Aloha to Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week with Alexandra Haughton and DESTINATION, LOVE

Social media enables me to find romance authors who share common ground .... I discovered Alexandra Haughton is a Panhellenic sister ... and I invited her to participate in "Do Good" Week.

One of the best qualities of Panhellenic women is our life-long commitment to philanthropy, so I was delighted when Kim asked me to take part in her celebration of Delta Gamma’s “Do Good” Week. (Though I pledged ADPi, I did pref at DG, so we’re practically sisters.) 

From the time I was a little girl, my parents taught me the importance of sharing our blessings—whether that meant time or money. We didn’t call it philanthropy. (That word often makes one think of red brick buildings covered in ivy with a series of hyphenated names on them, doesn’t it? Believe me, if there are any Haughton names on hospital wings and university buildings, they’re from a much different branch of the old family tree.) In fact, I’m not sure my parents ever really called it anything. It was just the way they were raised, to seek out those in need and do the right thing. I’m grateful to them for the thousands of non-showy ways I witnessed their philanthropy over the years.

I had planned share with you two of my favorite local organizations, the Ronald McDonald House (link) and the Richardson Adult Literacy Center (link) whose Buns and Roses Romance Tea fundraiser raises thousands to transform the lives of adults in the Dallas area each year.

Then Harvey happened in my backyard. No, not my actual backyard—I’m a Dallas girl and far from any danger. But all of Texas is my backyard, and there wasn’t a person among us who didn’t have a cherished family member or close friend with stories of loss. And it’s not just Houston, though the city has been much in the news.

Millions of families have been impacted. And some are still in critical need. I’d like to highlight the food banks (especially those in the Beaumont and Corpus Christi areas) and the Texas Diaper Bank listed in this NPR article (link).

Back in my actual backyard, over three thousand evacuees from Harvey are in the mega shelter downtown, with more set to arrive. The Dallas Public Library is accepting donations of books, games, and cards to share with those sheltering. And we know how much access to a good book can help during troubling times.

I’m working with several other romance authors and bloggers to collect books. If you’d like to help out by sending books, feel free to email me (link).

And, at the time I’m writing this, Irma is bearing down on the Caribbean and Florida—by the time you’re reading it, we’ll know the extent of the devastation there. And I thank you for doing good work to help your neighbors in need, no matter where you are. 

Alexandra Haughton lives and writes in a cozy urban cottage. Contrary to popular belief, it is not wall-to-wall pink and glitter. (Yet.) She makes a mean chicken fried steak and has a weakness for Italian Cream Cake (no nuts). When Alexandra isn’t writing contemporary romance, you can find her out and about in Dallas and on social media, where she shares all her secrets on Twitter and Instagram @WriterAHaughton

I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about cake - what is your favorite?

Alexandra loves Italian Cream Cake ... I adore the Tuxedo Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

PS Come back on October 16, 2017, and we'll chat more about Alexandra's DESTINATION, LOVE series. 

Aloha to Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week with Rachel Goodman and INTERCEPTING THE CHEF

Today I welcome fellow Delta Gamma Rachel Goodman ...

Thanks, Kim, for hosting me on SOS Aloha in support of Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week. I love connecting with my fellow DG sisters!

A little about my DG history: I was president of the Alpha Upsilon chapter of DG at Southern Methodist University, and while I am a member of an alumnae chapter here in Dallas, I'm most active in the collegiate chapter since I'm a current professor at SMU. I love connecting with my DG students in and out of the classroom and offering the girls support, guidance, ideas for chapter activities, and helping them implement past DG traditions. My favorite thing is when one of my students finds out that I am their great-great-great-great-etc grand big in our DG family.

One of the greatest gifts Delta Gamma gave me apart from life-long friendships was a deep desire to give back to the community—something that had been lacking in my life prior to joining. Now service is an integral part of my daily life.

I support various organizations, but I am most passionate about the Abandoned Pet Project (abandonedpetproject.org), a non-profit organization that provides funding for abandoned, abused, and homeless pets so that they may receive proper medical care though a network of rescue groups and veterinarians in the hopes that these animals will go on to live happy and healthy lives in loving forever homes through the adoption process.

The Abandoned Pet Project has shown me that adopting a pet isn’t just beneficial for the pet; it’s beneficial for the owner, too. These incredible, adorable, hilarious little creatures can touch your heart and change your mindset. Pets can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, ease loneliness, encourage exercise and playfulness, and add unconditional joy and love to your life.

They're also excellent at dropping a toy at your feet every five seconds wanting to play while you're cooking dinner and guilting you out of that last slice of pizza and dragging you outdoors for the dreaded daily exercise. If they occasionally bring in treasures from the yard--snails and snakes and possums, oh my!--and snore in your ear, surely they can be forgiven.

In fact, my support of the Abandoned Pet Project—as well as my own furballs, two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut—inspired my upcoming novel RESCUING THE RECEIVER (Book 2 in my "How to Score" sports romance series), scheduled to be released in Summer 2018, about a cocky NFL wide receiver who is assigned to volunteer at a dog shelter and falls in love with the sweet-natured, loyal owner :).

Rachel is a mojito lover, cheese enthusiast, wanderluster, book junkie, romance writer, and an enginerd. She is a Colorado native displaced in Texas and an engineer and university professor. When she's not creating optimization models or traveling the world, eating her way through city after city, she is usually tucked in the corner of a coffee shop, dreaming up stories and typing away on the computer. She lives in suburbia Dallas with her husband and two Cavalier King Charles Spaniels named Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut. Visit her online at rachelgoodmanbooks.com.

INTERCEPTING THE CHEF (How to Score Book 1):

“Smart, sexy, and funny” (Publishers Weekly) contemporary romance writer Rachel Goodman is back with a brand new series about a quarterback trying to score in the most important game of his life—the game of love.

Gwen Lalonde is a rising star in the eyes of the elite restaurateurs of the world. But when her celebrity chef boss and now ex-boyfriend fires her, she finds herself playing a different game. Forced to flee San Francisco and return home to Denver, Gwen lands a spot as the executive chef at Stonestreet’s, a new restaurant owned by NFL golden boy and Colorado Blizzards quarterback Logan Stonestreet. When Logan starts pursuing Gwen romantically, she pulls a classic duck and weave and avoids any advances by throwing herself into reestablishing her reputation in Denver.

But Logan Stonestreet is persistent—he didn’t become one of the best football players in the league by throwing in the towel at the first rejection. Something about Logan’s unwavering determination—and amazing body—keeps Gwen around, and soon there’s more that’s sizzling than just the steak on the grill. Things are getting more serious than either side cares to admit, and when Logan suffers a severe injury in the playoffs, they’re both forced to make game-time decisions. The perfect romance for football fans and foodies alike, Intercepting the Chef is a delicious read that’ll have you hooked until the very last play.

Amazon
B&N
iBooks
Google Play
Kobo
BAM

I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway, 

1. Leave a comment about pet names - have you met any furry friends with humorous or unusual names?

Rachel's dogs are Oliver Pancake and Rigby Peanut.  I've posted pictures of my cats from Hawaii - Zsa Zsa (she has a Gabor personality, Zane Grey (he is gray), and Zulu aka Kono (named for the actor Zulu who portrayed Kono in the original H50)

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

More books from Rachel 

Aloha to Delta Gamma's "Do Good" Week

I am an alumni member of Delta Gamma aka DG.   DG designated September 10 - 16 as "Do Good" Week.  I invited authors connected to sororities (DG and others) to share how they "Do Good" in their community - they'll appear later this week.

I kick off "Do Good" Week at SOS Aloha with my own efforts. I support three charitable endeavors - military appreciation, animal rescue, and food banks.  Here is my "Top  5" ways you can get involved:

1. Display the American Flag at home and work.

2. Send a care package to a soldier through USO Cares (link). Romance author Megan Mitcham is also accepting thank you letters for military/veterans at this link.

3. Thank anyone in uniform ... or those who wear military ball caps, T-shirts, etc. Most likely they are a veteran.

4.  Find an animal shelter near you - inquire how you can help. My family buys food and litter from the commissary and donates to 3 shelters in Howard County.  One shelter accepts donations of clean linens, towels, and blankets that I can no longer use due to tears, fading, etc.  I also donate the used toner cartridges from home and work so the animal shelter can receive a credit from Staples for office supplies.

5.  Find a food bank near you - inquire how to help.  Recruit volunteers from your church, neighborhood, or scouts to collect canned goods from shoppers outside a local grocery store.  This makes it easy for shoppers to donate ... and highlights the need to continually stock food banks.

I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway, 

1.  Leave any comment - anything goes!

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Tessa Bailey and DISORDERLY CONDUCT (The Academy Book 1)

You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone…

Police academy cadet Charlie Burns can’t believe his luck when the gorgeous blonde he meets in a bar murmurs those magic words: “Nothing serious, ’kay?” Mind-blowing, no-strings sex with Ever Carmichael—it’s the holy grail of hookups for a guy who’s too busy following in his law enforcement family’s footsteps to think about getting serious. Charlie’s all about casual…that is, until Ever calls it quits and his world tilts on its axis.

Ever knows that when you control the relationship game, you can’t get played. But for the first time, she wants more than short-term satisfaction. Step one: end her fling with commitment-phobic Charlie. Step two: sacrifice herself to the ruthless NYC dating scene. Yet everywhere she turns, there’s Charlie, being his ridiculously charming self. No online match or blind date compares to the criminally hot cop-in-training, but they’re over. Aren’t they?

If love is a four-letter-word, why does the idea of Ever seeing someone else tie Charlie up in knots? Now he’s desperate to win her back…and a little date sabotage never hurt anyone, right?

Tessa Bailey is originally from Carlsbad, California. The day after high school graduation, she packed her yearbook, ripped jeans, and laptop, and drove cross-country to New York City in under four days. Her most valuable life experiences were learned thereafter while waitressing at K-Dees, a Manhattan pub owned by her uncle. Inside those four walls, she met her husband, best friend, and discovered the magic of classic rock, managing to put herself through Kingsborough Community College and the English program at Pace University at the same time. Several stunted attempts to enter the work force as a journalist followed, but romance writing continued to demand her attention. She now lives in Long Island, New York with her husband and daughter. Although she is severely sleep-deprived, she is incredibly happy to be living her dream of writing about people falling in love.

Learn more about Tessa and her books at tessabailey.com.

Tessa is hosting a giveaway at this link ... and offers an excerpt from DISORDERLY CONDUCT:

“NYPD. Open up...”

Ever opens the door, but I can only see a sliver of her goddess figure because the chain is still on.

“Oh. Is something wrong, Officer?”

“As a matter of fact, there is.” I tug my ever-present notebook and pen out of my back pocket, pretending to consult the first page, which sucks,

since it means taking my eyes off her for a second. “We’ve gotten several complaints about the smell of chocolate coming from this apartment. You know anything about that?”

Ever bites her lip and throws a guilty glance over her shoulder. “Maybe. What’s it going to take to make this go away?”

I lean forward, close enough to hear her breath go shallow through the crack. “What’s it going to take?” I drop my eyes to her exposed stomach where a rhinestone sparkles from its place of honor in her belly button. “We can start with a thorough inspection of the premises.”

New York is full of surprises ... 

Aloha to RWA's SECOND CHANCES with Kerri Carpenter and HOMECOMING

Do you believe in second chances?

Romance Writers of America brings together seventeen of today's hottest authors in an anthology of never-before-published tales that reveal true love always deserves a happy ending.

Follow New York Times best-selling authors J. Kenner and Christina Lauren back to reader-favorite worlds.

New York Times bestseller Alyssa Day sprinkles djinn magic in her humorous paranormal romance, while Rachel Hauck brings the enchantment of the holidays in her New Year’s Eve contemporary love story.

And Liliana Hart delivers thrills and adventure in her characters’ search for the impossible.

With characters who find love through tough situations, in an elegant 1800s ballroom, with an old friend who shows up when least expected, at a tender age when cliques and homework get in the way of relationships, or after a random encounter in an unlikely setting, Second Chances delivers romance to strike every reader’s fancy.

Plus tales from:
Marilyn Brant
Kerri Carpenter
CiCi Coughlin
Cassandra Dean
Tina Ferraro
Renee Luke
Ariella Moon
Brandi Willis Schreiber
Lizzie Shane
Sharon Sobel
Damon Suede
Tara Wyatt

Where to buy SECOND CHANCES
Avon
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
iBooks
Kobo

Check it out on Goodreads

Let's take a peak at Kerri Carpenter's HOMECOMING ....

With only two weeks until she starts law school, Lana Greene has one goal. She’s returning to her hometown of Cherrydale for a second chance at hooking up with her high school crush, Wesley Givens. After all, Lana almost hooked up with Wes after their senior prom. Too bad her lifelong best friend, Ford Campbell, has other ideas. He wants to show her that he’s the second chance she’s been waiting for all along.

[Lana Greene returns home after college before heading to law school determined to hook up with her high school prom date. Her best friend, Ford might just throw a wrench in those plans...]

After a much-needed long shower, my day of travel is washed away, my hair is shiny, and my skin is nice and clear. I throw on a pair of tight leggings and a baby blue tank top, accessorizing with both a long and short necklace and tiny star earrings that Ford gave me for my birthday last year.

As I make my way around my childhood bedroom, I can’t stop thinking about Ford. We didn’t get to see each other as much this year as usual. We had the same spring break but Ford went to Puerto Rico with some friends. Instead of spending Christmas at home like usual, my family went to Arizona to visit my grandparents. I missed him.

We’ve known each other for so long. No one knows me better than Ford Campbell.

On cue, I hear his car horn. Looking out my bedroom window, he spots me and waves and I wave back. I stop for a spritz of perfume before I dash down the stairs and yank the door open.

I pull up short to see that Ford has exited the car and is standing on my front porch with his hands in his pockets. “Ready?” he asks. “You smell good,” he adds.

“Just some perfume,” I say. Then I take him in.

Ford looks like … totally Ford. He’s wearing jeans, a button-down plaid shirt over a—what else—vintage Star Wars tee. Only, there is something else. Something … sexier. OMG. Did I just think my best friend looked sexy?

“Why is your face getting red?” he asks.

“No reason. Let’s go.” I slam the door shut, grab his hand, and quickly head for his car.

Award-winning romance author Kerri Carpenter writes contemporary romances that are sweet, sexy, and sparkly. When she’s not writing, Kerri enjoys reading, cooking, watching movies, taking Zumba classes, rooting for Pittsburgh sports teams, and anything sparkly. Kerri lives in Northern Virginia with her adorable (and mischievous) rescued poodle mix, Harry.

Learn more about Kerri and her books at kerricarpenter.com.

I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway,

1. Let's chat about Zumba - a favorite activity for Kerri.  Do you Zumba or enjoy other forms of exercise?  I enjoy a three mile walk in my neighborhood each night.

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore. 

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Aloha to Carol J. Post and REUNITED BY DANGER (Cedar Key Book 5)

When a former classmate is murdered at Detective Caleb Lyons's ten-year high school reunion, he knows the victim's old group of friends are keeping secrets. That includes Cedar Key, Florida, police officer Amber Kingston. Back in school, Amber was headed for trouble, but now she's as dedicated to the law as he is. As he works overtime to get the pretty cop to open up to him, Amber and her friends receive messages threatening payback for past deeds. And her friends keep dying...one by one. But protecting Amber and unmasking a murderer isn't just the widowed detective's shot at redemption--it's his unexpected second chance at love.

Lighthouse at Cedar Key

Photo courtesy of the Florida Archives (link)

Author Carol Post transports readers to the historic town turned tourist destination of Cedar Key on Florida's Gulf Coast. I found this tidbit on Wikipedia (link), 

Early in his career as a naturalist, John Muir walked 1,000 miles (1,600 km) from Louisville, Kentucky, to Cedar Key in just two months in 1867. Muir contracted malaria while working in a sawmill in Cedar Key, and recovered in the house of the mill's superintendent. Muir recovered enough to sail from Cedar Key to Cuba in January 1868. He recorded his impressions of Cedar Key in his memoir, A Thousand-Mile Walk to the Gulf, which was published in 1916, after his death.

I have not visited Cedar Key ... yet ... but look forward to visiting it through REUNITED BY DANGER.  Given Carol Post lives in Central Florida, she knows a thing or two romance and suspense in the Sunshine State!   I am giving away a swag pack from RWA17 - recently held in Orlando - to four randomly selected commenters from my posts published in the month of September. To enter the giveaway,

1. What do you know about Florida - have you visited its sunny beaches, historic sites, or sleepy towns?

I attended the University of Tampa, housed in the former Plant Hotel.  Built by railroad magnate Henry Plant in 1891, it offers a resort destination for those who traveled by rail to Tampa. Even Colonel Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders laid their heads to rest in the hotel.  Check out my pictures of UT/Plant Hotel at this link.

2. Comments are open through Saturday, September 30, 10 pm in Baltimore.

3. I'll post the winner on Sunday, October 1.

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore
Aloha Spirit in Charm City

Learn more about Carol and her books at caroljpost.com.

More books in the Cedar Key series ... 

August winners ....

Where did the summer go?  Public school started today in Maryland ... and my youngest begins his junior year.  He already sent me a text, asking to bring his football practice clothes he left in his room.  He is a winner for being physically active ...

... and we have four winners from August:

Jane, Carol, Di, and Debby win a swag pack from RWA.

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

If you didn't win in August, try again in September!  Yes, I brought home a suitcase full of fun swag from RWA!

Mahalo,

Kim in Baltimore

Aloha Spirit in Charm City