Aloha to Carolyn Brown and the Honky Tonk Series

Last summer at RWA, I received a copy of Carolyn Brown's I LOVE THIS BAR.  Wow - I loved the book ... and I've come to LOVE THIS AUTHOR for her spunk.  Please join me in welcoming Carolyn Brown.

Carolyn:  Good mornin’ everyone! I’m honored to be here today. I have a special place in my heart for all military personnel. Doesn’t matter if it’s Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy or National Guard Units. If you are serving, here’s a hug for you. When I first “met” my husband he was in the Army stationed in Germany. I was in Oklahoma and my best friend was engaged to his buddy. It started as a letter exchange and blossomed into a marriage two years later. Our son was in the Air Force in the late eighties. Our grandson is in the Army and just finished AIT in Georgia. Honky Tonk Christmas is dedicated to the women who have served or are serving in any branch of the service. Sharlene, the heroine in the book, did two tours of Iraq as an undercover Army sniper. Now she owns the Honky Tonk beer joint down in Palo Pinto County, Texas and the only thing that stops the nightmares of what she’s done is sleeping in Holt Jackson’s arms.

Kim:  I enjoyed reading your bio - you have a flirty sense of humor! What do your fantastic grown children think of you being a romance star? Have they read your WIP and/or books? Critiqued or reviewed them? Have they (characteristics and/or personalities) appeared in any form in your books?

Carolyn: Thank you! I never heard my sense of humor called “flirty” but it sounds fine. I’m not sure the kids (Lemar, Amy and Ginny) think of me as a romance star but I like that picture. Can I get my name on a sidewalk somewhere (anywhere) right next to Nora Roberts? I’m still the Momma who makes Thanksgiving dinner and hosts the annual Easter egg hunt in the back yard. All of them have read my books, along with aunts, sisters and cousins. There’s a family competition going over who reads them first when they hit the market. My wonderful Aunt Mil usually beats everyone and still is hanging on tightly to the crown.

But not a single member of the family gets to see the WIP. Not even Husband, who is a retired English teacher, and I’m quit sure could give me lots of good advice. But alas, I cannot afford the divorce that would go with his critique so that isn’t an option. Besides after forty plus years of marriage (I did mention that I was a child bride, didn’t I?) I wouldn’t want to have to train another husband.

I think eventually every writer uses a characteristic or a personality in their writing. Like the smell of Uncle Jap’s cigar or the way he tapped the ash off out in the dusty yard. Or the way Aunt America (Yep, that was really her name and her brother was Napoleon Bonaparte Chapman) wiped her hands on the tail of her apron. My son is a cowboy. Boots, buckle, swagger (I swear he struts in his sleep), so he’s definitely shown up in my books. Ginny’s sense of humor is there (giving credit here: she’s the one who first said someone could charm the hair off a frog’s ass) and Amy’s cooking ability is always there.

Kim:  How do you keep track of 3 kids, fifteen grandchildren, and 2 great grandchildren, plus hubby and deadlines?

Carolyn: A very detailed calendar! That’s for birthdays and deadlines. Husband is an awesome author’s husband. He doesn’t mind fast food if I’m working on another chapter and he’ll even call it in and go fetch it. He knows how to do laundry and ignores the dust bunnies under the bed.

Lighthouse Point, Daytona Beach

Kim:  Your books obviously have a western theme but you like Florida beaches. You wrote that the ocean waves puts your writing brains into high gear. Can you share how the beach inspires cowboys?

Carolyn: The beach inspires a blank mind which is a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen. When I’m sitting on the beach with my toes buried in the sand, the sound of the ocean waves sloshing up on the sand, and the gulls fussing around up high, I forget all about everything but writing. That’s when I can shut my eyes and conjure up visions of my next hero in tight fittin’ jeans, a Stetson hat, a deep Texas drawl and shiny cowboy boots. And a sassy heroine who is about to run right into that cowboy, sometimes quite literally.

Kim:  After further investigation of your website, I found your Historical books, the Black Swan Historical Trilogy set in post WWI and Angels and Outlaws trilogy, "Three nuns. Three outlaws. A long journey and many surprises ahead of them !"

Carolyn: I write for two publishing houses. Sourcebooks Casablanca line carries my western romances in paper back. Avalon, a literary publisher, puts out my hard back books, both in contemporary and historical romances.

The Black Swan series, published in 2009, is set at the end of World War I, and right after the great flu epidemic. The Black Swan is a hotel/restaurant in southern Arkansas and the three sisters who share a secret concerning the disappearance of the youngest sister’s abusive husband.

Angels and Outlaws just kicked off last month with From Wine to Water. Walkin’ on Clouds, April; and A Trick of the Light, August, will follow. It’s set right about the time the Alamo fell, and in the first book there’s even a scene with him.

Kim:  You you seem most comfortable with contemporary westerns. Is there any difference in writing the two genres? What did you like best about writing historicals? What was its challenges? Will we see any historicals in your future?

Carolyn: I have a dread disease called tunnel vision. If I’m writing westerns, that’s what I’m comfortable doing. If I’m writing historicals, that’s all I see ahead of me on that day. I love going back in time to another era.

Challenges: research! Making sure they had a fly swat in 1918 before my hero used the end of one to shove up under the cast on his leg and scratch with it (Evening Star). Learning how to make soap from lye (Velvet); or how to set up a moon shine still (Sweet Tilly). When the Angels & Outlaws series is finished in August, I don’t have anymore historicals under contract right now. But those ideas in my idea book could call out to me. I’ve been hearing noises from a heroine whose grandmother was an Indian medicine woman up in northern Oklahoma back before the Civil War. She’d like to come out and play someday.

Kim:  What's next for Carolyn Brown?

Carolyn: Oh, my! How much room do you have for this interview? I’m working on a new series which will debut in May (Sourcebooks) with Love Drunk Cowboy. Don’t you love those red boots on the cover? It’s called the Spikes & Spurs series and feature sassy women who trade in their spike high heeled shoes for cowboy boots but they keep their kick-ass independence. And the steamin’ hot cowboys who find out trying to tame those women is tougher than stayin’ on the back of a buckin’ bull for eight seconds.

Red’s Hot Cowboy will hit the racks in September and Darn Good Cowboy Christmas in October. I’m currently working on the fourth book in the Spikes & Spurs series which is scheduled for May 2012 and my editor, Deb Werksman, and I still have yet to figure out a title. Who knows if the series will stop at the end of book four or if Deb will let me write Dewar O’Donnell’s story and maybe even Gemma O’Donnell’s (she’s the youngest daughter in the family of horse ranchers). Dewar is already dive bombing my brain at the craziest times and telling me things to put in his cowboy tale.

There will be a contemporary series in 2012 with Avalon called Three Magic Words. It’s set in Texas, also. Beginning in the spring of 2012 look for these titles: A Forever Thing; In Shining Whatever; and Life After Wife. Three friends who say that a man has to say more than the conventional magic words, “I Love You”, before they’ll think the M word; and the men who figure out they’ll do whatever it takes to make their soul mate love them.

Oh, and there’s an October, 2011, release from Avalon called The Ladies Room. What goes on in the ladies room at the church in Tishomingo, Oklahoma stays in the ladies room. But it dang sure doesn’t mean that it’s not going to affect Trudy’s life forever.

Thank you for letting me stop by and visit a while today. It’s been fun. Now back to work. Jasmine and Ace (Book four: Sourcebooks) found out that what goes on in Las Vegas doesn’t always stay in Las Vegas. Sometimes it follows a couple back to Ringgold, Texas and throws horseshoes at them until they see they were meant for each other.

Mahalo, Carolyn, for visiting us at SOS Aloha!

For US residents, Sourcebooks is generously giving away a complete set of the Honky Tonk Series to one randomly selected commenter.

For international readers, I am giving away a copy of I LOVE THIS BAR to two randomly selected commenters.   To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about Carolyn and your favorite western book, movie, or tourist destination. 

2. Comments are open through Saturday, February 5 to enter the contest.

3. Please make sure I know how to contact you by sending your email address to sos.america@yahoo.com./

Join us tomorrow for a Pro Bowl Wrap Up, Weekly Winners, and Surprise Book Giveaway.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Other books from Carolyn Brown ....

Aloha to Carolyn Jewel and MY IMMORTAL ASSASSIN

nfl.com

Today my family tickets to the Pro Bowl - look for us in the cheap seats.   Just imagine if Romance Land had a Pro Bowl - a gathering of the best - Carolyn Jewel would be there.   Like a running back, she is versatile.  Carolyn can run a Historical plot, screen a Paranormal world, and block, er, blog about almost any topic on Risky Regencies.   Carolyn has scored several TDs with her accolades in 2010:

Indiscreet
2010 Bookseller's Best Winner, Best Short Historical

Scandal
2010 RITA Finalist

My Forbidden Desire, Book 2 in the My Immortal series
2010 RITA Finalist and Reader's Crown Finalist

Carolyn joins us to celebrate the release of My Immortal Assassin - Book 3 in the My Immortal series.  From her website bio,

Carolyn writes because she's a bit off that way. She loves history, action movies, scary stories and fine chocolate. She is also a Microsoft SQL Server Database Administrator. This is a geek job that's not nearly as exciting as writing. She lives in Northern California with her son and several critters. A recent switch from PC to Mac allowed her to glue paper fangs on her MacBook Pro and name it MacFang. She loves to hear from readers, so don't hesitate to email her.

Kim:  What is your favorite action movie? Scary movie? Fine chocolate?

Carolyn:  Favorite action movie. Just one? It would have to be Jet Li's Bodyguard from Beijing. Favorite scary movie, hmm. So few are actually really scary. The most recent one I saw was Paranormal Activity which definitely creeped me out.

Favorite chocolate. I don't even have to think about that. Leonidas. It's worth the money.

Kim:  When we lived in Netherlands, my husband's NATO co-workers recommended Leonidas (off searching for chocolate now).  I am going to assume Regency is your favorite historical period since you have several Regency books and you contribute to the blog, Risky Regencies. What attracted you to Regency era? How did you become a Risky? What is your niche in the historical market and even on Risky Regencies?

Carolyn:  Actually, I don't necessarily have a favorite historical period. I love a good medieval, for example. I'm a fan of any well-written historical, regardless of period. My first historical was set in the late Georgian period and my second was set in the early Victorian period (1844) because I liked the clothes. That book (Stolen Love) got a Regency cover because that's what sold in those days. And these days, it's still what sells most, though other periods pop up, and thank goodness! My subsequent historicals have been Regency set primarily because that is a much, much easier sell than Victorian or Edwardian. Which is not to say that I don't care for the Regency period. I do. There's so much going on in that time period that really lends itself to good drama.

I became a Risky because I was invited. I think they were crazy to ask me to join them, but they did and now they probably rue the day. My niche on The Riskies is Wednesdays. I am the Wednesday specialist and on that day of the week I blog about whatever desperate topic comes to mind. I've blogged about exploding pencils and things that happened on Wednesdays during the Regency. I also led a Risky-Read along, where the Riskies and a number of our readers all read Georgette Heyer's Venetia and then blogged and commented our thoughts and reactions. I think we'll be having another Read-Along pretty soon.

As to my niche in the historical market, well, I'm not exactly sure. I've been writing stories that are a bit angsty and definitely emotional, but my next two will take a lighter tone.

Kim:  Your "angsty" Regencies have taken the romance blogs by storm.  And so have your paranormal books.  Does switching from writing Regencies to paranormals equate to switching from a PC to a Mac? I.e., does it require you to "compute" differently?

Carolyn:  The switch from PC to a Mac isn't as disruptive as you might think. My experience went like this: 1) Turn on new Mac. 2) Look at screen and say, "oohhhh, so pretty. I am in love." I've not looked back since. I spend a lot less time fighting my computer now.

Writing in two genres isn't really disruptive either, mainly because I only work on one project at a time. If I were constantly switching between the two genres, I can envision that getting very sloppy. I'd have to train myself to compartmentalize more than I'd like to. I'm not even sure that would work for me.

Kim:  Have your Regency fans followed you to Paranormal? Have your new Paranormal fans considered your Regency books? Are there distinct lines between the types of fans or they one and the same?

Carolyn:  I know some readers have. But not all of them. Some people just don't like historicals or don't like paranormals, or prefer historicals over any other genre, etcetera. There are also a lot of readers who read just about everything.

Kim:  You have receive stellar reviews for My Immortal Assassin - what inspired it and the Immortal series?

Carolyn:  With the series itself, I wanted to write about a paranormal world where the traditional bad guy (demons) weren't necessarily all bad and where the traditional good guys weren't maybe all that good. So, my demons have definitely done some bad things now and in the past, but the magic-using humans who see themselves as the protectors of humanity are doing some terrible things themselves. Durian, the hero of My Immortal Assassin, appeared as a minor secondary character in book 1 (My Wicked Enemy) and in book 2 (My Forbidden Desire) and some really awful things happen to him. By the end of the second book, he's back working as an assassin. And, despite everything I said in your previous question about writing in two genres, I always thought of Durian as my demon Regency Rake. He's a bit old fashioned, he loves all things classical and he's a major clothes horse. I don't think he owns a pair of jeans. It was fun pairing him up with a punk ballerina.

beyondrobson.com

Kim:  What's next for Carolyn Jewel?

Carolyn:  Book 4 in the series, My Dangerous Pleasure, will be out early this June. It's about Iskander. I wasn't going to say anything about the heroine, but I guess anyone could go off and read the back blurb and then you'd know that the heroine of the book is his tenant. He has a granny unit over his garage and he's been renting it out to a woman who owns a bakery.

I don't know yet about more books in the series, but I sure hope so!

In 2012, I'll have two historicals out. They don't even have titles yet, but they will be set in the Regency. For those of you who are unfamiliar with my books, I have two free reads on my website (also downloadable as pdfs) for anyone and everyone to check out.

Moonlight is a Regency-set historical that's a friends-to-lovers story with a hero who's younger than the heroine.

Future Tense is a story set in the My Immortals word about a woman struggling to control magical powers she doesn't fully understand and the computer-hacking demon whose help she enlists.

Mahalo, Carolyn, for visiting us at SOS Aloha!  In honor of your visit, I am giving away an ARC for My Immortal Assassin.  Not just any ARC, but the ARC from Mary Gramlich, the Reading Reviewer.  Check out Mary's review:

Worlds collide, hearts are won over and love dances onto the pages

To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about your favorite time period, action movie, and fine chocolate (or candy).

2. The giveaway is open only to all readers!  I welcome comments from all readers - whether or not you are entering the contest.

3. Comments are open through Saturday, February 5, 10 pm in Hawaii to enter the giveaway.

Join us tomorrow as we welcome Carolyn Brown and the Honky Tonk Series.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

One of the most popular "paranormal" legends on Oahu is the White Dog that haunts the Pali Highway. The Pali is the first path (now Highway) over the Koolau Mountains from Honolulu to Kaneohe. Pele, the volcano goddess, visited Oahu to meet her half-man, half-pig lover. One day he angered her, so Pele banished him the Leeward (Honolulu) side.

It is kapu (forbidden) to bring any pork products across the Pali Highway as you will bring Pele's former lover to her terrain. If you do have any pork products, an ilio kea (white dog) will appear to eat the pork. My children consider this a funny rather than scary story.

I hope someone mentioned this to the NFL as they have been all over the island this week ....


marydwithchildren.wordpress.com



Aloha to CiCi McNair and NEVER FLIRT WITH A FEMME FATALE

This past week, I spotted the Dos Equis Man (the most interesting man in the world) at the Pro Bowl scrimmages, giving the quarterbacks tips on how to throw long bombs to entertain the crowd*.  Today, we meet his cousin, CiCi McNair, the most interesting private investigator in the world.  Her bio tells us why.

Clarissa McNair, whose nickname is Cici, was born and grew up in Mississippi. She graduated from Briarcliff College in New York with a B.A. in American history.

In Toronto, she worked as a researcher for CBC-TV on a documentary on organized crime. Connections was given a standing ovation in the Canadian Parliament and won every possible award. In Rome, McNair was a news writer, on-air newscaster, and producer of documentaries for Vatican Radio. Her main field of interest was the Third World.

While writing her first novel, Garden of Tigers, she was head of international publicity for a Los Angeles film company. Her second novel, Dancing with Thieves, was written in a fishing village on an island off the coast of Tuscany. McNair moved to Geneva to write her third novel, A Flash of Diamonds, which dealt with the world of private bankers and the Genevois.

Clarissa McNair has traveled from the Canadian Arctic to Patagonia, from Haiti to Hong Kong, from Afghanistan to Cyprus. She has spent time in the Middle East and a year in Africa. After living in half a dozen countries, she now resides in Philadelphia where she heads her own private detective agency. Green Star Investigations handles all sorts of cases including missing persons, intellectual property, stolen art recovery and homicide. http://www.greenstarinvestigations.com/

Detectives Don't Wear Seat Belts is the story of why she became a private detective. She has written about her adventures undercover, the men she worked with and some of her cases. McNair's newest book, Never Flirt with a Femme Fatale, is true tales from her files as a detective and as a journalist. She writes about powerful women, seduction and murder.

Kim:  From Mississippi to New York to Toronto to Rome, you made a significant cultural leap! What influenced your decisions to pursue an American History degree in New York, work for a Canadian television station, and eat pasta with the Pope?

CiCi:  I love American history so that's why I picked it as my college major. I confess that I wanted to major in International Studies but could not satisfy the language requirement. Very disappointing. Hilarious, too, as years later I would live in Italy and, for two years, translate Pope John Paul II's speeches and go on the air to be heard round the world with my one or two minute synopsis of what head of state he'd met with and what had been said. I struggled mightily with Italian and now speak it but there were times at my desk at Vatican Radio that I thought I 'd better turn to prayer. This was only part of my job there...it was writing and announcing the international newscasts twice a day plus doing interviews of ambassadors, cardinals, all sorts of illustrious characters and producing documentaries. I loved that job but was treated horribly by my seven colleagues in my immediate newsroom. Because I was the only Protestant at the Vatican and because my Italian was so bad they all decided that the only possible reason for me to have been hired was that I was the mistress of the CIA station chief in Rome! When I was told by my Jesuit boss that they had decided I was a spy and a plant, I told him that if I were a plant, I wanted to be a geranium.

slowtrav.com

Kim:  (laughing) But your adventure was not over - you've lived around the world, in some places where women are considered second class citizens. How did you adjust to this environment? Can you share an amazing moment in a far away place?

CiCi:  I remember being told that in Malawi it was the law that a woman be covered to her ankles and trousers were frowned upon. So I bought a few yards of fabric at a market in Rhodesia which is now Zimbabwe and upon arrival in Malawi draped it around my skirt and tucked it in the waistband. It was awkward but all went well until I found myself standing at the front desk in the lobby of a little guest house and heard the gasps and laughter. The fabric was in a colorful pile at my feet and there I was in my tiny miniskirt! No arrest, no jail time but I can remember turning beet red!

Seriously, being in another country demands respect. It's proper and correct to respect their traditions. I am a guest or even an interloper.

Women's advocates in Mawali
womenscampaigninternational.org

Kim:  What inspired your interest in writing fiction? What prompted you to move to nonfiction? Did your work experiences and/or international travel assist you and/or prepare you for publishing?

CiCi:  Everything I've ever done has been material for writing. As for fiction, I love to tell a story. I love to daydream about characters and plot what they might do, what they will say, and how to move the action from scene to scene. Nonfiction is a great discipline for me because I want to get the story, the conversations exactly right. I feel I owe the truth to the characters I've met.

Kim:  What powerful women do you admire?

CiCi:  Aung San Suu Kyi of Burma. Any woman doctor who works in a society that forbids her to practice medicine. Any little girl anywhere who fights for the right to go to school.

Kim:  Are there any fictional books, movies or TV series that accurately portray PI's? Accurate or not, what is your favorite?

CiCi:  I am a big fan of Law and Order. Lots of the shows are strictly entertainment. Just for fun. They are jokes if you have really worked with law enforcement.

The original series with original cast

Kim:  What's next for Cici McNair?

CiCi:  I want to write more. Maybe go back to a novel next time. I became a detective after two novels were published and now I want to do both--writing and running Green Star Investigations. DETECTIVES DON'T WEAR SEAT BELTS and NEVER FLIRT WITH A FEMME FATALE made me remember how much I really love to write.

Mahalo, CiCi, for visiting us today at SOS Aloha.  I am honored for the opportunity to meet you and share your adventures with SOS readers - you are inspiration of how we are only limited by our imagination.

I also thank Mary Gramlich, the Reading Reviewer, for introducing me to CiCi.   Mary posted a review of NEVER FLIRT WITH A FEMME FATALE on her website.   Mary is giving away her review copy of the book to one randomly selected commenter:

To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about your favorite PI (real or fictional) and an amazing woman you admire.

2. The giveaway is open only to US residents but ...

... I welcome comments from all readers - whether or not you are entering the contest.

3. Comments are open through Monday, January 31, 10 pm in Hawaii to enter the giveaway.

4. If you are an international reader, I am happy to share Aloha with you - send your mailing address to sos.america@yahoo.com to receive a Hawaiian treat.

Join us tomorrow as we welcome Carolyn Jewel and MY IMMORTAL ASSASSIN.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

Chang Apana (left) and "Charlie Chan"

Hawaii's history offers a colorful detective and amazing woman ...

- I'm sure you thought I would mention Magnun, PI!  But a more colorful character was the real life HPD detective Chang Apana from the 1920s.  He inspired the fictional Charlie Chan in books and movies.  From Hanahou magazine,

One of the most dramatic exhibits in the Honolulu Police Museum is the actual weapon that Chang Apana used in his exploits, including one Chinatown raid in which he single-handedly arrested seventy gamblers when his backup failed to appear in time. That weapon wasn’t a gun or a billy-club, but a braided leather horsewhip—a legacy of Apana’s days as a Big Island paniolo (cowboy). “Chang hated guns and refused to carry one,” Croom explained. “So the Police Department wrote a new directive allowing him to carry any weapon he chose.”

- Queen Liliuokalani was the last reigning monarch of the Kingdom of Hawaii.  From Aloha Hawaii,

On January 17, 1893, pro-American forces overthrew the government and proclaimed a provisionist government with Sanford B. Dole as president. Queen Liliuokalani had no choice but to surrender her throne. She made a plea to the U.S. government for reinstatement, and a representative of President Grover Cleveland found the overthrow to be illegal. Dole, however, refused to accept the decision.

The queen withdrew to her residence, Washington Place, and urged her supporters to be patient and avoid bloodshed. A fierce uprising was firmly squelched in January 1895, and although she denied playing a role in the attempted takeover, Liliuokalani was arrested and taken to a second-floor room at Iolani Palace. It would serve as her jail cell for nearly a year. During her confinement, the queen wrote one of Hawaii’s most beloved songs, "Aloha Oe" ("Farewell to Thee").

Liliuokalani was pardoned in October 1896. In her remaining years, the deposed queen fought for the restoration of the Hawaiian kingdom. She died in 1917 at age 79.

*  A little fiction ....

TGIF - Bling and Book Giveaway!

The SOS Aloha schedule indicates that Regency author Donna Hatch is our guest today.  But due to my error, she is not.   I look forward to welcoming Donna back in the near future.

If you came to SOS Aloha in search of Donna, I offer you a consolation - I will send you some Hawaiian tea.   Because the Brits have a cup of tea to resolve anything (I know because my mother is a Brit).   To claim your tea, send your mailing address to sos.america@yahoo.com

To cover for my error, let's giveaway some bling and books!  Yesterday the NFL hosted its Play60 Mini Camp for military children on Pearl Harbor. 

These are my children in Bucs and Bengals jerseys.   Play60 is a program to motivate young fans to "get moving" for 60 minutes each day.   Boys and girls could sign up for football or cheer leading (I spotted at least five girls playing football).   Parents were instructed to sit on the bleachers as the children went through drills.  Six NFL players were coaching the children, including Marc Mariani, No. 83 from the Tennessee Titans, and Brandon Meriweather, No. 31 from the New England Patriots.  

Marc Mariani hands off to older son.

Two mascots entertained the parents - the Carolina Panther's Sir Purr and the Denver Bronco's Miles.  I asked Sir Purr if he had a chance to visit Waikiki Beach yet.  This was his non verbal response (posing on the beach) so I take that as a "Yes."

An announcer also brought a microphone to the bleacher and asked for volunteers. I was the first to share who was my favorite all time NFL player - I replied "Bob Griese" (I grew up in Miami with the Dolphins during their "perfect" season). I should have replied "Roger Staubach" in honor of his Heisman Trophy from the Naval Academy (since the event was hosted on a navy base).


NFL coach guides younger son.

The NFL gave away logo water bottles, which I pass along to five randomly selected commenters.  I will stuff them with Hawaiian treats, such as shell leis, more Hawaiian tea, etc.

To enter the giveaway,

1. Leave a comment about your favorite NFL player of all time.

2. The giveaway is open only to US residents but ...

... I welcome comments from all readers - whether or not you are entering the contest.

3. Comments are open through Sunday, January 30, 10 pm in Hawaii to enter the giveaway.

4. If you are an international reader, I am happy to share Aloha with you - send your mailing address to sos.america@yahoo.com to receive a Hawaiian treat.

Meanwhile, I have more books to giveaway!  Actually, I am looking for readers to write a review for:

- Catherine Coulter's THE VALCOURT HEIRESS.  The book was released in the fall but Catherine Coulter is attending the RT Booklovers' Convention in April.  I'd like to post a review before the convention. 

- Maya Bank's HIDDEN AWAY.  The book is scheduled to be released on March 1, 2011.  I'd like to post a review before its release date. 

Both authors' publicists sent me these ARCs for me to review.  In the case of Catherine Coulter, the book arrived just as my parents became ill and it moved down the priority list.   For Maya Banks, I read too slow to write a review before the book is released.  

So here is your unique opportunity to be a reviewer of a hot book!  To be considered as a reviewer for either (or both) books,

1.  Send an email to sos.america@yahoo.com, identifying which book (including both) you would like to review.  Please include your mailing address.

2.  If you have posted a book review on Amazon, blog, etc, please let me know the details (although it is not necessary to be considered).

3.  Emails will be accepted through Sunday, January 30, 10 pm in Hawaii for consideration.  I will send by Priority Mail on Monday morning to expedite the process. 

4.  I will negotiate the final deadline with the selected reviewers.

Join us tomorrow as we welcome PI-turned-crime author CiCi McNair to celebrate the release of her second non fiction book, NEVER FLIRT WITH A FEMME FATALE.  This is an interview you don't want to miss!

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

More pictures from NFL Play 60:

I'll post pictures from the Pro Bowl on Monday!