Blog Tour for Letters on Balboa Island

Posted on by Kathy Holmes

The blog tour for LETTERS ON BALBOA ISLAND starts February 6! That’s this Thursday already!

For more information, check out my tour page at Pump Up Your Book Virtual Book Publicity Tour. But, first, here’s more about LETTERS ON BALBOA ISLAND:

When Rosalie Martin was seventeen, she knew two things that were true: (1) You couldn’t help but meet a man in a military uniform in southern California in the 1950s, and (2) Sooner or later, men would leave. But that didn’t stop her mother, her sister, or even herself from trying to find a man who would stay. And before she knew it, she had not only one man on her hands, but two.

When Rosalie sends a Dear John letter to the one serving in the Korean War to marry the one back home, she begins a life of secrets and regrets. Years later, when letters surface on Balboa Island, she realizes she may have chosen the wrong man. So when fate gives her the chance to make a different choice, will she? Or has she lived a life of lies for too long?

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Growing up on Balboa Island

Posted on by Kathy Holmes

Balboa Island plays a part in my latest novel Letters on Balboa Island. In fact, look for an appearance of this book in Martha’s Bookstore. You must read the story of how this bookstore came to be. How perfect it will be to have my novel in that store. For one thing, the main character, Rosalie, opens a bookstore on Balboa Island! I’m just sorry we’re not still living in Las Vegas so that I could take them up on their offer to do an author signing. But, perhaps, I’ll get to visit there sometime soon anyway.

I grew up in a suburb not far from Balboa Island and we visited there often, so it felt like I had grown up there – it means that much to me. Besides enjoying the beach, the bay, and the rides at the Fun Zone, we’d sometimes take a family drive right before sunset. The fancy homes with the big windows open to the sea would remain uncovered and when their lights came on, you could easily see inside. My mother and I loved peeking in, although my step dad would chuckle with a bit of embarrassment, hoping to discourage us, or at least pretend to.

My mother grew up in L.A. and talked about her adventures going to Redondo Beach, Long Beach, The Pike and POP, and so I always thought of Balboa Island as my place because I grew up in Orange County. It was only until recently when I told her about my book that my mother sent me this picture of her and her friends on Balboa Island. Who knew?!

Here’ another family picture of my mother with her 2 sisters at The Pike:

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Free E-Books for “Letters on Balboa Island” Promo Tour

Posted on by Kathy Holmes

FREE E-BOOK #4

It’s Week #4 and it’s time to give away Free E-Book #4: As the Bullets Drop.

AS THE BULLETS DROP

Debra Hunt’s mother warned her about men like her father. And now Debra is meeting her father for the first time at a remote mountainside cabin. Where her cell phone doesn’t work. And a dead body shows up on her father’s doorstep. And it looks an awful lot like her mother’s dead body. A police investigation is soon underway and it seems that everybody’s a suspect.

EXCERPT:

I counted the bullets as they dropped onto the floor and bounced onto the bed: 1-2-3-4-5. Where was the sixth bullet? Had it already been fired or was it still in the gun? Would his bumbling cause him to fire the gun by mistake? If it was a mistake. For in that moment I began to fear that my mother had been right all along–this man was not to be trusted.

This is the story of how I, Debra Hunt, found myself in a remote cabin in the California Sierras without a car and a cell phone that couldn’t get a signal while bullets were falling all around me.

I was meeting my father, Mr. Bill French, for the first time at my ripe old age of thirty. And what my mother had told me about him was enough to scare the crap out of me—especially with bullets falling all around me. I had started to believe his side of the story, but I was second-guessing myself and wondering, for a moment, if my mother was right—I was naïve and too trusting.

Just when I was asking myself, “What the hell do I do now?” his wife, Charlotte, called from the kitchen, “The potion is ready,” or was that, “The pomegranate soup is ready?” Either way, it sounded strange to me, and I had to come up with an escape plan, in case I needed one.

BUY now on Kindle

Now available as a Free PDF by clicking on this download link.

It’s Friday and it’s time to give away Free E-Book #3: Cougars in Cabo.

FREE E-BOOK #3

It’s Friday and it’s time to give away Free E-Book #3: Cougars in Cabo.

Spurned by the man who was supposed to be her second chance, buttoned-down Barbara reluctantly joins her “ultra San Francisco chic” friend Cherie on a cruise to Mexico. Never quite living up to Cherie’s standards, Barbara relishes being chased by a young, hot, surfer dude. Reluctant or not, Barbara learns to live in the moment as one of the Cougars in Cabo.

Available as a standalone short story on Kindle or as part of the A SHAKER OF MARGARITAS: COUGARS ON THE PROWL anthology, published by Mozark Press.

Now available as a Free PDF by clicking on this download link.

FREE E-BOOK #2

Dumped by her husband for his gay hairdresser, Donna cashes in her cruise tickets for two for a solo flight to Sin City to celebrate her 50th birthday.

Hoping to discover her true self, she discovers Habanero Margaritas, Elvis, Cilla, Ann-Margret, and the real meaning of Viva Las Vegas.

Available as a standalone short story on Kindle or as part of the A SHAKER OF MARGARITAS: HOT FLASH MOMMAS anthology, published by Mozark Press.

Now available as a Free PDF by clicking on this download link.

FREE E-BOOOK #1

The first free download is Cyn’s Fabulous Guide to Cruising, a fun and fact-filled e-book with over 40 tips about cruising from Cyn, one of the leading ladies from Real Women Wear Red.

“My name is Cyn and I’m addicted to cruising. I’ve booked thirty cruises, spanning three decades and one thing I’ve learned is this: no matter how much cruising changes, some things remain the same. And it doesn’t really matter which mass market cruise line you choose, when it comes right down to the basics, they’re all the same.

You can download a FREE PDF by clicking on this link.

Now, here’s a little something about the book that is kicking off these freebies:

LETTERS ON BALBOA ISLAND

When Rosalie Martin chooses to spend her life with a military man in the post Korean War era of the 1950s, she can’t forget another she met during the war. And when letters surface on Balboa Island years later, she realizes she may have chosen the wrong man. So when fate offers her the chance to make a different choice, will she? Or has she lived a life of lies for too long?

READ Excerpt

BUY NOW on Kindle and Paperback

Also available in various ebook formats on Smashwords