Team Kate Coast to Coast

This weekend will mark the end of the racing season for two series: IndyCar and the ALMS. Of course, it's not only the end of the season for the ALMS, but also the end of the line before it merges with Grand-Am next year. But Team Kate will close 2013 out with a bang—that's right, we'll be at both races this weekend, giving away Team Kate prizes. (Hints: watch for a Team Kate giveaway at the IndyCar tweet-up, and look for me at Petit!)

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag, earplugs, bookplate, belt buckle
• Swag from Glass Hammer Racing, Pressdog, or #SteelOvaryNation
• Team Kate shirt OR signed copy of Dead Man’s Switch
• **Kate Reilly Limited Edition Kreisel watch (for Time to Win prize only)

Team Kate Prize

What you need to do:

1. Take a photo of yourself with someone in a Team Kate shirt (like the two of us pictured here)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Women in Racing Prize 

What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with a former or current female racing driver, or any other woman involved in racing in a professional capacity (e.g., working on a crew, driving a pace car, reporting from pit lane, etc.)
   (bonus prizes for a Glass Hammer Racing driver, a Woman of pressdog® or a #SteelOvaryNation sign)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28 (referencing @GlassHamrRacing, @pressdog, or #SteelOvaryNation)
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Time to Win Prize*
(*including a Kate Reilly limited-edition Kreisel Timepiece)
Number available: 2

What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with me AND either a woman in racing (defined above) or a member of the Corvette Racing team
   (bonus prizes for a Woman of pressdog®, my friend Pattie [pictured here], a Corvette Racing driver or team manager)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Good luck hunting us down!

Prizes for Houston

IndyCar and Team Kate are in Texas, and that means more chances to win Team Kate gear. Yee haw!

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag
• Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs, bookplate 
• Team Kate shirt OR signed copy of Dead Man’s Switch

Team Kate Prize

Number available: 3
What you need to do:

1. Take a photo of yourself with someone in a Team Kate shirt (two female crew are around, one of them pictured here)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Women in Racing Prize 

Number available: 3
What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with a former or current female racing driver, or any other woman involved in racing in a professional capacity (e.g., working on a crew, driving a pace car, reporting from pit lane, etc.)
   (bonus prizes for a Woman of pressdog®)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Good luck hunting down that mystery crew member!

Prizes for COTA

It's ALMS (and WEC) racing on the fabulous Circuit of the Americas, and that means more chances to win Team Kate gear!

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag
• Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs, bookplate 
• Team Kate shirt OR signed copy of Dead Man’s Switch

Team Kate Prize

Number available: 3
What you need to do:

1. Take a photo of yourself with someone in a Team Kate shirt (two female crew are around, one of them pictured here)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Women in Racing Prize 

Number available: 3
What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with a former or current female racing driver, or any other woman involved in racing in a professional capacity (e.g., working on a crew, driving a pace car, reporting from pit lane, etc.)
   (bonus prizes for a Woman of pressdog® or for my friend Pattie here)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Time to Win Prize*
(*win the prize pack above, as well as a Kate Reilly limited-edition Kreisel Timepiece)
Number available: 1

What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with a Team Kate crew member (above) AND either a woman in racing (defined above) or a member of the Corvette Racing team
   (bonus prizes for a Woman of pressdog®, for my friend Pattie, or for a Corvette Racing driver or team manager)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Good luck hunting down that mystery crew member!

Win in Baltimore!

It's ALMS (and IndyCar) racing on the streets of Baltimore, and that means more chances to win Team Kate gear!

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag
• Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs, bookplate
• Team Kate shirt OR signed copy of Dead Man’s Switch

Team Kate Prize

Number available: 3
What you need to do:

1. Take a photo of yourself with someone in a Team Kate shirt (a woman, not the guy on the right, but the same shirt)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Women Behind the Wheel Prize 

Number available: 3
What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with a former or current female racing driver
   (bonus prizes for a Glass Hammer Racing driver or a Woman of pressdog®)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

Good luck hunting down that mystery crew member!

Win at Sonoma!

Anyone going to be at Sonoma for IndyCar or World Challenge racing on Saturday? Find Kate's mystery crew member and you could win a Team Kate prize package. Details to win below....

Team Kate: Basic Prize

Number available: 3
What you need to do:

1. Take a photo of yourself with someone in a Team Kate shirt (not the guy on the right, but the same shirt)
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag
• Signed Dead Man’s Switch and Braking PointsOR
  Team Kate shirt

Team Kate: Premium Prize 

Number available: 1
What you need to do: 

1. Take a photo of yourself with
   a) someone in a Team Kate shirt
   AND
   b) a Woman of pressdog®
2. Tweet it to @katereilly28 (and include the WoPD's Twitter handle)
   OR
   Post it to Facebook and tag me (Tammy Kaehler)

What you can win:

• Team Kate book bag
• Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs
• Pressdog stickers and a DRINK, ye BASTARDS pint glass
• Signed Dead Man’s Switch and Braking Points 
• Team Kate shirt

Good luck hunting down that mystery crew member!

BeatByAGirl.org to Sponsor Kate Reilly

For Immediate Release

BeatByAGirl.org to Sponsor Kate Reilly in ALMS Corvette

Indianapolis, IN  – Glass Hammer Racing announces new sponsorship of (fictional) race car driver Kate Reilly, competing in the GT class of the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) in the #28 Sandham Swift Racing Corvette.

“From the first chapter of Dead Man’s Switch, I knew we had to bring Kate Reilly on board,” exclaimed Greg Gaich, founder and owner of Glass Hammer Racing (GHR). “Rising through the ranks to a full-time racing career sometimes requires stepping over the dead bodies of lesser racers, but until Kate, I’d never heard of doing so over an actual dead body,” continued Gaich, barely able to contain his enthusiasm “I can’t wait to see what she’s got in store for us in Braking Points.”

While Glass Hammer Racing has had a long-standing interest in open-wheel racing, both on the short-track midget circuits and on the formula car side, it has recently been expanding into sports cars. In addition to driving, solving mysteries and dodging bullets on race weekends, Kate will also be responsible for advising GHR drivers on career paths in sports car racing and, more importantly, how to avoid being the cold, dead body of a racer who has a habit of showing up in the early chapters of her books.

“I’ve learned a lot the hard way, and I’m thrilled to be able to pass on my wisdom to young female drivers—though I hope I don’t have to mentor another driver in how to solve a race-day mystery and still make the podium,” comments Reilly, whose Corvette will feature the Glass Hammer Racing logo and BeatByAGirl.org URL. “Glass Hammer Racing is a great organization that helps give up-and-coming female drivers a chance to make their mark on the racing world. I’m excited to work with young women and help them develop into racers—and someday we’ll get even more than four women on the grid for the Indy 500 and for every race on every track.”

“In all seriousness,” Gaich remarked, “GHR was founded to help open up the joys of motorsports to little girls like my daughters. We can do that by offering classes geared just to young women and by supporting female drivers who can serve as role models. Kate can do that by capturing the imaginations of her readers and opening up possibilities they might never have imagined. We are delighted to partner with Kate, Sandham Swift Racing, and author Tammy Kaehler to help share what we love with an even broader audience.”

# # #

About Glass Hammer Racing, LLC 

Founded in May 2010, just a mile-and-a-half from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during Indianapolis 500 practice, Glass Hammer Racing conducts introductory racing experiences geared to just young women, exposes young women to role models in all areas of motorsports and supports the advancement of young women in their motorsports careers through scholarships and sponsorships. For more information, please visit Glass Hammer Racing on the World Wide Web, http://www.beatbyagirl.org, or follow us on Twitter or Facebook.

 

About Kate Reilly

Kate Reilly is known to readers and fans through the Kate Reilly Racing Mystery Series—Dead Man’s Switch (August 2011) and Braking Points (April 2013)—written by Tammy Kaehler and published by Poisoned Pen Press. The two novels are available wherever the American Le Mans Series competes, in local bookstores, and online. The next Kate Reilly Racing Mystery (due Summer 2014) will feature Reilly and the Sandham Swift team racing their Corvette at the 24 Hours of Daytona. More information and links at www.tammykaehler.com. Follow Kate Reilly on Twitter.

Win Team Kate Prizes!

If you're at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway this weekend, you could win one of three fantastic prize packages. Details, photos, and requirements to win below:

Team Kate: Basic Prize

Number available: 3

What you need to do: Tweet a photo to @katereilly28 and @GlassHamrRacing of

  * You
  * Someone in a Team Kate shirt (see right)

What you can win:

  * Signed Dead Man’s Switch
  * Signed Braking Points
  * Team Kate book bag

Team Kate: Premium Prize 

Number available: 2 

What you need to do: Tweet a photo to @katereilly28 and @GlassHamrRacing with #beatbyagirl of

  * You

  * Someone in a Team Kate shirt

  * Someone in a Glass Hammer Racing shirt 

What you can win: 

  * Team Kate shirt

  * Signed Dead Man’s Switch 

  * Signed Braking Points 

  * Team Kate book bag

  * Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs

Team Kate: Grand Prize 

Number available: 1 

What you need to do: tweet photo to @katereilly28 and @GlassHamrRacing of

  * You

  * Someone in a Team Kate shirt

  * A Glass Hammer Racing–sponsored driver (in race or street clothes)

What you can win: 

  * Kate Reilly Special Edition watch (man’s or woman’s)

  * Team Kate shirt

  * Signed Dead Man’s Switch 

  * Signed Braking Points 

  * Team Kate book bag

  * Team Kate bookmarks, earplugs

 

Tweet away and good luck!

Team Kate in Indy

by Kate Reilly (guest blogger)

This is unexpected. I didn’t realize at the beginning of this week that by the end of it, I’d be in Indianapolis. But here I am.

I didn’t even realize that Jack (that’s my boss at Sandham Swift Racing, Jack Sandham) had planned to be here to “check things out,” as he put it. But he called me Monday and told me to get my butt on a plane Tuesday, so here I am.

Turns out, Jack’s always dreamed of bringing a team to the Indy 500, so he’s at the Racing Capital of the World to talk to Series officials and teams. I’m here because “I have buzz” (Jack’s words). I asked him if that meant I’d be part of a team he brought to the Indy 500, and he told me anything could happen.

But I’m also here because of Corvette. You see, the new (gorgeous!) 2014 Corvette Stingray is the official pace car this year, in honor of the car’s 60^th anniversary. And, well, let’s just say that there will be a lot of other Corvettes putting rubber down on that oval this weekend and next—and I’m not supposed to say much more….

Just keep your eyes peeled at the track this weekend. You never know who you might see!

Release Week Blogging

It's release week! In addition to visiting a few blogs this week, I've also been mentioned in a few lovely reviews. All the links below!

BLOGS

At Jungle Red Writers (today!) I'm Confessing MyReality TV Addiction.

Over on the Nice Girls Don't Read Naughty Books blog, I'm talking about how Kate and I are similar and different in Kate Reilly and Me.

On the Poisoned Pen Press authors' blog, I'm talking about the wonders of social media and Tweeting My Way to Readers.

On Two For The Road, the blog I share with my friend Simon Wood, I'm sharing the videos of racing laps I studied over and over (and over and over and over...) while writing Braking Points: Racing in Braking Points.

And on Shelf Pleasures, I'm sharing what's on my nightstand, photo included (scroll down, I'm the third author there), in Nightstand: the Second Book'd in Burbank Edition.

REVIEWS

The Corvette Blogger shared my book with his readers, saying, "At Road Atlanta, Kate once again proves she belongs in the driver’s seat, with Kaehler expertly taking the reader into the mind of a race car driver doing 140 mph on the backstretch of the Braselton, GA race track." (I just love that quote!)
Book Review: Tammy Kaehler's Braking Points

My new best friend (poor guy), Pressdog, wrote an amazing review of both books for his well-loved site, saying "Kaehler’s work is smooth and sleek at the sentence level. As a fan of both well written mystery and car racing, I found her books an excellent combination of the two that held my attention throughout."  
Kaehler Strikes the Right Balance in Entertaining Reilly Mysteries

Pressdog also did me the honor of naming me his 25th Woman of Pressdog®, and he wrote the most wonderful profile of me I've ever read. I couldn't write it half so well.  
Tammy Kaehler Gives Readers Racing's Ultimate Backstage Pass

Finally, Braking Points was reviewed on CriminalElement.com, and included this gem: "Reilly is a likeable character. She’s not perfect, but her flaws humanize her, which contrasts nicely with the public image put forth by the drivers and their publicity teams throughout the book. It’s a terrific balance of the media image versus the private people behind them – a balance that seems to be bleeding into more professions than ever these days." 
Fresh Meat: Braking Points by Tammy Kaehler

Murder Is the Last Resort

That's not my personal feeling, it's the title of the Left Coast Crime mystery convention I attended last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

I flew in Thursday and got my bearings, meeting up with fellow Poisoned Pen Press author Tina Whittle and friend Ann Hogsett for the first of many cobb salads in the Cheyenne Mountain Resort's main dining area. (Those are Tina, friend Andrea, and Annie pictured below.)

Thursday night I stayed in the bar until late, sucking down bottles of sparkling water and listening to fascinating stories of covert and black ops, political intrigue, and guns from a variety of fellow mystery authors. I didn't contribute much to the conversation, obviously.

Friday I had a long lunch with some friends from Denver, attended a couple panels, and then had a front-row seat for one of the highlights of the weekend: the concealed weapons fashion show, in which authors of crime fiction modeled concealed weaponry dressed as their characters. Here are John Gilstrap and Reavis Wortham discussing John's turn on the catwalk as his former Delta Force operative, Jonathan Grave.

All of the activity I participated in happened on Saturday, starting with a minute-long pitch about my books to interested readers (at 7:30 a.m.) and progressing to two panels: Occupations to Die For and The Sporting Side of Murder.

But the big fun was Saturday night's banquet. First, I had the great joy of sitting next to my good friend Rochelle Staab and watching (and photographing) her win the Watson Award for the best sidekick. It was a well-deserved honor!

After that, we were treated to the long-delayed interview of western/mystery writer Craig Johnson by Lou Diamond Phillips (yeah, that guy). LDP stars in the television series based on Craig's Longmire series, and came to the convention as a favor to conduct Craig's guest of honor interview ... though the journey took longer than Lou expected, given the snowstorm raging in the area that day. After some 13 hours of (attempted) travel time, Lou arrived and proved himself to be enthusiastic about a room full of crazy writers. He threw himself into the festivities, helping raise money for a literacy charity in an auction, taking photos with any of us who asked, and proving to be a well-read and thorough interviewer.

All in all, a great night! And a great convention overall. I could have done without the 28-degree days and the walk outside from my room to the main lodge, but I can't complain about the trip overall. Lots of fun. I'll see you all in Monterey next March!

New Posts

Over on the Poisoned Pen Press blog on Saturday, I posted a big birthday shout-out and thank you to mom. The words "strong-willed, intelligent, and challenging" come into play.... Read it: Ode to Mom.

And today on Two For The Road, I'm musing on how welcoming and supportive the racing world is to me ... I must be a real oddity to them, but they couldn't be more helpful. Read it: The Kindness of Friends and Strangers.

Over, Over, Over

Another 24 Hours of Daytona is in the books. The watches have been distributed, winners and losers have dried their tears, and the teams are well underway in the process of breaking down and packing up. (Team trucks have to leave the speedway by noon tomorrow, and the garages will be closed from 7 p.m. tonight to 7 a.m. tomorrow. They've got to hustle.)

It was not a banner year for TRG. Not a single car technically finished the race, though the 66 came extremely close, with only the driver dissenting in the last two minutes (seriously, the last TWO MINUTES of a 24-hour race), saying "No, something's wrong. I'm not going out there in this." (Further investigation seemed to point to another broken differential, so kudos to Ben Keating for sticking to his guns. That's the beat-up car below. Note the irony of the winner's circle confetti as road-kill on the tire.)



But it was an epic race all the same. They always are, one way or another. This year for Audi's first GT win (and second) and for Ganassi's 97th. (I'm kidding, I don't know how many, but it was a lot.)

There was no rain. There were no epic, multi-vehicle crashes. No major injuries. But plenty of good, hard racing, plus some gamesmanship. To be expected.

What I didn't expect was quite how many pages of notes I'd take, or quite how long I'd be able to listen in on the team radio (the answer: as much as I wanted, which turned out to be about 16 hours).

I didn't expect (but should have, because I just wasn't thinking) was how many contacts I'd make and how many different people I'd really enjoy having long conversations with. Or how nice the drivers would be.



Or that I could really make it through a full day on only three hours of sleep (and a shower).

It was a weekend full of surprises and new friends. Racing data (tons) and plot ideas (a couple). But you know? This was the easy part, getting to Florida and sleeping so little. Now, to write....