Links to significant things from the books
Solstice Publishing - the publishers of No Third Choice, No Other Choice and Ripped in Two.
Repeat - My fourth novel, and one entirely unrelated to the Family and any of my previous books. I admit I'm more than a bit proud of it, but, well, read it and figure out why.
Hideaway Knives - these are the knives Amy carries concealed in several places. Got one myself, and I love it. It's quite lethal.
Kahr Arms - The Kahr PM40 is the smallest, lightest thing I've found that carries half a dozen rounds of .40 S&W. Personally, that's the minimum I am willing to carry for personal defense. Amy carries one as her sole gun. Reesa carries one as her back-up.
Ed Brown Guns - Amy's best pistol, her 'big gun,' and the one I drool over regularly is one of Ed Brown's Classic Customs. It's the basic 1911 .45 that's been around for more than a century now, carried to its highest potential. I'm jealous of my own character!
European American Armory - On a whim one time, I bought an older used EAA Witness in .45 ACP. I was quite surprised to learn that I could actually shoot it better than my 1911. When an opportunity arose soon thereafter to purchase a barely-used newer Witness in 10mm, I jumped at it and promptly added a .40 S&W barrel so I could shoot it with the plentiful .40 brass as well as my meager supply of 10mm brass. One of these days I'll get one or two of the better grades.
BMW - always loved BMW's, ever since I saw my first 1800 many years ago, and I was in seventh heaven the time I got to the BMW Museum in Munich. Also the times I saw a Z8 running around Munich (there's one or two here in Tucson, too) and especially the one brief time I saw a Z1 in Munich. Why Amy drives an X5 is another mystery to me, since I don't particularly like them as SUVs go. Just like Bruno, it appeared. When my characters begin to live their own lives, I pay attention. They probably know what they're doing.
Gunsite - the premier practical shooting academy in the US, and perhaps in the world, at least for those of us who have to pay for our own tutelage. Taking a class - any class - there is an experience. I've no better word for it.
Tucson Trap & Skeet Club - one of the best places to shoot clay birds, in several different disciplines, for hundreds of miles in any direction.
Snow King Resort - truly a fabulous place to be if you decide to freeze your butt off in Jackson, WY. I'd say tell them I sent you, but they probably don't remember us by now. I remember the cold, and we weren't even there in winter.
Snake River Brewing - While I hate the cold, this place was definitely the place in Jackson to go warm up. Fabulous food, great beer, good company - what else could you ask for?
Cafe Jordano - this is the little place on the outskirts of Denver where Amy and Alec ran into Amy's father and Becky's mother. I admit that I haven't been back in way too long, but almost every time we get to Denver, we eat there. It has always been at least as good as I describe in No Third Choice. Maybe better. Well worth the trip, if you can get there by dinner time.
Paella - if you're going to try your hand at paella, do it right. Here's where to get everything you need. They list four cookbooks for paellas, and the best of those in my own experience is the least expensive. There's another one that I actually bought at their store, but it's since disappeared. The Penelope Casas book probably makes the best paellas, and the most dependable, but they're a bit complex to do. The store recommends Bomba rice, and while it's expensive, it's worth it.
AJ's - A truly impressive grocery store. In fact, 'grocery store' is such an inadequate term. There's only one in Tucson, located in La Encantada. Pity. Amy shops there from time to time. Reesa probably does, too, although she buys a lot more from the deli.
Frost - That's in La Encantada, too, as well as a couple of other places. The best gelato in the world, I'd say. But I'm prejudiced.
Bachs Cactus Nursery - a great place for cactus, if you're here. A large collection of Trichocereus. They don't ship.
B & B Cactus Farm - another great place for cactus. A large collection of a great many things, including Trichocereus. They do ship.
Tanque Verde Greenhouses - a fabulous place for small cactus and very good for larger ones, too. The third place in town that we go to for Trichocereus. They ship, too.
Charities
Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum - Amy loves the place. Jeff came to love it, largely because Amy showed it to him. I love it and have been a member ever since we moved to the Tucson area. Of course, since I was originally trained as a herpetologist, the place has some almost religious overtones for me instead of being like a zoo.
National Rifle Association - No organization of anything like the same size works as hard to defend all of your constitutional rights. If you don't believe it, try the competition on the Second Amendment. Not to run down the other gun rights organizations, as they all do praiseworthy work, but the NRA was doing it first. And just try to get one of the non-gun organizations to defend the Second Amendment!
Wounded Warrior Project - The honest truth is that the only reason this organization is not mentioned in the book is that it wasn't making its public push when I was writing. My 'justification' is that Golondrino and the Family would not officially contribute, being a foreign polity. On the other hand, Amy would recognize it as a very valuable organization doing an incredible job and would personally support it very generously. I would suggest you do, too.
National Rifle Association - No organization of anything like the same size works as hard to defend all of your constitutional rights. If you don't believe it, try the competition on the Second Amendment. Not to run down the other gun rights organizations, as they all do praiseworthy work, but the NRA was doing it first. And just try to get one of the non-gun organizations to defend the Second Amendment!
Wounded Warrior Project - The honest truth is that the only reason this organization is not mentioned in the book is that it wasn't making its public push when I was writing. My 'justification' is that Golondrino and the Family would not officially contribute, being a foreign polity. On the other hand, Amy would recognize it as a very valuable organization doing an incredible job and would personally support it very generously. I would suggest you do, too.
Other places and things I can recommend
Meav Ní Mhaolchatha - Meav is not only the inspiration for Amy's middle name (hence the unusual spelling) and a truly lovely lady, but one of the most incredible voices I've ever heard in my life. I listen to music when I write, and while my tastes are incredibly . . . eclectic would be a polite term - she has the best soprano I've ever listened to. Music gained far more than the law lost when she changed careers, and my interest in seeing Celtic Women began to wane the moment she left the group. I cannot say enough good about her. I do wish she had responded to the copy of No Third Choice I sent her. At the very least, I hope she received it and enjoyed reading it.
Anthony's In The Catalinas - Well, they were worth the trip. Unfortunately, Anthony's has now closed.
Prayerfully Popped - I don't recommend them because I'm Catholic, or even religious. In any conventional sense, I'm not. But they have the best popcorn in town, and on that, I have made that exhaustive survey.
David Weber - Amy, Reesa and I all read science fiction. I've been reading it since I was a child and I grew up on some of the same things that probably set Amy's father's mind going. Nowadays, while I read voraciously, there is only one author whose new works I always buy as soon as I can and for whom I will set aside anything that I am reading when it arrives. For ebooks, of course, that means in moments. I missed a chance to meet the master once, and the only reason I don't regret it more is that we were up in Denver getting Chewie. But that was a hard choice before I met the dog. Check out the Honor Harrington series - twenty years and still going strong. That's what Amy is reading to help herself fall asleep in No Other Choice.
Liberty Watch Radio - A good set of programs and well worth the listen. Charles gave me a two-hour interview once No Third Choice was published, and it's available on his website.
Anthony's In The Catalinas - Well, they were worth the trip. Unfortunately, Anthony's has now closed.
Prayerfully Popped - I don't recommend them because I'm Catholic, or even religious. In any conventional sense, I'm not. But they have the best popcorn in town, and on that, I have made that exhaustive survey.
David Weber - Amy, Reesa and I all read science fiction. I've been reading it since I was a child and I grew up on some of the same things that probably set Amy's father's mind going. Nowadays, while I read voraciously, there is only one author whose new works I always buy as soon as I can and for whom I will set aside anything that I am reading when it arrives. For ebooks, of course, that means in moments. I missed a chance to meet the master once, and the only reason I don't regret it more is that we were up in Denver getting Chewie. But that was a hard choice before I met the dog. Check out the Honor Harrington series - twenty years and still going strong. That's what Amy is reading to help herself fall asleep in No Other Choice.
Liberty Watch Radio - A good set of programs and well worth the listen. Charles gave me a two-hour interview once No Third Choice was published, and it's available on his website.
Contact Me
I can be reached by email at aj@ajkohler.net. I may not respond immediately, but be patient.