spent working in Houston's inner city. Now she writes full time. She's happily married and has a daughter who is most definitely a romance heroine in the making. Shana loves to hear from readers, so send her an email or see what she's up to daily on Facebook and Twitter. 

shanagalen.com
facebook.com/ShanaGalen
twitter.com/shanagalen
Goodreads link

Sourcebooks is giving away 10 copies of  Shana Galen’s Covent Garden Cubs series starter EARLS JUST WANT TO HAVE FUN at this link.

To answer Shana's question, I have an affinity for Lord 

Byron - my father enjoyed his poetry and named my brother after him.   Lord Byron's daughter is Ada Lovelace.  From Wikipedia (link),

Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace (née Byron; 10 December 1815 – 27 November 1852) was an English mathematician and writer, chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine. Her notes on the engine include what is recognised as the first algorithmintended to be carried out by a machine. Because of this, she is often regarded as the first computer programmer.

I studied Ada, a DOD computer program named for the Countess, during my initial training in the Air Force. Finally, Bryon's cousin and heir, Captain George Anson, visited the Big Island of Hawaii after inheriting the title of Baron Byron.

Celebrating our 5th anniversary at SOS Aloha!

This week is the 5th anniversary of SOS Aloha!   I created SOS Aloha in March 2010 as a means to stay connected to Romanceland after moving to Hawaii.  I've tried different things along the way (author interviews, blog tours, and book reviews), giving me the opportunity to find my own voice.

I thank Mary, the Reading Reviewer (link), for encouraging to create this blog.   I also appreciate Terri, Bodice Ripper Novels (link), for teaching me how to format links and add pictures. Finally, I thank my followers for making SOS Aloha a fun place to visit!

Treasures in the sand 

To celebrate our fifth anniversary, I share five fun facts about me ....

1.  I hail from Safety Harbor, Florida (link).   Contemporary romance author Shirley Jump lives nearby (link), often posting pictures of the Tampa Bay area on Facebook.

2  I attended the University of Tampa (link).  Paranormal author Maggie Mae Gallagher (link) is also an UT alum.

3. I was a math major ... and so was Romantic suspense author Julie Anne Walker (link).  

4.  My first assignment was Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts (link).  Mia Marlowe also lived in the Boston area (link).  

5.  I traded my active duty dog tags for a military spouse ID card ... just like many members of the RomVets, veterans who write romance (link).

Lucky guards the books

I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment with a fun fact about you.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 14, 10 pm in Baltimore.  

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 15.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Check out my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, at this link although I have posted any recent travels.  Still, you can trade real snow for virtual sand in Hawaii.  

Sunset Beach

Special Sourcebooks Giveaway - D.E. Stevenson's THE TWO MRS. ABBOTTS (Miss Buncle Series)

Let's get the weekend party started with Seven Degrees of Separation:

1.  On this day in 1912, the Scout Association received a Royal Charter to incorporate throughout the British Commonwealth.

2.  My son, an Eagle Scout, is hiking Sugarloaf Mountain today to train for a high adventure camp this summer at Philmont Scout Camp in New Mexico (link).

Sugarloaf Mountain
Release to Public Domain (link)

3.  Sugarloaf Mountain, in Frederick County, is listed on the National Natural Landmarks (link).  The summit of Sugarloaf Mountain served as an observation point for the Union Army during the Civil War.

4.  The National Natural Landmarks encompasses all fifty states, including seven sites in Hawaii.   Yes, all things come back to Hawaii.

Stevenson at a Royal Luau
Public Domain (link)

5.  In 1889, Hawaii welcomed Scotland's own Robert Lewis Stevenson.   He hobnobbed with the Royal Family, including Princess Victoria Kaʻiulani Kalaninuiahilapalapa Kawekiu i Lunalilo Cleghorn (her father was Scottish).  Yes, all things come back to Scotland.

6.  Robert Lewis Stevenson's cousin, David Alan Stevenson, was a lighthouse engineer.  Hawaii boasts a handful of historic lighthouses.

Diamond Head Lighthouse 

7.  David Alan Stevenson was the father of Dorothy Emily Peploe.  Under her penname D.E. Stevenson, she wrote more than 40 lighthearted romantic novels.    

On January 7, Sourcebooks Landmark will release a reprint edition of THE TWO MRS. ABBOTTS, Book 3 in the Miss Buncle Series (link):

Nothing Goes Unnoticed in the Small Town of Wandlebury!

Much as changed in Wandlebury since Barbara Buncle (now Barbara Abbott) first moved to the charming English village. But as the mistress of her own home with two small children to look after, Barbara finds that she has distressingly little time to keep up with the goings-on of her friends and neighbors.

Luckily, Barbara's niece, Jerry Abbott, is more than willing to keep tabs on the news in Wandlebury. And with juicy tidbits of gossip about everything from inconvenient romantic entanglements to German spies hiding in the woods, there is plenty to keep the two Mrs. Abbotts busy in this humorous account of life in World War II England.

D.E. Stevenson delivers another well-crafted gem with The Two Mrs. Abbotts, the third and final book of the beloved Miss Buncle series.

WWII pillbox on Oahu's North Shore

Sourcebooks Landmark is giving away a print copy of THE TWO MRS. ABBOTTS to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Check out the list of National Natural Landmarks in each US state (at this link).   Have you visited any in your state?  Do you have a favorite?   For Canadian readers, feel free to share your favorite national landmark from the Great White North.

2.  Sourcebooks' giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Thursday, January 9, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll contact the winner directly and post the winner's name on Sunday, January 12.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Susana Ellis and A TWELFTH NIGHT TALE

Time to play Six Degrees of Separation with historical author Susana Ellis in honor of her holiday release, A TWELFTH NIGHT TALE:

1.  Susana's sister lived near me on Hickam AFB.  In fact, our sons attended the same scout troop.  My family also walked their dog, Trusty, during their extended trip off island.

2.  I've shared my adventures around the island of Oahu with my friends (and authors) NL Gassert (link) and D. Renee Bagby (link).

Renee, NL, and Ivy at Ka'ena Point.

3.  D. Renee Bagby featured Susana on her "D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters" (link).

4.  Susana is a a member of the Maumee Valley Romance Writers of America - MVRWA (link).  

5.  The MVRWA also includes Rue Allen, a member of the RomVets (link), "military women who have turned the sword to pen".     

6.  I am also a member of the RomVets - I traded my military keyboard for a blogger's forum to promote romance authors like Susana Ellis!

RomVets at RWA/2012

A TWELFTH NIGHT NIGHT TALE is available November 21:

A wounded soldier and the girl next door find peace and love 

amidst a backdrop of rural Christmas traditions. 

Without dowries and the opportunity to meet eligible gentlemen, the five Barlow sisters stand little chance of making advantageous marriages. But when the eldest attracts the attention of a wealthy viscount, suddenly it seems as though Fate is smiling upon them.

Lucy knows that she owes it to her younger sisters to encourage Lord Bexley's attentions, since marriage to a peer will secure their futures as well as hers. The man of her dreams has always looked like Andrew Livingston, her best friend's brother. But he's always treated her like a child, and, in any case, is betrothed to another. Perhaps the time has come to put away childhood dreams and accept reality…and Lord Bexley.

Andrew has returned from the Peninsula with more emotional scars to deal with than just the lame arm. Surprisingly, it's his sister's friend “Little Lucy” who shows him the way out of his melancholy. He can't help noticing that Lucy's grown up into a lovely young woman, but with an eligible viscount courting her, he'll need a little Christmas magic to win her for himself. 

Susana is offering a special grand prize on her website at susanaellis.com.   Meanwhile, I am giving away my own "Christmas Magic".  Since all roads lead to Hawaii, I am offering up my last Hawaiian ornament.  To enter the giveaway,

1.   Leave a comment about "Lucy" - do you know anyone with that name?  I don't ... but I LOVED LUCY!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 23, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 24.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

In the Pink with Avon Romance - Lyons, Witches, and Curses, Oh My!

Follow the cobblestone road to Glenfinnan where Cathy Maxwell's THE SCOTTISH WITCH unfolds with a witch's curse, a desperate brother, a curious lover, and a surprise ally:

When a Chattan male falls in love, strike his heart with fire from above . . .

Portia Maclean believes she is beyond love and marriage. Then one moonlit night, while attempting a daring masquerade in a desperate bid to protect her family, she finds herself swept off her feet by a powerful stranger. But what will he do once he discovers she has betrayed him?

Harry Chattan is fighting for his family. For two hundred years the Chattan men have been destroyed by love . . . and now he's come to Scotland on the hunt for a witch to break the curse. Instead he finds himself bewitched by Portia. Harry has vowed to fight the demons that torture him.

But will that battle destroy her as well?

We first met Harry, an alcoholic womanizer, in LYON'S BRIDE.   He was inspired by his brother's belief that love was worth the risk to find the Scottish witch to reverse the curse.    The story takes place in the Regency Era - a relatively modern time in Scottish history.  Yet superstition still influenced every day life, particularly in the small villages such as Glenfinnan.    Consider this folklore from Alistair Briggs (at this link),

It is bad luck to:

- See a pig on the way to your wedding.
- Take pigs on fishing boats.
- Cross two knifes on a table.

It is good luck to:

- Have a rowan tree outside your house to keep witches away.- Touch iron if you see or even hear evil.
- Wear a sprig of white heather.

Glenfinnan

Hawaii has its own superstitions - most center around the Volcano Goddess, Pele:

- do not take home any pieces of lava; you are taking a part of Pele away from her beloved Hawaii.  It is illegal do so from the perspective that lava is a limited resource and it may contain bugs that could contaminate your area.

- do not carry pork over the Pali Highway.   The Pali divides Oahu into windward, where Pele visits, and leeward, where she banished her spurned lover, a man-pig.   Hence, bringing pork from the leeward to windward violates her edict.

Even H50 opens each season with a blessing
cbs.com

For good luck, always start with a Hawaiian blessing.   The US Navy learned the hard way.  From Hawaii History (at this link),

In 1909, work to build a drydock began over caves Hawaiians believed were home to a shark goddess. The drydock was nearly finished when it collapsed. Workmen clearing debris found the skeleton of a large shark in the foundation, after which Hawaiians advised that a kahuna priest cleanse the area with prayers and ritual offerings. After this was done, there were no further problems with the project. 

When it comes to dealing with Madame Pele, the Hawaiians turn to their ali'i (chiefs).   From Hawaii Alive (at this link),

When Madame Pele threatened the town of Hilo with a voracious lava flow in 1881, the people asked Ke‘elikōlani to intercede [she was the granddaugher of King Kamehameha I].  Ke‘elikōlani offered traditional oli (chants) and ho‘okupu (tribute) to Pele and later reportedly camped at the foot of the flow. The flow stopped just short of town.

Madame Pele devours all in her path.

There is something about Hawaii, and Scotland, that makes it easy to believe the supersitions ... and curses!   Cathy Maxwell will have you believing, too, with THE SCOTTISH WITCH!   I posted my review on SOS Aloha (link), Amazon (link), and Goodreads (link).   I am giving away a special Lyons, Witches, and Curses gift pack:

- print copy of LYON'S BRIDE

- print copy of THE SCOTTISH WITCH

- tote bag from Cathy Maxwell

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about superstitions from your part of the world.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 3, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 4.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Cathy and her books, check out her website at cathymaxwell.com.

To increase your chance of winning, check out these blogs who are also featuring Cathy and giving away THE SCOTTISH WITCH:

- Ramblings From This Chick at this link.

- Romantic Crush Junkies at this link.

- The Reading Reviewer at this link.

- The Romance Dish at this link.