Mytical Moloka'i

Where no building is taller than a palm tree.
Check out my article Mystical Moloka'i featured in Dec. 15th issue of www.realtraveladventures.com

http://www.realtraveladventures.com/2Dec2009/mystical_

Unique Spirit of the Season gifts

SPIRIT OF THE SEASON CATALOG – UNIQUE GIFTS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: For the first time ever, this online catalog offers a life-enriching shopping experience and features bestselling books, that include Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i, unusual and personally empowering, self enriching products and services in a varied collection from amazing authors, coaches, gurus and mentors.
http://www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com.

You’ll find gifts in the Spirit of the Season Catalog in the following categories: wealth building, health and energy healing, Law of Attraction workshops, intuitive healing, CD programs, inspirational, motivational, transformational, seasonal, art, self-help, all genres of fiction and a variety of non-fiction to empowering products that will light anyone’s life. Check it out at www.spiritoftheseasoncatalog.com or http://tinyurl.com/yeja516.

Happy Holidays-Linda

Feel Good Story

In search of traditional Hawaiian healing venues I circumnavigated the Big Island sampling lomi-lomi, and other forms of massage along the way. What better way to rejuvenate body and mind than in the knowing hands of masters and restorative waters of Hawai’i. If you follow in my footsteps, I promise you won’t be sorry.

Healing Hawaiian Holiday featured article in Real Travel Adventures Nov. 15 issue

http://www.realtraveladventures.com/

Individual link to Linda’s article.
http://www.realtraveladventures.com/2Nov2009/healing_hawaiian_holiday.htm

Linda Ballou,Author Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai'i

First of five things you must do before you die!

Raft the Pacuare River in Costa Rica is a must do before you die. Class III-IV rapids are spaced nicely between peaceful glides through a primordial rain forest populated with colorful birds, grunting monkeys and three-toed sloth dozing in the canopy. Neon blue butterflies waft by on a warm breeze. Clear water invites a swim in deep pools beside a waterfall. All seems perfect in the world as you float feet first downstream.

Review of A Sense of Place

A Sense of Place: Great Travel Writers Talk About Their Craft, Lives, and Inspiration by Michael Shapiro


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Ever wonder what makes people take to the road for out of the box adventures? Michael Shapiro, one of our best travel writers himself, shares with us what makes people who choose a lifetime of travel over the comfy confines of home tick. From Tim Cahill, whose adventures get him into outlandish situations, to Frances Mayers who followed her “wistful dreams” to civilized Tuscany, we find out what motivates their quests. I loved learning what our best contemporary commentators have in common and what they do not. Bill Bryson of "Walk in the Woods" fame says he is just paying his mortgage with his writing, while Peter Matthiessen, famous for his search for the elusive "Snow Leopard," says that the act of writing clarifies his view of realty. Each unique interview of these authors is conducted with extreme care for their privacy as Michael asks thoughtful, informed questions. A Sense of Place is insightful, fun and a must read for anyone contemplating the outsider’s lifestyle.

Linda Ballou adventure travel writer and author of
Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii-Her Epic Journey
www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

View all my reviews >>

Celeste beside the Place of Refuge on the Big Island

Join Celeste, the dolphin lady, on a swim with wild dolphin. She will take you on a shore swim or boat trip which ever you prefer. Local spotters call in each morning to let her know where the dolphins are jumping that day. She has a very spiritual connection with marine mammals and organizes a “sacred swim” with whales in Tonga each year. You can stay with her in her very comfortable home in Captain Cook, or you can stay at the inexpensive Manago Hotel nearby.

Celeste Eaton
celeste@celestialsonics.com
www.celestialsonics.com
808-323-2568

Travel Talk

My message about “How to Make Travel Writing Work for You “was well-received at Distant Lands—The best travel store in Los Angeles.

If you missed my talk go to www.LindaBallouAuthor.com for the free download with a roadmap of what you need to do if you are serious about becoming a travel writer.

Running in Good Company

I am proud to announce that my story Irish Mist about my cross-country jumping days in the wild west of Ireland is included in a wonderful anthology titled WHY WE RIDE. It is a collection of women writers talking about the horses in thier lives. Forward by Jane Smiley of Horse Heaven fame.

You can make advance purchase on Amazon. It will be out in 2010.

Hawaiian Songbird lands in Santa Monica

An evening of song, chant and dance with music performed by Lei’ ohu Ryder with power from a very ancient source proved to be was a very special treat. She lifted her voice to the heavens as she shared the songs of sacred places and people in haunting ethereal tones. She brought her ohana of hula dancers who added plenty of hoocha!

Ms. Ryder’s website is http://www.leiohuryder.com/

Truth stranger then fiction!

This video blew me away. In my novel, Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii, Wai-nani brings her dolphin friends to aid the Sacred Bride in the birth of her child. I had read that dolphins become excited when around a pregnant woman and that they send a soothing bath of sonar pulses to aid them. I thought I was writing fiction! Here it is happening in real live
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t_eeqqtckIQ

Good person to know in the other land down under!

Who is the kiwitravelwriter?
• Heather Hapeta was born in Christchurch, New Zealand; is a widow with two children who inherited her wanderlust.
• She got first passport in her forties and has made up for lost time ever since.
• Heather ran away from home when she was fifty
• She calls herself a passionate nomad
• And, has had a colourful life, has reinvented herself a few times: worked in real estate; been a model; a waitress on a Malaysian beach; an alcohol and drug counsellor, and even managed a farm for three months.
• She's now following her childhood dream of being a writer and has written ‘Naked in Budapest: travels with a passionate nomad’ which tells about her adventures after running away from home.
• She also has many travel related pieces published in world wide magazines and papers and in-flight magazines.
• She tutors travel writing.
http://kiwitravelwriter.wordpress.com (love travel? curious about NZ? odds & ends)
http://heatherhapeta.blogspot.com (kiwi thoughts on life, politics, travel & everything else)
http://www.kiwitravelwriter.com (my website)
http://twitter.com/kiwitravwriter (follow me on twitter)

Secret to Youth Revealed

Adventure Travel Writer Linda Ballou shares the Secret of Youth and what she learned on her Healing Hawaiian Holiday on the Big Island
on
Conversations with Renée

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/YolandaRenee/2009/09/11/CONVERSATIONS-with-Rene
Note: Please forgive 1-minute slow-mo opening-only
About Linda:
Linda Ballou is an adventure travel writer disguised as a Realtor. "I’ve been living a double life for the last decade. When I published my historical novel Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai'i - Her Epic Journey , it became imperative that I come out of the drawer and into the streets to spread the “good news.” Writing is more fun and satisfying than profitable, and real estate is more profitable than fun. I love both worlds.

Blessed with a double dose of genetic wanderlust, I love to explore. When I was thirteen, my pioneering parents took me to Alaska, where I became firmly grounded in nature. From there I journeyed to proud California, where I obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and a Doctorate in urban savvy. My debut novel, Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii is the culmination of a long-standing love affair with the Hawaiian Islands. A free-lance writer, based in Los Angeles, I’m having a great deal of fun collecting stories for my soon to be published travel collection Lost Angel Walkabout.

You are invited

Linda Ballou Scheduled to speak at Distant Lands on Sept. 28, 2009 at 7:30pm

Ever dream about getting wonderful trips to exotic places for FREE?
Adventure travel writer, Linda Ballou, will give you the fast track on how to make travel writing work for you.

Tip #1- Find your niche

Choose something you are passionate about. Think about your areas of expertise and how you can capitalize on them. Are you a birder? Then go for some of the great birding trips about the globe to get you started. This is going to be a labor of love so make sure you love what you are doing.

She will also share the “Secret Side of Paradise” with you in a short talk about Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai’i—her ultimate destination piece.
7:30 PM -FREE
56 S. Raymond Ave, Pasadena California
626-449-3220 RSVP

www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Please join me in a fun talk about the Secret of Youth and More

Have you been searching for the secret to youth?
I will be talking about this and tradtional Hawaiian Healing modalities.
Join Us Thursday, September 10, 2009 9PM EST 6PM PST
on
Conversations with Renée

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/YolandaRenee/2009/09/11/CONVERSATIONS-with-Rene

Call in at (347) 215-9536

I am an adventure travel writer disguised as a Realtor. "I’ve been living a double life for the last decade. When I published my historical novel Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawai'i - Her Epic Journey , it became imperative that I come out of the drawer and into the streets to spread the “good news.” Writing is more fun and satisfying than profitable, and real estate is more profitable than fun. I love both worlds.


I will discuss her traditional healing venues found on the Big Island detailed in her article A Healing Hawaiian Holiday that will appear in Real Travel Adventures Nov. issue. Join us Thursday night for a discussion about writing, travel and the secrets to eternal youth.

Sometimes you get what you need!

I landed at the Fairmont Orchid on the Kohala Gold Coast hot, sweaty and tired from a week packed with adventure on the Big Island. Now it was time to plug into the power of the place. My room overlooked the magnificent grounds with a dazzling display of tropical foliage. Bright pink blooms covered the green canopy of the tree shading my balcony. Winding pathways through a wonderland of lava rock waterfalls helped me imagine I was a royal Hawaiian in the land where the spring of love flows freely.

I entered the gracious “Spa Without Walls” where I would soon enjoy the loving touch of a healing maser learned in the art of lomi-lomi massage. The ancient masters used long sweeping movement making use of their whole bodies to relieve tension in muscles But, more important they directed spiritual energy, or mana, to the recipient to encourage healing and regenerative powers in the body. It is way to open us up to connecting with the land, the sea, the air we breathe. The Hawaiians believed that the trees, the rocks the flowers, and especially moana, the grand and vibrant sea are all a part of us. I focused on that idea as my expert masseuse started with my neck and back with long strokes of her forearm kneading with her elbows finding those sources of tension and making fingers of stress let go. I listened to the lapping waves as the soft, warm breeze caressed my skin. When my provider was done with her magic, I rested for while absorbing the energy of this sacred place, once home to ancient Hawaiian royals. Could there be anything more heavenly for a weary traveler?

Hat’s Off to Half Off! In celebration of the 50th anniversary of Hawai‘i’s statehood, The Fairmont Orchid slashes 50 percent off published rates now through Dec. 20. Book by calling toll-free at (800) 845-9905, or visit www.fairmont.com/orchid/HotelPackages and enter promo code PFPO. No minimum-stay required.

Journey to Wellness

Word is out! The most idyllic hike in the Sedona, Arizona, the West Fork trail that winds up a canyon shaded by yellowing cottonwoods and green ponderosa beside a chatty creek, is not a secret anymore. October is the most popular month for visitors hungry for fall colors and cool temps. The best way to cap this day off is a stop at the Sedona Hilton Spa with hot and cold pools, steam bath and sauna where the pampering knows no bounds. Aching muscles are soothed by every other type of massage known to womankind. Their signature “Full Circle” massage is “all about you” my masseuse informed me as she smoothed hot rocks up and down my back, and the back of my legs, melting tension from muscles. A little foot reflexology, capped off with a bit of cranial work and I was ready to hike another one of the wonderful trails laced throughout the splendid red rock formations of Sedona.
www.hiltonsedonaspa.com You don’t have to be a guest at the hotel to enjoy the full service Spa and Salon. Call 928 284 6900 for your spa appointment.

Linda talks about How to Make Travel Writing Work for You

Ever dream about getting wonderful trips to exotic places for FREE?
I will be speaking at Distant Lands Travel Store in Pasadena, California on Sept. 28 at 7:30Pm on how to get you on the fast track to achieving this goal. If you can’t make it just go to my website and download my free e-book:

How to Make Travel Writing Work for You

Tip #1- Find your niche

Choose something you are passionate about. Think about your areas of expertise and how you can capitalize on them. Are you a birder? Then go for some of the great birding trips about the globe to get you started. This is going to be a labor of love so make sure you love what you are doing.


For the complete list of tips Go to my website www.LindaBallouAuthor.com . Enter your name and e-mail in the top right corner of homepage and magically the e-book will appear.

While you are visiting, check out Wai-nani; High Chiefess of Hawaii- There are reviews, a first chapter and reader comments about my ultimate destination piece.

Please stop by

Linda Ballou
www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Wai-nani-New Voice from Old Hawaii Now on Kindle

Okay all of you cool people with Amazon Kindle readers, you may now purchase Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai’i at the Kindle store on Amazon.

Want to travel light, save the trees, and store hundreds of books without losing a room, then think Kindle. A Kindle reader allows you download books, newspapers, magazines and blogs into a device you can fit in the palm of your hand.. Check it out on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Wai-nani-Chiefess-Hawaii-Her-Journey-ebook/dp/B002KMJKZC/ref=sr_oe_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250117955&sr=1-1

Wai-nani is also available in paperback on Amazon.
or at www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Kuhina Nui-Ka.ahumanu-Queen Regent of Hawaii

Kuhina Nui by Rosemary I. Patterson


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Readers of my historical novel, Wai-nani: High Chiefess of Hawaii, that ends in 1819 with the burning of the Hawaiian gods often ask me when I am going to write a sequel. The answer is never. Rosemary Patterson has already done it in a much more informed way than I ever could. Kuhina Nui follows the life of Ka’ahumanu, the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great from 1820 to 1832. The story is told through the eyes of a half Hawaiian young man who serendipitously becomes the guardian of a bag lady Ka’ahumanu has chosen to be the voice for her story. Much aligned Ka’ahumanu is blamed for paving the way for missionaries who manipulated lands away from native Hawaiians and systematically tired to destroy their culture. To some she is remembered as the “loving mother of the people” who brought the end to the harsh kapu system, and to others she is the “flaw that brought down the chiefdom.” The aftermath of her actions two hundred years ago is still in play today. Ms. Patterson has gone where I feared to tread. This is an informative account cloaked in a young adult historical format with a time-travel twist. If you don’t mind tripping over a typo or two you will learn a lot and have fun too.
Linda Ballou, author of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii

View all my reviews >>

Water Lomi Anyone?

If having your spine massaged and joints manipulated while floating face up in water at a gentle 95 degrees sound comforting, then I’ve got the place for you. It is the closest thing to heaven on earth and it is called the Kalani Ocean Retreat in Puna on the Big Island in Hawaii. Ask for Sylvie Gendron, she is expert in Water-lomi the combination of water-based Watsu massage and the ancient Hawaiian lomilomi healing massage. I arrived with bundle of nerves and bad memories that made me fell like I was carrying a sack of rocks. Sylvie enabled me to put my burdens down.

You may reach her directly at www.sylviegendron.com
Or at www.kalani.com where many other forms of bodywork are also available

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

Take Me Back to Where I want to be

Happy hour at the Hula Shores Restaurant is the best place to be when the sunsets over the pearlescent waters in front of Hotel Moloka’i. Locals and tourists gather here for the best Polynesian fruit fusions and pupus on the Island. The lilting voices of local talent singing Hawaiian favorites fills the warm night air. Soon, the bright face of a Hina, the moon goddess, shines through swaying palms. The way it was, still is on Moloka’i.

Just in from the Big Island

WAI-NANI-HIGH CHIEFESS OF HAWAII Receives warm Aloha from Islanders


I LOVE your book! I’m just amazed at how you so eloquently captured the culture. I’m finding very few errors, if any. I was expecting to not enjoy it…I read so many books about Hawaii that are horribly inaccurate, and inadvertently insulting to the culture, but I find myself longing for night so I can curl up and read.

Jessica Ferracane
President, Irondog Communications
Public Relations Specialist for the Big Island Visitors Bureau

Aloha, Linda,
I read over 100 pages at my first sitting and I'm thoroughly impressed. What a moving, colorful, rich in Hawaiian history and culture story! You are a true talent!
Reading Wai-nani was a captivating experience! You are truly a phenomenal writer. I felt a part of the land, the events and the people. You enabled a story of the past to touch my senses in the present.

Tiki DeGenaro
General Manager
Kalani Oceanside Retreat-The Big Island
www.kalani.com
Wai-nani was a joy to read! The action and sense of people and place builds with an authentic sense of ancient Hawaii. You have done an incredible amount of research! You have come across so much information about ancient cultures and implemented it into your storytelling very smoothly. The interaction with the bottlenose dolphins is realistic for those of us who have developed an extraordinarily intimate relationship with them. I can certainly relate to feeling more freedom, embracement and joy in a water environment than a land based living!

With ALOHA,
Roberta Goodman
WildDolphinSwimsHawaii.com

Learn More about Wat-nani at ..........www.LindaBallouAuthor.com

Best Deal on the Big Island

In my book, Doug Arnott’s Lodge in Hilo is the best budget option on the Big Island. There is a gathering hall for friendly outdoor dining. Choices range from a 2-bedroom apartment with kitchen, a garden suite with a private bath, to a place to pitch your tent. The Lodge is walking distance to great tide pooling and a short hop into Hilo, a happening little burg on the upswing with a fun ethnic mix. Volcano National Park, the incredible Hamakua Coast, Richardson Beach and the Hilo airport are all nearby.
Arnott's Lodge in Hilo
www.arnottslodge.com
Front desk 808-969-7097
Email: malahini@arnottslodge.com

Footloose on the Big Island

Hawai'i Trails: Walks, Strolls, and Treks on the Big Island by Kathy Morey

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a handy guide with lots of good information and worth packing if you have a couple of weeks to spend on the Island. With less time, and wanting to get it all in one carry-on bag, I just took notes on a few walks with me. I really wanted to get to the birth place of Kamehameha the Great in Kohala. The directions almost got me there, but neglected to say that only 4 wheel drive vehicle should try to navigate the last stretch to the site which is a dirt road, and I had to turn around. The Mackenzie Beach Park trail was given a bad rap over the bathroom facilities. I thought it was incredible opportunity to stroll in solitude on a dramatic lava bluff with monster waves crashing below. This could just be a case of one woman’s ceiling is another woman’s floor. Many of the walks and hikes are concentrated in the Volcano National Park. I tried the bird walk and it was a delight. Next time, I hope to have more time to explore this lovely region and will take what is one of the best books about hikes on the Big Island available along with me.



Linda Ballou, Author of Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii




View all my reviews.

Lloyd Lofthouse gives Wai-nani a great review

I met Linda Ballou at the 2009 Los Angeles Times Book Festival. Later, in an e-mail, she told me it took her twenty years to do the research for this historical fiction and to get it out of the drawer and into the streets. The time Ballou spent on this work shows in the rich details that flow like lava from two of the earth’s largest volcanoes found on the island of Hawaii.

Wai-nani is rich with ancient Hawaiian culture and lore. The main character may be fictional but she is a reflection of Ka’ahumanu, King Kamehameha’s favorite wife, at one time the most powerful person in the Hawaiian Islands.

Today, the Hawaiian Islands may be an incredible tourist destination, but in the 18th century, they weren’t. When the islands were more or less isolated from the rest of the world, the Hawaiian people were often at war with each other and women were second-class citizens who could be executed for daring to eat a meal on the same mat or in the same room as a man. Men could take more than one wife and the rules were strict with death often being the punishment for breaking them. Ka’ahumanu, as represented by Wai-nani in Ballou’s novel, was an early feminist and helped bring about changes that elevated women to be equal with men.

Do not be surprised when you find Wai-nani making friends with a family of dolphins. Some readers may have trouble believing this part of the novel, but I didn’t. Before Christ, the Greeks recorded incidents of dolphins helping and befriending sailors lost at sea when their ships sunk. There are recorded incidents of dolphins still doing this in modern times. There have been stories of dolphins driving fish onto beaches to help feed starving African natives. Therefore, it was easy reading about Wai-nani swimming with her dolphin friends in the ocean.

Wai-nani also chronicles the clash between cultures when Captain Cook arrives in 1779, along with the same European diseases that devastated and killed so many North and South American Indians. When Europeans started to spread across the globe, their viruses and germs went with them and did most of the killing, making it easier for the land grabs that happened later. That tragedy is part of this story, too.

The Hawaiian culture, the characters and the setting are richly detailed. I have never visited Hawaii. It would be nice one day if I had that chance, but if that doesn’t happen, at least I have had the pleasure of being taken to this Polynesian paradise by reading this heavily detailed story.

See Also: Linda Ballou's Website
Linda Ballou's Authors Den Page

Ho'opono-Putting Things Back into Balance

In this small, easy to read book Pali Lee tries to help Hawaiians understand what being Hawaiian really means. Two hundred years ago, disapproving Christians made it illegal to speak Hawaiian, removed all the Hawaiian gods from chants, called the hula evil tried and in general tried to destroy the Hawaiian culture. As a result, Hawaiians took their beliefs underground. In an oral tradition stories are mutated even lost with the death of the ancestors. The earliest accounts were written by Hawaiians who were taught to read and write by missionaries, therefore their vision was clouded by the Christian point of view. I was very excited to find this book and Tales of a Night Rainbow that precedes this effort to unravel a confusing past. I would like to believe this version of Hawaiian history that explains how a generous, fun loving, kind people came to participate in strict class society that called for human sacrifice to war gods and, strict rules enforced by death dealing priests. If you are interested in the genesis of true aloha spirit, read this book.

Linda swims with the spirits of the ancients

The Mo'oula falls hidden deep in theHalawa on the Island of Molokai are the home of Mo' the great lizard and water spirit. I hiked up to falls and swam in the bracing water in the pool below.

Delicious

I am heading for Molokai, the most Hawaiian of the Islands, to hike into the sacred Halawa Valley. From there I will head for the Big Island for a Healing Hawaiian Holiday. Low airfares and discounted travel packages make a pefect excuse to re-visit the birthplace of my. novel, Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii.

Aloha

Linda

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

Linda & Wai-nani at the L.A. Times Book Fest 2009

On a lovely spring day in Southern California at the UCLAc Campus, I shared Wai-nani with thousands of visitors to the Los Angeles Times Book Festival 2009. I also let people know that they can go to my site www.LindaBallouAuthor.com for a free download on How to Make Travel Writing Work for You.

Carolyn Howard Johnson, author of Frugal Book Promoter, organzied the Author Co-op booth that was shared by a dozen California authors. New friends were made, books were sold, and good time was had by all.

Keeping ancient hula tradition alive

The stories of creation, of great loves, and honored chiefs are handed down in kahiko, the art of hula done in time honored ways. Deborah Doody, a hulu kumu, embodies the spirit of old Hawaii. She sings the chants with a powerful voice and keeps the drum beat solid for young dancers who will carry on the sacred dance of the Hawaiians designed to pull mana, or spiritual power, from the heavens.

In her second formal Ho’iki held in Torrance, California in April 2009, she asks us to listen to the stories. My favoarite dance was for Kamehameha and Ka'ahumanu, his favorite wife, the inspriation for my novel-Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawaii.

Follow Dreams.org interviews Linda

Linda tells all in her interview about what made her write Wai-nani at 9PM Eastern Standard.Interview is being rescheduled. Will let you know exact date soon.

Linda and Wai-nani go to L.A. Book Fest

Linda Ballou Featured Author
at the
LA Times/UCLA Festival of Books
Booth # 610
She will be signing her historical novel
Wai-nani, High Chiefess of Hawai’i
Her Epic Journey
Signing Sunday, April 26 at 10:00 p.m.

UCLA Campus, Sat. & Sun, April 25 and 26
FREE Admission/Parking $9.
Easiest Parking at Structure 3 Near Hilgard & Sunset Boulevard
Westwood (Los Angeles Area), CA.
For a map of the on-campus event go to: http://www.latimes.com/extras/festivalofbooks/eventmap.html.
Look for the Authors' Coop banner in the F section near the food booths

Get a FREE gift book with your purchase of any book while supplies last.
Browse books of other authors.
Sign for Free handouts on promotion, editing and more (to be sent by e-mail).

Author panels, outdoor performances on nearby stage and much more!

Gift with Purchase Books Furnished by:
Leora Skolkin-Smith, Diana Raab,Red Engine Press and others.
Honored Authors' Coalition/UCLA Booth Roll Call:
Christine Alexanians, Linda Ballou, Janet Goliger, Lynn B. Goodwin, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Pamela Kelly, Anne Megowan, Marilyn Meredith, Linda Overman. Julie Spira, and Loren Woodson.
Poetry Nook: Christine Alexanians, Carolyn Howard-Johnson, Sona Ovasapyan.
Volunteers: Alexa Gregorian, Rita Gabrielyan

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