May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Elle J. Rossi

Breaking News! I am now posting pictures from the RT Booklovers' Convention on my travel blog, Aloha On My Mind, at this link. 

Elle J. Rossi joined her sister, Beth Ciotta, in singing the National Anthem at the SOS America Military Tribute.  These sisters were inspiring.  From Elle's bio,

Elle J Rossi is a writer of Dark Paranormal and Fantasy Romance. Overly fond of the happily ever after, Elle lets her characters take control as they lead her down dark and twisted paths on their haunting journey toward love.

When not writing, you'll more than likely catch her hanging with her husband, two kids and a cat who truly does rule the roost, or stealing the mic from her friends as the duel over country karaoke.

Elle is celebrating the recent release of JADED, Book 3 in the Starstuck series:  

Welcome to STARSTRUCK, a showplace for talent, a playground for love. The hot nights amp up with Rossi’s novella JADED, part of a new contemporary continuity series by Beth Ciotta, Cynthia Valero, and Elle J Rossi. Three authors. One world. 

MARRY ME, BROOKLYN.
Four years ago Brooklyn ran from that plea and straight toward what she dreamed would be a better future. An aspiring fashion designer destined for more than the boredom of small town life and the strain of a whiskey-saturated family, she launched herself toward the runways of New York.

I CAN’T.
Emmett couldn’t compete with the glitz of the big city, let alone erase Brookyn's emotional scars. When she turned down his proposal and left him behind, he poured what was left of his heart into his music. He got through with three rules: Play the guitar. Play the field. Forget about Brooklyn.

Now Brooklyn is back and the past and present collide inside Starstruck when Brooklyn fills in as lead singer for Emmett’s band. Night after night of thumping bass and passionately sung lyrics reminds them of every delicious memory they ever shared. But a sizzling attraction can only go so far when emotions are raw and trust is fragile. Emmett still wants forever. Brooklyn is only good at temporary.

Can two hearts find a way to truly connect off the stage, or will they stay forever jaded?

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. Leave a comment about karaoke - have you tried it?  I cannot carry a tune in a bucket so I have not.  But it's fun to sing along in the audience!

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

Learn more about Elle and her books at ellejrossi.com.

How about karaoke in Hawaii?

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Cat Johnson

Cat Johnson will be dressed for Texas as the consummate author of Cowboys and SEALs.   She is hosting a table named "Cowboy and SEALs" for the SOS America Military Tribute during the RT Booklovers' Convention.  Tickets are still available at this link.   From Cat's bio,

It all started in first grade when Cat Johnson won the essay contest at Hawthorne Elementary School and got to ride in the Chief of Police's car in the Memorial Day Parade...and the rest, as they say, is history. As an adult, Cat generally tries to stay out of police cars and is thrilled to be writing for a living. She has been published under a different name in the Young Adult genre, but released her first romance in 2006. 

Today, she is a NY Times & USA Today best-selling, award-winning author of contemporary romance and contracted with Kensington and Samhain Publishing. She's also sponsored real live bull riding cowboys.

Cat (left) with me at RT/Chicago in 2012.

Cat recently kicked off a new series, Midnight Cowboys, with MIDNIGHT RIDE:

One bucking bronco…

Oklahoma ranch hand Tyler Jenkins is too young, too sexy, and too damn wild to be tied down by any single woman—for more than a few steamy hours…

One hard-working widow…

Widowed rancher Janie Smithwick is too busy paying off her debts to play rodeo with a reckless young cowboy like Tyler—no matter how hot he gets her…

One midnight ride they’ll never forget…

As a rule, Janie should be dating a man her own age, like her handsome neighbor Rohn—not the twenty-four-year old ranch hand he employs. But once Tyler gets Janie alone—held tight in his arms, pressed against his hard muscled body, burning with desire—the widow realizes that some rules, like broncos, are meant to be broken…

Can you guess which are Cat's boots?

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. Do you have cowboy boots?  I don't but my husband does from his barbershop quartet, the Tone Rangers.

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

Cat also loves SEALs ...

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Sabrina Jeffries

Sabrina Jeffries is hosting the  "U-Tapao" table for the SOS America Military Tribute at the Booklovers Convention.   Tickets are still available at this link.   Sabrina's table is named for the Thai Air Base where her missionary family interacted with American serviceman deployed to support Operation Cobra Gold.  From Sabrina's bio,

Raised amidst the rubber plantations in Thailand by missionary parents, Sabrina Jeffries has earned numerous placements on the New York Times and USA Today lists with Regency historicals that readers savor for her trademark sexy blend of witty dialogue and enterprising characters. It’s no accident she has been dubbed “The Queen of the Sexy Regency Romance.”

About that plantation business—living in the boonies of Thailand afforded Sabrina endless hours to read Jane Austen novels and other classics voraciously. Not surprisingly, back in the States, she went on to earn a doctorate in English literature from Tulane University—and a craving for Cajun food.

While Sabrina treks through remote locales in the name of research and rubs elbows in the big cities with other industry professionals, she says her favorite destination is home. She lives in Cary, North Carolina, with her two best guys—husband, Rene, and adult son, Nick, who has inspired her to actively champion the cause of autistic children.

B52 on approach to U-Tapao in October 1972

Public Domain (link)

Sabrina is looking forward to her new series, Sinful Suitors, and Book 1, THE ART OF SINNING, available July 21, from Pocket Books:

American artist Jeremy Keane refuses to return home and take over his father’s business. He’d much rather sample bevvies of beauties abroad, in search of a model for the provocative masterpiece he’s driven to paint. When he meets Lady Yvette Barlow at a London wedding, he realizes she’s perfect for his work—and determines to capture the young heiress’s defiant spirit and breathtaking sensuality on canvas.

No stranger to scandal, Yvette agrees to be Keane’s subject—in exchange for his help gaining entry to the city’s brothels he knows intimately, so she can track a missing woman and solve a family mystery. But when their practical partnership leads to lessons in the art of sinning, can they find a bold and lasting love?

Mahalo, Sabrina, for supporting military personnel in Thailand back then .. and saluting military families now!   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.  I'm not surprised Sabrina enjoys Cajun food, considering she grew up in Thailand - both cuisines are spicy.  Do you like spicy food?  I enjoy Shrimp Étouffée and Pad Thai.

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

Learn more about Sabrina and her books at sabrinajeffries.com.

May is National Military Appreciation Month - Aloha to Chanel Cleeton

I have several things in common with Chanel Cleeton ...

Originally a Florida girl, CHANEL CLEETON moved to London where she received a bachelor’s degree from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Chanel fell in love with London and planned to stay there forever, until fate intervened on a Caribbean cruise and a fighter pilot with smooth dance moves swept her off her feet. Now, a happily ever after later, Chanel is living her next adventure.

Law school made Chanel realize she’d rather spend her days writing sexy stories than in a courtroom, and she hasn’t looked back since. An avid reader and hopeless romantic, she’s happiest curled up with a book. She has a weakness for handbags, her three pups, and her husband.

Chanel writes contemporary romances and women's fiction. She is published by Harlequin HQN, Penguin/InterMix, and Penguin/Berkley and is the author of the International School, Capital Confessions, and Wild Aces series.

Air Force Memorial overlooking Washington, DC

I also hail from Florida and fell in love with a military officer who sang me off my feet (he's a barbershopper).   I look forward to meeting Chanel next week, where we'll celebrate the upcoming release of  FLIRTING WITH SCANDAL, Book One from her Capital Confessions series, available May 19:

Jackie Gardner knows all about dirty little secrets. The illegitimate daughter of one of the most influential senators in Washington, D.C., she grew up surrounded by the scandals and shadows of politics. Now that she's landed an internship with a powerful political consulting firm, she's determined to launch her career and take this city by storm.

William Andrew Clayton was born for politics. He knows the drill: work hard, play discreetly, and at all costs, avoid scandal. At twenty-six, his campaign for the Virginia State Senate is the first step to cementing his future. It's time for him to settle down, to find the perfect political spouse. He needs a Jackie Kennedy, not a Marilyn...

When Jackie meets Will in the bar of the Hay-Adams Hotel, sparks fly. But the last thing Will needs is to be caught in a compromising position, and an affair with a political candidate could cost Jackie her career. When what began as one steamy night, becomes a passion neither one of them can walk way from, they must decide if what they have is really love, or just another dirty little secret...

Chanel is also supporting the SOS America Military Tribute - free tickets are still available for readers in the Dallas area at this link (need not be registered for the convention to attend).

Learn more about Chanel and her books at chanelcleeton.com.

Coming in July 2014

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 visited the Caribbean, enjoyed a cruise, or danced with a pilot?  I'm going on a Caribbean cruise in October with college friends.   And I have danced with a pilot :)

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

Wednesday's Warriors - Susan Stoker and SEAL of Protection

Susan Stoker is one of the participating authors for the SOS America Military Tribute at the RT Booklovers Convention in Dallas (link).   She joins us for a cozy chat to celebrate the release of PROTECTING SUMMER, Book 3 in her SEAL of Protection series.  From her bio,

Susan Stoker has a heart as big as the state of Texas where she lives but this all American girl has also spent the last fourteen years living in Missouri, California, Colorado, and Indiana. She is quite the romantic and even met the love of her life on "Hotmail classified" before online dating and sites like match.com even existed!

Susan loves writing but her true passion is adopting dogs from rescue groups and shelters. Susan and her husband have had a total of nine "rescued" dogs since 2000 including a variety of basset hounds and bloodhounds. She has recently branched out and adopted a basset/terrier mix who acts more like a terrier than a basset (i.e. digging, eating a couch and being hyper).


Kim:  We love travel here at SOS Aloha! Can you share a favorite sight, sound, and smell from Missouri - California - Colorado - Indiana?

Susan:  When we lived in Missouri, my husband was a Drill Sergeant, so the sight of the "cattle car" slowly making its way onto post always made me laugh, because I knew the Privates inside had NO idea what was going to be unleashed on them by the Drill Sergeants as soon as they crossed onto the base. 

When we were in California, we were stationed at Ft Irwin in the Mojave Desert. One of the favorite things we did was a hike to the top of the "mountain" on the post. You could literally see for miles and miles in the desert around us. It was absolutely beautiful. 

Colorado was an interesting post for me, because Mr. Stoker was stationed in Korea while I lived in CO. Living in Colorado Springs was, of course, beautiful, but the best memories I had of there was getting to travel to South Korea both Christmas Breaks. It's such a different culture...and it was great to see him after six months of being apart. 

And lastly, after Korea my husband was moved to Kentucky (yes, I was still in Colorado because that's where we THOUGHT he'd be moved after his stint in Korea was over). I was able to get a job in Indiana. While we still lived apart, at least we were only 4 hours apart instead of 10 (Colorado to Kentucky). One fun memory I have from that time was on my birthday, Mr Stoker hid my presents all over Lexington, and I had to read clues and go hunt them down. 

The bottom line is that every place was different...Moving gives you a new perspective on yourself and the world around you.

Kim:  What have you learned from frequent moves that you can apply to your writing career?

Susan:  Patience. I think every author would like to become an overnight sensation with their first book...but as many in the industry say, "It's a marathon, not a sprint." Things don't always go as planned and it's best to "go with the flow". I try to do that with my writing as well.  The other thing I think I've learned is not to buy into drama. Being in the military, and living on various Army bases, drama abounds...and that was BEFORE Facebook appeared on the scene! So I try to keep my head down, be polite, and just write.

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

Susan:  I was proof reading for a small publishing house and when I realized what I'd written "for fun" in my spare time was just as good, or better, than what I was proofing, I decided to jump in feet first. As my husband says..."Susan, you've been preparing your entire life to be a romance author." He's right, I've been reading romances since I was in middle school! But the bottom line is the most helpful people have been the readers I've met and talked to. They have encouraged me by telling they have enjoyed my books and helping give me the confidence to keep writing and publishing.

Kim:  Tell us about your books - what inspired them?

Susan:  I'm not sure I can point to one thing and say "THIS" inspired me to write...I have a good imagination (when I was little I'd spend hours in the backyard pretending I was Wonder Woman, then pretending I was the damsel in distress who had to be rescued BY Woman Woman lol) and I just use what I think up in my head to make a story. Writers tend to write what they like to read, and I've always been a sucker for that "strong woman needs to be rescued" story. That theme repeats itself in a lot of my stories.

Kim:  What's next for Susan Stoker? 

Susan:  I'd love to say a movie deal, but I don't think that's what you meant! HA! After my SEAL of Protection Series, I have a law enforcement series up my sleeve. I've already written the first two books in the series and the first book is slated to come out this fall (2015). After that I have plans to start on a firefighter series. I have also dipped my toe into writing erotica..under a pen name. It's a whole different thing to write than romantic suspense, that's for sure! Then...who knows!

Mahalo, Susan, for your service as a military spouse!  I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about anything in which you have "jump in feet first".   Each assignment gives me the opportunity to "jump in feet first" to a new community.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, March 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, March 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Susan and her books at stokeraces.com.

Check out my posts for "Getting Ready for RT Booklovers Convention" on my travel blog at this link and link.

Wednesday's Warriors - USO's 74th Anniversary and the SOS America Military Tribute

Today is the 74th anniversary of the USO.   From the Library of Congress (link),

At the suggestion of General George C. Marshall in 1940, and with the approval of President Franklin Roosevelt, representatives from existing public service organizations came together to form the USO Inc. Creating the USO were the Salvation Army, the YMCA, the YWCA, the National Jewish Welfare Board, the Travelers Aid Association of America, and the National Catholic Community Service. 

During World War II, more than 1 million volunteers operated more than 3,000 recreational clubs, which were established wherever they could find room. Clubs were housed in churches, museums, barns, railroad cars, storefronts, and other unlikely locales.  

Today's anniversary inspires a new feature here at SOS Aloha - Wednesday's Warriors.   We'll honor warriors and their families at the 12th Annual SOS America Military Tribute during the RT Booklovers Convention, at the Hyatt Regency Dallas:

Wake Up with the Warriors, May 14, 2015, 830 am - 945 am:

Join Kathryn Falk, Lady of Barrow, in saluting our military heroes and their families. Readers will "deploy" to a military location (themed table) hosted by authors connected to the military, including, Heather Ashby, Chanel Cleeton, Delilah Devlin, Lea Griffith, Sharon Hamilton, Elle James, Cat Johnson, Kennedy Layne, Merline Lovelace, Lindsay McKenna, Angel Payne, Julie Ann Walker, and Kimberly Rocha/Book Obsessed Chicks. Plus an Aussie Table with Megan Bamford and a Canadian Table with Julie Rowe to appreciate our Allies!

Your mission includes tasting MREs, navigating the coin challenge, and singing the services' songs, such as: "The Army Goes Rolling Along", "Wild Blue Yonder", "Anchors Aweigh", "The Halls of Montezuma", and "Semper Paratus".

This event is open to readers attending the RT Booklovers  Convention.  Sign up for tickets at this link.  I will also have tickets available at the SOS America Promo Table in Club RT on Wednesday, May 13.

Contact Kim Lowe, sos.aloha@yahoo.com, to host a table or donate door prizes.

Meanwhile, I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Have you visited a USO lounge?  Seen a USO show?  Do you have a favorite USO performer?  

I've seen Gary Sinise perform with the Lt Dan Band as part of a USO tour in Hawaii.   I salute Gary for his support of military families.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about the RT Booklovers' Convention at this link.

I'll be giving away these Thunderbirds poker chips
at the SOS America Promo Table