Review of Southern Fried Sushi--with Interview and Give Away!

AP journalist Shiloh P. Jacobs loves her life in Tokyo, her best friend and co-worker Kyoka, and her Argentinian fiance, Carlos. So she spends a bit too much on her credit cards. So Carlos has a new female (but apparently platonic) roommate. So Shiloh forgot to interview the prime minister's wife before the lady left on vacation, and the article is due. So she copied information from an older article she found on the internet...

Then Shiloh's estranged mother dies in Virginia and Shiloh finds herself in the unfamiliar American South to settle affairs. The people are nice, but weird, and Shiloh could say the same about the food.

When Shiloh's links to Japan are brutally severed, how will she manage? Will she accept the South or keep fighting for the Far East? And, some of us want to know, would someone really deep fry sushi? :O

Take a look at that cover! Isn’t it great? I love the blend of cowboy boots and the Japanese fan. The colors are so fresh and I could really ‘get’ the first-person pov straight from the image presented.

Southern Fried Sushi is a cross-cultural tale that sings with authenticity. Shiloh’s deep love for Japan–and her longing to return to Japan when in the South–spoke to me about what makes a place a true home. What causes a person pack up and move halfway around the world? How does a wanderer know when they’ve found a place to belong, a place to put down roots, a place to cling to with all their being?

Back in July, Jenny guest-posted here on the ICFW blog and explained why her book is set in Japan and Virginia instead of where she currently lives. But having a book release in the USA when you live in Brazil, while complicated enough, gains complexity when your country is in the midst of a mail strike! That's right. Jenny hasn't held her book in her own hands yet, though it released October first. What's a gal to do?

Of course, Jenny knew marketing would be challenging, so she had a plan:

I've been on this one for months since I live abroad and don't have the normal range of marketing opportunities. I rely heavily on word-of-mouth to market my books - but that means I need to be visible and be proactive. I don't have any books yet to get away, but I've been posting about my books on Facebook and by email for a long time.

I created a professional website with all sorts of links, developed a Southern food recipe page for contributors, blog about book stuff and writing tips on my personal blog, and have asked for photos of readers with the book (and received something like 40 so far!).

I use book info on my signature in every email and participate in every interview or guest post I'm invited to. I guest post on different sites and always take an opportunity to mention my books and direct people to my sites. Business cards, giveaways through other people's blogs, following up reviews with a thanks and a comment... lots of things!

I think we should give Jenny a hand getting the word out about her book. Check out her blog and have a look at the photos folks have been sending her with their copy of Southern Fried Sushi. I want to give one of you the chance to join Jenny's Wall of Fame. That's right! Barbour Publishing sent me TWO copies of her novel, so I have one to give away*! This opportunity is available only to addresses OUTSIDE the USA (but perhaps not Brazil--no point in having another copy of Jenny's book stuck waiting for the strike to be over!) All you have to do is share a experience you've had (good, bad, or hilarious) with either Japanese or Southern food. If you haven't had either, tell us what you'd like to try! Please add your email address with your comment before Saturday, October15, replacing @ with (at) and .com with (dot) com.

Jennifer Rogers Spinola lives in Brasilia, Brazil, with her Brazilian husband, Athos, and two-year-old son, Ethan. She teaches ESL private classes and is the author of Barbour Books' "Southern Fried Sushi" series and an upcoming romance novella collection based on Yellowstone National Park (also with Barbour Books). Jenny is an advocate for adoption and loves the outdoors, photography, writing, and camping. She has previously served as a missionary to Japan, a middle- and high-school teacher, and National Park Service volunteer. Jenny has a B.A. in English/journalism from Gardner-Webb University in North Carolina.

Valerie Comer's life on a small farm in western Canada provides the seed for stories of contemporary inspirational romance. Like many of her characters, Valerie and her family grow much of their own food and are active in the local foods movement as well as their church. She only hopes her creations enjoy their happily ever afters as much as she does hers, shared with her husband, adult kids, and adorable granddaughter.

She is represented by Joyce Hart of Hartline Literary Agency. Her first work, a novella, will be available in the collection Rainbow's End from Barbour Books in May 2012. Visit her website and blog to glimpse inside her world.

*"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."