Leanna, with book three in the SHADOW SOLDIERS trilogy — and her THIRD entry. Thank you Leanna!!!!!!!
December 24 is the last day to enter the Shadow Soldiers Contest. For a chance to win an RWA membership, or six months of good reads, send me a photo of yourself, or your pets …. or anyone … with one of my Shadow Soldiers trilogy books. Or two. Or all three. Because each one counts as another chance to win. For full details –>> click here.
Sarah Marshall from Minnesota with RULES … at Christmas. (LOVE the glimpses of reindeer, snowmen and tree :)). Thank you Sarah!!
Only three more days left to enter the Shadow Soldiers Contest!!! For a chance to win an RWA membership, or six months of good reads, send me a photo of yourself, or your pets …. or anyone … with one of my Shadow Soldiers trilogy books. Or two. Or all three. Because each one counts as another chance to win. For full details –>> click here.
The plane that brought us home taxis up to the open-air Honolulu airport for boarding. I hope I’m forgiven for thinking: LOST ;). It was hard not to, especially viewing the ragged Oahu coastline from the air. The program was - and is being - filmed on the island and the locals are proud of the fact. So they should be. The location is every bit as beautiful in person as portrayed in the show. We visited several of the beach locations where episodes were filmed. We drove by the Waikiki studio, too, where they are apparently hard at work on the next season (whoo hoo 
:))
And look who showed up at the Honolulu Marathon expo to pose with fans and sign autographs …
Korean Yunjin Kim above (who plays the mysterious Sun), and British-born Naveen Andrews below (who plays the dark Iraqi), take time to smile for the camera (or not).
Hope you won’t mind a few travel shots over the next few days — I’m pneumonia-style-sick and not up to much else. Will post some contest entries, too!!!
For now …
From this …
On Thursday at sunrise I was running up Diamond Head Road, photographing surfers riding swells that surged at the base of the cliffs below, framing my images through the angular silhouettes of Acacia branches, the early rays warm on sun-browned skin, the salt wind tugging though my hair.
That night I was sleeping in the parking lot of Tim Hortons. In our car.
Snowflakes the size of dinner plates hurtled at us like asteroids, carried by the same wind that had blown our plane clear over the Pacific in record time. A severe storm had shut down the highway home and like countless other hapless souls we were trapped overnight in the snow (some up to 11 hours). In our tiny vehicle. Cold. Underdressed. At the mercy of Mother Nature. And Hawaii felt like a distant dream.
When the highway was finally opened and the accident debris cleared, we crawled up the Sea to Sky as a dark snowy day dawned. And we had to dig — into the driveway, up the front stairs, hauling our cases of summer clothes over 50 centimeters of fresh snow that lay on top of much more older snow.
Christmas lights and a wreath, however, greeted us (my mother’s doing :)) — along with a note on the door that said Aloha, welcome home. It was magical really, like walking into winter-wonderland-Christmas-card. But surreal. And yeah, I now have something like pneumonia because of it 
(had a wee bug to begin with).
A few hours and a plane ride can make a world of difference. So can a storm – it not only cut us off from our route home and forced us to spend the night cramped up with our suitcases and shivering in our vehicle, it cut us off from cyberspace (hydro pole came down on fiber optics cable totally frying our link to the world) … and after not having had internet access for over two weeks … I fear that world may just have passed me by. Tell me it’s not so!!! Please.
I have zero hope of catching up now; my new book is due in a few short weeks!!! And I’m really sick to top it (maybe two marathons in a row was a bit much for this weenie, eh?). I’ll post pictures as soon as I can. And I will respond to emails as I manage to dig them out of the junk mail. But I will say —- I love Oahu! I love Honolulu and Waikiki –- I mean, who can’t love city where can you run barefoot down the road, past designer boutiques boasting names like Prada and Gucci, with a surfboard under your arm, smelling of coconut, salt wind kissing your face?
We only just managed to scratch the surface of a complex and beautiful place, a place with its own unique set of challenges. I hope to go back and learn more about the islands and her people. Much more.
And yep – I conquered the Honolulu Marathon – one of the toughest I’ve done for several reasons … mostly heat. Humidity. And muscles waaay sore from too much surfing and sun the days before (tough life, I know 
). Oh, and trying not to trip over almost 23 000 other people, most of them smaller than me (17,000 came from Japan to run the race and anyone who knows me knows I’m more Nordic than Japanese in stature ;)) added some to my overall time. I suspect I looked rather comical, and gawky, and red-faced, in that sea of bobbing dark heads and beautiful caramel skin … But I shall save that all for another post ….
Aloha for now
… can’t tell you how much I have missed having contact with you all!!! And thank you to all who held fort, entered my contest, and wrote while I was gone. Love you guys!!
To this ….
This is not Loreth, this is her dearest daughter # 1!!!!
My dearest mum (DM #1) just wants to let you know she had a awesome trip but is cut off from all internet access due to a snowstorm…which I am very jealous about cuz I’m not there!!
She might be without internet access for several days. She misses you all and will let you know as soon as she’s connected again……
until then…..
Roxy (Dearest daughter #1)
Welcome to my slice of life in B.C.’s wild and wet coast mountains. This ’running commentary’ is less about writing than it is a small window – often visual — into the life of a romance writer, on the run.
I hope to get to know my readers this way, and I hope you get to know me … just a little better.
From The Romance Reader:
“THE HEART OF A RENEGADE is a skillfully crafted novel, packed with complex characters involved in a well-used plot line; however, it is innovatively done. Loreth Anne White’s pacing is superb, maintaining ever mounting intensity as the story plays out. This story is rich with detail, and a plot that could be expanded to a 450 page hardcover. That said, it does not feel as if it were condensed but evolves in the expected manner only to twist and turn a bit adding interest and suspense. The dynamics between Jessica and Luke are extraordinarily well handled.
White is a very gifted author and whose future novels will be sought out by this reviewer.”
–Thea Davis
A TOP PICK from Romantic Times BOOKreview for THE HEART OF A RENEGADE
“Luke Stone is just like a stone. After his pregnant wife is murdered, he closes up emotionally, until his employer asks him to protect Jessica Chan, who’s a target of the Chinese Triad Dragons for attempting to expose their atrocities. Luke doesn’t want to be responsible for anyone, and he’s surprised to find a kindred spirit in Jessica. When they’re on the run with only each other to lean on, their emotional barriers crumble. The Heart of a Renegade (4.5) is an action ride full of thrills and surprises and a love story that will make your heart beat faster.
Loreth Anne White has expanded her Shadow Soldiers series, and intriguing and dynamic characters continue to make it compelling.
—Sandra Garcia-Myers
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And a five-star review from CataRomance.com:
From the instance THE HEART OF A RENEGADE starts, one will take an indrawn breath and continue to gasp until the explosive ending. The danger is believably suspenseful with heart-pounding threats, and how they are carried out is terrifying realistic. Just when one thinks all is going smoothly for the hero and heroine, more peril crops up and they must once again fight for their lives.
Luke and Jessica are one of the most endearing couples about whom I have had the pleasure to read, and their compelling story profoundly touched me. Whether they are fleeing from the enemy or expressing exactly how they feel on a subject, their actions are authentic and make them seem very true-to-life. Ms. White had me caring for this couple and what the future holds for them, causing numerous tension-filled moments during the story. THE HEART OF A RENEGADE masterfully evokes images and feelings to create an enthralling plus emotional story which never disappoints.
–Amelia Richard
SEDUCING THE MERCENRY earns Cata award
I am thrilled to learn SEDUCING THE MERCENARY has been named a CataRomance Reviewers Choice award winner for 2007. Thank you to the Cata team!
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HEART OF A MERCENARY EARNS CATA AWARD
I am honored to have been awarded a 2006 CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award for THE HEART OF A MERCENARY.
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SULTAN is NRCA finalist
A SULTAN’S RANSOM has been named a National Readers Choice Award finalist in the long contemporary category.
