Celebrate Hawai'i Week - Aloha to Jill Marie Landis

Image courtesy of Linda M. 

Reminder: I have a special giveaway to celebrate June at this link.

The island of Kauai - the oldest of the eight islands - was never conquered by King Kamehameha. From Kauai.com,

Twice King Kamehameha had gathered armadas to conquer Kauai, and each time he was met with utter failure – due once to a storm and rough seas, and the other due to an epidemic which crippled his forces. Eventually though, the king of Kauai, King Kaumualii, united forces with Kamehameha, probably to avoid future invasion attempts, and to prevent continuing hostilities and any possible bloodshed which would ensue.

Kauai's independent spirit is alive in kama'aina (resident) romance writer Jill Marie Landis.  From her bio,

I've written seventeen steamy historical romances which I am in the process of publishing in e-book formats, a trilogy of contemporary single title romances entitled the Twilight Cove Series, and five inspirational historical romances. Most recently I've been penning a series of comedic mysteries set on Kauai.

No matter what kind of novel I'm writing, I focus on creating memorable characters, adding the emotion my readers have come to expect, spinning page turning plots and adding the requisite happy endings.

Today we are living the dream in Hawaii on an outer island where I continue to write and dance hula and garden (when I'm not sitting on the beach). Hubby Steve is involved in outrigger canoe paddling. Steve also appears around town playing a form of Hawaiian guitar music known as "slack key."

I can't get enough of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series ...

Somewhere on the North Shore of Kauai near the end of the road you’ll find THE TIKI GODDESS BAR, famous for exotic tropical concoctions by Uncle Louie Marshall, mixologist extraordinaire. There’s a legend behind every drink and each and every one has been approved by a taste testing parrot named David Letterman. Two-for- one Mai Tai Night really packs ‘em in.

As tourists rub shoulders with locals and celebs, the surf hits the beach with a hypnotic rhythm matched only by the beat of exotic drums and the hum of ukulele music floating on the trade winds.

Who knew murder and mayhem existed in paradise?

Learn more about Jill Marie Landis and her books at jillmarielandis.com and thetikigoddess.com.

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 your favorite tropical drink - alcoholic or not.  I love POG - Passion, Orange, and Guava juice.  I also enjoy Mai Tais!

2. Comments are open through Saturday, June 11, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 12.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Books I'm Grateful I Read - Giveaway Hop with Jill Marie Landis and the Tiki Goddess Mystery Series

Valerie from Stuck In Books is hosting an appropriate blog hop for November - Books I'm Grateful I Read!  I am grateful for every book ... for the escapism ... for the hope ... and for the connection to talented women - authors, publishers, bloggers, and readers.

Keeping with the theme, I am grateful for Jill Marie Landis' Tiki Goddess mystery series.  From TheTikiGoddess.com, 

Somewhere on the North Shore of Kauai near the end of the road you’ll find THE TIKI GODDESS BAR, famous for exotic tropical concoctions by Uncle Louie Marshall, mixologist extraordinaire. There’s a legend behind every drink and each and every one has been approved by a taste testing parrot named David Letterman. Two-for- one Mai Tai Night really packs ‘em in.

As tourists rub shoulders with locals and celebs, the surf hits the beach with a hypnotic rhythm matched only by the beat of exotic drums and the hum of ukulele music floating on the trade winds.

Who knew murder and mayhem existed in paradise?

Jill Marie Landis lives on Kaua'i and recreates the Aloha Spirit in these cozy mysteries with a colorful cast of characters who represent the welcoming people from Hawaii.  

Here's my own blurb - Set on Kauai, a California divorcee relocates to the North Shore to save her uncle (from fortune hunters), the Tiki Goddess bar (from going under), and the Hula Maidens (from themselves).  Laugh out loud comedy true to the spirit of the Garden Isle.

MAI TAI ONE ON, review link

TWO TO MANGO, review link

THREE TO GET LEI'D, blurb link

TOO HOT FOUR HULA, review link

Mahalo, Jill Marie, for sharing the Aloha Spirit with readers!

Oahu chief giving thanks (makahiki)

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 a book you are grateful to have read.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Follow along the blog hop (and giveaways) at this link.

Aloha to Hawaiian History - King Kamehameha Day

Hawaii celebrates King Kamehameha Day on June 11.   From Hawaii History (link),

Born at Kokoiki in North Kohala on the island of Hawai`i (in 1758), Kamehameha descended from chiefs of Hawai`i and Maui. As a young man, he distinguished himself as a talented warrior and served his uncle Kalaniopu`u, ruler of several districts on the island. A keen battle strategist and admirer of Western weaponry, Kamehameha later utilized guns and cannon to defeat his own enemies and consolidate his power in the Islands.

King Kamehameha is often referred to as the Napoleon of the Pacific.  By uniting the islands, he prevented them from becoming European and Asian colonies.   Also from Hawaii History,

Mamala Hoe (Law of the Splintered Paddle)

During a raid on Puna, Kamehameha pursued several fishermen and his foot got stuck in a rock crevice. Realizing the chief's disadvantage, one of the fisherman struck him on the head with a paddle which splintered. As the first fisherman prepared to strike Kamehameha again, the other fisherman made a plea to his companion to spare Kamehameha. Deeply moved by this incident, Kamehameha later proclaimed a law to protect the defenseless and to ensure the safety of travelers. A version of the law was incorporated into the state constitution in 1978.

The statue above was commissioned by the Kingdom of Hawaii in the early 1880s.   It was lost at sea enroute from Europe to Hawaii.   With the insurance payout, the Legislature cast a second statue which now stands in front of the Ali'iolani Hale (Justice Palace) as seen on Hawaii Five O (and pictured at the top).   The original statue awashed ashore in the Falkland Islands.  It was returned to Hawaii and erected near his birthplace near Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii (link).  A third statue now stands in the US Capital Hall's Statuary Hall along side Father Damien (link).

Kamehameha's private heiau (temple) in Kona

To celebrate King Kamehameha Day, I offer my favorite romance books set in Hawaii:

Ophelia London's MAKING WAVES, a novella from the Perfect Kisses series.  A journalist and surfer learn to trust again on Oahu's North Shore; review link.

Chip Hughes' mystery series, the Surfing Detective, visiting the islands of Lana'i, Maui, Oahu, and the Big Island of Hawaii:

- MURDER ON MOLOKA'I, review link

- WIPEOUT!, review link 

- KULA, review link

- MURDER AT VOLCANO HOUSE, review link

Gina Robinson's THE SPY WHO LEFT ME:  Set on Maui, the heroine attends her cousin's destination wedding only to bump into her estranged husband under cover.  The couple endure every tourist trap, family bickering, and Chinese spies, ultimately bringing them back together for the HEA.   

Check out my interview with Gina at this link and my review at this link.

Jill Marie Landis' Tiki Goddess series.  Set on Kauai, a California woman relocates to the North Shore to save her uncle (from fortune hunters), the Tiki Goddess bar (from going under), and the Hula Maidens (from themselves).   Laugh out loud comedy true to the spirit of the Garden Isle.

MAI TAI ONE ON, review link

TWO TO MANGO, review link

THREE TO GET LEI'D, blurb link

TOO HOT FOUR HULA, review link

Jill Marie Landis' TROUBLE IN PARADISE, a novella bringing a bride and groom to Kauai, only to have their wedding plans disrupted by Mother Nature and Hawaiian lore; review link.

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

1.  Leave a comment about Hawaii - do you have a favorite place, food, drink, book, movie, or something else?

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, June 13, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, June 14.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Jill Marie Landis and TOO HOT FOUR HULA - Book Review and Giveaway

I contribute a weekly column to USA Today's HEA Blog called State of Romance.  This week, we visit New Jersey, the Garden State, at this link. 

This weekend I am hobnobbing with the New Jersey Romance Writers (NJRW) Put Your Heart In A Book (PYHIAB) Conference (link).    The luncheon speaker is Stella Cameron.   She is a frequent visitor to the island of Kauai.  In fact, I believe she has met the Hula Maidens from the Tiki Goddess Mystery series .... TOO HOT FOUR HULA is Book 4 in this "Ohana" series.

A marauding monkey, a mysterious murder, middle-aged hula maidens, and mugs full of Mai Tai's. Just another day in Tiki Goddess Paradise . . .

Crime-solving sleuth Em Johnson and her Uncle Louie, owner of the famous Tiki Goddess Bar on Kauai, head for the Cocktail Shake Off Competition in Honolulu. What is supposed to be a fun trip to a mixologist contest turns weird when Louie's legendary "Booze Bible" is stolen, and Em's ex-husband winds up dead--with Em the number-one suspect. Sexy Kauai detective and part-time fire dancer Roland Sharpe rushes to Em's side along with the unpredictable Hula Maidens, whose detective skills are even more haphazard than their dance routine at the island tiki bars. Toss in an escaped monkey and a killer who wants to make this the Last Call for someone's honky-tonk tiki-tossing night out, and it's going to be another wild escapade for Em and her Hula Maidens.

A seven-time Romance Writers of America finalist for the RITA Award, Jill Marie Landis also now writes The Tiki Goddess Mysteries (set on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, where she lives with her husband, actor Steve Landis.) Her books are not only known for their intense emotion, but for characters you'll remember long after you turn the last page. Visit her world of tiki totems, hula maidens and tropical fun at thetikigoddess.com.

Hula dancers at the Hane'aki Heiau

Hula is the language of the heart, therefore the heartbeat of the Hawaiian people. - King Kalakaua

The gang from the Tiki Goddess - Uncle Louis, his niece Em, and the Hula Maidens - leave the comfort of Kauai for the Cocktail Shake Off on Waikiki Beach, Oahu.  It may be a quick 40 minute flight to Honolulu, but the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a world away as Oahu's premier tourist mecca. The gang are out of their league among the competitive bartenders, beauty product conventioneers, and fans of the Hula Maidens (from their ill fated reality show).  Uncle Louis' effort to win the title is hindered by the theft of his famous Booze Bible, the Maidens' impromptu hula shows, and Em's unexpected lunch date with her ex husband.

Chaos erupts when the Maidens search Oahu's questionable neighborhoods for the Booze Bible, the Shriners arrive at the hotel, and Em is accused of murdering her ex husband.  Landis delivers the Aloha spirit in this cozy mystery with Hawaii's beauty as the backdrop.   The Maidens stand out in TOO HOT FOUR HULA with their quick thinking at every challenge that comes their way.  Their antics at the Aloha Stadium Flea Market is pure pleasure.  The icing on top is Em's reward for watching out for Uncle Louis and the Hula Maidens - no spoilers here!

Recommended read for fans of cozy mysteries, laugh-out-loud adventure, and Hawaiian culture.  TOO HOT FOUR HULA is outrageously funny, just as Jill Marie Landis intended.   

I purchased a copy of TOO HOT FOUR HULA.

Souvenirs from Aloha Stadium Flea Market

I am giving away a print copy of TOO HOT FOUR HULA to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about flea markets - do you have one in your area?  If so, what do you like to buy from it?   The Aloha Stadium Flea Market is stocked with everything possible in Aloha print.  But I always looked for the bakers from Molokai selling sweet bread.

2.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 25, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City