bookstore events

My interview with Supernatural's bodyguard, Clif Kosterman

On Saturday, June 12, a dream came true for me when I got to interview Clif Kosterman, the close protection specialist for Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki for the last 15 years. Anyone who’s followed me on social media for long knows what a huge fan I am of the CW’s Supernatural, a fun horror-fantasy series that has the distinction of being the longest-running horror series in history.

I didn’t interview Clif for pure fan’s sake. I’d become fascinated about the job of close protection specialists — or bodyguards — when researching my bodyguard romance, Serving Sin.

Clif is a true good-guy hero in real life!

Some highlights from our interview include:

  • How he got involved with Supernatural way back in the first season

  • That time he had to go rescue Jensen, who’d been abandoned on the side of the road

  • The first time he knew Jared was head-over-heels for a woman on the show

  • How he and the guys feel about the enthusiastic Supernatural fandom

  • The incident when police handcuffed a man for trying to enter Jared’s house

  • Why this close relationship works for these “three musketeers”

Click below to watch full video!

Win a paperback copy of SERVING SIN signed by Clif Kosterman!

On Thursday, June 24, I’ll be releasing my monthly newsletter with an opportunity to win one of four paperback copies of Serving Sin with Clif’s signature! Sign up now and enter Thursday!

Everything You Didn't Know You Needed to Know About Romance

Credit: Hannah Neville

Credit: Hannah Neville

In mid-November, I gave a talk at a local library titled, “Romance 101: Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Romance.”

Why would I say you NEED to know about the romance genre? Because romance offers the escapist fairy tales that we hard-working adults need. In today’s intense and and many times antagonistic world, there’s a lot we can’t control. Sometimes, the best self-care we can give ourselves is to give our brains a break. And I think a well-written romance novel offers that better than any other media.

What’s better than immersing yourself for 350 pages in the sensation of falling in love?

I was thrilled and honored that Erin of the romance blog, The Smut Report, came out to the event and wrote this amazing round-up. The romance fans who showed up at the Aurora Hills Branch of the Arlington Public Library were passionate and engaged and we had such a good time!

I am now hooked on library events and jonesing to do more!

I’ve included an excerpt of Erin’s post below. You can click at the bottom to keep reading.

Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez

by Erin, The Smut Report

If there’s a romance-related event close to us and we can go, we also definitely want to go. For this reason, when I saw a tweet from Angelina M. Lopez about an author talk at a library in Arlington, I had to go.

Unfortunately, there were a number of different romance-related events this month, from the Baltimore Book Festival to events at three local independent bookstores (One More Page in Arlington, and Loyalty Bookstore and East City Bookshop in Washington, DC, if you’re curious about tracking where these things happen), and I didn’t manage to get to any of them!

Fortunately, Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez was really fun, so if that was my big outing this month, we’re all good. (Click to keep reading…)

I love talking Romance!

If you’re looking for a romance author to come speak to your community, organization, or book club, contact me!

Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C.

Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C.

A Lifelong Dream Came True at LUSH MONEY Book Launch Party

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We all have dreams. When we see someone living our dream, we put ourselves in their shoes. We reflect on the things we would say, improvise the speeches we would give, practice the signature we would sign with a flourish.

Or was that just me?

On Friday, Nov. 8, I was blessed to realize this dream when I celebrated the launch of Lush Money with family, friends, author pals, fellow Hillwood docents, neighbors, and readers at my local independent book store, One More Page Books. It was the fruition of a lifelong dream coming true, and I was so glad to share it with so many people who helped to make the dream possible!

The celebration began with a bang Thursday morning when I looked through my peephole after a knock at the front door and saw my brother on the other side! While my parents were expected, my brother was not!! He was an amazing surprise guest!

 
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For the event, my mom provided $100-dollar-bill napkins, chocolate coins, greenback mints to honor the “money” and together we made Spanish tapas — gazpacho, albondigas (meatballs), and tortilla — to honor the “lush.” One More Page Books provides wine tastings and poured delicious Spanish wines for the event.

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What made this incredible event spectacular was the presence of my dear friend, Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist Colleen McCain Nelson. Colleen and her husband moved away a couple of years ago, and I thought asking her to come interview me for the “author chat” portion of the event would be a good lure to get them to come back for a visit. Colleen covered the Obama White House for the Wall Street Journal; I knew interviewing me would be a cake walk. Colleen asked the most AMAZING questions, made me feel much smarter than I actually am, and did such a wonderful job of keeping the event interesting for everyone.

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The event eventually had to end because WE SOLD OUT OF BOOKS!!! My little author soul had never been prouder. I am blessed to have so many cheerleaders on the journey to this dream.

See more pics…

Didn’t make it to the book launch event?

No worries! See Angelina:

  • 11/14 at Loyalty Books Petworth with Andie J. Christopher

  • 11/20 at Aurora Hills Branch Library in Arlington

Where to find Angelina in October and November

I will be haunting bookstores, libraries, podcasts, radio shows, blogs, and Instagram accounts for the next two months. Here’s where you can find me throughout October and November.

Bookstores and Libraries

Nov. 8 - LUSH MONEY Book Launch Party!! - Join me at One More Page Books Friday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. for Spanish wine, tapas, fun and the launch of Lush Money.

Nov. 14 - An Evening of Romance with Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher - Come join me and USA Today bestselling romance author Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores Petworth on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. as we drink wine and discuss the release of our new books, Lush Money and Not the Girl You Marry.

Nov. 20 - Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez at Aurora Hills Branch Library - Join me Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. for this author chat as I share with Aurora Hills Branch Library guests everything you didn’t know that you needed to know about romance.

Podcasts and Radio Shows

Oct. 16 - Wicked Wallflowers Podcast - Listen as I join hostess-with-the-mostest Jenny Nordback to discuss my journey to publishing on this phenomenal romance podcast that Entertainment Weekly described as “taking "the guilt out of 'guilty pleasure' with author interviews and deep dives into new releases."

Oct. 16 - KT Literary Podcast - I was honored to be invited to be on my literary agency’s podcast. Host Renee Nyen and I chat about the book, alpha heroines, playing with tropes, and the awesomeness of my agent, Sara Megibow.

Oct. 31 and Nov. 6 - Story Hour with Wendy Mann - I’ll be chatting with WERA radio host Wendy Mann. The show will air live on WERA 96.7 Radio Arlington at 11 a.m. EST on Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, but then will be available on Mixcloud at the above link.

Articles

Oct. 14 - Harlequin Junkie - I’ll be featured in an author Q&A.

Oct. 15 - Fresh Fiction - Looking for that perfect author to read? Check out my author-reader match, where I woo readers dating app style.

Oct. 16 - Smexy Books - Read all about “Subverting the Billionaire Trope” in this Smexy Books article.

Early November - Frolic - I will be discussing “Embracing Your Bonkers Ideas” in this exclusive Frolic piece.

Online Parties and Takeovers

Oct. 14 - Facebook Live Happy Hour to Celebrate LUSH MONEY release - Join me and my hot, funny, and banter-y husband, Peter, as we celebrate the release of Lush Money. Learn about what it's like for a couple when one of them has been pursuing a creative dream for 20 years! We'll be enjoying cocktails, talking about the journey, and probably cooing at the dog.

Oct. 15 - LUSH MONEY Book Release Party on Facebook - On Tuesday, October 15, from 6-9 pm EST, I will be joined by a group of incredible romance authors on the Facebook page, the Racy Reads Party Room, to celebrate the release of Lush Money.

Oct. 18 - KT Literary Instagram Takeover - I will be taking over the Instagram account of my literary agency, KT Literary.

Oct. 23 - Wine Down Wednesday with Eva - I’ll be visiting romance author Eva Moore’s private Facebook group, Friends for Eva, to celebrate Wine Down Wednesday.

Nov. 6 - Romanced by the Book Instagram Takeover - I’ll be taking over the Instagram account of virtual romance club Romanced by the Book.

Don’t want to miss a post, podcast, or event? search for the hashtag #WhereIsAngelinaToday on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.