Aloha to Elizabeth McKenna and VENICE IN THE MOONLIGHT

Did you know October 30 is Mischief Night?  From Wikipedia (link),

The earliest reference to the night is from 1790 when the fellows of St John's College, Oxford, studied a headmaster who had encouraged a school play which ended in "an Ode to Fun which praises children's tricks on Mischief Night in most approving terms".  

Carnival in Venice
Image by Robertito1965
Released to public domain 

Mischief runs rampant at Carnival - the setting for Elizabeth McKenna's VENICE IN THE MOONLIGHT:

A Story of Vengeance, Forgiveness, and Love

After her husband’s untimely demise, Marietta Gatti is banished from the family’s villa by her spiteful mother-in-law. She returns to her hometown of Venice and her only kin—a father she hasn’t spoken to since her forced marriage. Her hope of making amends is crushed when she learns she is too late, for he recently has died under suspicious circumstances. Grief-stricken, Marietta retraces her father’s last night only to discover someone may have wanted him dead—and she may be next. When the prime suspect turns out to be the father of the man she is falling in love with, Marietta risks her future happiness and her life to avenge the death of a man she once hated.

Elizabeth McKenna’s latest novel takes you back to eighteenth century Carnival, where lovers meet discreetly, and masks make everyone equal.

Mischief in Hawaii

I posted my four star review on Amazon (link) and Goodreads (link).  I am giving away a print copy of VENICE IN THE MOONLIGHT to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Carnival is known for its masks; the heroine wears a "cat" mask as her married name is Gatta.   What kind of mask would you wear?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 2, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 3.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Elizabeth and her books, check out her website at elizabethmckenna.com.

Aloha to Eileen Dreyer and ONCE A RAKE

Back in August, I wrote that I would be attending Barbara Vey's Readers Appreciation Luncheon on April 26, 2014 (link). Readers have a chance to sign up to sit at the table with their favorite author ... and I asked readers to guess which author I chose.    I signed up to sit with .... Eileen Dreyer!  She is a dynamo in persona and a virtuoso in writing.   From her bio (link),

Eileen is an addicted traveler, having sung in some of the best Irish pubs in the world, and admits she sees research as a handy way to salve her insatiable curiosity. She counts film producers, police detectives and Olympic athletes as some of her sources and friends. She's also trained in forensic nursing and death investigation, although she doesn't see herself actively working in the field, unless this writing thing doesn't pan out.

Eileen laughs with Patricia Rice and Cathy Maxwell

Eileen is celebrating the release of ONCE A RAKE, Book Five in the Drake's Rakes series.   Eileen joins us today to talk about research through travel, "It's a filthy job, but somebody has to do it."  

When Research Is Really Tough

By the way, if you don't know me, you won't know that the title is tongue-in-cheek, because I'm about to talk of the traveling I do for my work. I know. It's a filthy job, but somebody has to do it. And every time the opportunity comes up, my hand is raised first.

I love to travel. Let's get that one out of the way quickly. I am fascinated by people, by places, by anything that is different from the rather predictable life I've led in St. Louis. Not that I don't love home. I do. But there's so much out there to see and hear and taste and smell.

And there is the secret to traveling for research(or researching so you can travel. The differences have long since blurred). When I was first learning to write, one of the most important lessons I learned was from Nora Roberts, and that was the use of senses. In every scene(but especially love scenes). For every character. I mean, even if all you're describing is a rainy day, each character sees it differently. One might look out and be depressed and cold and lonely. Another might see only relief from hard work, or harder sun.

But also, when you tell a story, especially one set in a different place or time, what sets your audience firmly in place and time? Senses. Taste, touch, smell, feel, sight. And the quickest, most thorough way for me to learn that, is to go there.

For instance, in my Drake's Rakes series, I have walked Mayfair in London. Literally. Every street. I know how Curzon Street sweeps downhill and then uphill. I know what Grosvenor Square looks like when the central garden is in bloom. I know how the floor of Berry Brothers squeaks when you walk in the door, and how the famous scales look like an iron chair.

For ONCE A RAKE, I also traveled to the Lyme Regis area on the south coast. Not only is it an area rich in fossils, but the flora and fauna are lush and lovely. The Undercliff, where Lady Clarke paints, is a jumble of ferns and elephant ears and bluebells tucked under oak and beech and fir trees. The cliffs are still uncertain, looking as if they will crumble away at any moment. The Undercliff itself was created when the land slipped in a previous century.

I traipsed across the ground and saw my Sarah and her family following the same paths. I wandered through Lyme with its impossibly steep streets and mismatched shops and stood before the old Post Office where not only Sarah, but Jane Austen posted mail. I smelled the sea and felt the damp air brushing against my face. I heard the chuckle of the waves as they slipped in over the shingle beach. And I saw that wonderful hot spring green carpet the fields, highlighted by iridescent yellow rapeseed fields. I felt the slow, steady pace of the region, where the ocean sets the clocks. And I knew how to walk in my heroine's shoes. (okay, the 600 pound pig she named Willoughby was just an added bonus. I had to look the Large Black breed up).

So, if I've done my job, I will have taken those steps and transferred each and every one into ONCE A RAKE so you can walk along. Let me know if you do. 

Lyme Regis by John Cummings (link)
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license

Mahalo, Eileen, for joining us at SOS Aloha! I enjoy reading your travels on Facebook. I am looking forward to reading ONCE A RAKE as it teeters atop my TBR pile (the pile is looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa).   I am giving away a print copy of ONCE A RAKE to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Lyme Regis inspired Jane Austen's Persuasion, Henry Fielding's Tom Jones, and John Fowles' The French Lieutenant’s Woman.   Have you read any of these books or seen the film adaptations?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 2, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 3.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Eileen, her books, and her travels, check out her social media:

eileendreyer.com

facebook.com/EileenDreyer
twitter.com/eileendreyer
pinterest.com/eileendreyer
goodreads.com/author/list/19012.Eileen_Dreyer

Operation Holiday Card - 6 easy steps to cheer deployed personnel

dma.wi.gov

Operation Holiday Card is now underway!   Kelley is a long time volunteer with SOS America Inc.  She manages the list of deployed personnel requesting mail.  She has two names, from separate units, seeking mail for 200+ personnel in their unit.    

How can you help?

1.  Gather a group around the table - family, friends, scouts, sports teams, youth groups, etc.

2.  Sign boxed holiday cards .... or make your own from construction paper.  Add pictures!

3.  Insert a small treat, such as tea bags, hot chocolate, Slim Jims, etc., into card.   Place card into envelope but leave blank (each POC will write in soldiers' names).

4.  Place envelopes in larger container ... I recommend the Priority Mail large flat rate boxes - they are discounted for APO addresses.

5.  Contact me at sos.aloha@yahoo.com for the mailing address of the unit seeking cards.

6.  Mail box by November Wednesday, November 27, to ensure delivery by Christmas.   

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Anne Barton and ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED

'Tis one thing to be tempted, another thing to fall. 

- William Shakespeare 

Anne Barton was tempted at a young age to read romance. From her bio (link),

Anne Barton started swiping romances from her mom’s bookshelf as a teenager and decided historicals (with their balls, dukes, and gowns) were the best. So, when she had the chance to spend a semester in London she packed her bags—and promptly fell in love with the city, its history, and its pubs. She dreamed of writing romance, but somehow ended up a software analyst instead.

Fortunately, a few years and a few careers later, Anne found her way back to writing the stories she loves and won the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart®for Regency Historical Romance. She lives in Maryland with her husband and three children, who try valiantly not to roll their eyes whenever she quotes Jane Austen. Her weaknesses include reality TV, cute-but-impractical shoes, and coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.

Romance readers are blessed that Anne found her way back to Regency Historicals, especially with the Honeycote Series.  I enjoyed Book 1, WHEN SHE WAS WICKED, at this link.  I am currently reading (and enjoying) Book 2, ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED:

A PORTRAIT OF A LADY

…or is it? The risqué painting owned by Benjamin Elliot, the earl of Foxburn, features a stunning beauty with sapphire eyes, golden hair, and creamy skin. Ben recognizes this particular English rose the instant he meets her—though she’s wearing considerably more clothing. In person, the demure debutante is even more irresistible . . .

In desperate need of money for her sick mother, Daphne Honeycote had posed for two scandalous portraits. Now she must hide her secret to save the Honeycote family name. Ben’s possession of one painting makes him an insufferable thorn in her side—and yet he may be her best chance at finding the canvas’s companion. As she becomes drawn to the dark-tempered earl, can Daphne risk laying bare the secrets of her heart?

PORTRAIT OF A WOMAN
By Eugenio de Blaas
Public Domain (link)

I am offering a print copy of ONCE SHE WAS TEMPTED; to enter the giveaway,

1.  What tempts you?   Chocolate is my temptation!

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, November 2, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, November 3.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Anne and her books, check out her website at annebarton.com.

Weekly Winners from Holiday Romance Week and NJRW Conference

We have winners from Holiday Romance Week!

Ava Miles' THE HOLIDAY SERENADE:
- Catslady wins an Hawaiian ornament

Grace Burrowes' LADY JENNY'S CHRISTMAS PORTRAIT

- Penney wins a print copy

Juliana Stone's THE CHRISTMAS HE LOVED HER

- Carol L. wins two books from Juliana Stone

Michele Gorman's CHRISTMAS CAROL

- Cathy P. wins an ebook

Theresa Romain's SEASON FOR SCANDAL

- Dani wins a print copy

From my travel blog, ALOHA ON MY MIND, two readers win swag bags plus books from the NJRW Conference (link, link, and link):  Jane and Raonaid

Winners - please claim your prize by sending your mailing address to sos.aloha@yahoo.com.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Let them eat cake ... and read books!

Aloha to Theresa Romain and SEASON FOR SCANDAL

The crisp weather in Maryland marks the arrival of the Season of Leaves .... I love the vibrant colors of the trees.   Its a great time to snuggle up indoors with Theresa Romain's SEASON FOR SCANDAL:

Unladylike Risk

Jane Tindall has never had money of her own or exceptional beauty. Her gifts are more subtle: a mind like an abacus, a talent for play-acting—and a daring taste for gambling. But all the daring in the world can't help with the cards fixed against her.

And when Edmund Ware, Baron Kirkpatrick, unwittingly spoils her chance to win a fortune, her reputation is ruined too. Or so she thinks, until he suggests a surprising mode of escape: a hasty marriage. To him.

On the surface, their wedding would satisfy all the demands of proper society, but as the Yuletide approaches, secrets and scandals turn this proper marriage into a very improper affair.

I am giving away a print copy of SEASON FOR SCANDAL to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about the Season of Leaves - do you decorate for Halloween and/or Thanksgiving?

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 26, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 27.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Theresa and her books, check out her website at theresaromain.com.

Aloha to Michele Gorman and CHRISTMAS CAROL

On this day in 1857, the Sheffield Football Club was founded, marking it as the oldest association football club still in operation.   Skate from Michele Gorman's holiday novella CHRISTMAS CAROL might appreciate this significance of this date.   

One winter wedding, two happy couples, three ex-boyfriends. And a very uncomfortable weekend.

Carol hates Christmas. Being recently dumped, she’s not crazy about weddings either. So her sister Marley’s nuptials, over the Christmas weekend, are making her positively Scrooge-like. When she arrives at the stately home in rural Scotland to find her three ex-boyfriends in attendance, Carol has no choice but to face her ghosts to discover what really happened in those relationships, learning a lot about herself in the process. As the snow falls outside and the fire crackles in the hearth, might one of the wedding guests become the harbinger of Christmases to come?

This wickedly funny re-imagining of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol will warm the cockles of even the coldest heart.

Reality may be zanier than fiction as Michele herself is getting married this weekend - congratulations!   I posted my five star review on Goodreads (link).   I am giving away an ecopy of CHRISTMAS CAROL to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about your favorite Christmas story, song, etc.

I'm partial to THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS.

2.  This giveaway is open to all readers.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, October 26, 10 pm in Baltimore.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 27.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

To learn more about Michele and her books, check out her website at michelegorman.co.uk.