Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Aloha to Kieran Kramer and LOVING LADY MARCIA


On this day in 1959, Hawaii became the 50th state of the union with President Eisenhower's executive order.   Ten years later, THE BRADY BUNCH premiered on ABC, becoming an American staple of a blended family.   Kieran Kramer adds a Regency Twist with her new series, The House of Brady.  Book 1, LOVING LADY MARCIA, will be available next week for your reading pleasure.  In the mean time, let's play Eight Degrees of Separation in honor of the eight Hawaiian islands and eight members of the Brady Bunch:

1.  The Brady Bunch kicked off Season Four with a visit to Hawaii that spanned three episodes.  In Episode One, Bobby finds a tiki statue and the family is cursed.  In Episode Two, Vincent Price made a guest appearance as an archaeologist.

2.  Vincent starred as Sir Walter Raleigh in THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX.   

3.  Sir Walter Raleigh served as the Captain of the Yeoman of the Guard.

4.  Another notable Captain of the Yeoman of the Guard was the Marquess of Clanricarde, an Irish peer during the Regency Era.  

Yeoman of the Guard
wikipedia.com

5.  Kieran Kramer adds a fictional title to the Irish peerage - the Marquess of Brady, the father of Lady Marcia.

6.  In the opening scene of LOVING LADY MARCIA, Marcia meets her future love, Duncan Lattimore, en route to her family's seat in Dublin, Ireland.

7.  Perhaps the later generations of the Brady Family hosted Hawaii's last monarch, King Kalakaua, who visited Ireland in 1881.    

8.  Kieran Kramer makes a virtual visit to Hawaii to giveaway a swag package to one randomly selected commenter to celebrate LOVING LADY MARCIA:

Marcia gets schooled…
Of the three Brady sisters, Lady Marcia has always seemed the girl most likely to lead a perfectly charmed life. But after a handsome cad breaks her heart, she swears off love and devotes her life to teaching girls at a private school. In spite of her family’s wish for a London debut, Marcia is happy where she is—until terrible news sends her back to the Brady clan…and into the arms of an unexpected suitor.

On the subject of love.
A dark and dashing earl who knows Marcia’s past, Duncan Lattimore is surprised by what a fascinating and independent woman she’s become. Marcia, too, is surprised—by the fiery attraction she feels for Duncan. But why—why—must he be the brother of the scoundrel who broke her heart? Why must Marcia’s rival at school forbid her from seeing him? How can this lady possibly resist this fellow—when they know that it’s much more than a hunch…?

Die Siickerin by Franz Xaver Simm

The swag includes: 

1 Loving Lady Marcia pink pen
1 Loving Lady Marcia wine charm
1 Loving Lady Marcia Bookmark
1 Impossible Bachelors bookmark
1 signed bookplate
1 sticky notes pad
1 set of Impossible Bachelors RTCs
1 Loving Lady Marcia RTC


To enter the giveaway,

1.  Leave a comment about road trips - have any interesting stories to share?   

On our flight home from RWA in Anaheim, we sat next to a French speaking pilot from Tahiti.  We chatted his recent visit to Paris.  I was just glad to have an extra pilot on board!

2.  This giveaway is open to residents of the US and Canada.  

3.  Comments are open through Saturday, August 25, 10 pm in Hawaii.  I'll post the winner on August 26.

Mahalo,

Kim in Hawaii

To learn more about Kieran and her books, including excerpts for LOVING LADY MARCIA, check out her website at kierankramerbooks.com.







36 comments:

  1. We took our kids on a road trip once and also took along our oldest daughter's friend to watch the two younger ones so we could take a break. Good theory, except for the one time we came back and found one locked out of the hotel and the other hidden is a drawer.

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    1. Oh, boy, Debby! My son once pulled out a drawer and got in and fell asleep. Now he's 6'3"! I can't believe he was ever that small. Thanks so much for stopping by SOS Aloha, one of my absolutely favorite blogs on the planet!!!

      XOXO

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  2. Last year when we were driving home from Minnesota we stopped at a rest area and a van of nuns came out. I was so excited, they were the same order of nuns that I had in grammar school, I wanted to have my picture taken with them but my husband told me NO. After that rest area, we met up again at another one.

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    1. That's so funny! I don't know why it hits my funny bone so hard, thinking of a bunch of nuns coming out of a van, but it does. I went to parochial school, too, and we were SO intimidated by the nuns, LOL!!! Thanks for saying hello, Danielle!!

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  3. My family and I took a road trip many years ago. There were seven of us piled into a Volkswagon station wagon. Me, hubby, 2 kids, mother-in law, her friend and my young brother-in-law. We took the ferry from England across to France. We stayed in Paris overnight, and then over the Swiss Alps (stayed there overnight) and then onto Rome, Italy. My mother-in-law had an audience with the Pope, which we were all thrilled about. We all stayed at a convent where my hubby's cousin was a nun.

    When we left Rome, we drove onto Austria, then Germany, back to Paris, and then back onto the ferry to England. Believe it or not, we did all of this in 10 days. lol

    My kids were really well behaved, and loved the adventure. That's one trip that I'll never forget.

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    1. Wow, Diane! That sounds like the adventure of a lifetime!!! How cool to stay in a convent and for your mom to have an audience with the Pope. Those aren't easy to get.

      :>)

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    2. Hi Kieran, My mother-in-law was a very strict Roman Catholic. She was over the moon at getting this audience. The convent on Via Della Carmalucci (not sure really of the spelling) was amazing. For dinner they brought out spaghetti bolognese. We loved it and totally filled up on it. Then, to our horror, they brought out the main course. We were like "what is this now"? The food though was amazing. We only managed to eat a little of the main course. We could sneak my hubby's cousin apples, which she would hide in her habit to eat later in her room. lol

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  4. HA HA I love the degrees of separation!

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    1. I know! Isn't Kim not only clever but really smart about history? She blows me away. I think she needs to go on Jeopardy!!!

      :>)

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  5. Not really.... No road trips for me.. I have a 3 yrs old and she doesn't travel well.

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    1. I remember those days, May! It's difficult traveling with little children. But maybe when she's a bit older!! My earliest memory is of holding my mother's legs while mist surrounded us--and she told me that was when we were on the ferry observing Niagra Falls, and I had just turned three!!!

      :>)

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  6. Thanks Kim for hosting Kieran!

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    1. Yes, thank you, Kim, SO much for having me here today! I always love to say hello to my enthusiastic, cheery friend--that's YOU!--and to all your wonderful followers.

      I hope everyone's going to really enjoy LOVING LADY MARCIA. Do stop by and tell me what you think of it! I'm on Facebook, Twitter, and I even have a free new app for the iPhone and Droid. You just search for "Kieran Kramer" and it pops right up!

      Everyone have a great last few weeks of summer...get in some good reading!!!

      Hugs,

      Kieran :>)

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  7. four years ago I took a trip from PA to FL with my two grown daughters, one boyfriend and one husband (now an ex) but we had a ball. We stopped at out of the way restaurants, lookout points, played car games, stopped for the night in Charleston, S.C. where they were having a festival which was wonderful. It was so much fun we did it again the next year.

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  8. Catslady, I wonder if that was the Spoleto Festival? I live in Charleston! I'm glad you enjoyed your time here!!!

    :>)

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  9. Catslady, I wonder if that was the Spoleto Festival? I live in Charleston! I'm glad you enjoyed your time here!!!

    :>)

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  10. I haven't had a road trip in a long time but when we were younger we used to on them all the time. One time on our way from California to Utah to see my grandparents we stopped in the middle of the road to watch a Road Runner and a snake fighting. It was a pretty big snake and while I'm not sure what kind it was, it doesn't matter because after a few minutes the road runner won and ran off with his meal.

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    1. Cool! You saw a real-life Wild Kingdom episode, LOL!!!

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  11. I've been on a couple of mini road trips with my cousin. Nothing exciting or weird has ever happened.

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    1. What?!? I think you're holding back on us, Jane! And if it's true nothing exciting or weird has ever happened...it's time for another road trip with your cousin. Sumpin's gonna happen! I just know it!!!

      :>)

      P.S. Actually, a "normal" road trip sounds really appealing to me!!!

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  12. No road trips for me. I don't travel well.

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    1. Carol, my favorite place is HOME!!! Are you the same way? I do love to travel, but I like getting home to my dog and kitty cats and my own kitchen.

      :>)

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  13. Hubby and I are going on a road trip this week, through Pa.Dutch country and to some Civil War battlefields. Wish us luck (and good weather.)

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  14. Good luck! I love PA Dutch country. All those gorgeous quilts and those fried balogna sandwiches...yum!!! We really want to see Gettysburg--I never have. So have fun, LSU Reader!!!

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  15. When I was a child, my father would rent a van and take the entire extended family on road trips (not too far way though). Of course, this was before mandatory seat belts so we kids (6!) would just sit on each other's laps or lie across the luggage in the back. Good times.

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    1. Oops, please don't enter me for the swag package as I realize that I have one! And it's totally awesome!

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  16. No road trips for me. Too tiring for someone my age.

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  17. When I was growing up, we took fishing road trips from Kansas to Minnesota, Canada, Alaska, or to North Carolina for deep sea fishing.

    kscathy@yahoo.com

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  18. My husband drives a big rig and I just returned from a three month road trip with him. We actually traveled through 35 states in 3 months. We had lots of fun and saw some very beautiful (and sometimes desolate) scenery. Kept a journal of sorts - which I need to decipher - and have some good memories. Ready to do it again!!

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  19. No interesting road trips

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  20. I just took a trip with my family to nebraska. We live in iowa and it was about 5 hour drive. The first couple of hours was fine, bu then the last couple the kids complained. I'm bored, I'm hungary, and the classic are we there yet. I was going crazy. Know I know how my parents felt when we were kids. This book sounds great, love the cover. Love kierans books.
    Christinebails@yahoo.com

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  21. I can't do road trips for very long due to a back/hip injury and a history of blood clots. I would have to be able to stop at least every hour for about 10 or 15 minutes to mover around, and not be able to do too many hours in a day.

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  22. Your book sounds really good the cover is nice too. There is one road trip I remember I was about 8 and my family went camping with our friends across the street we went from California to Arizona and we stop at a track stop there was a bathroom as we pulled up a man honk his car horn told our friend no one gets out of the car that there was a swarm of bees every where and that there was a man and woman stuck in the bathroom and could not get out the bees were all over the bathroom door. The truck driver called the sheriff and they were waiting for the beeman to come get them. Everyone left but I felt so sorry for the ones in the bathroom I was always hoping they would be ok! From there we went back to Nevada, I always loved our road trips many things happen but this was one that stuck in my mind. I still don't like bees to this day!
    Penney

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  23. Last year for our 30th anniversary, my husband and I took the train to New Orleans! (My dream trip!) It was the first time on a train for both of us and we had a ball. Love the City of New Orleans train.

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  24. I toured Ireland in a car with two teenagers a few years ago. It was very stressful at first, but after all electronic devices died, it actually got fun because we started to make fun of how awful the radio was.

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  25. When I was in college a bunch of us drove to Florida for spring break. Our problem was that we lived in New Jersey and when we get to Virginia we have no idea how to pump gas since you cannot pump your own gas in New Jersey.

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