6 Tips for Seeing Jason Momoa – Meili Vodka Tour

Blaine Halvorson, Jason Momoa and me!

After working in journalism and as a music journalist for a number of years, I don’t go to many celebrity events. (Total contrast to book signings.) Ironic now that I’ve seen Jason Momoa twice. The first was a few years ago at a Long Beach Comic Con, and this week at one of the Meili Vodka bottle signings. 

 

Momoa and Meili co-founder Blaine Halvorson are currently touring major retail locations to celebrate the brand’s release. In a rare turn of events, we went as a family. The hubby never got out of the car, however. He circled, parked and managed a conference call.  

 

1) Get in line early: The event we attended went from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. in Newport Beach, California. Some “successful” fans arrived at 1 p.m. 

 

2) Buy your bottle: The store will have a limited amount for sale. Usually when I attend a book signing, my goal is to buy the book from the location. Unfortunately, because of its draw, not only did the store sell out, they didn’t allow people in “to shop” during that hour. (The woman in front of us worked for another retailer and she “seemed to know” our location had 500 bottles). 

 

Note: I tried to purchase a bottle of Meili Vodka earlier online for “pickup” at Gelson’s and it didn’t come up on the website. 

 

3) One bottle per person: Walking to the end of the line, I noticed several people with cases of vodka. After about 20 minutes, more info spread that only one bottle per person would be signed. (Which means the guy in front of me with his Funko Pops and Aquaman DVD didn’t get signed either.)

 

4) If you don’t make it in: The event’s slated for one hour. With about 15 minutes left, Co-founders Momoa and Blaine Halvorson waked the line for selfies. Get your phones ready, including turning the camera around. (Right before these happened, all the “under 21” crowd were called to the front for pictures first. Hint: It wasn’t because the rest of us got samples!)  

 

5) Talk to your line-mates: Obviously, you all are there with something in common: A love for vodka and Momoa. 

 

6) They’re livestreaming: Throughout the wait, several people walked by livestreaming from Momoa’s Instagram account. Get ready to cheer and wave … and catch yourself. 

 

Where to buy: Check the official Meili Vodka website for event details and retailers. I later picked up a bottle for $24.99 at Total Wine in Long Beach. The site listed “limited availability.” 

Meili Vodka at Total Wine

 Hope this insight provides someone help! If you go, let me know how you do!

 

Louisa Bacio

Website http://www.louisabacio.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/louisabacio

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUtOyT

Cover Reveal: The Christmas Dilemma #readztule

We've got a treat for you today. I LOVE me some holiday romance, and here's a sneak peek at an upcoming release by Sarah Vance-Tompkins.

Now doesn't that look SWEET? Totally delish! Things will be heating up in The Christmas Dilemma!

The Christmas Dilemma 

Sweet Contemporary Romance

by Sarah Vance-Tompkins

She wants an unforgettable Christmas.

He wants to forget Christmas.

They’re together for the holidays.

Under one roof.

This should go well. 

Or not.

PRE-ORDER NOW!

Release: 11.1.23

 

Skipping Christmas is easy. But it’s impossible to deny your heart…

 

Eli Adair is the first call whenever his family and friends need a hand. But this Christmas, he has no obligations, so he’s taking a break from the stress of big family celebrations. No presents under the tree. No stockings by the fireplace. No twinkling lights.

 

All he wants is to be home alone at Hillcrest House.

 

Travel nurse Audrey Elliott is returning to Christmas Tree Cove hoping for a big holiday celebration like the ones on her grandparents’ farm—all she has left of happier times before her mom’s condition lost those memories. Candy canes. Gingerbread houses. Holiday carols.

All Audrey wants is a place to call home for Christmas.

 

When a high school friend assures her there’s plenty of room at Hillcrest House, it seems like all her Christmas dreams are coming true until she discovers she’ll be living with Eli, the boy she’s never forgotten. Or the first kiss they shared.

 

Eli and Audrey are about to discover whether December is about reliving traditions—or making new ones.

 

Pre-order:

 

The Christmas Dilemma 

Sweet Contemporary Romance

by Sarah Vance-Tompkins

https://tulepublishing.com/books/the-christmas-dilemma/#order

  

----

Twitter: @sarahvtompkins

Insta: @sarahvatom 

Website: www.sarahvancetompkins.com 

https://linktr.ee/sarahvantom

 

5 Movies That Warn Against Time Travel & Giveaway

You know better. 

The warnings are part of the fabric of popular culture. If you go back in time, there’s a chance you’ll destroy the future. Repercussions leave ripples in time. 

 

Yet, it happens time after time, whether by accident or on purpose. In my new release in the multi-author “The Nightshade Guild” series, the main characters know they shouldn't and yet when they really need help, it’s hard to ignore the call. 

 

What makes a character break the rules and risk the space-time continuum? 

 

Here are a few movies that touch upon the subject:

 

1. Back to the Future 
2. Terminator 2: Judgement Day
3. Spider-Man: No Way Home
4. Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse
5. The Flash 

 

Enter to win: Swag pack for “Time After Time.”

Includes: custom-made wine charm, hologram sticker, star worry rock, Louisa Bacio and Chapstick, “It’s Better Wet” button. 

 

Tell me: What other “rules” are there to time travel? What movies do you suggest that touch upon the subject? 

 

Rules: US Shipping. Winner will be chosen on Friday, Aug. 4, 9 p.m. PST. 

*~*~*~*

Time After Time

 

By Louisa Bacio

 

What’s old is new and what’s new is old. 

 

After a good deed goes wrong, Serena and Peder tumble through time, landing in Hollywood during an ’80s musical revolution. 

 

The paranormal duo navigates the concrete waters of the past to find a way back to the future. Without the aid of modern technology, other members of The Nightshade Guild, or their dwindling energy sources, they must rely upon each other.

 

Maybe other “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” but Serena wants to get back home with her love. 

Available now!

Connect with me:

Website http://www.louisabacio.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/louisabacio

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUtOyT

"Sweet Dreams" -- Stream of Consciousness

Delving into Stream of Consciousness

 

Did that happen? Chapter Six, “Sweet Dreams” takes readers on a wild ride of the unconscious dreams of the characters of “Time After Time.”

 

As a writer, I’m used to making transitions so much smoother, and while I reflected over this chapter – a lot – it’s still choppy. Peder is deteriorating physically and has been thrown into high-stakes situations continuously. While he has paranormal abilities, he’s not a Mage with The Nightshade Guild. The reader sees this unraveling, but the dreams … showcases it.

 

Peder’s experiences contrast directly with those of Serena. Without dishing spoilers for the reader, her dreams take on another aspect and delve more into the realm of astral projection and divination. 

From LitCharts, a definition of stream of consciousness is: “Stream of consciousness is a style or technique of writing that tries to capture the natural flow of a character's extended thought process, often by incorporating sensory impressions, incomplete ideas, unusual syntax, and rough grammar.”

 

At the end of the chapter, the reader questions WTH happened, and how the information should be interpreted. For Peder, there is an irony in his dreams. Can the chaos truly be described as sweet? We are left longing for more … or less.

 

Readers will either embrace it or reject it. While I primarily read and write romance, my background is heavily influenced with the master’s in English. The classics, literature and poetry and related influences sometimes bleed through. 

 

Louisa Bacio

*~*~*~*

Time After Time

 

By Louisa Bacio

 

What’s old is new and what’s new is old. 

 

After a good deed goes wrong, Serena and Peder tumble through time, landing in Hollywood during an ’80s musical revolution. 

 

The paranormal duo navigates the concrete waters of the past to find a way back to the future. Without the aid of modern technology, other members of The Nightshade Guild, or their dwindling energy sources, they must rely upon each other.

 

Maybe other “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” but Serena wants to get back home with her love. 

Available now!

Connect with me:

Website http://www.louisabacio.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/louisabacio

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUtOyT

Playlist: Time After Time

This book is set in 1984. Ironically, it’s a year I don’t totally remember. My mom passed away that year when I was a freshman in high school. While researching the time, I thought: “Wow, that song came out? And that song?” Yeah, so many small connections built into a story that hopefully, lingers. 

Each song corresponds with a chapter. Here's a list in alphabetical order (no spoilers!).

Cyndi Lauper, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” & “Time After Time”

Duran Duran, “Hungry Like a Wolf”

Eurythmics, “Sweet Dreams”

Frankie Goes to Hollywood, “Two Tribes”

Whodini, “The Freaks Come Out at Night”

INXS, “The One Thing”

Madonna, “Material Girl”

Pat Benatar, “Love is a Battlefield”

Prince, “Purple Rain”

The Police, “Every Breath You Take”

Time After Time

 

By Louisa Bacio

 

What’s old is new and what’s new is old. 

 

After a good deed goes wrong, Serena and Peder tumble through time, landing in Hollywood during an ’80s musical revolution. 

 

The paranormal duo navigates the concrete waters of the past to find a way back to the future. Without the aid of modern technology, other members of The Nightshade Guild, or their dwindling energy sources, they must rely upon each other.

 

Maybe other “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,” but Serena wants to get back home with her love. 

Available now!

Louisa Bacio

Website http://www.louisabacio.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/louisabacio

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUtOyT

Songs of the Deep: Mermaid's Tail

 

Tami Lund

Mermaid's Tail

 

The need for revenge is as deep as the sea 

Fifteen years ago, Asia was tossed over the side of a ship and left for dead. Galene, the first mermaid, and Poseidon, the god of the sea, saved her and turned into a mermaid. 

For fifteen years, Asia has been biding her time, waiting to seek her revenge. 

But now that she finally has her chance, she runs into a roadblock in the form of Conall Nowak, a handsome human man who takes her breath away and gives her all the feels…and makes her wish for a future that cannot be. 

Because she is a mermaid, and Conall has a secret. 

 

He knows who tossed Asia overboard.

 

Share something special about the characters in your story:

 

Our hero, Conall, struggles with his past, with accepting that his father wasn't one of the good guys. He doesn't believe in mermaids, and hates the fact that rumors persist that his father's death was at the hands of these mythical creatures. 

 

As a teen, our heroine, Asia, wanted to captain her own ship. Unfortunately, in a desperate attempt to realize that dream, she snuck onto the wrong ship... and was tossed overboard.

 

What drew you to be part of this anthology?

 

The fact that it was about mermaids. I've written wolf shifters and dragon shifters and bear shifters, but I'd never considered mermaids before. The idea was so intriguing, and this was the perfect opportunity to give it a try.

 

Are mermaids/sirens real? What do you think about those things we know to be true but don't necessarily see?

 

I think we love the idea that they might be real, which is why we all enjoy reading about them so much! 

 

Anything else you’d like to add?

 

I am so excited for readers to dive into this anthology. My story was so much fun to write, and I know the other authors feel the same way.

 

Social Media Links

 

Join Tami’s newsletter and get a free read not available anywhere else: http://tamilund.com/ 

Follow Tami Lund on Bookbub

Amazon Author Page  

Tami’s Facebook Page: 

Instagram  

 

NOW AVAILABLE as part of the Songs of the Deep Anthology

 

Buy Now

 

Songs of the Deep: Silver Seas

 

Louisa Bacio

Silver Seas

 

Lumina admits to making mistakes in life and love. When her scumbag ex dumps her—literally—overboard in the middle of the ocean, she figures she’s done. 

 

Until she’s saved not once, but twice. 

 

Change and trust doesn’t come easy for Jewel. She’s learned to rely on herself until she hears the cries for help from her intended mate. 

 

With more than a little help from Poseidon and the magic of the sea, these two forge a new life, together.

 

Share something special about the characters in your story:

 

Despite both living a hard life, both find salvation and love in the mystical waters of the sea and each other. 

 

What drew you to be part of this anthology?

 

It’s a wonderful group of contributors, working together to create something new. It’s always good to work with people you respect such as my long-time writing bestie Nikki Prince, and Lexi Ostrow. Plus, it helps amplify new voices. 

 

Plus, I’ve always been drawn to the sea. 

 

Are mermaids/sirens real? What do you think about those things we know to be true but don't necessarily see?

 

My mom absolutely swears to this day that she’s seen a mermaid, and my dad met a vampire. Imagine growing up with those stories! Just because we don’t see something every day doesn’t mean it’s not “real.” 

 

Anything else you’d like to add?

 

While the worlds are not all interconnected, Silver Seas is my fourth romance featuring romance. You can download a free read via BookFunnel. 

 

Wet: A Ménage Mermaid Tale (FFM)

Princess & the Pauper, Under the Sea. 

After the Sea Queen forbids the Princess to follow her heart, Marianna swears to catch Shell, the feisty water sprite.

 

https://dl.bookfunnel.com/mf9vbgi8ac

 

 

Social Media Links

 

Facebook

 

Website http://www.louisabacio.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/louisabacio

https://www.facebook.com/Louisabacioauthor/  

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/louisabacio

Instagram http://www.Instagram.com/louisabacio

Newsletter: http://eepurl.com/bUtOyT

 

Releasing May 13 as part of the Songs of the Deep Anthology

 

Buy Now

 

Songs of the Deep: In Too Deep

 

Nikki Prince

In Too Deep

 

The sins of the father will be visited on the daughter. 

Intent on revenge, Oceanu targets her prey, leaving them enthralled with her siren song. 

Until she sees Scott and became bewitched herself. Would he still yearn for her if he knew the monster she held back beneath her skin? 

Only time and the seas would tell.

 

Share something special about the characters in your story:

 

Oceanu was innocent until fate made her not so.

 

What drew you to be part of this anthology?

 

I wanted to represent POC in a fantasy world under the sea. I also wanted to try my hand at a dark romance. This one is definitely darker than I've ever done. I'm hoping the readers will love Oceanu as much as I do.

 

Are mermaids/sirens real? What do you think about those things we know to be true but don't necessarily see?

 

I believe there are a lot of things that aren't explainable but could be true. I'm not sure about mermaids or sirens...but this is the beauty of stories...anything can be real.

 

Social Media Links

 

https://www.facebook.com/AuthorNikkiPrince/ 
https://www.instagram.com/authornprince/ 
https://www.facebook.com/groups/LoveLiterally 
https://www.facebook.com/NikkiPrinceAuthor 
https://www.authornikkiprince.com 
https://twitter.com/AuthorNPrince

 

Releasing May 13 as part of the Songs of the Deep Anthology

 

Buy Now

 

Songs of the Deep: Poseidon's Voice

 

Catherine Stovall

Poseidon's Voice

 

A mermaid who is still healing from her tragic human death, a prince running from responsibility, a ship's captain who has gone mad, and a monster in the deep. When the war between mermaids and men spills from sea to land, no one is safe. But if they die, they die together.

 

Share something special about the characters in your story:

 

While Nadia and Dante are the main characters of the book, it is truly Captain Manford (Dead Eye) Roberts who captures my own imagination. I feel as if his story would be interesting to tell.

 

What drew you to be part of this anthology?

 

I was excited to write about mermaids for the first time and the opportunity to work with some really amazing authors. Some for the first time and others who I have written with before.

 

Are mermaids/sirens real? What do you think about those things we know to be true but don't  necessarily see?

 

I believe nothing is impossible. Mermaids might just exist. We can't possible guess what is hidden beneath the waters.

 

Anything else you would like to add?

 

I always like to thank the readers. Without the people who buy and read the books, I am nothing. It is their minds and hearts that breathe life into the characters again and again to truly give them immortality. 

 

Social Media Links

 

Facebook

 

Releasing May 13 as part of the Songs of the Deep Anthology

 

Buy Now