Muses Fall Carnival Blog Hop!

Welcome, Fall Carnival Blog Hoppers!

I would love to offer you the chance to win a signed hardcover copy of my debut novel, HOVER. Just enter your email in the sidebar on the right to follow my blog, and you'll be entered into a random drawing for the book. Not only will you have a chance to snag a copy of HOVER, but you'll increase your chances of winning the $70 Amazon gift card being offered by the Muses Fall Carnival Blog Hop, too!

You get a little bit of everything in HOVER - sort of a mash-up of romantic suspense, women's fiction, and military thriller. It's a love story set in a U. S. Navy battle group about a female navy helicopter pilot who's unaware she's being groomed to fly a highly classified Navy SEAL mission. For the lovers of adventure romance, I think you might like this one.


The winners of the individual giveaways offered by the seven authors in this Blog Hop will be announced on November 6th. So, please return to the Muses blog [ http://desertmuses.com/ ] to see if you’ve won. The winner of the grand prize, which is the $70 Amazon gift card, will be posted at the same time.

Next stop on the Blog Hop is Jenn Windrow! You can link to her here: https://jennifermwindrow.wordpress.com/. And in case you missed her, Shanyn Hosier preceded me in the Hop: http://shanynhosier.com/

Thanks for stopping by!

Fountain Hills Friends of the Library

Gladys Kleski and Kathleen Butler,
Co-directors Author Series
Fountain Hills Friends of the Library

Thank you Fountain Hills Friends of the Library for hosting me on Saturday for a slide show and talk about HOVER. We had an amazing turnout, and the Q&A was especially fun. Such an engaged audience! Thank you to Gladys Kleski and Kathleen Butler, Co-directors of the Author Series, for promoting this so well. And thanks also to the Fountain Hills Library for hosting and for the technical support. Can't wait to come back!

What a thrill to meet Kyle Mills at the Poisoned Pen!

Kyle Mills with me at The Poisoned Pen
for the new Vince Flynn novel, The Survivor

I had the immense pleasure of co-moderating an interview at the Poisoned Pen in Scottsdale with acclaimed author Kyle Mills, author of the new Vince Flynn novel, The Survivor. Mitch Rapp fans everywhere can rest easy. He's in great hands with Kyle, who did an absolutely amazing job with this novel. Can't wait for the next one!

Military Writers Society of America National Conference Banquet

Board members Maria Edwards and Valerie Ormond

I had the wonderful privilege of attending the end-of-conference banquet for the Military Writers Society of America at their national conference. What an amazingly supportive group.

I was introduced as their newest member, and they made me feel right at home and most welcome. Thank you!!!

HOVER is book of the month for the Arcadia Book Club

Wouldn't you love to know what we were talking about! 

I had an amazing book club experience with the members of the Arcadia Book Club on Thursday night. I wish there could have been a way to capture the energy in that room. Great questions, great discussion, and all led by the lovely (and expressive!) Amanda Goossen, editor of the Arcadia News.

Thank you all so much for having me!







And as a bonus, my mom and dad were there. They've lived in Arcadia for the last 49 years!

Warwick's Book Signing

I had an amazing experience at my book signing at Warwick's in La Jolla on August 31st. It was special, not only because of the warm welcome from the booksellers there, but also, it turned into a mini-reunion of sorts. Several Naval Academy classmates attended, as well as old squadron mates from when I was stationed in San Diego.

Can't wait to go back!

Thanks again, Acacia, Emily, and the rest of the Warwick's staff!


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Arcadia News Book Review of HOVER and author interview

"Hover is not only a perfect summer read; it’s an absolutely perfect anytime read." 
                                                                                                        --Amanda Goossen, Arcadia News

Amanda Goossen from the Arcadia News wrote this wonderful review of HOVER and posted it along with an interview she conducted with me. You can see the article in its entirety here.

Also, I'll be speaking at the Arcadia News Book Club on Thursday, Sep 24th, at 6:30pm, at the Saguaro Library. You'll find more information on the book club meeting below.

Here's the text of the review. I haven't printed the interview portion of the article, but you can find it by clicking on the link above.

Review of HOVER by Amanda Goossen, Arcadia News

When Hover landed on my desk, I took a quick look but, honestly, as my list of summer reads grew longer, I wasn’t sure I could fit another into the pile. With so many fascinating summer-themed novels positioned to fill my time on the beach and the pool, a novel set on a naval carrier didn’t seem destined for my suitcase.

Author Anne A. Wilson, however, is from Arcadia. And as many of us who live here know, Arcadians support one another. And so, the emails began to arrive. 

As Hover hit its publishing date, I received an email from Anne’s publisher, letting me know that the author was from the area. A week later I received an email from someone who knew Anne. Not long after, two people sent me a message saying they had read the book and I had to include it in my book club coverage. After I took a look at Anne’s bio, my thoughts on reading her book began to change. 

Anne Hotis was born and bred in Arcadia. She attended Kaibab Elementary (now known as Arcadia Neighborhood Learning Center), went to Ingleside Middle School and Arcadia High, where she graduated in 1984. Anne’s parents still live in the Arcadia home where she grew up, 49 years later.

This Arcadia local went to college at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in ocean engineering in 1989.

“When you graduate, you are commissioned as an officer in the Navy, or the marine corps, if that’s what you select,” said Anne. “I then went to U.S. Navy Flight School in Pensacola, Florida and received my wings in February 1991.”

Anne was stationed in San Diego at Naval Air Station North Island, which is located on Coronado Island, from 1991-1995. She then spent her shore tour at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada and was a search and rescue pilot there from 1995-1998. While in Nevada, Anne flew search and rescue with the H-1 Huey helicopter and is credited with 31 lives saved. The Naval Helicopter Association named Anne and her crew Helicopter Aircrew of the Year (non-embarked) for 1997 for rescuing 13 people in the 100-year flood that affected the area surrounding Reno and Yosemite.

Today, Anne lives in Fountain Hills with her husband, Bill, and two 13-year-old sons, Adam and Isaac. Bill and Anne own a triathlon coaching company called Camelback Coaching, where they have trained residents for over 12 years.

Once I learned the facts on this woman – who sounded more like superwoman than a local author – I was intrigued. So on one particularly scorching afternoon, I placed myself upon my pool raft, opened the pages of Hover, and was absolutely mesmerized.

I assumed I was about to enter a world of military jargon and intensity. While those elements are present, the pages are filled with enthralling action and endearing relationships. Anne brings her knowledge and experience to the story with exquisite ease, painting a picture of military life, while developing fully formed characters that possess vulnerability along with toughness.

Hover is not only a perfect summer read; it’s an absolutely perfect anytime read.

Protagonist Sara Denning has spent her military career achieving success as a naval helicopter pilot. But in the meantime, she has lost all sense of herself. When she suddenly becomes part of a secret mission, led by the biggest and brightest personalities of her career, Sara must face the intensity of the mission as well as the fears that plague her life.

And within it all there is also a pretty spectacular love story.

I’m not ashamed to say that at first glance I was wrong. Anne is without a doubt an author to keep your eye on…and she’s from Arcadia!

On September 24, the Arcadia News Book Club is honored to have Anne join our group for a night of in-depth discussion. This is a night not to be missed. Join us at 6:30 p.m. at the Saguaro Library for refreshments, great friends and a raffle (tickets are $5) benefiting the charity Don’t be a Chump, Check for a Lump! To attend, please email Amanda@arcadianews.com.