Aloha to Kate Quinn and THE ALICE NETWORK

Let's find some more Wonder Women .... enter Kate Quinn's THE ALICE NETWORK:

1947. In the chaotic aftermath of World War II, American college girl Charlie St. Clair is pregnant, unmarried, and on the verge of being thrown out of her very proper family. She's also nursing a desperate hope that her beloved cousin Rose, who disappeared in Nazi-occupied France during the war, might still be alive. So when Charlie's parents banish her to Europe to have her "little problem" taken care of, Charlie breaks free and heads to London, determined to find out what happened to the cousin she loves like a sister.

1915. A year into the Great War, Eve Gardiner burns to join the fight against the Germans and unexpectedly gets her chance when she's recruited to work as a spy. Sent into enemy-occupied France, she's trained by the mesmerizing Lili, the "Queen of Spies", who manages a vast network of secret agents right under the enemy's nose.

Thirty years later, haunted by the betrayal that ultimately tore apart the Alice Network, Eve spends her days drunk and secluded in her crumbling London house. Until a young American barges in uttering a name Eve hasn't heard in decades, and launches them both on a mission to find the truth ...no matter where it leads.

Kate Quinn is a native of southern California. She attended Boston University, where she earned a Bachelor's and Master's degree in Classical Voice. A lifelong history buff, she has written four novels in the Empress of Rome Saga, and two books in the Italian Renaissance, before turning to the 20th century with "The Alice Network." All have been translated into multiple languages.

Kate and her husband now live in Maryland with two black dogs named Caesar and Calpurnia, and her interests include opera, action movies, cooking, and the Boston Red Sox.

Learn more about Kate and her books, including links to buy, at katequinnauthor.com.

WWI Poster

I am giving a print copy of THE ALICE NETWORK to one randomly selected commenter. To enter the giveaway,

1. Let's chat about spy movies (or TV shows)  - do you have a favorite?  I enjoyed Melanie Griffin, Michael Douglas, and Liam Neeson in SHINING THROUGH (link) even though the movie was panned by the critics.

And, of course, Bond.  James Bond.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Hazel Gaynor and THE GIRL FROM THE SAVOY

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

Presenting a dazzling new historical novel … The Girl From The Savoy is as sparkling as champagne and as thrilling as the era itself.

Sometimes life gives you cotton stockings. Sometimes it gives you a Chanel gown …

Dolly Lane is a dreamer; a downtrodden maid who longs to dance on the London stage, but her life has been fractured by the Great War. Memories of the soldier she loved, of secret shame and profound loss, by turns pull her back and spur her on to make a better life.

When she finds employment as a chambermaid at London’s grandest hotel, The Savoy, Dolly takes a step closer to the glittering lives of the Bright Young Things who thrive on champagne, jazz and rebellion. Right now, she must exist on the fringes of power, wealth and glamor—she must remain invisible and unimportant.

But her fortunes take an unexpected turn when she responds to a struggling songwriter’s advertisement for a ‘muse’ and finds herself thrust into London’s exhilarating theatre scene and into the lives of celebrated actress, Loretta May, and her brother, Perry. Loretta and Perry may have the life Dolly aspires to, but they too are searching for something.

Now, at the precipice of the life she has and the one she longs for, the girl from The Savoy must make difficult choices: between two men; between two classes, between everything she knows and everything she dreams of. A brighter future is tantalizingly close—but can a girl like Dolly ever truly leave her past behind?

In addition to writing historical fiction, I also write a popular guest blog, Carry on Writing, for national Irish writing website writing.ie where I share my thoughts and experiences of the writing process, and also offer tips and advice. I’ve also been lucky enough to interview lots of amazing authors for the site, including Philippa Gregory, Sebastian Faulks, John Boyne, Cheryl Strayed, Kate Mosse and Rachel Joyce, among others. I also share writing tips and advice on the Women Writers website.

Originally from Yorkshire, England, I now live in Ireland with my husband, two children and our cat. Life is slightly chaotic, but always interesting!

Learn more about Hazel and her books at hazelgaynor.com.

Wednesday's Warrior - Aloha to Maggie Leffler and SECRETS OF FLIGHT

Coming in May for Military Appreciation Month .... 

This captivating, breakout novel—told in alternating viewpoints—brings readers from the skies of World War II to the present day, where a woman is prepared to tell her secrets at last.

Estranged from her family since just after World War II, Mary Browning has spent her entire adult life hiding from her past. Now eighty-seven years old and a widow, she is still haunted by secrets and fading memories of the family she left behind. Her one outlet is the writing group she’s presided over for a decade, though she’s never written a word herself. When a new member walks in—a fifteen-year-old girl who reminds her so much of her beloved sister Sarah—Mary is certain fate delivered Elyse Strickler to her for a reason.

Mary hires the serious-eyed teenager to type her story about a daring female pilot who, during World War II, left home for the sky and gambled everything for her dreams—including her own identity.

As they begin to unravel the web of Mary’s past, Mary and Elyse form an unlikely friendship. Together they discover it’s never too late for second chances and that sometimes forgiveness is all it takes for life to take flight in the most unexpected ways.

Check out the book trailer at this link.

A native of Columbia, Maryland*, Maggie Leffler graduated from University of Delaware with a major in English, a minor in biology and was team captain of women's cross-country, indoor and outdoor track. She was the recipient of a Wilmington Trust scholar athlete scholarship and part of a North Atlantic Conference championship-winning women's cross-country team. She volunteered with Americorps before attending St. George's University School of Medicine.

After completing her residency in family practice, she became a board certified family physician. Her essay, The Other Side of the Stethoscope, appeared in the inaugural issue of The Examined Life Journal of University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine. In 2011, she received a Presidential Citation for Outstanding Alumni from University of Delaware. She lives in Pittsburgh with her husband and sons.

Learn more about Maggie and her books at maggieleffler.com.

* Kim now lives in Columbia, Maryland!

Frances Green, Margaret Kirchner, Ann Waldner & Blanche Osborn

with their aircraft leaving Pistol Packin' Mama 

Public Domain (link)

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

1. If you were a pilot, what would you name your airplane?

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

wingsacrossamerica.us/wasp

Aloha to Elizabeth Chadwick and THE OUTLAW KNIGHT

The Maryland Renaissance Festival is underway in Crownsville, Maryland, taking revelers back to a time of honour, treachery and love ... with a side of humor, food, and costumes.   Historical author Elizabeth Chadwick offers readers an authentic means to understand honor, treachery, and love in the Medieval Times.   Today she joins me for a cozy chat ...

Kim:  From your bio, "I grew up in a village just outside Glasgow" (link).  I know my readers will be envious! What is your favorite sight, smell, and sound of the "dear green place"?

Elizabeth:  It’s a while since I lived there, but I think my reply would have to be the winters. I know my parents wouldn’t agree, and I might not feel the same now I’m an adult, but for me as a child, I loved making neck-breaking super slides of polished ice. I loved the sledging and the snowball fights. There was never any lack of snow in winter. We didn’t have central heating and the frost make fronds and patterns on the window panes. I now live in the softer English midlands where some years we don’t get any snow at all and I miss it. In contrast, I also remember the long, summer evenings and watching speckled brown trout gleaming in the burn (stream) of a nearby farm.

Doune Castle, Scotland

Kim:  Also from your bio, "half a dozen eight year olds galloping about on pretend horses like the knights in Monty Python and the Holy Grail."  My hubby and I have visited Scotland for the sole purpose of hunting castles. We loved Doune Castle, where Monty Python was filmed.  We climbed atop the ramparts to clap together coconuts! Now that you are an adult, do you enjoy British comedy that pokes fun at British History and British culture?

Elizabeth:  If it gets it right – which Monty Python certainly did! I love comedies which embrace the quirkiness and fun in the British character. One of my favourite films is Wallace and Grommit and the Curse of the Were Rabbit. It’s saturated in Britishness and British humour and makes me laugh aloud.

Being as I grew up near Glasgow, anyone wanting a taste of that accent should Google Rab. C. Nesbitt (a British sit-com) and prepare to be boggled! I used to have a milder variation of that accent!

Kim:  We are also fans of contemporary comedies such as Are You Being Served and Keeping Up with Appearances.

Elizabeth:  Indeed, who can forget Mrs Slocombe’s pussy? Mrs Brown’s Boys is my current favourite TV comedy.

Kim:  I am curious about your meeting with Prince Charles - did you practice your curtsy?

Elizabeth:  I didn’t have to curtsey, just sort of nod my head. The poor guy had been inveigled into handing out the Society of Authors literary awards that year because one of the organisers had been writing his biography. I didn’t really speak to him as such, just go up, do the dip and be handed the cheque. It was a great start to my published writing career though!

Kim:  What are the challenges and rewards of writing historical novels

Elizabeth:  The challenge I think is to get it right historically but not to dump information and send the reader to sleep. Also to explain attitudes that have changed over the centuries and might be viewed as wrong or offensive today. The rewards for me are that I get to learn a lot more about my characters and their life and times. I often get to give talks at some wonderful historical venues, and I get to talk history with a great bunch of readers, who really are a lovely support community.

White Castle, Wales 

Kim:  Tell us about THE OUTLAW KNIGHT - what inspired it?

Elizabeth:  I was working on the novel before it, The Marsh King’s Daughter, and I had to find out about a particular character called Eustace the Monk, who really existed and had been a fearsome pirate in the early 13th century. His story was in a book that also detailed the tale of one Fulke FitzWarin, told in a 13th century chronicle. Like Eustace, Fulke had actually lived. When I read his story and realized what a long and magnificent life he had led, first as a courtier, then an outlaw fighting King John for justice, then an important baron of the Welsh Marches, I just knew I had to tell his story. It was bigger than Hollywood!

Mahalo, Elizabeth, for joining us at SOS Aloha!  Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of THE OUTLAW KNIGHT:

"Picking up an Elizabeth Chadwick novel is like having a Bentley draw up at your door: you know you are in for a sumptuous ride."—Daily Telegraph

A Deadly Rival.
An Ancient Family Dispute.
An Impossible Love.

He should have known better than to fight with the future King John. Ruthless and feared, John is not one to forget or forgive. But Fulke FitzWarin couldn't help himself, and now the vindictive John has insured that Fulke will never become lord of the castle he loves.

Instead of accepting his fate, Fulke rebels. He begins an affair with Maude Walter, the wealthy widow desired by John himself. Negotiating a maze of deceit, treachery, and shifting alliances, Fulke's route to success is blocked at every turn. And when the turmoil of the Magna Carta rebellion combines with a shocking tragedy, everything Fulke has fought for is thrown into the path of destruction.

"A star back in Britain, Elizabeth Chadwick is finally getting the attention she deserves here."—USA Today

"The best writer of medieval fiction currently around."—Richard Lee, founder and publisher, Historical Novel Society

To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Renaissance Fairs ... if you had a fairy godmother to make you any costume, what would it be?   

2.  Sourcebooks' giveaway is open to US and Canadian readers only.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 7, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 8.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, check out her website at elizabethchadwick.com.   You can also check out my pictures from the Maryland Renaissance Festival on my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, at this link and link.