Big Easy Escapade
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And special thanks to our NOLA crew, Laura Trujillo (Lala Lollipop), Christine Moreno, Ellen Rink and Vikki Shelton (Trikki Vikki). Without y’all we wouldn’t have little-dick whistles, Jell-O shot syringes, Blue Balls and oh, sooooo much more! We love ya, girlz!
Thank you to Beth Zimmerman, our forever fan club prez, launch party assistant, Barnes and Noble setter-upper and all-around GREAT friend. We truly appreciate you helping our dreams come true! One day we’ll be on that red carpet! Promise!
We couldn’t do this without the best editor in the world, John Dycus. We love to throw you off with crazy words like Shazammapuss and make you laugh with commandeered carriages. We’ll always try to live up to your eloquently worded image - Bruce Willis with breasts!
Thank you to Janet Neff, PR helper and promoter, beta-reader, pool supplier and friend extraordinaire. You’ve been an amazing support from day one and we can’t thank you enough! Plus, you’ve got that fantastic Mr. Bill who keeps us fed! Woohoo!
Thanks to Edwin Leffall for being “Eddie” and for showing up Denzel in our book trailer. If that voice could be bottled…just sayin’!
Can’t forget our New Orleans-based photographer, Renee Bienevue who trodded with us through the French Quarter to get the perfect shots and video. We succeeded!
Our beta-readers rock! Thank you to Jackie Meeks, who made our story stronger, Janet Neff for the keen eye, Stephanie Surendran for her meticulous moments and Tom Hill for his big brain and detailed eyes.
We have to thank our numerous experts who helped make our story authentic – Brian Simons for his law enforcement input and gun knowledge, Eric MacKenzie for his pilot brain, Justin Tidwell for his vast knowledge of strippers, stripclubs and all things hooker, Blake Borgstede and Dara Browning for their bayou info, Larry and Sonya Buccola for their New Orleans information and suggestions – dinner was awesome!, Sarah Simons for her drug knowledge (ha ha), Sonny Surendran (Sonofabitch!) for his Middle East input, Steven Hill for the oil and gas info, Louis Begin for his big balls – oh, we mean bowling balls and all things bowling and last, David Foster for suggesting the bowling balls in the first place.
We wouldn’t have such great launch parties without our favorite Girlz, Laura Trujillo, Vikki Shelton, Stephanie Surendran, Alicia Jenkins, Christina Judge and April Ciccarello. Y’all wear our GG gear to perfection and make our parties run smoothly and rock!
Our favorite restaurants around Fort Worth continue to hook us up with great happy hours, fantastic service, yummy food, free electricity for our laptops and most of all, friendly faces. Special thanks to Bayou Jacks, Chuy’s, Brownstone and Shaw’s. Y’all make our hours and hours of writing not only tasty, but fun.
We love music and we love these musicians: Justin Pacy and 12 Stones – Justin, you helped us create a wonderful Jason. Josh Weathers – you keep us wanting more with every song.
We have to thank the New Orleans folks who are helping with the launch – Sue Garrett, press kit deliverer and all-around great gal, Maple Street Book Shop (official launch location!), Forever New Orleans and A Tisket A Tasket, book signing locations and believers in the Getaway Girlz, the Marriott on Canal for the great block of rooms, Harrah’s (Johnell just wanted to throw them in because she loves to gamble there), and all the fantastic bars, restaurants and other places we LOVE in New Orleans! You all helped to make Big Easy X-capade better and the “research” was fun!
Johnell wants to thank her kids (again) for putting up with the chaotic schedule and always being good Barnes and Noble guests. Just remember...college fund!
Robbyn would like to thank her husband, David. I love you and thanks for supporting me in my dreams! I’m so excited about the next chapter in our lives and glad I’m sharing it with you.
About the Authors
The women behind Joan Rylen are Johnell Kelley and Robbyn Foster, friends since kindergarten. They grew up in Pasa“Get Down”dena, Texas, a suburb southeast of Houston. From Brownies to high school band, these girlz have stuck together through thick and thin…marriages, divorces, births, deaths and of course, destruction.
Their annual girls’ trips with two other good friends were the original inspiration for Getaway Girlz. Johnell and Robbyn are the authors of three books in the Getaway Girlz series and have plans for many more. They can be seen around Fort Worth, Texas, writing in bars and having an all-around good time.
Johnell and Robbyn hope to inspire women, whether they’re 21 or 91, to stay in touch with old friends and take getaways of their own. There’s nothing like a good friend who knows all your stories-the ones so crazy you can’t make them up, and loves you anyway.
Watch for the next book in the Getaway Girlz series:
Available 2014
www.getawaygirlz.com
facebook.com/getawaygirlz
twitter.com/joanrylen
youtube.com/getawaygirlz