Aloha to Emha Goliesh and JUNE 9TH from Includas Publishing - Let us celebrate diversity!

We support Diversity here at SOS Aloha!  Please join me is supporting Emha Goliesh in celebrating her  debut romance novel from her Untouch Me series from INCLUDAS Publishing. 

Lacey Shyver has always rolled through life in a perfect straight line. Until an unexpected twist in romance and fate sets her on a path that swerves in every direction but forward.

Lacey Shyver has never been interested in love or romance. That’s because science, school, and career have been the most important in Lacey’s life. That is, until one simple touch from drummer, Blake Nivey, opens her up to things she never knew existed. But every reward has a risk and every pleasure has a sacrifice. Not only does this new territory test Lacey’s loyalty to a relationship and to her education, she also gets haunted by something she can’t understand. Whether her fears have anything to do with her being in a wheelchair or not, that is something Lacey must find out for herself before it’s too late. Because once June 9th begins, it never ends.

When I was nine years-old, I was sure I’d be a math teacher. That lasted until I got to middle school, where I realized that that wasn’t in the numbers for me. From there, I fantasized about being an actress. That lasted until high school, where I realized that sticking to a script wasn’t my thing—I wanted to take the characters on their own journeys and adventures. But somewhere between high school and the days of college graduation, I got lost in the pressures of reality. It wasn’t until I took a step back to evaluate my life when I realized I wanted to embrace my true self. To go back to the days of a six year-old kid who hid under a desk, writing about life in a little blue and pink journal. I couldn’t believe it took me so long to fall back into my happy place. Yet, I wouldn’t have had it any other way, because if after twenty years of exploring life, I still ached to create stories, then it must had been true love.

Emha is sponsoring a giveaway at this link.

Look for the next book in the series in the fall .... and learn more about INCLUDAS Publishing at this link.

Aloha to Luda Gogolushko and INCLUDAS Publishing

The most rewarding experience at the RT Booklovers Convention is meeting other readers who inspire. Luda Gogolushko, founder of INCLUDAS Publishing, is one such individual.  From her bio (link),

Luda holds a BS in Recreation and a MA in Communication Studies from California State University of Northridge (CSUN), where she conducted an auto ethnographical study entitled, “Negotiating Space: An Autoethnography on Wheels.” The study found that: the chair is accommodated, but the person is segregated; the world is designed for the able-bodied population by the able-bodied; spaces and places hold nonverbal signs that either hold messages of exclusion or messages of inclusion; language and signs that are used to label someone as ‘disabled’ are inaccurate.

Born with muscular dystrophy, Luda Gogolushko has lived her entire life with limited mobility. Losing the full ability to walk at age nine, due to gradual weakness of the muscles, she has never stopped dreaming big. There is nothing easy about living life for someone who uses a wheelchair in a world run by the fully mobile-bodied population, but she is determined to present a different way of living, understanding, and interacting with the world.

“My goal is not to reshape perspective, my goal is to restructure thinking because that is when a new sense of culture begins to emerge.”

I invited Luda for a cozy chat ....

Kim: We love travel here at SOS Aloha! California - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell of the Golden State?

Luda: I am currently in southern California and I love the warm weather to go swimming, the freshness of outdoor hiking, and the sounds of the crashing waves on the beach.

Kim:  I enjoyed meeting you at RT - what inspired you to attend RT? What were your expectations? What did you learn from RT?

Luda: RT 2017 was actually my second RT, and last year my first, conference as a newbie trying to research and get an understanding of the book world, with not much thought that is was a romance convention, but I learned a lot, nonetheless. This year was to learn even more, experience the culture of romance land, and see some old faces from last year. I attended a few socials, sessions on the business side of things, publishing trends, and tips of strengthening writing.

Kim: Equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) are buzz words in our society today. What do those words mean to you? How can readers promote EDI in their every day lives?

Luda: Equality, diversity, and inclusion are current hot topics, and a few years when the buzz first started, I was excited because for once I wouldn't have to fight to be included. But I quickly learned that that did not mean inclusion for someone with limited mobility was part of that buzz, so it wasn't hard to spot the need for advocacy for the disability community. In sum, for me, EDI means fostering a safe space for everyone to feel welcomed and valued at. Readers can promote EDI by every day interactions of treating everyone with respect and kindness, because at the end of the day, we're all humans who have feelings, emotions, and dreams. The minute that segregation--whether mentally, socially, or physically--transforms into integration, we can be a stronger nation, together.

Kim: Tell us about INCLUDAS Publishing - how can we support you?

Luda: INCLUDAS Publishing is a press dedicated to representing authors who identify with a particular ability status, as well as main characters (or content of a book, in general) of a story who have a disability. Support comes from being open and excited about diversity because I personally am always not sure how the public will react or not react; will it be of importance to them at the end of the day or not? If someone wants to get involved with INCLUDAS or its mission, send an email to inquiries [@] includas.com (or of course, if you want some cool swag and braille stickers).

Kim: What's next for Luda Gogolushko?

Luda: The next big adventure is going to the SCBWI conference in July, in Los Angeles (kid's book stuff, since majority of our books are kid's related). We are also looking for submissions for a cookbook project (info at includas.com), so submit if you have any recipes or kitchen accommodation tricks. And of course, getting ready to launch our first few books next year.

Mahalo, Luda, for joining us today! I am giving away a sample of books and swag from the RT Booklovers Convention.  To enter the giveaway,

1. Let's chat about Luda's home state of California - what do you love about the Golden State?  I enjoyed my visit to San Diego last summer - just gorgeous!

2. Comments are open through Sunday, May 28, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Monday, May 29.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

A seagull in La Jolla ....