Blog Archives
Witches Could Be Clever
Winifred the Wonder Witch follows a whimsical good-natured witch who uses creative problem-solving in different situations to help herself and others.What was the inspiration for these stories?
The inspiration to write ‘Flying Santa’ and ‘Winifred the Wonder Witch’ was my granddaughters. When they were small I told them many stories, and these were the two that resulted in a book.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
I thought that witches in many stories had ‘a bad rap.’ I wanted to show that witches could be clever, kind and helpful – like many other heroes.
What were some educational aspects that were important for you to include in this children’s book?
Winifred is an excellent problem solver. From Winifred, children could learn how to be smart, kind, and help those in need. She also knows how and when to involve others in her projects.
Will there be more stories about Winifred the Wonder Witch, and when will they be available?
There may be more Winifred books, but only if ‘Winifred the Wonder Witch’ proves to be popular.
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In the second story, we meet the princesses who want to save the dragons; because ‘there aren’t many dragons left in the world.’ Winifred, as she does in ‘Flying Santa,’ comes to the rescue in her inimitable, dramatic and exciting style.
The Best Plan Of Attack
The Celine Bower Story: Chronicle Two follows two people, one a vigilante the other a man with a desire to harm others, whose paths intersect. How do you balance story development with shocking plot twists?
I find it easiest to balance the story development with plot twists if I grow each character and what they are a part of by suspending them in time away from each other, until they are needed again. For example, I didn’t even consider Celine and her actions while I was creating Troy and what he was doing. The best plan of attack is to have a solid outline planned out before you even begin then slowly work your way toward the action.
Which scene or chapter in the book is your favorite? Why?
My favorite scene in Chronicle Two is the ‘juice lady’. I could just hear her shouting so loudly as she was running to help. It made me feel like we are all connected in some way, and no matter your circumstance, there is always a way to help another person.
What do you think makes a story memorable to readers?
The stories I remember most are the ones where I actually felt like I knew the characters. I think it helps readers connect when you feel like you can reach out and touch someone, like you’ve developed a connection with them even though you will never meet in real life.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors out there?
My advice to aspiring authors would be this: don’t quit your day job. The only other advice that I could give is to read everything; read things that aren’t in your genre, read articles, old library books, and try to read the things that other people recommend to you. And, don’t give up; there will be times when the only person that cares is you, and that’s okay, just don’t give up.
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“I couldn’t put this book down! It kept me on the edge of my seat…Can’t wait for Part 2.” —Kara Foster
“I devoured this book! If you love a badass female protagonist overcoming all odds, this book is for you! From start to finish, this book keeps you riveted on Celine, her palatable need to over come her trauma, and on what will happen next. Can’t wait to see more from this author.” —Nicolle McKinnon
Turned Out To Be Pretty Amazing
Time Intertwined follows a mother and daughter separated during the Vietnam War who have reunited decades later thanks to a DNA test. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
In 2019, my family had our DNA tested and we unexpectedly found a relative–his story turned out to be pretty amazing and I thought it should be written down. My relative didn’t have any interest in writing it, but gave me permission to write a novel that used elements of what happened to him.
Why did you choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
The relative we found unexpectedly learned he was part Vietnamese. He found us because my ex-husband is Vietnamese. The two are first cousins and both were born during the war in Vietnam. Thus, much of my novel is set during the war, but intertwined with events occurring in the present.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
Initially, the plan was to focus on the civilians and how the war impacted them. I just wanted to tell a simple story of a child who had been adopted after Operation Babylift as well as the story of the woman who lost her. I wanted the history to be accurate as much as possible and did quite a bit of online research. However, as I read more and began to write the story of a lost child, I realized I had an opportunity to showcase some of the positive, non-military acts of many of the Western soldiers (eg, providing food and medical assistance to the orphanages). Too many negative stories have been written about our soldiers and I wasn’t going to contribute to that. Lastly, I couldn’t write a book about the war and not weave in the story of Agent Orange. Agent Orange was an herbicide used extensively in South Vietnam to destroy enemy food crops and the dense jungle which gave them cover for ambushes. It was supposed to be harmless to humans, but it wasn’t. The effects of this chemical combination can still be seen today.
Can you tell us a little about where the story goes in book two and when the novel will be available?
The original plan was to write one book, not a trilogy. But after the first book was published, I felt I hadn’t said enough about Agent Orange–so that is when the tirlogy was born. Lives Intertwined (Book 2) was published late in 2021 while Darkness and Light Intertwined (Book 3) was published late in 2022. Although both books keep the underlying theme of the long-term effects of Agent Orange, it is a bit more prominent in Lives Intertwined. The second book also takes a completely differnet look at the war compared to the first. In it, we follow two soldiers, one American and one Vietnamese, through the war. They become friends and conduct many missions together. Interwoven with their story is a modern day who-done-it murder mystery. There’s also a love story.
Book 3 tells the story of an orphan who grew up in Vietnam during the war and the struggles she faced just trying to survive. One of my favorite aspects of the third book is how it tells the same love story as in book 2, but from the woman’s perspective instead of her soldier/lover. Like book 1, books 2 and 3 are genealogical mysteries that reveal how our DNA connects us to our genetic family.
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Anh was only ten when American Green Berets first set foot in Vietnam. Within two years, she would be orphaned and sickened by the deadly herbicide known as Agent Orange. After nearly two decades of war, Anh and her newborn daughter were desperate to escape. But in the chaos and confusion of the fall of Saigon, mother and child were separated. Would she ever see her baby again?
Anh’s daughter Mikayla grew up in the U.S. with no memory of her mother. When a DNA test unexpectedly reveals that she was adopted, Mikayla is left angry and confused—and she is determined to discover her true identity.
As Anh struggles to rebuild her life, Mikayla uncovers long-kept secrets that threaten to rip her family apart. Can either woman find happiness again?
Just as Anh and Mikayla begin to adjust to the changes forced upon them, the toxic legacy of Agent Orange begins to be revealed. The war may be over, but another battle rages on. Is it possible to defeat an invisible enemy capable of harming generations yet to come?
Life Overnight Turned Upside Down
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season follows a teenage boy from Chicago who is sent to live on his grandfather’s horse ranch in Topanga, CA. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
I’ve never been disciplined enough to keep a daily journal, but I do enjoy chronicling moments and thoughts by writing short stories when time allows. And when the Coronavirus countywide “Stay at Home Order” took effect in Los Angeles, turning my life, and everyone else’s, instantly upside down, I found I had a lot of it.
Overnight everything came to a halt. A few designated businesses were allowed to remain open if deemed “essential”: as long as the employees followed a strict regimen of cleaning, mask-wearing, and intensified hygiene.
Our small café was one of them. Granted, we had the option of closing, but we were desperate to have some sense of normalcy in our lives and the lives of our customers, neighbors, and friends despite the constantly terrifying, changing world of Covid. And that the simple act of brewing coffee and baking muffins would signal our trust that that world would, one day, return to normal.
Santa Monica had become a ghost town. Hours would go by before anyone entered the café. And the unknown deadly threat of Covid and the sudden lack of control over our future began to get to me. I began to write a short story about Matt, a teenager whose life overnight turned upside down, and how he dealt with the frightening new circumstances
Around the same time, I came across an old interview from 2014 on NPR about Tennessee Walking Horses.
Now, Walking Horses are an American breed started by Albert Derment in the late 1800s in Tennessee. Albert bred horses, and late in his life, he purchased a rather plain-looking small black stallion named Allan, who had this uncanny ability to walk at different speeds. Now that might sound like a simple thing to do, but other horses cannot do that. And because Allan could walk at different speeds riding him was like sitting in a rocking chair. So Albert Derment began breeding the stallion with this genetic quirk to see if his offspring would also carry that trait. And some of them did. This selective breeding resulted in what is known as the Tennessee Walking Horse. They are beautiful to watch with their heads held high, their front legs fully extended, and their long flowing tails as they fast walk around a show ring.
Unfortunately, to ensure show horses raised their legs higher, some unscrupulous trainers invented the practice of soring, which is applying a caustic material on the horses’ legs so that the pain would make them raise their legs higher. Granted, legislation through Congress has been passed to eliminate this decades-long abomination, but the laws were basically toothless. The most recent bill H.R. 5441 117th Congress, reintroduced as the PAST Act of 2021, is still pending. I hoped that by highlighting this ongoing practice, people would once again become aware and get involved in ending soring once and for all. And I was convinced that my main character Matt would be able to do that.
Why choose this place and time for the setting of the story?
Located in the Santa Monica Mountains, Topanga Canyon is next to 16,000 acres of Topanga State Park. With its deep canyons and slopes dotted with oak trees, this pristine park allows one to envision what California looked like a hundred years ago when the indigenous people, the Tongva, thrived in the Los Angeles Basin. Topanga Canyon is a magical place where one can be transported to another place and time. And I did not know how to write about the Canyon without bringing in a character of Tongva heritage. I thought Topanga Canyon was the perfect place for a horse ranch where Matt could be introduced to that reality and Los Angeles today with its vibrant and evolving indigenous community.
What were some challenges you felt were important to defining your characters in this story?
As my little short story grew into a much longer project, I found that the more time I spent with my main characters, the more solid they became. It took a while to ensure that each one had their own voice and did not blend into one another. I had to be careful to avoid every character saying the same thing in trying to get a point across. It was important that each one had their own point of view and were true to their age and gender. This was easier said than done.
Will there be a follow-up novel to this story? If so, what aspects of the story will the next book cover?
I enjoyed my time at the High Stepping Ranch. And Matt keeps leaving articles on my desk about Horse Therapy, also known as hippotherapy, and how it is used with people with PTSD, Autism, and physical disabilities. Silas’s boots banging down the hallway as he complains about the proposed Convention Center slated for the pristine Canyon reverberates in my head. And Esmerelda keeps whispering about researching the Tongva language. So I would enjoy doing a follow-up novel.
Author Links: Amazon | GoodReads
As Matt’s new life unfolds and his love for horses grows, he realizes that his grandfather is in danger of losing his beloved ranch due to outstanding debts. Desperate to keep the ranch, his grandfather leases out one of the barns to an unscrupulous horse trainer named Robert Sinclair.
Matt soon witnesses the antiquated and brutal methods of training Sinclair uses on his Tennessee Walking Horses. Confronted by an unwillingness by everyone at the ranch to oppose Sinclair and his use of horse soring, Matt searches for a way to make the outside world aware of the horse’s needless torture. With the help of his friend Ariel, they devise a plan to expose Sinclair and his brutal methods. But will the fury of the yearly Santa Ana winds ignite a devastating fire and give Sinclair his chance for revenge?
Topanga Canyon: Fire Season by Barbara Bryan weaves a tale that reignites the essential truth that we all intrinsically possess the courage to face the myriad of challenges in today’s world and restores the knowledge that, through us, change is possible.
This Disturbed View Of The World
Malketh and the Undead follows three young knights on a journey who encounter a villain that wishes to reclaim the land for himself, and he brings an army. What was the inspiration for your story?
I much wanted to have a more classic bad guy (with some explanation) for this book. That way the youth would have an easy time rooting against. I wanted it to be a little tragic, like it didn’t have to be this way. So, I layered in Malketh as a person who has a filter that he put on everything that he listened to and took in. His subjectivity doesn’t allow him to take in the truth so he gets this disturbed view of the world and it affects his actions.
As a secondary part, I wanted to explore the protagonists a little more. The first book set them on a journey. So, it was more about the places they were going and who they were pursuing. Here, we get a little more insight into the three.
Did you plan the tone and direction of the novel before writing or did it come out organically as you were writing?
Since I was going with the undead, I wanted it to feel urgent and a bit scary. In that way, I had a definite tone laid out. I had a direction as well, but I never want to control this too much in my storytelling. It may crimp some great ideas.
What was your process in writing the characters interactions to develop the bond they have?
I use real people as inspirations. That way I can make my characters more consistent. Then, I make them converse quite a bit. I find that dialogue makes reading easier for youth as it gives them more natural breaks. That devise becomes the vital way on which they relate.
In this book, I gave my main characters something for which to compete. That brought out there true natures. So, I put that in the earlier chapters, to create some connection between the readers and the three.
What future adventures do you have in store for Raven Romda and Ravai?
It’s funny. I already have a third book written, but I am actually evaluating right now whether I should put it out next. So, I am in the middle of writing two more. The hesitancy comes from what I would like to address. Where magic will be allowed in the kingdom is a big question, since it had been outlawed and is making its way back in to fashion. I also have to start to do more than hinting at my multi-book story arc. In my mind that is the actually story with these books being sub-stories. The first of the three books that I am finishing is a story about a rebellious town using magic. I employ multiple villains pitted against each other so that the plot is a little unpredictable. The second book is about three former mentors of Raven, Romda and Ravia coming back and having a less than positive impact. I’m growing fonder of this one because it will have many colorful characters in it, and will give a look into the life inside kingdom. The third book has about one-third of a nearby town going mysteriously missing. This has a twist or two in the plot and helps detach somewhat from the traditional epic fantasy themes.
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Amidst the boredom, Ravai asks, “Why does no one talk about villains from the past?”
Romda reasons, “What would be the point?”
There is a point. Even though villains may be defeated, they may still be around, waiting in the background ready to resurface once again. From the rubble and debris in which he was buried, Malketh has returned. Presumed dead, he now rises with a fury. His rage is fixed on what he believes belongs to him, the entire kingdom.
Malketh was not always like this. Once known as a mage of incredible knowledge and aptitude, he had admiration and opportunity. He started to investigate ancient and intentionally abandoned magic. That investigation became his downfall. When his mechanizations went wrong, Malketh was expelled from the kingdom.
Malketh has returned to the kingdom … different. He is back with an entire army … an entire army of undead soldiers!
Raven, Romda and Ravai are thinking, maybe hoping, that their hardest task is behind them. However, they will be blindsided by this coming force for which they won’t be ready. Their banter will soon be replaced by a call to action. And, action will come a-plenty.
How do you defeat an army with three people? Raven, Romda and Ravai will have to face this new challenge, and rise up like Malketh and the Undead.
A great story for the fantasy loving youth, this adventure will appeal to those who like action and humor in an easy reading environment. Following their adventures in The Dark Beast, this second book in the Raven, Romda and Ravai series raises the stakes in a continuing journey of the three.
A Load Of Fear And Shame
Drive follows a gay man living in a conservative town who has to decide how much he is willing to risk to find love. What was your inspiration for the setup of the story, and how did that help you create the ending?
A lot of the setup is informed by personal experience. I grew up in a small town in Texas, not quite as extreme in views as Black Creek, but still not a safe place to talk about or explore queerness. In that situation, it can be very easy to latch onto the first person that shows you any kind of acceptance, even if it’s not a healthy one. While Victor may not have been the most ideal relationship parnter for Red, I don’t think he would have had the courage to approach Sean, even in a platonic capacity, without experiencing that acceptance.
What was your approach to writing the interactions between characters?
The main thing I tried to keep in mind is that they are all carrying around a load of fear and shame. Even Victor who seems so confident in himself is terrified of being outed and ostrasized by his community. The way they interact with each other and the world reflects this. Victor comes off as cold because of the walls he’s put up, Sean is deeply lonely, and Red walks around on eggshells between them.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
One of the major themes of the book is self-acceptance. At the beginning, Red believes that there is something wrong with him because that’s what he’s been told by his abusive father and by his community. He hides it away from everyone, even his sister who he adores, out of shame. It’s through his relationships with Victor and Sean that he realizes that there’s nothing to be ashamed of.
What is the next book that you are working on and when can your fans expect it to be out?
My next book is a dystopian sci-fi called A Perfect Heresy. It follows Jax, a soldier now branded a heretic trying to make it home, and Koi, a sick Outsider who’s is trying to find xyr sibling who was abducted, as they navigate through a city and society broken by war. It can currently be read in its raw form on Kindle Vella and I hope to release it in paperback by mid year.
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His secrets keep him–and more importantly, his sixteen-year-old half-sister, Katie–safe. But Victor’s dominance challenges everything Red thinks he knows and he finds himself swept up in an intense sexual relationship that forces him to confront his deepest desires, both in and out of the bedroom.
When an unlikely friendship with the only out gay man in town triggers Victor’s jealousy, Red must make a choice: submit fully to the relative safety of Victor’s control or risk it all for a chance at something real.
Both Sides Of The Hacking Equation
“Cobra Pose” follows a solicitor turned yoga instructor and her photojournalist love interest as they race against time to stop a group of hackers from destabilizing financial institutions worldwide. What were some new ideas you wanted to explore in this book that were different from book one?
We have been fascinated with the concept of hacking for almost ten years. We started researching various groups that were involved in hacking, as well as their methods. Hacking often leads to theft, fraud, or other scams, and often appears more efficient and less costly than other methods. We also wanted to know what counter measures were available to prevent hacking. To us, it was always a race, a contest if you will, between the two opponents. Just when one method seems to be the solution to prevent hacking, hackers come up with means to overcome the countermeasures. It’s the ultimate chess game. The stakes are high, and we have definitely seen an uptick in the volume hacking over the years.
We wanted the reader to become immersed in both sides of the hacking equation. We developed a stable of characters who are orchestrating the hacking, as well as a counter-group trying to prevent or at least control the outcomes of the hacking event. We also identified the White Hat Hackers that hack for justice and Black Hat Hackers who hack for gain and disruption.
As it turns out, just when we were in Australia ‘ground-truthing’ all the locations for Cobra Pose, our communications company was hacked. It was such a massive hack that half of Australia was affected (about 12 million people). Driver’s licenses, streets names, phone numbers etc were up for grabs. We happened to be two of the people that were affected.
As writers we do love irony, and we thought this was the greatest irony of all.
What were some challenges you felt were important to developing Elaina Ric’s characters in this book?
Our books focus on classic literary fiction writing. We spend a considerable amount of time working on the plot of one book, while we may be writing others in the series. Since the characters and books have plots and direction that may overlap, it becomes a tracking process which includes spreadsheets, tables and lists. The plots are paramount to us as they become the coat hangers on which we fashion our characterizations. However, we also have a specific issue or flaw that our characters work on during the course of each book. As we have two main characters, we alternate who is the ‘lead’ or protagonist for each book. Occasionally, some of the sub-characters will feature in a strong way and down the track line have a book of their own.
The challenge of course is to make each character seem real and multi-faceted. We actually try to make each character have small characteristics that allow them to be visualized in the mind of the reader. We rely on the readers imagination to form the construct of what our characters appear like and act like. The word-smithing plays an important part in this.
Writers have the delicious opportunity to use a smorgasbord of options at their fingertips when building a character. Just like any artist they can dabble in one method and then switch to another if that isn’t working.
Knowing the right balance can be a method of trial and error where we work at something over and over again until it reads and sounds right. Sometimes the character comes to life with little or no effort, like they are ready to jump out from the computer keys onto the page. Those are the magic moments every writer loves.
Many of our characterisations are based on people we have met and interacted with over the years.
We hope people enjoy the many characters we have created in both Dead Man’s Pose and Cobra Pose. Our books are the combination of a wide variety of quirky characters and a well-crafted plot.
What scene in the book did you have the most fun writing?
For us, it is hard to choose one scene over another, as our writing is very layered. Working separately and then together as a team, then apart again, we tend to go back and forth on the various scenes within each book.
This includes both reading the book ourselves, and then reading to each other. In Dead Man’s Pose, when twelve characters come together in The Crime Solver’s Potluck, we basically acted out what we wanted each character to do and say.
You can imagine what occurred when someone came to our front door, and we were dressed in an array of clothing and hats to quickly go from one character to another.
In Cobra Pose, we ground-proofed each of the streets, locations, and areas we wrote about as we did in Dead Man’s Pose That means we walk or drive, take a boat or a plane to get to where the characters are going to move around.
If there isn’t a building that meets our needs, we do have the ability to create one, as we did with The Observatory. However, in this case, we both have about 20 years of emergency management experience each, to build our ideal of what a multi-agency operations centre might include. So that combines the mix of: years of experience, within the plot developed for that book, with the creative need for the actions envisioned.
The scene that stands out in Cobra Pose is near the end. Of course, we aren’t going to give away any spoilers away, but there is a massive response effort that takes place. It was complex and exhilarating to write and gave us an adrenalin rush just reading it to each other.
What can readers expect in book three in the Yoga Mat Mysteries series?
Book 3 in the Yoga Mat Mysteries series is Tree Pose. In book 1, Dead Man’s Pose we explored the theme of corruption, fraud and justice, along with a budding romance. In book 2, Cobra Pose, we explored the theme of hacking and a potential collapse of financial institutions.
In a similar manner, for book 3, we have chosen an ‘overarching’ theme which we have explored along with the individual flaws and themes of our main characters.
We interweave all this with romance. What’s not to like about that? We often think there is something universal about love that makes it so very compelling to write about. So, the reader will see this overarching theme played out as well.
By the way, for those wondering how far we are going with the series, buckle up. We have book 3 – Tree Pose, drafted; book 4 – Warrior Pose drafted; book 5 – Half Moon Pose drafted. Our goal is always to try and maintain a quality fiction approach, so we spend a lot of time perfecting each one. We hope this gives the reader a desire to ‘read that one again … and again’.
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It’s not just a rippling ‘scam’ job. Has Australia been infiltrated at levels they’ve never known?
Elaina Williams uses a Cobra Pose in her Yoga studio to boost her energy – she will need it! Elaina’s father, Edward, is in trouble. He’s disappeared.
As a solicitor and now yoga instructor, Elaina drags Ric, a man she’s fallen for, into the bursting web of techno-thrilling intrigue.
Ric Peters has just returned from a disastrous trip to Indonesia. Ric bills himself as a photojournalist. Elaina suspects he shoots more than just photographs. Ric has insight into the journey he and Elaina must take. He knows Elaina isn’t ready for what’s going to happen. There are too many moving parts for him to control.
Time is running out before The Cobra and The Wolf strike with their heist. They are extending their fangs towards Australia’s ‘golden coastline’ to bite into and destabilise financial institutions worldwide.
The sparkling sub-tropical city of Brisbane, Queensland, is the epicentre of this hacking tsunami of the century! But these hackers are good at hiding. They make a living out of it. They are submerged Phantoms leaving no tracks.
Can the burgeoning amateur sleuth Elaina piece this puzzle together before her father’s fate is sealed? How far is Ric willing to go in deciding to save Elaina … or Australia?
Cobra Pose is the suspense-thriller and second novel in the Yoga Mat Mysteries series. This book is filled with a snappy plot, dynamic prose, witty dialogue, and slow-burn chemistry. You’ll love Susan Rogers and John Roosen’s atmospheric whodunit. Click Cobra Pose to stretch your sense of adventure today!
The first book, Dead Man’s Pose, is available online. Next in the YMM lineup is Tree Pose – coming soon!
A Huge, Epic Tale About Hawaii
Islanders: The Pacific Chronicles (Book 1) follows a brother and sister who, while on a hike, develop magical abilities and make new friends. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
My brother and I knew we wanted to capture what it was like to explore the tropical forests, grassy hills, beaches and lava fields of the Hawaiian Islands so that was the core and heart of the story. Quickly we realized that so much of what we discovered as adventure when we were kids was a combination of our imaginations and the education about Hawaii we had received. My wife and daughter are very much Kilikina — a fascinating combination of both reserved and natural leaders. People are drawn to them and frequently they both wonder why, but the rest of us around them know. Kaimana is a combination of both my boys: more outgoing, impulsive and energetic. And finally, my brother and I had always longed for a huge, epic tale about Hawaii that involved the rich history, mythology and lore that we thought was so amazing, but we never could find it. So as adults, we decided to write it.
What were some of the emotional and moral guidelines you followed when developing your characters?
We wanted to capture the age, perspective and experiences as a pre-teen and teenager would. The book is intentionally less descriptive and detailed in its world-building and more observational and theatrical because that’s how most kids that age see the world. They’re engaging with it, not necessarily taking in every aspect of their surroundings to remember and describe it later as adults most likely would. Also I have ADHD so it was morally important to me that this is not a boring series. We are committed to being sincere and authentic with our portrayal of our home State while also taking many creative and exciting liberties that keep kids (and adults) with a wide array of attention spans fully engaged all the way through. We promise if you or your children read these books they will learn far more about Hawaii than you would expect, and have a blast the whole time.
What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?
The biggest theme in this book is a positive association with what it means to defend what is right and good. We believe if kids are entertained, made to laugh, emotionally connect with and understand the value of respecting and protecting indigenous plants, animals, ecosystems, history and mythology/legends, they will naturally do what all kids do when they love something: defend it. To abruptly shift gears, many people don’t realize Hawaii has an unique and powerful culture that values quick banter and jokes even in many of the most formal or serious settings. The Menehune, animals and sea creatures all have that local-style sense of humor and reflect Hawaii’s real-life culture. We want kids to come away having experienced some of what makes Hawaii so special. And lastly, a major theme throughout every book is that we promise you won’t know what is coming next almost the whole time. Try us. If we’re wrong, let us know and we will absolutely give you a refund.
Can you tell us what the second book will be about and when it will be available for fans to purchase?
This is the first time this information will have been made public. Book 2, Kaimana (the older brother) steps into a critically supportive role and we will be first surprised then fascinated as an 11 year-old girl executes an incredible wartime leadership role defined by her compassion and command of a complicated large-scale military defense. It’s been wild to capture but I absolutely believe that is what would happen if my daughter was put in the same position. The bad guys are very bad, the good guys are good, but nothing comes easily and there are loads of surprises alongside many, many laughs. We’ve incorporated the native Hawaiian language, food, authentic historical armor and weapons (scaled down for animals) and military tactics. Several ancient Hawaiian myths are retold and integrated in a way that builds into a huge, epic, never-before-seen original tale. I’m also crushed to say: a character we met in book 1 won’t survive to the end of book 2. One thing to note: as a father of four with a fifth on the way, we will keep this and the subsequent books appropriate for all ages. If you enjoy Islanders and submit your email on our website, we’ll send you the first few chapters of Book 2 shortly!
Mākaha: The Pacific Chronicles (Book 2) will be made available on digital and softcover on May 15th, 2023 and is available for digital pre-order now at this link. Mahalo Literary Titan for your thorough and gracious review and excellent interview questions!
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Guided by a quirky and silly duo from a mythical race of tiny people, the siblings soon learn they have been chosen to help protect their island and way of life from a great evil. Are they up to the challenge?
LITERARY TITAN 