The publication of Three to Get Lei’d crept up on me last night about as fast as the Hula Maidens can get themselves into trouble!  Right now we’re scrambling to get the “Buy” link on the website.

Suddenly the book appeared on Amazon Kindle and people must be downloading like crazy because it’s on the Cozy and Mystery Series Bestseller lists already. YIKES! So you can go straight to Amazon to order. Nook is taking a little longer but hang in there and you’ll be able to download really soon.

Newsletters will go out some time tomorrow so if you aren’t already signed up, look for the box on the page where you enter your email address and you can stay up to date with the latest Tiki Goddess Mystery and other Jill Marie Landis news.

Thanks for sharing the word with your friends, neighbors and anyone who’ll pick up a hula skirt or a cocktail shaker at the drop of a hat.

Mahalo for all of your support!

The Tiki Goddess

Ahh the writing life. Always something to do that doesn’t involve actually sitting down and writing. Today it’s re-vamping my other website, the one that belongs to Jill Marie Landis  who is my evil twin. She writes romances. Lots and lots of romances of all kinds.

So today I enlisted my friend Stella Cameron to take a photo for the new look on my other website. Stella’s daughter took Stella’s photo and did a great job, so I was hoping there was something in their DNA that matched.

Stella Cameron Famous Author and Friend

“Quite lovely” as Stella would say (not about herself) about the photo her daughter was able to capture. So with camera in hand Stella and I set out into the jungle of the back yard here on Kauai and hoped for the best.

She didn’t have a lot to work with. I have no suitable clothing that doesn’t scream “Beach!” or “Get me to a makeover!” To make matters worse I lathered on a pound of make up and then I rolled and tucked my hair into what I call the “Suzie Creamcheese” hairstyle. I deem it suitable for an author of world reknown but it is NOT a style any self-respecting Tiki Goddess would choose.

So with my neighbor, Mel, and our cat ‘Omi looking on, Stella and I commenced the photo shoot. It was actually very painless and there were a couple of acceptable choices which will appear on the Jill Marie Landis website soon. Which proves Stella did pass on the DNA for photography, though she does look much lovelier than I do. Perhaps my web guru will add some much needed photo shop magic.

Jill Marie Landis famous romance writer NOT a Goddess look

Of all the nice photos Stella managed to take, the one you will see below is my favorite. She took it when we were all finished, or “pau” as we say here on Kauai. My neighbor was wafting a ti plant around and it was just the right prop and too hard to resist. The photo below proves a Tiki Goddess must always let her hair down and be herself!

You can read all about Stella Cameron and her books at www.stellacameron.com

That is, until she takes up a new career as a photographer.

Aloha,

The Tiki Goddess

What happens when a writer like me crawls into the dark hole before making a book deadline? Life goes on unnoticed as I eat, drink and sleep the book. Type, type, type day in and day out and suddenly when I come up for air, I’m like a groundhog blinking at the light of day. “Huh? What? Where am I? Where did everyone go?”

Who Turned the Lights On?

Now Tiki Time has rolled on, spring has sprung already and “Three to Get Lei’d” Book 3 of the Tiki Goddess Mysteries, is finally at Bell Bridge Books going into production.

I can’t wait to see my cover design because I know it’s going to be a lot of fun and complete with a Tiki, elements from the mystery like a murder weapon or two and some lovely tropical seasonings to spice it up.

As soon as I get a whiff of the cover design I’ll post it and you can start mixin’ those Mai Tais and get ready to kick back and follow the Hula Maidens as they careen through their next caper. Yep, the old broads are at it again!

Stay tuned and Tiki On!

The Tiki Goddess

It’s not easy researching the latest novel in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series. Today I went to hula practice where the true Hula Maidens were in good form. Some of them have recently learned to make their own practice skirts called pa’u skirts. One of the definitions of pa’u is “a woman’s skirt or sarong.” The skirts the dancers made consisted of 4 yards of print fabric and four rows of elastic at the waist/hip area. Unless the dancer wearing it weighs under 90 pounds, there’s little hope of looking like anything but a floral float in the Rose Parade.

Modeling the New Pa'u Skirts

Since I’m busy finishing up THREE TO GET LEI’D, I skipped the sewing bee, but I sent my sewing machine to stand in for me, which should count for something.

While I was home working up a sweat at the computer, I reached a point where I had to stop and I must now come up with a couple more  cocktails created by “Uncle Louie” (a fictional character in the Tiki Goddess Mysteries).

“Uncle Louie” has decided to create a flaming shot to commemorate a scene where the Hula Maidens nearly burn down their beloved Tiki Goddess Bar, the place where they hang out and hula and most of the scenes are set. While researching on the internet I discovered there are some rules of the road to think about while creating flaming shots and cocktails.

(Who knew?)

Keep Handy When Drinking Flaming Shots

1. Unless you don’t want to end up in the emergency room, never consume a drink while it’s still on fire. Extinguish it first.

2. Don’t serve flaming drinks to friends who are already inebriated. Note: Kind of takes some of the fun out of this if you ask me.

3. If you let the drink burn too long you might crack the glass…the alcohol will spill out and flames will spread.

4. Hide the crystal. Heavy glassware holds the heat better.

5. The shorter and rounder the glass the better. (Kind of like me.) They are easier to light.

6. It’s better to flame your drinks with the lights down low. The flames burn very blue and sometimes are hard to see unless you’re in the dark.

Extinguish BEFORE Drinking...Duh.

So that’s as far as I’ve gotten. Tonight I may try to concoct a few different versions of flaming shots. First I have to get my hands on either some 151 proof rum or some Everclear which is a high proof grain alcohol. Apparently these are the choices for the float atop the drink as these spirits ignite easily.

For now, stand back, stay tuned and have the fire extinguisher ready!

The Tiki Goddess

I’ve been working on some new scenes for THREE TO GET LEI’D, Book 3 of my Tiki Goddess Mystery series and while I work I’ve been listening to and inspired by vintage exotica music classics. So inspired that I wrote a scene where the madcap Hula Maidens perform a hula number to the song “Kalua” and they dare to dance while holding flaming coconuts. (Rest assured, nothing good happens as a result.)

Kalua begins with native drum beats reminiscent of exotica, a musical genre that followed Les Baxter’s album Ritual of the Savage (Le Sacre du Sauvage) released in 1952.

Tribal rhythms and exotic sounds on his classic “Quiet Village” transported folks living in the USA’s newly laid out suburbs to whatever exotic paradise their minds could conjure. They began calling their patios and screened in porches “the lanai,” building tiki bars, shaking up frothy, tropical concoctions in shiny aluminum cocktail shakers, and maybe even planting a Tiki or three in their back yards.

In 1957, Martin Denny covered Les Baxter’s “Quiet Village”, with exotic bird calls and a vibraphone instead of strings, establishing the sound of the loosely (very loosely) Polynesian style music.  In 1959 Denny’s “Exotica” album reached #1 on Billboard’s charts. Arthur Lyman and Juan Garcia Esquivel are two more favorites of the genre. Now a host of new exotica performers like Don Tiki and Kava Kon are following in their footsteps.

Exotica albums are filled with the sound of bird calls–perfect for inspiring more hilarious scenes in the Tiki Goddess Mystery series that feature the now famous taste-testing parrot, David Letterman.  Big-cat roars and shrieking monkeys, weird sounds of sirens “ooo-oooing,” chants, vocalized animal calls and growls blend with the haunting sounds of vibes, congas and bongos, bells and more.

Freaky Tiki? You bet.

Time to Get Freaky

So whether you’re a fan of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series, a collector of all things Tiki, or hopefully both, why not take a time-out, kick back, and listen to some classic exotica music?

No telling what taboo you might be inspired to break!

Tiki On,

The Tiki Goddess

New readers and old friends have found The Tiki Goddess Mystery series thanks to a wild and crazy December of Amazon promotions for both MAI TAI ONE ON and TWO TO MANGO. With specials running all month long both books climbed the best seller lists and MAI TAI ONE ON even went to #1 on the Free book list for Amazon Kindle downloads.

Well, of course, you might say. Why not? After all, it was free. But considering the long long list of free books available for Amazon kindle downloads … 54,714 at this moment to be exact…I was actually stunned when I got the news … and it takes a lot to stun a Tiki Goddess!

What does that mean for me and for the fans of the Hula Maidens? Well, it means more folks will be reading TWO TO MANGO and waiting anxiously for book #3, THREE TO GET LEI’D. They’re already threatening to riot if there’s not another book signing party at the Tahiti Nui soon!

For the next few weeks I’m going to be finishing up the manuscript and getting it off to my fabulous publishers at Bell Bridge Books, Deb Smith and Debra Dixon. These women had the vision it takes to believe that books set in Hawaii will sell if offered to readers. Nothing like some success to light a fire under this Goddess. Sure, I’d rather be dancing hula and working out with the old cocktail shaker than writing, but there are more tales of mystery, murder and mayhem to be told and someone with a whacky but adorable bunch of friends needs to be writing them.

So for now, a hui hou! ‘Til  we meet again…wish me luck.

The Tiki Goddess

The TWO TO MANGO party was a smash hit! So great in fact that it’s taken me months to recover from signing all those copies of TWO TO MANGO and we even sold a pile of MAI TAI ONE ON copies (Book 1 in the Tiki Goddess series).

Hula Maidens in Disguise (Could that be Kiki and Flora?)

For those of you who weren’t there, you missed the inspirational Hula Maidens in great form! Not only did they come in costume, but some of them came in disguise. And why not? They danced their hula toes down to the nubs as they sipped likiko’i tequinis, mai tais, mango rum punch and of course, white wine.

As always, Julia Witford of the Tahiti Nui made sure the party went off without a hitch and the pizza cuts kept on coming.

Robin Savage of Robin Savage Gifts Hanalei kept me busy in the back signing books while the incomparable Beverly and Patrick Kauanui accompanied by the Ukulele Na Haumana O’Namolokama Band filled the Nui with music and dance to the delight of kama’aina and the tourists who walked into the chaos and were

welcomed with open arms.

Was I surprised when Kauai County Councilman Kipukai Kuali’i stopped by! The bevy of decked out Goddesses enticed him and his entourage to stay, celebrate, and meet a host of North Shore voters.

A good time was had by all, as usual. If there is one thing the Tiki Goddesses are known for it’s having Fun with a capital F. Now it’s time to get back to work on the 3rd book of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series…Three to Get Lei’d.

Until #3 is finished, you can keep on reading Mai Tai One on and Two to Mango. Both are available online as ebook downloads or can be ordered from your favorite bookseller. Check out the pages of this website for links for ordering. Or, if you are lucky enough to get to Hanalei, you can pick up an autographed copy at Robin Savage Gifts in the Ching Young Center.

A hui hou,  (’til we meet again!)

The Tiki Goddess

Aloha to all of you out there in Tiki land near and far.

It’s time to celebrate the publication of Two to Mango, book 2 of the Tiki Goddess Mystery series with a book signing party!!

Sunday August 19th, 3to 5 p.m., Tahiti Nui Bar and Restaurant…read on for details.

Okay, so the book came out in June, so why wait you might ask? Or not…

We needed to order a box of books. Someone at the publishing house usually straps them on the back of a turtle and sends it on it’s way to Hawaii.

But seriously, this year Belle Books got the copies to me really quickly…but then we had to wait until there was an open date at our favorite venue…a place where we can all congregate…the world famous Tahiti Nui Bar and Restaurant on the North Shore of Kauai.

Some say the “Nui” (as it is often lovingly referred to) is the inspiration for the Tiki Goddess Mysteries…if you don’t live in Hawaii I hope you are  lucky enough to stop by the Nui someday and have a Mai Tai or one of my favorite concoctions…a Liliko’i Margarita.

They say blogs aren’t supposed to run on and on so I’ll get right to the point… IF you are on Kauai and you can stop by…please join us at the Tahiti Nui in Hanalei on AUGUST 19TH, SUNDAY, from 3 to 5 p.m. for some pupus, music, and loads of crazy fun!

No host bar (I don’t sell THAT many books) but we’ll have books for sale if you need one. Or five.

If you need an excuse to put on your Tiki Goddess Garb….(who ever needed an excuse?) then for sure dress up and pretend you are one of the book characters (or maybe you are one of them). Be a Hula Maiden for the day…or you can be the suave Uncle Louie, the devastatingly handsome Detective Roland Sharpe, or you might even want to be one of the victims.

So dust off your leopard print muumuu, your ukulele, and get ready to have some fun island style. Wet your whistle by reading the EXCERPT from Two to Mango…go back to the HOME page and click on EXCERPT.

Hope to see you at the book signing! Have comment or question? Click on Comment below.

Aloha nui,

The Tiki Goddess

It’s also the name of a champagne cocktail that’s just right for a summer celebration.

Here’s the recipe. For each drink you’ll need:
1 Lime wedge
sugar
2 oz of mango nectar
champagne

Fill a saucer with a bit of sugar. Moisten the rim of a champagne flute with the lime wedge; dip the rim into the sugar. Pour 2 oz of mango nectar into a glass; top with champagne.

You can also drop a piece of mango into the glass before adding the ingredients.

Do you have a favorite champagne cocktail? Leave a comment.

Aloha,

The Tiki Goddess

Many of you received the latest newsletter about the publication of Two to Mango. If you’d like to be included in the newsletters be sure to click on the CONTACT link and leave your email address and you’ll receive all the up to the minute news.

Would love to hear what your favorite scene was in Two to Mango…without leaving a spoiler for those who haven’t gotten to the end of the mystery yet. Mahalo!

Until next time…tiki on!

The Tiki Goddess