Hawaii’s national award-winning humor columnist and screenwriter Charley Memminger recently presented an advanced copy of his soon-to-be released novel “Aloha, Lady Blue” to Gov. Neil Abercrombie.
” ‘Aloha, Lady Blue’ joins ‘Hawaii Five-0’ and Kaui Hart Hemming’s book and movie ‘The Decendants’ in showing Hawaii as the exciting, exotic and amazing state that it is,” said Gov. Abercrombie during his meeting with Memminger in the governor’s State Capitol executive office.
The governor said he will be sending a signed copy of the book to President Barack Obama.
“I’m sending a copy of Charley’s novel to Hawaii’s native son, President Obama,” the governor said. “I know the president loves novels and will enjoy ‘Aloha, Lady Blue”s compelling, witty story set in the president’s island home.”
An homage to the legendary John D. MacDonald “Travis McGee” series, “Aloha, Lady Blue” combines a cast of quirky and sometimes dangerous island characters with a mystery with roots that go back to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Memminger drew on his experience as a former crime and investigative reporter, as well as an award-winning humor columnist, to create the first of a series of books. He signed a two-book deal with Minotaur Books last year and is represented by Richard Pine, a partner at InkWell Management. “Aloha, Lady Blue” is due to be released on Jan. 22 but is already available for pre-sale onAmazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and other online booksellers.
“We are thrilled to have Gov. Abercrombie’s support,” Richard Pine said. “Early reviews of the book nationally have been outstanding, and with ‘Hawaii Five-0’ ruling the ratings, Hawaii is definitely hot with mainland audiences. It’s a terrific time for a first-rate crime novel set in Hawaii to be released nationally.”
Gov. Abercrombie echoed that sentiment.
“Charley is one of Hawaii’s best-know writers. His humor columns in the daily newspapers over the years have delighted the residents of Hawaii,” said Gov. Abercrombie. “As a national award-winning screenwriter and columnist, as well as a former staff writer on ‘Baywatch Hawaii’, Charley has used his wit and creativity to entertain and reveal Hawaii.”
Pine pointed out that “Aloha, Lady Blue” already is attraction support from major mainland publishing and entertainment figures.
“We’ve gotten cover blurbs from Pat Sajak and, most recently, A.J. Jacobs, editor-at-large at Esquire magazine and best-selling author,” Pine said.
The impressive lineup nationally-known endorsers also includes Andre & Maria Jacquemetton (co-producers and head writers of the TV show “Mad Men”), Kinky Friedman (Texas funnyman, musician and buddy of Willie Nelson), W. Bruce Cameron (author of “Eight Simple Rules for Dating My Daughter”) and Frank South (co-producer and head writer of “Baywatch Hawaii” and “Melrose Place”).
Memminger currently is a senior writer at Communications Pacific, one Hawaii’s largest public relations and communication firms and is working on “Waikiki’s White Shark Café,” the sequel to “Aloha, Lady Blue,” which will be published by Minotaur Books in Jan. 2014.
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Praise for “Aloha, Lady Blue”:
“Just when you thought they don’t make men like that anymore, here comes Stryker McBride– wry, self-effacing, wounded, but unwilling to let an unsolved mystery lie– even if it means putting himself in the maelstrom of an Asian crime ring. In a novel peppered with unforgettable characters, hot Hawaiian nights, and a dark and dirty secret that could scar the face of America’s paradise, Stryker’s journey back from the boat dry-dock to the investigative reporter’s beat is a fast, fun, and furious ride through the underbelly of island aloha. A thoroughly authentic and entraining read. Nobody knows Hawaii from the inside out like Memminger!” — Andre and Maria Jacquemetton, head writers and co-producers of “Mad Men”
“In a long and legendary career as a crime reporter in Hawaii, Charley Memminger has met more than his share of hit men, cons, and colorful characters. In ‘Aloha, Lady Blue,’ Memminger’s first novel, they leap off the page, packing a Hawaiian punch and taking the reader to a lusty luau on the underside of paradise. ‘Aloha, Lady Blue’ is smart, funny, and tough, and sparkles with insight. Stryker McBride gets my vote as Hawaii’s newest hero. I hate to say it, but move over, Magnum.” — Kinky Friedman
“Hawaii just might be my favorite place on Earth. Every time I think I’ve seen it all, I find something else new and exotic. In his extraordinary first novel, ‘Aloha, Lady Blue,’ longtime Island crime reporter and humorist Charley Memminger shows an odd and quirky side to his state that even frequent tourists such as me rarely get to see. The novel’s hero, Stryker McBride, provides a funny and engaging narration to a dark and compelling mystery. ‘Aloha, Lady Blue’ is a great read for anyone who lives in Hawaii, visits Hawaii, or even dreams of going to Hawaii. Oh, what the heck, it’s for anyone who loves a crackling good story. Mahalo, Charley!” — Pat Sajak
“Charley Memminger should be named Hawaii’s state gem. Sorry, black coral, he’s just better than you are. His great first novel, ‘Aloha, Lady Blue,’ made me feel like I just took a Hawaiian vacation, and not your usual boring beach vacation, but a thrilling trip filled with corrupt cops and libidinous Russians.” — A.J. Jacobs
“Memminger’s novel has everything you want in a mystery-thriller: A wise-cracking, reluctant private investigator who lives on a (dry) boat, beautiful, dangerous women, ugly, even more dangerous thugs, a rash of inexplicable murders, and, best of all, two fairly unreliable canine companions. Mix it all together and the only question is, When’s the next one coming out?” — W. Bruce Cameron
“‘Aloha, Lady Blue’ yanks you off the Hawaiian tourist trail and immediately pulls you into the dark beauty and deadly menace of paradise behind the postcards. Memminger’s chilling and sometimes hilarious debut crime novel of money, power, and a poisonous history that refuses to die, shines with a cruel brilliance and an honest hypnotic power.” — Frank South
[…] -Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie, Bullish on Charley Memminger’s Novel ‘Aloha, Lady Blue,’ to Send Advanced Copy to President. [Hawaii Reporter] […]
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