Members who have published their work since the last issue
Published! Congrats to Jordan Barnes
Jordan Barnes
Jordan Barnes reported he published his fourth book, Late Blight in the Ko’olaus: A Novel, in February 2023.
The book follows the challenges of a protagonist who is released from a psychiatric facility in Hawaii seven years after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to a serious crime. As he struggles to adapt to a world that fears him, he is terrified that he will lose the stability he has worked so hard to recover.
The book follows the challenges of a protagonist who is released from a psychiatric facility in Hawaii seven years after pleading not guilty by reason of insanity to a serious crime. As he struggles to adapt to a world that fears him, he is terrified that he will lose the stability he has worked so hard to recover.
The novel is about mental illness, recovery, and the healing power of nature, but, as one reviewer has said: “… most of all, it is about the courage it takes to start over.” It was named a Best Literary Book Award Winner by Indies Today. It is available in hardback and paperback as well as in Kindle and audiobook editions.
Barnes knows from personal experience about the courage it takes to start over. His first book, One Hit Away, a nonfiction book subtitled A Memoir of Recovery, was focused on Barnes’ own struggle with drug addiction. It was published in 2020 and was a winner of multiple awards. His other books include Bridge Town: A Harm Reduction Novel and Rules to Die By, a 15,000-word manifesto comprised of 12 reflections on the practices Barnes has employed to maintain a “life worth living”.
Barnes lives in Kailua on Oahu with his wife, Chelsea, and son, Logan. He reports he has been sober from all mood-and-mind-altering substances since August 29, 2011. He says he “fell in love” with storytelling when he worked up the courage to tell his own story and that the response to his memoir inspired him to pursue writing fulltime. Barnes has been a “proud” member of Hawaii Writers Guild since August 2021.
Barnes knows from personal experience about the courage it takes to start over. His first book, One Hit Away, a nonfiction book subtitled A Memoir of Recovery, was focused on Barnes’ own struggle with drug addiction. It was published in 2020 and was a winner of multiple awards. His other books include Bridge Town: A Harm Reduction Novel and Rules to Die By, a 15,000-word manifesto comprised of 12 reflections on the practices Barnes has employed to maintain a “life worth living”.
Barnes lives in Kailua on Oahu with his wife, Chelsea, and son, Logan. He reports he has been sober from all mood-and-mind-altering substances since August 29, 2011. He says he “fell in love” with storytelling when he worked up the courage to tell his own story and that the response to his memoir inspired him to pursue writing fulltime. Barnes has been a “proud” member of Hawaii Writers Guild since August 2021.
Published! Congrats to Gwen Gorg
Gwendolyn Gorg
Guild Member Gwyndolin Gorg published a new book of prose and poetry in March 2023 entitled A Piece of Perfection. The book expresses her thoughts and feelings on a wide range of topics, including love and romance, concerns about death and abuse, introspection and spirituality, environmental appreciation, female perspectives and a Hawaiian overview.
Gwyn says she spent about a year working on the new book, but she’s not the only one in her family who contributed to it. The book also contains photographs by her two daughters, Gentry Gorg and Sunny Gorg.
The material in the new book has found its way into many of the public readings Gwyn has done and continues to do. Just since the new year began, Gwyn has participated in the following public events:
--On January 15, she was one of many speakers who participated in a Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Old Kona Airport where she read the title poem from her new book and spoke to an audience of 450 about the importance of working together to make the world a better place;
--On February 24, Gwyn presented a workshop at Tutu’s House in Waimea for Black History Month in which she read her poetry and led a discussion exploring the questions: “Who Am I?” and “What is my responsibility to myself and others”; and
--On April 29, she participated in the 24th Annual Peace Poem Awards for students held in Hilo and read her work.
“The whole purpose for what I do is to make the world a better place for everyone,” Gwyn says of her literary activism.
Here’s the title poem from Gwyn’s new book:
Gwyn says she spent about a year working on the new book, but she’s not the only one in her family who contributed to it. The book also contains photographs by her two daughters, Gentry Gorg and Sunny Gorg.
The material in the new book has found its way into many of the public readings Gwyn has done and continues to do. Just since the new year began, Gwyn has participated in the following public events:
--On January 15, she was one of many speakers who participated in a Martin Luther King Day celebration at the Old Kona Airport where she read the title poem from her new book and spoke to an audience of 450 about the importance of working together to make the world a better place;
--On February 24, Gwyn presented a workshop at Tutu’s House in Waimea for Black History Month in which she read her poetry and led a discussion exploring the questions: “Who Am I?” and “What is my responsibility to myself and others”; and
--On April 29, she participated in the 24th Annual Peace Poem Awards for students held in Hilo and read her work.
“The whole purpose for what I do is to make the world a better place for everyone,” Gwyn says of her literary activism.
Here’s the title poem from Gwyn’s new book:
A PIECE OF PERFECTION
A book of poetry / prose
observations … comments
physical…mental … spiritual influences
different perspectives
some of the beauty … some of the complexities
we are heir to
as these earthly experiences are traversed
each of us
a part of life’s puzzle,
together we bind the pieces,
I am you… you are me
an on-purpose piece of perfection
We Are
A book of poetry / prose
observations … comments
physical…mental … spiritual influences
different perspectives
some of the beauty … some of the complexities
we are heir to
as these earthly experiences are traversed
each of us
a part of life’s puzzle,
together we bind the pieces,
I am you… you are me
an on-purpose piece of perfection
We Are
“An on-purpose piece of perfection.” A fitting description, some might say, for the author, as well as for her new book.
Gwyn Gorg lives on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since June 2022.
Gwyn Gorg lives on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since June 2022.
Published! Congrats to Don Kennedy
Don Kennedy
Don Kennedy reports that his third book in the series Kids Say the Darndest Things to Santa Claus was published in eBook and paperback on September 1, 2022. The book continues following the adventures of volunteer Santa Don (Kennedy himself) as he visits with children and their families in hospitals, women’s and children’s shelters, Boys and Girls Clubs, military bases, churches, schools and wildfire victim temporary housing.
“If you've ever wondered what kids say to Santa Claus, what it would be like to don the Santa suit, what happens when a little child has ‘an accident’ on Santa's knee... then this is the book for you,” Don says.
Some of the twenty-three chapters cover the following topics: The Very First Time - How It All Began, A Question-and-Answer session with Santa, A Grown Up Christmas Wish, Santa in Paradise (Hawaii), Letters to Santa, Santa Around the Globe plus Santa in a Pandemic. Other chapters feature: Young Love, Sibling Rivalry, The Naughty List, Kids' Jokes, The Doubters, Military Families, But, why? plus It Could Only Happen to Santa!
“If you've ever wondered what kids say to Santa Claus, what it would be like to don the Santa suit, what happens when a little child has ‘an accident’ on Santa's knee... then this is the book for you,” Don says.
Some of the twenty-three chapters cover the following topics: The Very First Time - How It All Began, A Question-and-Answer session with Santa, A Grown Up Christmas Wish, Santa in Paradise (Hawaii), Letters to Santa, Santa Around the Globe plus Santa in a Pandemic. Other chapters feature: Young Love, Sibling Rivalry, The Naughty List, Kids' Jokes, The Doubters, Military Families, But, why? plus It Could Only Happen to Santa!
The book received a five-star review rating from
the Readers Favorite book review panel and the
Silver award in Non Fiction Children’s in the
2022 Global Book Awards.
Kennedy was the featured author for the book club onboard the Carnival Splendor transpacific cruise September 6-25, 2022 from Seattle to Sydney, Australia, during which he and interested passengers read all three books in the series together. Don Kennedy is a resident of Makaha Valley on Oahu, Hawaii. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since March 2020.
the Readers Favorite book review panel and the
Silver award in Non Fiction Children’s in the
2022 Global Book Awards.
Kennedy was the featured author for the book club onboard the Carnival Splendor transpacific cruise September 6-25, 2022 from Seattle to Sydney, Australia, during which he and interested passengers read all three books in the series together. Don Kennedy is a resident of Makaha Valley on Oahu, Hawaii. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since March 2020.
Published! Congrats to Karen Kuester
Karen Kuester
Meraki: A Collection of Poems, was published in paperback in October 2022, just two months before Kuester became a member of Hawaii Writers Guild. It is her first collection of poems, and it draws on the wide-ranging experiences of an intense and passionate life.
Born in Chicago, Kuester taught for thirty years—in the inner-city schools of St. Louis, a village in Germany, the north woods of Wisconsin, and on the island of Hawaii. Along the way, she had unique travel adventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Spain, Costa Rica, Greece, Japan and Australia as well as North America.
The title, Meraki, is a Greek word that encompasses the concept of “creating with soul and love” and “imbuing words with a piece of yourself.” In the case of Kuester’s book, a reader will find it imbued with many pieces of the author—as a precocious young woman, resistant daughter, wife, widow, mother, master teacher, political activist and daring world traveler.
Her poems are grouped into themes, starting with “Good Enough,” which reflects on meaningful moments from various stages of her life, and ending with “Travel Songs” derived from her extensive travel adventures. In between, the reader will find sections on “Grief,” “Island Rhythms” and “Nature Hymns”.
Born in Chicago, Kuester taught for thirty years—in the inner-city schools of St. Louis, a village in Germany, the north woods of Wisconsin, and on the island of Hawaii. Along the way, she had unique travel adventures in China, Taiwan, Thailand, Russia, Spain, Costa Rica, Greece, Japan and Australia as well as North America.
The title, Meraki, is a Greek word that encompasses the concept of “creating with soul and love” and “imbuing words with a piece of yourself.” In the case of Kuester’s book, a reader will find it imbued with many pieces of the author—as a precocious young woman, resistant daughter, wife, widow, mother, master teacher, political activist and daring world traveler.
Her poems are grouped into themes, starting with “Good Enough,” which reflects on meaningful moments from various stages of her life, and ending with “Travel Songs” derived from her extensive travel adventures. In between, the reader will find sections on “Grief,” “Island Rhythms” and “Nature Hymns”.
The cover art work, as well as the poems
inside, is Kuester’s own.
Kuester had previously been published in Alan Cohen’s book Happily Even After and on the blog site A Widow’s Tale written by Donna Marie Todd.
Now retired, Kuester lives on Hawaii Island, which she describes as “in the arms of paradise, embraced by the blue Pacific and the volcanic majesty of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.” She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since November 2022.
inside, is Kuester’s own.
Kuester had previously been published in Alan Cohen’s book Happily Even After and on the blog site A Widow’s Tale written by Donna Marie Todd.
Now retired, Kuester lives on Hawaii Island, which she describes as “in the arms of paradise, embraced by the blue Pacific and the volcanic majesty of Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa.” She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since November 2022.
Published! Congrats to Don Mules
Don Mules (aka D. Ward Cornell)
Don Mules (who writes under the pen name D. Ward Cornell) has qualified for a “Congrats” in every issue of Member News so far, and this Spring 2023 issue is no exception. His newest science fiction novel, Echoes of Extinction, was published on March 1, 2023, the very day we sent out a call for publication news for our Spring issue. Mules reported it closed its first day at No. 35 on Kindle’s Alien Invasion Sci-Fi list. The book is out in paperback as well as Kindle.
The book, the first in a new series, tells the tale of one man’s struggle to lead a reluctant world to preparedness despite the personal and political barriers placed in his way. When Kyle Wimberly, the hands-on president of Full Cycle Solar, Inc., investigates a unit failure, he finds an alien shuttle that has crashed into it. The shuttle’s captain is grievously injured, his crew dead. Then, to Kyle’s surprise, the captain asks for help, speaking perfect English.
Kyle and colleague Alexandra Reyes carry the captain to the shuttle’s medical bay for treatment by its auto-doc. This simple act of compassion launches the two down a path that will change their lives and the world forever.
The book, the first in a new series, tells the tale of one man’s struggle to lead a reluctant world to preparedness despite the personal and political barriers placed in his way. When Kyle Wimberly, the hands-on president of Full Cycle Solar, Inc., investigates a unit failure, he finds an alien shuttle that has crashed into it. The shuttle’s captain is grievously injured, his crew dead. Then, to Kyle’s surprise, the captain asks for help, speaking perfect English.
Kyle and colleague Alexandra Reyes carry the captain to the shuttle’s medical bay for treatment by its auto-doc. This simple act of compassion launches the two down a path that will change their lives and the world forever.
An advanced alien civilization on the edge of extinction…
An Afghanistan war veteran operating a solar farm in the desert…
A simple act of compassion that will change the world…
“Lots of stuff is planned for this series. I’ve taken on a co-author, with whom I am planning two more books in this series, this year,” Mules reports.
Mules lives on the Kohala coast of the Big Island. He joined Hawaii Writers Guild in November 2019, and is a stalwart member of the Readings and Responses writers support group team.
…
An Afghanistan war veteran operating a solar farm in the desert…
A simple act of compassion that will change the world…
“Lots of stuff is planned for this series. I’ve taken on a co-author, with whom I am planning two more books in this series, this year,” Mules reports.
Mules lives on the Kohala coast of the Big Island. He joined Hawaii Writers Guild in November 2019, and is a stalwart member of the Readings and Responses writers support group team.
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[EDITOR’S NOTE: Couldn’t resist appending this message from Don, which he sent out on May 23, just as I was finishing up the copy for the Spring 2023 issue. Joy Fisher, co-editor]:
Dear R&R Friends, Today is a momentous day for me. This morning, after four-plus years of full-time writing, total sales from my eleven books passed through 100,000 units sold. Who could have ever believed at the outset? This milestone comes on the heels of completing the first full draft of my twelfth book Reverberations yesterday. At the outset, I had no idea what I was doing, just a story to tell. Over time and with the help of the R&R community and others, I learned more about the theory of storytelling, developed a style, and built a reader base. My last two books, both spent two or more months on a genre-specific top-10 list. Thanks to all who had a hand in my success, and I hope that seeing someone you know break through like this inspires you to write more and get your work out there. Don |
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Published! Congrats to Wendy Noritake
Wendy Noritake reported she had an article and pictures published in the January-February 2023 issue of Ke Ola magazine. The story about how the article got published is almost as interesting as the article itself—which is plenty interesting, because it’s about her encounter with a shark!
Wendy, a PADI dive master, has been scuba diving for more than 20 years and during that time has taken numerous underwater pictures of her below-the-surface adventures. Her pictures and adventures were well-known in North Kohala, where she lives. Some of her underwater photos had even been part of a show at an art gallery there.
In November of 2022, a member of the staff of Ke Ola had contacted Wendy with an urgent request: a writer who was supposed to provide the magazine with an article about sharks had failed to come through. The magazine was on deadline. Could Wendy provide an article?
As it happened, just a month before, Wendy had had a face-to-face encounter with a white tip reef shark at Nishimura Bay in North Kohala and had taken pictures of the event. Could she write a story to go with the photos? She could and she did. Her story, “E Palekana Me Ka Mano: Be Safe with Sharks”, became the lead story in that issue. It makes for riveting reading. For example, this paragraph:
“As the shark at Nishimura Bay came within a couple of feet, I briefly wondered if I might have to use a redirection maneuver, basically a means to push it away…Locking your elbow with arm straight, you push the shark’s nose and head down and away from you. It’s a tactic similar to martial arts, using the opponent’s momentum to push it past you. Don’t put your hand on the nose or head of the shark, but on top. You don’t want your hand to accidentally go inside its mouth!”
Fortunately, when Wendy batted the shark away after a second pass, it veered off and swam into the blue, leaving Wendy with just an adrenaline rush.
Wendy, a PADI dive master, has been scuba diving for more than 20 years and during that time has taken numerous underwater pictures of her below-the-surface adventures. Her pictures and adventures were well-known in North Kohala, where she lives. Some of her underwater photos had even been part of a show at an art gallery there.
In November of 2022, a member of the staff of Ke Ola had contacted Wendy with an urgent request: a writer who was supposed to provide the magazine with an article about sharks had failed to come through. The magazine was on deadline. Could Wendy provide an article?
As it happened, just a month before, Wendy had had a face-to-face encounter with a white tip reef shark at Nishimura Bay in North Kohala and had taken pictures of the event. Could she write a story to go with the photos? She could and she did. Her story, “E Palekana Me Ka Mano: Be Safe with Sharks”, became the lead story in that issue. It makes for riveting reading. For example, this paragraph:
“As the shark at Nishimura Bay came within a couple of feet, I briefly wondered if I might have to use a redirection maneuver, basically a means to push it away…Locking your elbow with arm straight, you push the shark’s nose and head down and away from you. It’s a tactic similar to martial arts, using the opponent’s momentum to push it past you. Don’t put your hand on the nose or head of the shark, but on top. You don’t want your hand to accidentally go inside its mouth!”
Fortunately, when Wendy batted the shark away after a second pass, it veered off and swam into the blue, leaving Wendy with just an adrenaline rush.
The white tip reef shark at Nishimura Bay.
Photo by Wendy Noritake
Wendy was thrilled to have her story and pictures published in Ke Ola. Sadly, the Covid pandemic had taken its toll on the advertising that supported the magazine. The issue in which Wendy’s story appeared proved to be the very last published issue of the magazine.
If you’d like to read Wendy’s whole story, you can try to access it online here: E Palekana Me Ka Manō: Be Safe With Sharks (keolamagazine.com). (To open the article, you may need to use the password “readme123”). Wendy Noritake lives in North Kohala on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2017.
Photo by Wendy Noritake
Wendy was thrilled to have her story and pictures published in Ke Ola. Sadly, the Covid pandemic had taken its toll on the advertising that supported the magazine. The issue in which Wendy’s story appeared proved to be the very last published issue of the magazine.
If you’d like to read Wendy’s whole story, you can try to access it online here: E Palekana Me Ka Manō: Be Safe With Sharks (keolamagazine.com). (To open the article, you may need to use the password “readme123”). Wendy Noritake lives in North Kohala on the Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2017.
Published! Congrats to Frank Reilly
Frank Reilly
Frank Reilly shared the good news with us that his story “The Stirling Stone” had been accepted for publication in the Winter 2023 issue of the Baltimore Review.
Hawaii Writers Guild members who have attended the Saturday Readings and Responses group may have some familiarity with this coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old fatherless boy who gets a nudge toward socialization through the intervention of his mother’s boyfriend and his fondness for the sport of curling. Reilly honed his story over a number of weeks at this writers’ support group made available to members by the Guild.
The title of the story is derived from a curling artifact found at the bottom of a drained pond in Dunblane, Scotland, a hunk of granite with the year 1511 engraved on it. In this heartwarming story, learning to deliver a curling stone to the “house”, or, as the boy Manny would say, “home”, serves as a metaphor for Manny’s growing social skills, which transform him from a bedroom-bound electronics nerd into a gregarious young man with a growing circle of friends.
Here’s a link that will take you to the text of the story and, even better, to a link (at the bottom of the story) where you can listen to Reilly read his story aloud: Frank Reilly: The Stirling Stone (baltimorereview.org).
Frank Reilly lives in Kapa’a, Kauai. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2020. [Editors Note: Frank has recently volunteered to create a writers support group especially for writers on Kauai. You can read about that project in the Transitions column in this issue of Member News.]
Hawaii Writers Guild members who have attended the Saturday Readings and Responses group may have some familiarity with this coming-of-age story about a 13-year-old fatherless boy who gets a nudge toward socialization through the intervention of his mother’s boyfriend and his fondness for the sport of curling. Reilly honed his story over a number of weeks at this writers’ support group made available to members by the Guild.
The title of the story is derived from a curling artifact found at the bottom of a drained pond in Dunblane, Scotland, a hunk of granite with the year 1511 engraved on it. In this heartwarming story, learning to deliver a curling stone to the “house”, or, as the boy Manny would say, “home”, serves as a metaphor for Manny’s growing social skills, which transform him from a bedroom-bound electronics nerd into a gregarious young man with a growing circle of friends.
Here’s a link that will take you to the text of the story and, even better, to a link (at the bottom of the story) where you can listen to Reilly read his story aloud: Frank Reilly: The Stirling Stone (baltimorereview.org).
Frank Reilly lives in Kapa’a, Kauai. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2020. [Editors Note: Frank has recently volunteered to create a writers support group especially for writers on Kauai. You can read about that project in the Transitions column in this issue of Member News.]
