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