New Release! Hot Hawaiian Christmas

☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  My Novella is Here!  ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆  

 

Why I had to write this book:  
Hot Hawaiian Christmas combines my love for Hawaii, specifically the Big Island, and my favorite holiday.  I had these characters in my mind who are busy with their lives and I wanted to see what happened when I threw them into a time of year when things get crazier and watch how their lives entangle.  As they get caught up in the spirit of the season, their nights sizzle, and the heroine has more than one problem to resolve.  Hot Hawaiian Christmas lets the reader experience the holiday in a unique setting with characters who are enjoyable to get to know—and root for.  It's also a short novella length ebook, which is perfect for when readers are especially busy themselves. 

Blurb: 
It's Christmas in Hawaii, but Lindsay Clark's vacation turns out to be anything but relaxing. With her uncle absent, she finds herself managing the hotel—a task at which she's normally very successful. However, Lindsay's life is turned upside down by the unfamiliar environment, Christmas festivities, and a very tempting guest—Chandler Lewis. He's the honorary Santa for the Kona Christmas parade and has a great life back home in California. Romance is the last thing on his mind. But when he meets Lindsay, he begins to wonder if life could be sweeter in Hawaii.  

Now Available at Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B00QNR29NK

Read a sample on Amazon:  http://amzn.com/B00QNR29NK or Here: Victoria's website

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride. She is also the writer and director of four short films. Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and connect with her on Pinterest  Twitter and Facebook.

From Here to Timbuktu by Jean C. Gordon

I like to read historical (in particular) romances set in unusual places. Some old time favorites that that come to mind: The Prince of Midnight by Laura Kinsale, Mary Jo Putney’s Silk and Secrets and Veils of Silk, and Dragonfire by Patricia Potter. I also like just about any historical romance set in Eastern Europe, where my grandparents emigrated from. But I have a problem. After the early 2000s, unusual setting became scarce—in print historical romances, at least. Almost all historical romances seemed to be set in the British Isles—not that I don’t also love Scottish historicals and some books set in the Regency Period. Even early American and westerns seemed to have disappeared. The publishing powers had decreed that Regency England was all historical readers wanted to read.

What’s a reading fan of unusual places to do? I went to the Classic and Cozy authors to see what they had written with unusual settings. Here’s what I found.

From Gina Ardito
The Bonds of Matri-money, Bali.
Mistletoe and Magic, Poland
Eternally Yours and In Your Dreams, in the Hereafter
www.ginaardito.com

From Zelda Benjamin
Chocolate & Sensibility—a novella set in the tropical rainforest on an island off Ecuador, www.zeldabenjamin.com

From Beate Boeker
A New Life, Florence, Italy, http://amzn.to/13tFD2S
Mischief in Italy—A romantic comedy set in Lake Garda, Italy,
http://amzn.to/11pkT4W
It's Raining Men—Four cousins inherit a magic umbrella in Paris—and have to take it to their homes in California, Edinburgh (Scotland), Florence (Italy), and Paris (France), http://amzn.to/1j1ae95

From Sheila Claydon
Cabin Fever, on a cruise ship, www.sheilaclaydon.com 











From Jean C. GordonHis Lady Viking, Scotland, but in the 10th century with a Viking heroine, http://amzn.to/1iceFiy

From Victoria M. JohnsonThe Doctor's Dilemma, a small village in Mexico, http://amzn.to/1kNwJFp




If you like Hawaii, from Annette Mahon
The Matchmaker Quilt Series:
Book 1: Dolphin Dreams
Book 2: Holiday Dreams
The Secret Romance Series:
The Secret Correspondence
The Secret Wish
The Secret Beau
The Secret Santa
The Secret Wedding
The Secret Admirer

The Pink Plumeria Quilt Shop Books:
Chase Your Dream
Above the Rainbow

Stand alone titles:
Just Friends
Maui Rose
Lei of Love

Mystery:
St. Rose Goes Hawaiian
www.annettemahon.com

From Fran McKnabb
On the Crest of a Wave, a fort on an island in the Gulf of Mexico during the U.S. Civil War,
www.amazon.com/On-Crest-Wave-Fran-Mcnabb/dp/0803499965

From Loretta C. RogersLady Adel's Captain, during the 1854 Sapoy Rebellion in India
www.lorettacrogersbooks.com/




If you like Australia, from Elisabeth Rose
Mango Kisses, the north coast of NSW Australia and Sydney
Outback Hero, outback
Instant Family, Canberra

Stuck, Sydney and a small rural town
The Right Chord
Coming Home
The Tangled Web
Love On the North Shore Line, all three in Sydney
The Wedding Party, Narooma, a beachside holiday town on the NSW south coast
www.elisabethrose.com.au

Dreaming of Hawaii

by Victoria M. Johnson

I'll admit it. My favorite state is Hawaii. Currently my husband and I are planning another Hawaiian vacation. I'm so excited, and as usual, I need to do something that helps me keep going until the big departure day. Sometimes I get my Hawaii fix by reading a book set in Hawaii. Other times watching a movie made in Hawaii settles my eagerness to drive to the airport 21 days early. I'll pore over our photo albums of previous trips, seeking that tranquility and vitality I feel with every visit. Or I'll play my CDs of Hawaiian music such as those of Iz or Henry Kapono.

But this time nothing is working. I really need the calm and serenity Hawaii brings me, and I need it yesterday. I can't unwind at all and I have more than three weeks until our flight across the Pacific. I am desperate for the lush greenery and black sand beaches, the majestic waterfalls and bright colors of exotic flowers. I can feel the drums beating for the hula dancers and hear the conch shell's echo. 

In my desperation, I turn to Netflix and my personal library.  I could watch TV series like Hawaii Five-O, Baywatch reruns, or Magnum PI reruns.  Or I could reread some literary favorites like, Hawaii by James Michener, Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter, or The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings. But I've read all those books more than once. They just make me yearn for Hawaii more than before, which does not make my situation easier.

So I glance through the options in DVD format: Blue Hawaii and two other entertaining Elvis Presley offerings, 50 First Dates, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall for lighthearted humor, and for completely different movies there is the SyFy Channel original film, Supergator or the biography, Soul Surfer. Don't forget the classic drama, From Here to Eternity.

I reach for Elvis and I already feel my blood pressure decreasing. Is it his rousing voice, his swaying hips, or is it Diamond Head and Waikiki Beach that provoke my spirit?  I can't say. I only know that Blue Hawaii works. I realize I don't need to calm myself for Hawaii; I need to awaken myself. I need to be alert to the beauty and wonder of Hawaii to fully enjoy the intoxicating serenity. And I just need to think of Elvis dancing to "Rock-a-Hula Baby" and know that I'll soon be enjoying my own Hawaiian sunset.

Do you have a favorite Hawaiian destination? I want to hear about it. Do you have a favorite book or movie set in Hawaii? Tell us!

Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was ten that she wanted to be a writer.  She loves telling stories and she's happiest when creating new characters and new plots.  She is also the writer and director of four short films and two micro documentaries.  Avalon Books and Montlake Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The Doctor’s Dilemma, (A 2012 Bookseller’s Best double finalist).  Her other fiction book is a collection of romance short stories titled, The Substitute Bride.  Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips and find her Amazon author page at http://amzn.com/e/B0046CG6PQ or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.