Join me at the Best of the Best at the Slack-Key Festival

Excited to be a part of the best Polynesian music fest on the mainland. The Slack-Key Festival happens once a year at the Performing Art Center in Redondo Beach on Jan. 18th. I am joining Patti Bielma
 at her table where she displays her incredible ipu gourds carved with intricate one-of-kind designs.

 I will be sharing my novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai'i which is a celebration of the people of old.

At the festival the finest Slack-key musicians in Hawai'i, and on  the mainland come together to jam. Graceful dancers and talented singers join them in a rousing production that brings the magic of the Islands to your doorstep. Wai-nani and I will be there to greet you!

Don't miss this event.  Slack Key Festival January 18th at 2:pm

A Journey through the Hawaiian Islands Without leaving Home

Hula Kumu, Mikalani Young’s creative performance “Journey

through the Islands” transports viewers through visual media, storytelling, music and dance. Guests will leave with more insight of each island that will make them want to go back to the islands and visit these places that aren't spoken about on a bus tours and adventure tours.  Many stories are passed on through oral history and music.  She hopes to bring you to the Islands right here in California and that you leave with a deeper love and understanding of Hawai'i and the Hawaiian people.

Wai-nani and I will be greeting guests at Mikalani’s Ho’ike . Like Wai-nani in her progress throughout ancient Hawai’i, Mikalani shares places that aren’t in the guidebooks imparting the legends behind them.  The result is a dynamic and captivating performance that lifts you out of your seat in California and takes you to the Islands. No security check needed. Just go to WWW.MIKILANISKANIKAPILA.COM   and grab a ticket.   

 Can’t make it?  Let Wai-nani take you to hauntingly beautiful Old Hawai’i. Available on Amazon and my site Linda Ballou Author.com. If you purchase Wai-nani on my site you receive Wai-nani’s Wayfinder, a map of sacred sites on the Big Island, and I pay the freight anywhere in the U.S.

Praise for Wai-nani-High Chiefess of Hawai'i

Lovely review of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii by Penny Lockwood Ehrenkranz posted in the Writer's Journey.


http://pennylockwoodehrenkranz.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-of-wai-nani-high-chiefessof.html

Praise for Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler's Tales

Book Review by Bonnie Neely, Editor at Real Travel Adventures

Lost Angel Walkabout by Linda Ballou is one of the most beautifully written travel books I have ever read. Linda tells her personal experiences of her many travels in different continents and environs. She is well-known as a top adventure travel writer, and her tales of her intrepid soul's search for beauty in the wilds and her ability to rouse physically to any demands of the setting will thrill the reader. She increased my desire to become more physically fit so that I could do some of the things she is daring and fit enough to do. She grew up in Alaska and has always loved horses. Her travel tales about returning to that wonderful environ and her experiences in many different places which involved riding horses are so beautifully inspiring. Linda also leads walkabouts in Los Angeles. I highly recommend her book as a treasure you will want to read, and then to re-read aloud to anyone who might want to listen. Her use of words is very commanding and her descriptions so vivid you will feel you have traveled alongside her and seen all the beauty of the surroundings which she so deeply appreciates. This is a MUST READ

Review by Bonnie Neely, Editor at Real Travel Adventures

Purchase copies of this book at Linda Ballou

View the Media Page for this book Lost Angel Walkabout

DO YOU FEEL LUCKY?

An autographed copy of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii-Her Epic Journey will be awarded to one lucky person on Valentine’s Day. Just sign in on Wai-nani’s page where you will find reviews, an excerpt and more.

From the cauldron of controversy that is Hawaiian history, emerges Wai-nani, a reflection of the passionate chiefess Ka'ahumanu. Like all Islanders, she is a water baby finding pleasure, sustenance, solace, wisdom and courage in the grand and vibrant sea. She is born fifteen years prior to the landing of Captain Cook in Kealakekua in 1779, and is the favorite wife of Makaha, a fierce warrior modeled after Kamehameha the Great. Her story awaits you at the link below.

http://www.lindaballouauthor.com/Books.html

If you are already a Wai-nani lover, please forward this offer to
friends you think would enjoy entering her beautiful world.

Find the Aloha Spirit of Old Hawaii in Puna

Dreamy days begin at the Hale Makamae with a spat of tropical rain and the coo of mourning doves. This is the perfect place to slow down and enjoy all the comforts of home in a sprawling tropical garden lined with palms. Wake up to a gourmet breakfast with an array of fruits to accompany macadamia nut hotcakes and of course, robust Hawaiian coffee. The closest town, Pahao, is a remnant of days gone by with several good eateries. Close to all major attractions that include Volcano Village and hiking trails in the national park, home to the most active volcano in the world, magnificent snorkeling beaches and natural hot ponds for swimming, Hale Makamae is a great home-base for eastern Hawaii’s adventures.
Hosts: Petra Wiesenbauer & John Tucker
info@bnb-aloha.com
www.bnb-aloha.com
808-965-7015

Wai-nani-A New Voice from Old Hawai'i

“Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i” is, Studio City-based author, Linda Ballou’s layered vision of ancient Hawai’i in historical fiction.
Wai-nani’s character is based on the life of Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of King Kamehameha the Great, and the novel illustrates ancient Hawaiian culture, customs, and taboos through her eyes.
Combining Hawaiian vocabulary and vivid imagery, Ballou transports her readers to the islands, where the surf, sand and mountains come alive. (Even though Ballou employs a considerable Hawaiian vocabulary, the author thoughtfully includes a glossary of terms as well as historic citations, affirming her reverence for detail and accuracy.)
Mixing history, mythology and places familiar to Hawaiian travelers, the novel chronicles the development of Wai-nani from an athletic, tomboyish, teenage girl into a wahine (woman), her travels, and the male barriers she encountered and broke.
For those who have visited the Hawaiian Islands familiar places are picturesquely drawn. Ballou’s writing is intense and colorful. Like the waves of the Pacific, the intensity of her images come pounding at every turn, at times at the point of distraction.
If traveling to Hawai’i is not within reach this summer, “Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i affords an opportunity to visit a land where fragrant plumeria flowers bloom, dancing dolphins play offshore, and a lost echo of sacred culture once more comes alive.
Reviewed by Leslie Forbes Owen
Sherman Oaks*Studio City News, California

Fun Interview with Web Mistress

Newoka asks Linda about what prompted her to write Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii and about travel writing

http:www.blogtalkradio.com/webmistress

Something about Mary

I was the guest speaker at a holiday hula celebration. That’s where I met Mary Tricerri (Kaneolani). She gets into her work. Not only does she practice what she preaches, she provides travelers with insights that make their time in the Islands special at affordable prices. She has traveled extensively over the last seventeen years, but Hawai’i and the South Pacific remain her favorite destinations.
Visit her website http://www.somethingaboutmarystravel.info, or call 310-493-7417