Aloha to Shana Galen and WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND

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Here in Hawaii, we have a Duke ....  Duke Kahanamoku, the Ambassador of Aloha.   We also have a Diamond ... Diamond Head, the iconic symbol of Waikiki Beach.  Here at SOS Aloha, I have Shana Galen, author of WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND!

Kim:  Tell us about the Houston area - what is your favorite sight, sound, and smell?

Shana:  Thanks so much for having me back! Houston is such a great city, and I'm fortunate to live here. One sight I love is the view from the top of the Edwards' Theater parking garage. My 5 a.m. fitness boot camp does a workout at that location once every couple months, and it's so pretty to see the whole city lit up against the backdrop of the early morning sky. As far as sounds, I'm a big fan of silence. And the smell is easy. My daughter's music class is near a Pappasito's Mexican restaurant and the smell of the fajitas cooking makes my mouth water every week—and I'm a vegetarian! 

Kim:  How did you become a member of the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills? What is the most outrageous thing you all have done? 

Shana:  I'm actually one of the founding members of the Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills. A bunch of us were new authors at Avon and we saw the success of the now defunct Squawk Radio, so we started our own blog. Our once yearly in-person meetings aren't really outrageous, but they're fun. We all talk over one another, trying to hear the latest news and catch up on all the gossip. 

Kim:  I enjoyed seeing you at RWA's Literacy Signing! What is the most challenging and rewarding aspects of attending the national convention? 

Shana:  It was great to see you several times at the RWA conference. For me, the biggest challenge is the lack of time by myself. I'm one of those people who is exhausted by being around a lot of people for any length of time. I have to take frequent breaks in my room to regroup. I'm also an early-riser, and I love being one of the only people awake in the early morning hours. That's a perfect time to get some writing done. 

Kim:  Tell us about your new series, “Jewels of the Ton,” and your new book, WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND. 

Shana:  The Jewels of the Ton is a new series featuring three notorious Regency courtesans whose lives are filled with secrets and who are caught in a search for missing diamonds. They also meet some dangerous, and intriguing, men.

When You Give a Duke a Diamond is the story of Juliette, dubbed the Duchess of Dalliance. She has a reputation as an ice queen, but those who know her know she's actually quite fun and spontaneous. She can be aloof, but she has her reasons and legitimate fears. Will is a duke, who likes his life orderly and routine. He doesn't like scandal. He doesn't like disruptions. And he doesn't like Juliette. But when she witnesses the murder of his fiancée and becomes the killer's next target, Will is honor-bound to protect her. 

Shana gave me a ruby colored
conference bag at RWA/Anaheim.

Kim:  What's next for Shana Galen? 

Shana:  If You Give a Rake a Ruby, Fallon's story, is the next in the series and will be released in March 2013. Currently, I'm finishing up the next in my Lord and Lady Spy series, which is tentatively titled True Spies. 

Mahalo, Shana, for visiting us at SOS Aloha!  I posted my review of WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND on Amazon at this link and Goodreads at this link.  Sourcebooks is giving away a print copy of WHEN YOU GIVE A DUKE A DIAMOND BY SHANA GALEN – IN STORES SEPTEMBER 2012:

He had a perfectly orderly life…

William, the sixth Duke of Pelham, enjoys his punctual, securely structured life. Orderly and predictable—that’s the way he likes it. But he’s in the public eye, and the scandal sheets will make up anything to sell papers. When the gossips link him to Juliette, one of the most beautiful and celebrated courtesans in London, chaos doesn’t begin to describe what happens next…

Until she came along…

Juliette is nicknamed the Duchess of Dalliance, and has the cream of the nobility at her beck and call. It’s seriously disruptive to have the duke who’s the biggest catch on the Marriage Mart scaring her other suitors away. Then she discovers William’s darkest secret and decides what he needs in his life is the kind of excitement only she can provide…

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shana Galen is the award-winning author of fast-paced adventurous Regency historicals. She is a two-time RWA Rita Award finalist and a winner of the coveted RT Reviewer’s Choice KISS Award. A former English teacher in Houston’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She is happily married and has a daughter. Look for the next book in the Jewels of the Ton series, If YOU GIVE A RAKE A RUBY, in March 2013. For more information, please visit www.shanagalen.com, or follow her on Twitter, @ShanaGalen. 

Duke gives Amelia Earhart a pineapple

To enter the giveaway, 

1.  Leave a comment about your favorite jewel ... mine is the pearl!

2.  This giveaway is open to US residents ... I'll giveaway a Hawaiian "jewel" souvenir to one international reader.

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, September 22, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on Sunday, September 23.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

I can give you Diamond Head ....