Heaven Doesn't Have to Wait

Hana, Maui-Sunrise

 Writing Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i has brought many wonderful people and fine experiences my way. Lorraine Brodek, author of A Nobody in A Somebody World, a sneak  peek into lives of celebrities she grew up with, and I are signing our books at the Coast Gallery  at the Travaasa Hana Hotel on Dec. 17^th.  Ka’ahumanu, the Hawaiian chiefess who was the inspiration for my character Wai-nani was born in a cave in Hana. Lorraine has graciously arranged a canoe outing for me to her birthplace.

In addition, she has invited me to stay with her and producer husband Tom in their spectacular home sitting on ten acres high on a hill overlooking Hamoa Beach, deemed one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. When I saw the video of her home.

 I couldn’t believe my good fortune. Who could ask for a more gracious estate amidst gorgeous grounds overlooking the rugged coastline of pristine Hana, the last bastion of old Hawai’i.

A couple of years ago I drove the fabled Hana Highway laced with waterfalls. My piece 

Doing theHana Highway My Way details how you can experience the curvaceous road overlooking the sequined Pacific without rubbing bumpers with all the other tourists.  Most visitors stop at the Haleakela National Park and hike through the bamboo forest to a dramatic waterfall and cap off their visit with a plunge in the pools of Oheo Gulch below the highway. At night they head back to “the other side” of Maui leaving residents to stunning sunsets and tranquility of water-rich Hana. The lush tropical forests and dew –laden pastures are still once more as the sun rises announcing another day in paradise.

If you dream of making heavenly Hana your home contactMary Anne Fitch at (808)-250-1503 http://www.soldmaui.com/

Online Romance Gets Real!

The internet works in strange and mysterious ways. Meet Sharon Pohl, a dynamic woman, energetic woman presently living on a tropical isle in the American Virgin Islands.

She found me on the National Association of Baby Boomer Women site where I am the adventure travel expert. She ordered my book Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales and requested a meeting with me. We rendezvoused in Santa Barbara and enjoyed on of my favorite outdoor days. As we hiked the bluff overlooking Hendry’s beach and strolled the sands back to the Boat House where we enjoyed a scrumptious repast at the Boat House we shared ideas.

She explained that she is busy re-inventing herself after an unexpected parting of the ways with her long-time husband. Her goal now is to help other women find ways to find peace with change and create new lives.

She invited me to be a guest speaker at a health and wellness week she will be hosting in March 2015 at her home in St. Croix.  My job will be sharing lessons I learned from the People of Old Hawaii in my research for my novel Wai-nani, A Voice from OldHawaii.

 How writing a book, I never dreamed I would write, has brought me to an opportunity to share spiritual insights with others is some kind of wonderful. To cap it off the healing week shoulders the St. Croix carnival, an extravagant display of Island color. Big fun on the way!

A Novel Honoring Hawaiian Royals

The character Wai-nani in my historical novel set in old Hawaii (1750-1819) was inspired by the life of Ka’ahumanu. She and Kamehameha the Great are the best-loved icons in Hawaiian history. They were both incredible athletes and could be seen skittering across the waves on their surf boards together. She was a healing kumu (master) and considered by many to be the “Loving Mother of the People.” He fulfilled the prophecy that a warrior would be born whose cloud would rest over all of the Islands. 

Award winning Wai-nani: A Voice from Old Hawai'i is a celebration of the People of Old. After many battles for supremacy Kamehameha did indeed unite the Hawaiian Islands and give his people a golden age of plenty that encouraged the arts.

Adventure-travel writer, Linda Ballou, shares Great Outdoor days in L.A, as well as a host of travel articles on her site, along with information about her travel memoir, Lost Angel Walkabout-One Traveler’s Tales, her historical novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i and her latest action-adventure novel The Cowgirl Jumped over the Moon at-www.LindaBallouAuthor.com.  

Authors and Writers Shines the Light on Linda Ballou

Love this  interview with Jo Lindsdell of Authors and Writers Fame. 

What genre do you write and why?

That is a conundrum. My proudest achievement is my historical novel Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i. However, it was a great pleasure to travel the world collecting stories for my travel memoir Lost Angel Walkabout-One Travelers Tales. I have a host of non-fiction travel articles to my credit that on my site. I have a "new adult novel" titled The CowGirl Jumped over the Moon released in 2015 that I am very excited about. I do not fit into a traditional publishing slot or in that pigeon hole. That is why I am thrilled to have viable, independent publishing options available.

Complete Interview Here

Young Poet Breathes Life into Old Hawai'i

Alika N.

Alex "Alika" Noholoa Windell is a poet and lyricist experimenting with language fusions. He speaks four languages and has a special fondness for the Hawaiian language.
He loves the poetic rhythms of the Hawaiian mele. In his ode to the Isle of Maui he blends Hawaiian with English to great effect.

MAUI

Loke lani, lovely blossom (Loke lani = official flower of the island of Mauʻi)

When your island holds my hands

To show me all her faces

Onaona, nahenahe (onaona = alluring, nahenahe = soft)

One is gentle, one is sweet

When the Maui mornings so serene

Mumble love through flowers so pristine

They touch all my senses!

So here my hands are always open

E hele mai, and never leave! (e hele mai = come)

Hana, Maui

You can find more of his poems at deviantART
In addition to audio poems he has a host of musical renditions combining Hawaiian/English lyrics with innovative sounds. You can listen to his creations at this link on Jango. My favorite is Moonbow.

Alika is presently working on a stage play he describes as a fairy tale inspired by Hawaiian mythology.

It is lovely to see how the legends of old Hawaii have influenced this thoroughly modern world citizen in his creative life.


Linda Ballou Author of Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai'i

Warm Aloha for Wai-nani in Malibu

Linda and Joanie of Malibu

One of the most rewarding and fun things about sharing my writing is meeting the wonderful people who connect with my work. Joan Cate,  AKA "Joanie of Malibu" loves Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawaii. She sees herself swimming with Wai-nani's dolphin family. She tells me that she is enthralled by the poetic language of the book and dazzled by the sensual descriptions of ancient Hawaii and the statuesque Hawaiian people.

She loves Wai-nani so much that she is hostessing lively conversations about my historical novel at the Bank of Books in Malibu. I attended the first meeting where I shared insights in the ancient Hawaiian culture and how it is still in play today. We talked about lessons learned from the people of old. Ho'oponopono, for example is a form of mediation led by an elder that calls for all to bring an attitude or forgiveness. Family disputes dissolved during these sessions.

The next conversation will deal with how Wai-nani embodies the empowered female. Precocious  Ka'ahumanu the favorite wife of Kamehameha the Great who rose to become the most powerful woman in old Hawaii, was the inspiration for Wai-nani's character. It is very gratifying for me to share why I felt she was an overlooked heroine who deserved the spotlight.

 Thank you, "Joanie of Malibu" for spreading the good word!!

Can't make the talks? You can read Wai-nani and direct your questions to me. I have a playlist on YouTube called Book Club Answers that provide answers to the most common questions readers have about my rendering of the people of old Hawaii.

There is more to the Islands than meets the eye

Around the World TV Spotlights My Oregon Adventures

Multnomah Falls, Columbia Gorge

The Columbia Gorge is a delightful waterfall wonderland with a web of trails lined with ferns and flowers shaded by old growth forests. I hiked them with ten other guests of  New England Hiking Holiday and our  guides who did all the heavy lifting. Days end brought us to stately Skamania Lodge where we enjoyed garden fresh salads and local salmon among other delicately prepared meals.  A nightcap beside a warming fire beneath velvet skies filled with a billion stars ended another brilliant day. Highlights of my trip that included touring the Hood River Valley, a wonderful hike along the Salmon River and a week on the stunning Oregon Coast complimented by award winning, nature photographer Greg Vaughn await you in this interview.

Devil's Punch Bowl in the Columbia Gorge-Oregon

No trip to the Columbia Gorge in Oregon is complete without a hike up popular Eagle Creek. The moment you enter the well-groomed path, you are swallowed in green.

Chatty smaller streams join the run through the majestic forest. The drop-off naturally becomes more precipitous as you climb up canyon. Often the trail narrows to a ledge with a well-placed handrail to steady your nerves. Sprays of pink and white flowers nestled in ferns cling to the basalt canyon walls, and around each bend is another stunning view of the deepening chasm.

Devils Punch Bowl is the first of three falls along the way to High Bridge, our lunch destination. Rock walls deep in the canyon are matted with mosses, ferns, and lichens. With abundant life all about, I felt refreshed, soothed, restored, and deliriously happy to be here. Four-miles in, we crossed over a heart-catching cleft in basalt walls with black water flowing far below. At our lunch stop I shed my boots and dangled my dogs in the tingling water while our guides laid out a delicious spread. Heaven can wait! I'm busy. For more on this adventure to to New England Hiking Holidays.

Columbia Gorge/Mt. Hood Up Close and Personal

Evan and Kristin make it to Oneonta Gorge

Kristin and Evan are a delightful couple from Arizona that joined me on a hiking adventure with New England Hiking Holidays in the Columbia Gorge/Mt. Hood region of Oregon. I am working on articles about this wonderland of waterfalls that will appear soon, but for immediate gratification click go to Kristin's photo album on Facebook

Evan wanted to see the Oneonta Gorge which requires swimming in a mountain stream fed by snowfields in the Cascade Mountains. I take credit for saving Kristin’s life when she slipped and nearly fell into a chasm getting her Nat. Geo. shot.  (Note shot of scraped leg.) Nothing went un-documented. Great fun had by all lucky enough to take this Oregon trip offered by NEHH each year in June when the flowers are in full swing and the mountain air is scintillating.

I am  wearing California Yellow

Under the Cover with Randy Jay Braun

Over the years that it took me to write Wai-nani, A Voicefrom Old Hawai’i, I had two yellowing postcard images taped to my wall. One was of a woman with arms stretched to the heavens, knees bent deeply, wearing a swaying ti leaf skirt in a classic kahiko dance pose.

The other was a muscular Hawaiian man glistening with vitality wearing a malo, or loin cloth, with knees bent arms outstretched, hair flying also doing hula. I looked to these two images while conjuring the love scenes that take place in the story. This man and woman epitomized the natural beauty and grace of people in a culture I so admired.

After a year of searching on the internet for an image that would convey the spirit of my book, I settled upon one by Randy Jay Braun. He is a photographer internationally known for his realistic depictions of Hawaiian dancers doing the ancient kahiko dance of Hawai’i. It is called “Celebration of Life.” Since Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i is a celebration of the people of old, I felt it was fitting.

The silhouette of a dancer with arms stretched to the heavens to capture mana, or spiritual power, depicts a sacred ceremony.  The deep purple, tinged with gold, sunset evokes a sense of mystery and hopefully invites the reader to enter a world largely unknown to western readers.

Randy Jay Braun

It is ironic that the two images I held in my mind over twenty years of research and writing were also those of Randy Jay Braun. I was not aware of that fact until I found them on his site along with the image that eventually became the cover of my book.   Writing Wai-nani, A Voice from Old Hawai’i has been a long, satisfying journey with many serendipitous discoveries along the way.  I have met many wonderful people who have opened their hearts to me with warm aloha and lent their talents to enrich the telling of the Hawaiian story. A special thank you to Randy Jay Braun for allowing me to use his image for the cover of my book.