Christmas in Flip Flops
By A.J. Llewellyn
My latest release, “Christmas in Flip Flops” is one of my new favorites. The idea came for it whilst I was in Honolulu this past September researching my fourth and final Pearl Harbor series book, “Avenging Heart”.
Mt friend Shani had just taken up an unusual post as a dental hygienist at one of the many military bases on the island. It gave me the idea when she talked about how weird it would be to be spending Christmas in flip flops.
Yes, even though we live in LA, it’s still winter…to chilly for flip flops!
Of course, I took the idea, ran with it, turned it on its head and gave it some romantic angst.
How would you cope if you’d been unemployed for almost a year, you finally land a great job with good pay and full benefits…but it’s in Honolulu and your lover’s entire family is traveling from Peru to Los Angeles for the holidays?
Well, my character, Devon, takes the job and ignites his lover, Manco’s wrath. Devon wonders if he still has a boyfriend when he flies to Oahu reporting for duty…
I noticed with great interest the day after my book was released that the US pulled out its last soldier from Iraq this past weekend.
This doesn’t mean that the war on terror is over. Far from it. We still have men and women stationed in Afghanistan, Kuwait, other points all over the world, and, in military bases all over the Hawaiian Islands. In fact there have never been so many soldiers in Hawaii since WWII.
My story is timely but it is not a political one. It is a love story between two men whose problems – unemployment, disagreements, family, work – are real, but their love is strong and very, very romantic.
It is also my love song to the islands and all the people who call it home. To the many men and women stationed in those historic facilities that played such a significant part in history following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, I love you and respect you all. I hope you all get to have a peaceful Christmas, hopefully with your families, and definitely in flip flops.
For more info on “Christmas in Flip Flops”, please check out this link at the awesome Amber Allure site:
http://www.amberquill.com/AmberAllure/ChristmasFlipFlops.html
Aloha oe,
A.J.
