Wednesday's Warriors - Aloha to Jessica Scott and HOMEFRONT

Jessica Scott, woman extraordinare, is celebrating the release of HOMEFRONT:

He's always loved her...

First Sergeant Gale Sorren waited a war and half a lifetime for a chance to get stationed near the ex-wife who left him years ago. When he finally musters the courage to see her, the life he imagined she was living was nothing close to the reality.

She's never stopped loving him...

Melanie never stopped worrying about Gale each time he headed off to war. But he's never been there when she needed him and she's had fifteen years to steel her heart against him.

But when Gale moves to Fort Hood, he finally has a chance to make things right with Melanie and the daughter she raised without him.
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Buy direct from Jessica Scott

USA Today Bestselling author Jessica Scott is a career army officer, mother of two daughters, three cats and three dogs, wife to a career NCO and wrangler of all things stuffed and fluffy. She is a terrible cook and even worse housekeeper, but she's a pretty good shot with her assigned weapon and someone liked some of the stuff she wrote. Somehow, her children are pretty well adjusted and her husband still loves her, despite burned water and a messy house.

She's also written for the New York Times At War Blog, PBS Point of View Regarding War, and IAVA. She deployed to Iraq in 2009 as part of OIF/New Dawn and has had the honor of serving as a company commander at Fort Hood, Texas twice.

She's pursuing a graduate degree in Sociology in her spare time and she's been featured as one of Esquire Magazine's Americans of the Year for 2012.

Jessica is also an active member of the Military Writers Guild.

Army display near Wheeler Army Airfield

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

1.  Leave a comment about military romance ... what draws you to read them?

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Jessica and her books at jessicascott.net.

Coming in May 2015

Aloha to Jeanette Murray and BELOW THE BELT

There's more than one way to win in the debut of the First to Fight series…

Athletic trainer Marianne Cook is ready to do whatever it takes to turn the men of the Marine Corps boxing team into fighting machines. After all, her ultimate goal is to land a job training professional athletes. But when she notices a certain hard-bodied marine trying to hide an injury, Marianne realizes that she’ll have to use covert tactics to get him talking.

First Lieutenant Brad Costa has waited years for the chance to fight for a spot on the Marine Corps boxing team, knowing he has to push twice as hard to get half as far as his younger counterparts. Brad tries to downplay his injuries to the attractive trainer who has his dreams in her hands, but Marianne isn’t buying it. Maybe it’s time to deploy some targeted flattery.

As Brad and Marianne’s attraction turns red-hot, there’s more than one person having a hard time keeping their eyes on the prize…

Marines in my backyard ... at the Strawberry Festival

Jeanette lives just outside St. Louis with her husband, daughter and their lovable-but-stupid Goldendoodle. When she's not writing her next romance, she's found hanging out with the new friends she's made here, catching up with old friends from past duty stations on Facebook, or surfing Pinterest pretending she can cook. Catch up with her on Facebook or Twitter for contests, sneak peeks of what she's working on, and updates about her life in general.

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@KJMurrayBooks 

I am giving away a print copy of BELOW THE BELT to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about Marines ... do you have a favorite movie and/or TV show that features Marines?   I recently enjoyed A FEW GOOD MEN on Cable ... excellent cast with Tom Cruise and Demi Moore.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

 

Coming in October 2015

Aloha to Rachel Grant and INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE (plus a long lost high school alumni)

Aloha!  Rachel Grant joins us today to celebrate the release of INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE,  Book 4 in her Evidence series.   She joined us last year (link) - we chatted about being a professional archaeologist and living in Hawaii.   More recently, Rachel discovered I attended Countryside High School (courtesy of Facebook) ... naturally, I invited her back for another chat!

Kim:  Blast from our past! We are both "Cougars" from Clearwater .... looking back at high school, what did you see in your future?

Rachel: My senior year at CHS, I was editor of the school literary magazine, The Laureate, and one of the creative writing exercises we were given to kill time after the magazine was put to bed was to write about where we saw ourselves at our 10 year high school reunion. If I remember correctly, I wrote that in ten years I’d be married to Patrick Swayze and an author. I was kidding about Patrick Swayze (at the time my crush was more Rob Lowe, but Dirty Dancing gave my senior year a soundtrack), but I knew I wanted to be a writer. I missed my 10 year reunion because at the time I was newly married (with no regrets that my husband is neither Swayze or Lowe) and had moved to Washington, D.C., where I worked as an archaeologist in an office that later became the model for Talon & Drake in Concrete Evidence.

I’ve tried to find my high school creative writing teacher – Ms. Ceraolo-O’Donnell (did you have her?) – I’d love to let her know I did go on to become an author, but haven’t had any luck so far.

Cougar by Greg Hume via Creative Commons (link)

Kim:  Funny that we both graduated from the same high school, lived on the same Hawaiian island, and both love romance. When/who/how did you discover the enticing world of romance?

Rachel:  It started with sneak-reading my older sister’s copy of Ashes in the Wind by Kathleen Woodiwiss when I was about 13. Then, when I was fifteen and the new kid at CHS (we moved right before my sophomore year) I met Diana, another new student, who unabashedly read historical romance and introduced me to Jude Deveraux, Johanna Lindsey, Shirlee Busbee, Jennifer Blake, and Laurie McBain. Imagine my fangirl moment when Shirlee Busbee followed me on Twitter! Now multiply it by 10 when I was included in a box set with Jennifer Blake! 

princessbrideforever.com

Kim:  (reading over her bio), My husband loves THE PRINCESS BRIDE. What's your favorite character/scene/line?

Rachel:  My first instinct was to say Fezzik. I love all of his dialogue. But I think my favorite scene is the sword fight, which he isn’t even in, so maybe Inigo? Although I had a huge crush on Cary Elwes in the late 80s. (Lady Jane! The Princess Bride! Glory!)

Kim:  THE PRINCESS BRIDE was recently broadcast on Cable.  Perhaps the best line is the last:

The Grandson: Grandpa, maybe you could come over and read it again to me tomorrow.

Grandpa: As you wish.

Tell us about INCRIMINATING EVIDENCE - what inspired it?

Rachel:  After writing Body of Evidence, I toyed with the idea of taking a character who was similar to a previous villain and make him the hero. I couldn’t redeem an actual villain (my villains are unredeemable) my idea was to have a man in the same profession as a previous villain. My first thought was to redeem a treasure hunter (Concrete Evidence), but this would be difficult, because treasure hunting is just about the worst thing an archaeologist can do. The CEO of Raptor, a mercenary organization (Body of Evidence), was my next choice, and once I knew Alec’s profession, the story grew from there.

(If you haven’t read Concrete Evidence or Body of Evidence, these aren’t spoilers; it’s clear Jake Novak and Robert Beck are villains early in each book.)

I still might write my treasure hunter hero someday, if I can figure out how to make it work. But really, treasure hunters are bad guys, no matter what everyone else says.

Want to know more about Incriminating Evidence? Here is the blurb. You can read an excerpt here.

From enemies to allies…

When archaeologist Isabel Dawson stumbles upon an unconscious man deep in the Alaskan wilderness, her survival skills are put to the test. She tends his wounds and drags him to shelter, only to discover she’s saved the life of Raptor CEO Alec Ravissant—the man who may have covered up her brother’s murder to save his senatorial campaign.

With no memory of the assault that landed him five miles deep in the forest, Alec doesn’t know what to believe when he wakes in the clutches of the beautiful redhead who blames him for her brother’s death, but he quickly realizes he needs her help to uncover the truth about his lost hours.

Isabel never imagined she’d find herself allied with Alec, and he’s the last man she ever expected to find attractive. But the former Army Ranger-turned-politician proves seductively charming, and he’s determined to win much more than her vote. When their quest for answers puts Isabel in the crosshairs, Alec must risk everything—his company, his campaign, and his life—to protect her.

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Kim:  What's next for Rachel Grant?

Rachel:  The next book in the Evidence Series, Covert Evidence, is written. The heroine is Cressida Porter, a character introduced in Withholding Evidence. Cressida gets in trouble while on a research trip in Turkey, and must put her trust in a handsome American spy to survive. No release date yet, but readers who sign up for my new release mailing list will be the first to know when it’s available, Rachel-Grant.net.

Thank you so much for having me Kim!

Mahalo, Rachel, just being awesome!  Rachel is giving away a digital copy of BODY OF EVIDENCE to one randomly selected commenter.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about high school, Princess Bride, or archaeology.

I was a geek in high school although I did earn a letter in Track. 

My family enjoys Fight School (link) at the Maryland Renaissance Festival - they reenact the famous sword scene from The Princess Bride.

I wanted to be an archaeologist ... the closest to that dream was visiting Egypt in 2004 as a tourist.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Weekly Winners

My children are winners from cruising the Caribbean with Granny for Spring Break!

We have winners at SOS Aloha ...

Liberty States Fiction Writers' Create Something Magical Conference

- Di wins swag from the conference.

 

Jodi Thomas' ONE TRUE HEART

- Dstoutholcomb wins a book choice from my convention stash.

From my travel blog, Finding Your Tribe at the RT Booklovers' Convention

- Kim H. wins a book choice from my convention stash.

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Battle Creek - TV Review

I discovered a new show (mid season replacement) on Sunday night - BATTLE CREEK.  From CBS.com (link),

BATTLE CREEK stars Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters in a drama about two mismatched law enforcement officers whose polar opposite views of the world and crime-solving breed frustration, disdain, humor and possibly a grudging respect as they clean up the hardscrabble streets of Battle Creek, Mich. Det. Russ Agnew, a good but gruff, hard-boiled detective, has his world upended when strikingly handsome, charismatic Special Agent Milton Chamberlain opens an FBI field office at the police station and chooses Russ to be his partner. Milt’s polished sophistication and access to unlimited state-of-the-art equipment is impressive to his new co-workers in the absurdly underfunded department. As Russ and Milt work long hours together in the economically distressed city of Battle Creek, the question is: will it be Milt’s charm and endless supply of high-end resources or Russ’s old-fashioned cynicism, guile and deception that prove to be the keys to catching the bad guys in his beloved hometown? Janet McTeer, Kal Penn, Edward Fordham, Jr. and Aubrey Dollar also star.

Dean Winters (above, left) debuted in HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET, ventured over to LAW & ORDER: SUV, and popped up in other "cop" shows.    He is also "Mayhem" in the Allstate commercials.  Winters is perfectly cast as the scruffy cop who internalizes his emotions.  He is the ying to Josh Duhamel's yang as the almost-too-perfect FBI agent.   It would be easy to characterize them as the Odd Couple of crime fighting ... but BATTLE CREEK is much more.   It offers humor as they try to outwit the other; warmth as they try to find friendship; and quirkiness of a colorful cast living the American dream.

Watch BATTLE CREEK on Sunday nights, 10 pm EST, or on demand.   I am giving away a book choice from my convention stash.  To enter the giveaway,

1.  Do you have a favorite cop show?  Mine, of course, is Hawaii Five O.

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

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

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City 

Aloha to Amanda Scott and DEVIL'S MOON - Release Week Blitz

A WARRIOR'S PROMISE
The last place Sir David "Devil" Ormiston expected his moonlight chase of a horse thief to end was in a lady's bedchamber. He is shocked to find that the raider he has pursued is no man, but a defiant beauty in disguise-and the woman he's vowed to protect at all costs. Face to face with a girl Dev thought he knew, the ever confident, marriage-resistant knight may learn that he is defenseless against the desirable woman she has become.

A LADY'S SECRET

Lady Robina Gledstanes will do anything to keep her family's land out of the hands of her greedy kinsmen-except willingly submit to the handsome, cocksure Devil Ormiston. Dev's help may be just as dangerous as the threats lurking outside her castle. But when enemies scheme to steal the castle's treasure, Robina must risk losing something even more precious-her heart.

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Amanda Scott is the author of over 62 romance novels and the recipient of the Romance Writers of America's prestigious RITA Award. She lives in Folsom, California, outside of Sacramento. She is a fourth-generation Californian.

amandascottauthor.com

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Forever is hosting a giveaway at this link ... and offers an excerpt of DEVIL'S MOON ...

Watching Dev, Robina was grateful for his restraint. They reached the graveyard soon afterward and dismounted to look at the grave. She sensed Rab’s presence strongly as they stood there, but he kept silent, too.

“What is it, Robby? Art sad again?”

Startled, she said, “Not sad, just pensive.”

“I think you have been pensive since I arrived, or longer,” he said. “Keeping secrets, or thinking about Rab?”

Uncertain how to reply, since the truth was unacceptable, she realized that silence was just as bad. Dev would surely suspect that she was keeping something from him.

She would have liked to tell him about the jar of coins, but Rab’s warning was sensible. And, in truth, whether Dev was currently master of Coklaw or not, the money belonged to Benjy, not to Dev.

The thought was disheartening, and she wished Rab would recall that he had trusted Dev. Confiding in him should be not only safe but sensible.

Rab, however, remained as silent as his grave.

“We should head back down,” she said with a sigh.

“Keeping secrets then,” Dev said grimly. “Don’t you trust me?”

“Oh, Dev, no, don’t think that,” she said, putting a hand to his arm, shocked that he had so nearly guessed her thoughts. “I know I’ve been a bit difficult, but—” Breaking off when he grinned, she said bluntly, “Do you think that was funny?”

He shook his head and bit his lower lip.

“Damnation, David Ormiston, do you dare to laugh at me now?”

“Nay, nay, I’m striving mightily not to laugh or to say what I’m thinking.”

“Just what were you thinking?”

“That when you refuse to tell me what you are thinking and then say that I’m mistaken to suspect a lack of trust, you make me want to kiss you one minute and put you over my knee the next. But, by heaven, if you swear at me again, I’ll—”

“I won’t swear,” she said hastily. “But neither will I tell you all I think. Some things are still private, sir, one’s thoughts especially so. But if you want to kiss me again,” she added, feeling suddenly and strangely shy but determined, “you may.”

“May I?” He raised his eyebrows. “I will admit that I enjoyed your kiss when we were here before. But others would say that I’d taken advantage of you.”

“They would be wrong,” Robina said. “I kissed you first. I wanted to know how it would feel, and now I want to know if it feels the same way whenever one kisses a man. I do trust you with my virtue, Dev.”

“Do you, Robby? You should not be so trusting. Sithee, I’m not certain I can trust myself. You’re a mighty tempting wench. But there are rules.”

“Bother the rules,” she said. “Do you not want to kiss me?”

“Aye, sure, I do,” he responded, pulling her roughly into his arms.

Uncertain now, but curious, she looked up and tried to gauge his mood. But he allowed her no time for that before his lips claimed hers, hot and demanding.

As he held her close, she heard him moan quietly in his throat.

***

Dev heard his moan, too, and realized that she had bewitched him. He wanted her in every way—other than marriage, of course, he reminded himself brutally. He suspected, though, that her invitation had just been an attempt to avoid answering his question about the secrets she was keeping from him.

The pliskie lass needed a lesson, and he needed release for his own emotions or whatever it was that enflamed his body, if only to show her the dangers of tormenting men … one man, at least.

Thrusting his tongue into her mouth and finding it hot inside and yet softly yielding, he pressed his lower body tightly against hers, letting her feel his desire.

She was too short, but a flat-topped boulder sat nearby. Without warning or sign, he lifted her to stand on it and did so without releasing her mouth.

For once in her life, she did not fight him but wrapped her arms around him and held him as tightly as he held her.

Aloha to Cara Elliott and SCANDALOUSLY YOURS

SCANDALOUSLY YOURS by Cara Elliott (March 31, 2015; Forever Mass Market; $6.00)

The eldest of the three Sloane sisters, Olivia is unafraid to question the boundaries of Society-even if it does frequently land her in trouble. Disdaining the glittery world of balls and courtship, Olivia prefers to spend her time writing fiery political essays under a pseudonym for London's leading newspaper. But when her columns attract the attention of the oh-so-proper Earl of Wrexham, Olivia suddenly finds herself dancing on the razor's edge of scandal. With the help of her sisters, she tries to stay one step ahead of trouble . . .

However, after a series of madcap misadventures, Wrexham, a former military hero who is fighting for social reform in Parliament, discovers Olivia's secret. To her surprise, he proposes a temporary alliance to help win passage of his bill. Passion flares between them, but when a political enemy kidnaps the earl's young son, they must make some dangerous decisions . . . and trust that love will conquer all.

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Cara Elliott started writing Western novels at the age of five. However, she traded in her cowboy boots for Regency high-top Hessians after reading Pride and Prejudice in junior high school and hasn't looked back. She graduated from Yale University, and she now lives and works in New York City.

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Forever is hosting a giveaway at this link ... and offers an except from SCANDALOUSLY YOURS:

“How dare you spy on me, sir!” demanded Olivia, once she had mastered her emotions enough to speak.

He fixed her with a commanding stare, the one that had set many a seasoned soldiers to quaking in their boots. “I would not have had to resort to such tactics if you had shown me the courtesy of answering my letters.”

Olivia refused to be intimidated. Lifting her chin, she scowled back at him. “I did answer them.”

“With a single word—no.”

“And what,” she asked with excruciating politeness, “did you not understand about such a simple syllable?”

John couldn’t help but admire her grit. It took courage and resourcefulness to play in a man’s world. And she played well, he conceded.

Expelling a harried sigh, he felt his anger dissipate just as quickly as it had come. She had no choice but to guard her secret very carefully. “Look, at least hear me out, Miss Sloane. Tracking down The Beacon has led me on a merry dance throughout Town.”

Olivia paled at the mention of the nom de plume. Turning abruptly, she plunged off the path and darted around a tangle of holly.

“Wait!” John ducked under the prickly branches, losing his hat in the process.

“Go away!” Her voice was muffled by the overhanging leaves.

“Not until we talk!”

“I’ve nothing to say to you.”

The Devil take it. All but a last little flutter of her skirts disappeared behind a shaggy yew hedge. Swearing under his breath, John cut through a patch of lavender. He hadn’t come this far to be rebuffed. She would damn well listen. Or else…

Several long strides brought him within arm’s reach of her. “Confound it, Miss Sloane, stop and listen,” he called, lunging for her sleeve.

As his fingers seized the fabric, his boot snagged on a twist of morning glory. Pitched off-balance, he stumbled and fell, taking her with him. Tangled together, they hit the ground hard, their momentum rolling them into a patch of pachysandra.

“Ooof!” Olivia’s flailing kick caught him square in the shin.

Flat on his back, John got a momentary glimpse of Olivia’s irrepressible curls dancing in the breeze before another half turn landed him on his stomach. Burning with embarrassment, he tried to right himself, only to find that she was sprawled across his…posterior.

Bloody hell, he had never felt like a bigger arse in all his life.

They both started wriggling at the same time. He managed to twist face-up just as she slipped on the glossy leaves and fell back down atop him.

“Miss Sloane,” he gasped.

“Lord Wrexham,” wheezed Olivia, an odd little burr roughening her already throaty voice.

For an instant, he feared she was going to burst into tears.

Instead, she began to laugh.

And laugh.

Scottie was right. It was a delightful sound, its top notes shaded with a rich, sensual echo that seemed to stroke over his skin like a moon-dappled midnight breeze.

A twitch tugged at his lips. His dignity—as well as his coat—was in tatters, his pride was bruised, and though he should not find it at all funny, John felt a rumble vibrate deep in his throat.

Olivia tried to get up again, but her limbs were too weak with mirth. “Good Lord, what a ridiculous picture we must make!” she wheezed in between burbles of laughter.

“Here, let me help you.” Levering to his feet, John lifted her up and as she seemed a bit shaky, he kept his hands on her waist.

“Well, it’s not every day I take a tumble in the hay with an earl,” she quipped.

“Please don’t think that I make a habit of ruining a young lady’s reputation,” he answered.

Her cheeks, already pink from the breeze, turned a lusher shade of red as she looked up and wet her lips.

John felt his body clench. His legendary sang froid began to bubble…His steely self-control went up in smoke…

Olivia flinched as his mouth possessed hers. She was like summer rain against his tongue. So soft, so sweet.

Her hands came up around his neck.

Hell, it would serve him right if she throttled him on the spot.

But then, all of a sudden, she was kissing him back.

In a daze, John twisted around and braced her back against the ivy-covered wall, the glossy leaves crackling under the crush of silk. He was dimly aware of a roaring like cannonfire in his ears, and as his hands slid down to cup her breasts he realized it was the pounding of his own heart.

Knocking all reason to flinders.

A gust of air ruffled his hair, stirring wild, wicked thoughts of her waltzing naked through the trees. In response, his own privy parts began dancing to their own drummer. Thump. Thump. Thump. His pulse was pounding a military tattoo, commanding all soldiers to stand erect.

And Dear God, his Major Organ was responding with unabashed enthusiasm.

Olivia didn’t seem disgusted by his display of primitive lust. With a tiny moan, she tightened her hold and hitched her hips into him.

Lud, it felt good. No, better than good.

Exquisite.

         

Coming Soon from the Hellions of High Street