Members who have published their work since the last issue
Published! Congrats to Nancy Baenziger
Nancy Lewis Baenziger, a retired scientist and academician, is thrilled to report that she has published her debut poetry collection. Nancy says the book, entitled Protagonists, includes “some poems written over a span of more decades than I care to disclose,” as well as many others written more recently and read at Hawaii Writers Guild events. She notes that “some poems written long in the past were strikingly adaptable to present events”.
Protagonists is divided into five thematic chapters, beginning with “Observational Studies”, which contains poems describing the Covid pandemic's human landscape. Succeeding chapters include “Protagonists”, “Antagonists”, “Border Lines”, and “Coda”. The poems are written in diverse styles ranging from haiku to sonnet to free verse, but in keeping with her many years as a choral member, the imagery of transcendent choral music is woven throughout.
In addition to writing the poems, Nancy published the book herself, creating her own imprint called 9 Volcanoes Publishing, and designing the book cover.
Protagonists is divided into five thematic chapters, beginning with “Observational Studies”, which contains poems describing the Covid pandemic's human landscape. Succeeding chapters include “Protagonists”, “Antagonists”, “Border Lines”, and “Coda”. The poems are written in diverse styles ranging from haiku to sonnet to free verse, but in keeping with her many years as a choral member, the imagery of transcendent choral music is woven throughout.
In addition to writing the poems, Nancy published the book herself, creating her own imprint called 9 Volcanoes Publishing, and designing the book cover.
Protagonists is just the beginning. Nancy purchased a batch of ten ISBN numbers and already has two more poetry books in the works, entitled respectively Citizens: Poems of the Tectonic Landscape and Voices / Na Leo / Jietan: Poems from 3 Languages (English, Hawaiian, and Saami). Nancy also created her own website, which can be viewed at
https://9volcanoespublishing.wordpress.com
Nancy has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since January 2018. She and her husband and technical adviser, Jacques, are official Hawaii residents at Mauna Lani Resort in South Kohala. They also have a mainland home for good weather months in view of Mt. Hood in Oregon.
https://9volcanoespublishing.wordpress.com
Nancy has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since January 2018. She and her husband and technical adviser, Jacques, are official Hawaii residents at Mauna Lani Resort in South Kohala. They also have a mainland home for good weather months in view of Mt. Hood in Oregon.
Published! Congrats to John Blossom
Before he retired, John Blossom taught middle and high school students, who he came to believe were the most “intelligent and thoughtful people on the planet.” After retiring, his quest came to be to create challenging and insightful novels for them that reflect an unflinching but optimistic exploration of today’s most timely issues.
In July, as a result, the author published The Last Football Player, a realistic near-future, young adult, science fiction, sports drama featuring an upcoming 9th grade wide receiver who is denied the opportunity to be a star because his influential Silicon Valley father leads a successful movement to ban football. Deeply disappointed and now highly unpopular among his fellow football players at school, protagonist Dude McPherson sets out on a desperate quest to make football safe enough to play again.
“This book was born out of a desire to write a really fun and compelling novel for teens about football,” Blossom explained. “What happened as I was writing the first draft is that AI came roaring onto the scene, and [Buffalo Bills player] Damar Hamlen suffered his horrendous injury that almost killed him. No one watching that occurrence could avoid the thought that …perhaps there might be a way to play the game more safely in the future. It was these thoughts rolling around in my head that led to the idea for this book.”
In July, as a result, the author published The Last Football Player, a realistic near-future, young adult, science fiction, sports drama featuring an upcoming 9th grade wide receiver who is denied the opportunity to be a star because his influential Silicon Valley father leads a successful movement to ban football. Deeply disappointed and now highly unpopular among his fellow football players at school, protagonist Dude McPherson sets out on a desperate quest to make football safe enough to play again.
“This book was born out of a desire to write a really fun and compelling novel for teens about football,” Blossom explained. “What happened as I was writing the first draft is that AI came roaring onto the scene, and [Buffalo Bills player] Damar Hamlen suffered his horrendous injury that almost killed him. No one watching that occurrence could avoid the thought that …perhaps there might be a way to play the game more safely in the future. It was these thoughts rolling around in my head that led to the idea for this book.”
This book was a 2023 Readers' Favorite Award Winner in Sports Fiction as well as a 2023AWA Sports Book of the Year Runner-up. (See our feature story on AWA winners elsewhere in this issue.) Other awards won by this book are listed on the authors website https://www.jtblossom.com/
John Blossom lives on an organic farm in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii where he provides fruits and vegetables to the neighbors and maintains an active free library at the end of the driveway. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since May 2023.
[Editor’s note: John also contributed the Genre Corner column for this issue of Member News. Look for “Writing Tips: A Few Great Books on Writing Fiction” by J.T. Blossom elsewhere in this issue.]
Published! Congrats to Duncan Dempster
Way back in late 2021, Duncan Dempster, one of HWG's founding members and our webmaster, published Where Are You?, a sequel to his earlier 2014 novel, Chapel on the Moor (see Member News TWO). It was in both Kindle and Paperback formats and he had every intention of publishing an audiobook version at the same time. But as often happens, that pesky thing called life got in the way and the audiobook never came about.
Fast forward two+ years and he finally found that "Round TUIT" he needed to produce an audiobook of the sequel through Audible.com. So now, both of his novels can be heard as well as read.
Duncan is currently working on a third novel tentatively entitled Chapel Redux to build his Chapel series into a trilogy. Let's hope he doesn't take another two years to bring that about. Here's a five-minute audio sample of Where Are You?
Fast forward two+ years and he finally found that "Round TUIT" he needed to produce an audiobook of the sequel through Audible.com. So now, both of his novels can be heard as well as read.
Duncan is currently working on a third novel tentatively entitled Chapel Redux to build his Chapel series into a trilogy. Let's hope he doesn't take another two years to bring that about. Here's a five-minute audio sample of Where Are You?
Published! Congrats to CherylAnn Farrell
Lest there be any doubt that Guild member CherylAnn Farrell is a witty woman, that doubt is now officially dispelled by the news that she has published a Christmas story in the November offerings of the online platform WitCraft.org, the motto of which is: “Because not everything has to be serious”.
CherylAnn’s story, “Escape from Christmas Island,” is about Santa Claus as you have never seen him before. He’s a philanderer whose affair with a blue-tailed mermaid named Halia has resulted in the spawning of hundreds if not thousands of sea creatures who, the reader is told, “are a cross between a mermaid, Neptune, and Santa – each holding a spear as they headed inland stabbing everything as they went” and shouting “Where’s our PAPA? HO! HO! HO!”
Will Santa live to see another Christmas? You’ll have to read the story to find out (and even then you may not be sure because the end of the story is a real cliffhanger.) Fortunately, you can read the story and make up your own mind, because CherylAnn has been kind enough to send us a link. Here it is: https://witcraft.org/2023/11/15/escape-from-christmas-island/?fbclid=IwAR1v0qqkQnfQCskwuKO5AM5KvnUU0qno6FIl3sE1c3pqEYVycrv4jdtLDKM
WitCraft.org is a site dedicated to skillfully written stories that are brief, humorous and engaging. The emphasis is on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. “Whether your story is designed to raise a smile or a belly laugh, I want stories that are a refuge from the relentless barrage of negativity, angst, war and climate catastrophe that dominates the web,” says its operator, Doug Jacquier.
Thank you, CherylAnn, for this very timely gift.
CherylAnn Farrell lives on Kauai. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since November 2018.
CherylAnn’s story, “Escape from Christmas Island,” is about Santa Claus as you have never seen him before. He’s a philanderer whose affair with a blue-tailed mermaid named Halia has resulted in the spawning of hundreds if not thousands of sea creatures who, the reader is told, “are a cross between a mermaid, Neptune, and Santa – each holding a spear as they headed inland stabbing everything as they went” and shouting “Where’s our PAPA? HO! HO! HO!”
Will Santa live to see another Christmas? You’ll have to read the story to find out (and even then you may not be sure because the end of the story is a real cliffhanger.) Fortunately, you can read the story and make up your own mind, because CherylAnn has been kind enough to send us a link. Here it is: https://witcraft.org/2023/11/15/escape-from-christmas-island/?fbclid=IwAR1v0qqkQnfQCskwuKO5AM5KvnUU0qno6FIl3sE1c3pqEYVycrv4jdtLDKM
WitCraft.org is a site dedicated to skillfully written stories that are brief, humorous and engaging. The emphasis is on wit, word play, absurdity and inspired nonsense. “Whether your story is designed to raise a smile or a belly laugh, I want stories that are a refuge from the relentless barrage of negativity, angst, war and climate catastrophe that dominates the web,” says its operator, Doug Jacquier.
Thank you, CherylAnn, for this very timely gift.
CherylAnn Farrell lives on Kauai. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since November 2018.
Published! Congrats to Virginia Fortner
Virginia Fortner is a writer who likes to try her hand at many different forms of writing. She has published essays, poetry, fiction, children’s stories, and one dissertation. She reports that, lately, she has found a ready market for her feature stories with her local newspaper, Kohala Mountain News. In one recent issue alone, published on October 27, 2023, Virginia had two feature stories to her credit.
On page 10 of that issue, Virginia had a story headlined “Big Island Author Launches Book”, about a book-signing event by Diann Wilson, Hawaii Writers Guild’s former president, who was launching Goodbye Big Business Hello Big Island. [Editor’s Note: See our story about Diann’s new book elsewhere in this issue of Member News.]
On page 13 of the same issue, Virginia’s story, “Senior Citizens Live On”, appeared. It begins:
"Where can you hear the latest
plans for Kohala, learn a fun balance
exercise, sing with ukuleles, and
have a light meal each week? The
answer is ‘Behind Kamehameha’s
statue, Monday mornings, 9-11:00
a.m. at the Kohala Senior Citizens
Club meeting!’”
You can read Virginia’s stories yourself by left clicking on this link: KMN WORKING FILE 10 23.indd (kohalamountainnews.com)
then scrolling down to either page 10 or page 13.
Congratulations, Virginia. I think we’re going to hear more from you!
Virginia Fortner lives in Kapaau on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since October 2017.
On page 10 of that issue, Virginia had a story headlined “Big Island Author Launches Book”, about a book-signing event by Diann Wilson, Hawaii Writers Guild’s former president, who was launching Goodbye Big Business Hello Big Island. [Editor’s Note: See our story about Diann’s new book elsewhere in this issue of Member News.]
On page 13 of the same issue, Virginia’s story, “Senior Citizens Live On”, appeared. It begins:
"Where can you hear the latest
plans for Kohala, learn a fun balance
exercise, sing with ukuleles, and
have a light meal each week? The
answer is ‘Behind Kamehameha’s
statue, Monday mornings, 9-11:00
a.m. at the Kohala Senior Citizens
Club meeting!’”
You can read Virginia’s stories yourself by left clicking on this link: KMN WORKING FILE 10 23.indd (kohalamountainnews.com)
then scrolling down to either page 10 or page 13.
Congratulations, Virginia. I think we’re going to hear more from you!
Virginia Fortner lives in Kapaau on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since October 2017.
Published! Congrats to Steven Foster
In August, Big Island author Steven S. Foster published his fourth book of fiction, a book of Hawaii-themed short stories called Hawai’i Tradewinds. Although his first three books were novels, Steven is no stranger to short story writing, as anyone familiar with his contributions to past issues of Latitudes, the Guild’s on-line literary journal, can attest.
His new book is billed as a “rich collection to cherish.” Although it is fiction, Steven did extensive research, including “talking story” with local people who experienced Hawaii during the period from the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the entry of the United States into World War II up to the present day. Many of the insights he gleaned from that research found their way into the stories in the book. For example, his discussions with one 92-year-old retired Japanese farmer who had, as a boy, provided vegetables for the Marines training at Camp Tarawa in Waimea during the war inspired him to write a love story between a Marine and a Japanese-American girl who lived within walking distance of the camp. It’s titled “Heart of Sakura.”
Like much of his work, these stories often depict the struggles people face and how they overcome their challenges through the power of love and faith. It’s in harmony with the spirit of the season, but its tone can help sustain a positive mindset during any season.
His new book is billed as a “rich collection to cherish.” Although it is fiction, Steven did extensive research, including “talking story” with local people who experienced Hawaii during the period from the attack on Pearl Harbor that marked the entry of the United States into World War II up to the present day. Many of the insights he gleaned from that research found their way into the stories in the book. For example, his discussions with one 92-year-old retired Japanese farmer who had, as a boy, provided vegetables for the Marines training at Camp Tarawa in Waimea during the war inspired him to write a love story between a Marine and a Japanese-American girl who lived within walking distance of the camp. It’s titled “Heart of Sakura.”
Like much of his work, these stories often depict the struggles people face and how they overcome their challenges through the power of love and faith. It’s in harmony with the spirit of the season, but its tone can help sustain a positive mindset during any season.
Steven Foster’s previous books include Spirit of an Eagle, published in June 2019; Summer Passage of ’66, published in January of 2021, and Hawaii’s Last Beekeeper, published in October 2022.
Hawaii’s Last Beekeeper was inspired by Steven’s own experiences as a beekeeper and his concern about the potential adverse effects that their decline could have. In the story, the one man who holds the secret to saving the bees from extinction disappears. Racing against time, his friend searches to find him before it’s too late.
Recently, a biology professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo ordered 50 copies of Hawaii’s Last Beekeeper to give to her students as Christmas gifts. “She asked me to autograph all of them. This was a nice surprise, and it encouraged me to keep writing,” Steven said.
Steven Foster lives in Waimea on the Island of Hawaii. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since February 2019.
Hawaii’s Last Beekeeper was inspired by Steven’s own experiences as a beekeeper and his concern about the potential adverse effects that their decline could have. In the story, the one man who holds the secret to saving the bees from extinction disappears. Racing against time, his friend searches to find him before it’s too late.
Recently, a biology professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo ordered 50 copies of Hawaii’s Last Beekeeper to give to her students as Christmas gifts. “She asked me to autograph all of them. This was a nice surprise, and it encouraged me to keep writing,” Steven said.
Steven Foster lives in Waimea on the Island of Hawaii. He has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since February 2019.
Published! Congrats to Dawn Hurwitz
Dawn Hurwitz published her memoir, Psychedelic Wild Child: Coming of Age in the Source Family Cult(ure), in October. October 17 was the Zoom book launch, which was attended by people from all around Hawaii, many other states and as far away as London. On November 4, Basically Books in Hilo hosted an in-person launch which was also well-attended.
The book chronicles Dawn’s five-year trek with the Source family. Times, they were a-changin’ in the ‘70s when a young Dawn left her hometown of Chicago and made her way across the country to the West Coast. There, she encountered Father Yod, the “spiritual father” of the Source family, at their vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles. It wasn’t long before Dawn became part of the family, adopting their daily meditation, organic vegetarian diet and an experimental lifestyle that could only be lived communally with total trust.
The trek with the Source family eventually led to Hawaii, where the family hoped to find a spiritual home. It didn’t work out as planned, and Dawn moved on with her life, but she never forgot her years with the family, and now she has set her memories down into a permanent record in her new book.
Dawn has had many and varied adventures since her experimental life with the Source family as a teenager, but she is still, she assures her readers, a “wild child” at heart.
The book chronicles Dawn’s five-year trek with the Source family. Times, they were a-changin’ in the ‘70s when a young Dawn left her hometown of Chicago and made her way across the country to the West Coast. There, she encountered Father Yod, the “spiritual father” of the Source family, at their vegetarian restaurant in Los Angeles. It wasn’t long before Dawn became part of the family, adopting their daily meditation, organic vegetarian diet and an experimental lifestyle that could only be lived communally with total trust.
The trek with the Source family eventually led to Hawaii, where the family hoped to find a spiritual home. It didn’t work out as planned, and Dawn moved on with her life, but she never forgot her years with the family, and now she has set her memories down into a permanent record in her new book.
Dawn has had many and varied adventures since her experimental life with the Source family as a teenager, but she is still, she assures her readers, a “wild child” at heart.
Dawn lives in Pahoa on the Island of Hawaii, in a home named Avoland, with her husband Stephen and their beloved cats. In 2017, she and author Adam Sydney began The Puna Writers Workshops, inspiring her to finally scribble down all of her "Wild" adventures. She is currently the managing editor of the Talk Story section of the Puna Rising website. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since. July 2017.
Published! Congrats to Angela Leslee
Angela Leslee’s third memoir, published in September, is called Chicken Boots. It’s not really about the boots, though. The true subject is found in the subtitle: Hen-raising Misadventures.
In this heart-wrenching, comical tale (yes, it is both of those things!), Angela enters the world of chicken-raising with wide-eyed innocence. After a lifetime of experience caring for a variety of other animals, from large to small, she thinks “How hard could chickens be?” She is about to find out, and so will you if you read this book.
From headless baby chicks to night-time rescue missions, she reports on her journey of discovery; where lessons are difficult, a sense of humor is mandatory and eggs are not cheap! And here’s the thing: Angela Leslee has a human, down-to-earth sense of humor that makes reading this book a restorative escape from the horrors that haunt us from the headlines all too often these days.
In this heart-wrenching, comical tale (yes, it is both of those things!), Angela enters the world of chicken-raising with wide-eyed innocence. After a lifetime of experience caring for a variety of other animals, from large to small, she thinks “How hard could chickens be?” She is about to find out, and so will you if you read this book.
From headless baby chicks to night-time rescue missions, she reports on her journey of discovery; where lessons are difficult, a sense of humor is mandatory and eggs are not cheap! And here’s the thing: Angela Leslee has a human, down-to-earth sense of humor that makes reading this book a restorative escape from the horrors that haunt us from the headlines all too often these days.
Angela Leslee lives in a “tiny home” on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since July 2022.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Another of Angela’s memoirs received two awards recently. Read all about it in our feature story elsewhere in this issue of Member News.]
[EDITOR’S NOTE: Another of Angela’s memoirs received two awards recently. Read all about it in our feature story elsewhere in this issue of Member News.]
Published! Congrats to Sharon Ludan
As an American diplomat, Sharon Ludan has lived and worked in many countries. Therefore, it should not come as a surprise that her poetry is sometimes published in anthologies printed in English but published in foreign countries, as well as in publications that originate in the United States. That was true for her this year.
She had two poems published in Mingled Voices 7, an anthology which contains the work of fifty-one poets from around the world. The one hundred or so poems were selected from those entered for the International Proverse Poetry Prize in 2022, the seventh such annual international competition administered from Hong Kong. Mingled Voices 7 was published in 2023. Sharon’s poems were “A Birthday Meditation” and “And the Universe Responds”.
Another of her poems, “Midnight in the Garden in Sassandra”, appeared in Tide, published in 2023 by Red Noise Collective. Tide gathers previously published work by twenty three contributors in the belief that there are no limits “on the longevity of art” and “to continue growing readership and exposure for impactful works of our time.” Tide presents “a continuous ebb and flow / diurnal recirculation.”
Last but definitely not least, three of Sharon’s poems were included in the anthology Grateful published by Quillkeepers Press in November, 2023. The poem titles are: “Creative Process”; “Great Expectations”; and “And the Universe Responds”.
She had two poems published in Mingled Voices 7, an anthology which contains the work of fifty-one poets from around the world. The one hundred or so poems were selected from those entered for the International Proverse Poetry Prize in 2022, the seventh such annual international competition administered from Hong Kong. Mingled Voices 7 was published in 2023. Sharon’s poems were “A Birthday Meditation” and “And the Universe Responds”.
Another of her poems, “Midnight in the Garden in Sassandra”, appeared in Tide, published in 2023 by Red Noise Collective. Tide gathers previously published work by twenty three contributors in the belief that there are no limits “on the longevity of art” and “to continue growing readership and exposure for impactful works of our time.” Tide presents “a continuous ebb and flow / diurnal recirculation.”
Last but definitely not least, three of Sharon’s poems were included in the anthology Grateful published by Quillkeepers Press in November, 2023. The poem titles are: “Creative Process”; “Great Expectations”; and “And the Universe Responds”.
Sharon Ludan lives in Kailua, on Oahu. She joined Hawaii Writers Guild in March of 2022.
Published! Congrats to Carol McMillan
Scriptless, Carol McMillan’s coming of age memoir published in June tells the story of the metamorphosis of the author’s life from that of a sheltered suburban white girl toking marijuana and dancing to Janis Joplin during the Summer of Love in San Francisco to that of a dedicated teacher in an inner-city Oakland school who is fully awakened to white privilege and committed to using her skills to help her students succeed.
The change in her consciousness is prompted by a spiritual epiphany she has about the Oneness of the Universe while on an entomology expedition across Africa. Returning to California after her journey, she discovers that the Flower Children she had left behind have come to the same realizations she has and that she is not alone in her new struggle for justice and equality.
Carol describes herself as “an anthropologist who loves language.” Both of those aspects of her personality are on display in her new book.
The change in her consciousness is prompted by a spiritual epiphany she has about the Oneness of the Universe while on an entomology expedition across Africa. Returning to California after her journey, she discovers that the Flower Children she had left behind have come to the same realizations she has and that she is not alone in her new struggle for justice and equality.
Carol describes herself as “an anthropologist who loves language.” Both of those aspects of her personality are on display in her new book.
Scriptless was a finalist in the American Writing Awards in 2023. For more details, see our feature story elsewhere in this issue on our members who won awards in this contest.
Carol McMillan lives in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since February 2019 and served two terms as its president.
Carol McMillan lives in Waimea on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since February 2019 and served two terms as its president.
Published! Congrats to Don Mules
Don Mules, who writes under the pen name D. Ward Cornell, has continued his unbroken streak of qualifying for a “Congrats” in every issue of Member News so far. He also tied his personal record of publishing three books a year again in 2023. (However, he says he’s a little disappointed that he hasn’t yet attained what he considers to be the industry standard among science fiction writers of four books a year.)
Mules’ first book of 2023 was reported in the Spring 2023 issue of Member News. That book, the first book in his newest science fiction series, Echoes of Extinction, was published in March.
In July, he published Book Two in the series, Reverberations: Echoes of Extinction; and releases of deliveries of Book Three, Mists of Time: Echoes of Extinction, were scheduled to begin on December 15. Book Two debuted in the No. 2 slot among new releases in hard sci-fi, and Mules reported that Book Three had already claimed the No. 1 slot while it was still in presale.
Mules’ first book of 2023 was reported in the Spring 2023 issue of Member News. That book, the first book in his newest science fiction series, Echoes of Extinction, was published in March.
In July, he published Book Two in the series, Reverberations: Echoes of Extinction; and releases of deliveries of Book Three, Mists of Time: Echoes of Extinction, were scheduled to begin on December 15. Book Two debuted in the No. 2 slot among new releases in hard sci-fi, and Mules reported that Book Three had already claimed the No. 1 slot while it was still in presale.
Vertical Divider
|
Books two and three continue the tale of human ingenuity, alien conflict, and one man’s struggle to lead a reluctant world to preparedness.
|
Vertical Divider
|
Mules likes to give his readers variety of choice in formatting, making his books available in eBook, paperback, Kindle and in audio. He published six audio book this year from among his previously published and newly published books: Eleven Days in August; Revelation in September; Echoes of Extinction in October; The Institute and Reverberations in November and Emergence in December.
“It’s been a busy year,” Mules said, and he doesn’t foresee it slowing down in 2024. “I’m targeting two or three e/print books in 2024, plus four more audio books.”
Mules lives on the Kohala coast of the Big Island. He joined Hawaii Writers Guild in November 2019.
Published! Congrats to Wendy Noritake
One day this past August, Wendy Noritake put on her diving gear, grabbed her underwater camera and waded into the ocean. She was on a mission to write another story for Kohala Mountain News. This one was about the Finescale Triggerfish, a fish that makes nests, much like birds do, in which to lay its eggs.
“When snorkeling at Māhukona,” she explains in the resulting story, “I noticed round sand patches in the deeper waters in front and to the south of the lighthouse.” She wondered what they were, so she took a picture of one and sent it to Hawaiian Reef Fishes author John Hoover, who pegged it as the nest of a triggerfish.
After that, Wendy started paying more attention to those sandy patches. One day, she saw a triggerfish darting frantically around its nest. A large cone snail had invaded. Other reef fish began to congregate and seemed to be feasting on the eggs the triggerfish had laid. She tried her best to chase them away, but the damage had been done.
“I felt bad for her,” Wendy wrote in an illustrated story for the Mountain News to commemorate the occasion. Here’s a link to the story. (It starts on page 10, so keep scrolling down in order to get to it): https://kohalamountainnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08.pdf .
“When snorkeling at Māhukona,” she explains in the resulting story, “I noticed round sand patches in the deeper waters in front and to the south of the lighthouse.” She wondered what they were, so she took a picture of one and sent it to Hawaiian Reef Fishes author John Hoover, who pegged it as the nest of a triggerfish.
After that, Wendy started paying more attention to those sandy patches. One day, she saw a triggerfish darting frantically around its nest. A large cone snail had invaded. Other reef fish began to congregate and seemed to be feasting on the eggs the triggerfish had laid. She tried her best to chase them away, but the damage had been done.
“I felt bad for her,” Wendy wrote in an illustrated story for the Mountain News to commemorate the occasion. Here’s a link to the story. (It starts on page 10, so keep scrolling down in order to get to it): https://kohalamountainnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/08/2023-08.pdf .
Wendy Noritake lives in North Kohala on the Big Island of Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2020.
Published! Congrats to Tessa Rice
In 2022, Tessa Rice published her first book, Eternus: Adeo, Book One of the Eternus Trilogy. In July 2023, she published the rest, the Eternus Trilogy, a teen and young adult science fiction saga set in a dystopian society.
In the year 2300 AD, humanity finds itself teetering on the edge of annihilation, consumed by chaos and despair. Amidst the ruins of this dystopian world, a ray of hope emerges in the form of a young girl named Dawnielle. As she navigates the treacherous labyrinth of a futuristic world ruled by ruthless factions, she discovers the true extent of her powers and the role she must play in the fight for survival. Alongside a diverse group of rebels, each bearing their own burdens and secrets, she battles against formidable enemies and confronts the darkest aspects of humanity. In her quest for love, peace, and hope, she must confront her deepest fears and make sacrifices that challenge the very essence of her being.
The narrative Tessa Rice has crafted explores human courage, the transformative power of love, and the unyielding spirit of hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.
In the year 2300 AD, humanity finds itself teetering on the edge of annihilation, consumed by chaos and despair. Amidst the ruins of this dystopian world, a ray of hope emerges in the form of a young girl named Dawnielle. As she navigates the treacherous labyrinth of a futuristic world ruled by ruthless factions, she discovers the true extent of her powers and the role she must play in the fight for survival. Alongside a diverse group of rebels, each bearing their own burdens and secrets, she battles against formidable enemies and confronts the darkest aspects of humanity. In her quest for love, peace, and hope, she must confront her deepest fears and make sacrifices that challenge the very essence of her being.
The narrative Tessa Rice has crafted explores human courage, the transformative power of love, and the unyielding spirit of hope in the face of unimaginable adversity.
Tessa Rice lives in Captain Cook on Hawaii Island. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since October 2018.
Published! Congrats to Heather Rivera
Dr. Heather S. Friedman Rivera, one of our most prolific members, reported the publication of her thirteenth book in July, a novel titled Chasing Chance.
The “Chance” of the title is Eliot Chance, a successful author with a talent for unearthing private insights into the lives of other people. But when he uses this ability to inadvertently discover that a man is planning to kill his fiancée, Chance gets in over his head. His employee, Dusty, has a talent, too. Her talent is keeping secrets, and she will do whatever it takes to help her employer—even if it means risking her own life. With danger closing in, Chance and Dusty set out to save his fiancée from a deadly trap that threatens all of them.
The “Chance” of the title is Eliot Chance, a successful author with a talent for unearthing private insights into the lives of other people. But when he uses this ability to inadvertently discover that a man is planning to kill his fiancée, Chance gets in over his head. His employee, Dusty, has a talent, too. Her talent is keeping secrets, and she will do whatever it takes to help her employer—even if it means risking her own life. With danger closing in, Chance and Dusty set out to save his fiancée from a deadly trap that threatens all of them.
By the way, Heather says her fourteenth book will be out early in 2024 and, in addition, she has started a new novel. “I'm keeping busy,” she says. Watch for more details in the Spring issue of Member News. Heather has published books in the categories of adult fiction, children’s fiction and nonfiction.
Heather Rivera lives in Pahoa, Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since December 2018.
Heather Rivera lives in Pahoa, Hawaii. She has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since December 2018.
Published! Congrats to Youfeng Shen
If Guild member Youfeng Shen is looking happy in the picture above, it’s probably because she just published her third book in October. After two memoirs about her own life (A Mountain on My Back, about growing up in Mao’s China, and Embracing My New World, about her life after emigrating to the United States), Youfeng took a deep breath and set to work on her first novel, a book of historical fiction about her own grandmother.
The result is Xinghua—The Woman Who Held Up the Sky. Xinghua, whose name means “Apricot Blossom”, was born into a scholar’s family in 1901 while the apricot tree in the courtyard of the family home was in bloom. After thousands of years of ruling dynasties, Xinghua was born at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the very last ruling dynasty in China. China was on the cusp of rapid change. Born into a culture where women’s feet were still bound, Dong Xinghua was spared the worst of that cultural practice when it was outlawed while Xingua was still growing up. She also lived to see the day when Mao Zedong proclaimed that “Women hold up half the sky”, and, in her own family, she put that precept into practice throughout her life.
Xinghua’s generation witnessed the two World Wars, the Japanese invasion and occupation of China, the Civil War between the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party, the “Great Leap Forward”, a three-year famine that killed millions of Chinese people, and Mao Zedong’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
Based on the journal Xinghua began keeping at the age of twelve, the novel tells the story of her own transformation as her culture transformed around her. From an obedient young girl, she grew into a strong woman, standing up for herself, her family, and the people around her. Living with unusual resilience, compassion, and courage, she stood, it was said, “like an iron statue, tall and unafraid, on her tiny five-inch feet.”
Whether you are interested in stories about strong women, or in the dramatic sweep of change in Chinese history during the 20th Century, this is a book you will not soon forget.
The result is Xinghua—The Woman Who Held Up the Sky. Xinghua, whose name means “Apricot Blossom”, was born into a scholar’s family in 1901 while the apricot tree in the courtyard of the family home was in bloom. After thousands of years of ruling dynasties, Xinghua was born at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the very last ruling dynasty in China. China was on the cusp of rapid change. Born into a culture where women’s feet were still bound, Dong Xinghua was spared the worst of that cultural practice when it was outlawed while Xingua was still growing up. She also lived to see the day when Mao Zedong proclaimed that “Women hold up half the sky”, and, in her own family, she put that precept into practice throughout her life.
Xinghua’s generation witnessed the two World Wars, the Japanese invasion and occupation of China, the Civil War between the Nationalist Party and the Communist Party, the “Great Leap Forward”, a three-year famine that killed millions of Chinese people, and Mao Zedong’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution.
Based on the journal Xinghua began keeping at the age of twelve, the novel tells the story of her own transformation as her culture transformed around her. From an obedient young girl, she grew into a strong woman, standing up for herself, her family, and the people around her. Living with unusual resilience, compassion, and courage, she stood, it was said, “like an iron statue, tall and unafraid, on her tiny five-inch feet.”
Whether you are interested in stories about strong women, or in the dramatic sweep of change in Chinese history during the 20th Century, this is a book you will not soon forget.
Youfeng Shen has been a member of Hawaii Writers Guild since September 2020. She lives in Sacramento, California, with her husband, Lee Maxey, who is a strong supporter of her writing. They are planning a trip to China in 2024 to see Youfeng’s relatives who elected to stay in the country of their birth.
Published! Congrats to Diann Wilson
FINALLY”, said Diann Wilson, “after working on it for about six years, I have finally published Goodbye Big City Hello Big Island.” Wilson was referring to her new book of linked short stories about fleeing corporate life on the mainland for rural life on Hawaii island.
When a sisters’ trip to celebrate retirement from the corporate rat race ends in an accident, it leads to an impulsive decision to make a move. The author and her husband trade big city living for nut farming and leave mainland friends behind. This collection of stories, which chronicles the author’s own transition, will likely appeal to anyone who’s dreamed of making a daring life change.
Colorful characters add dimension to a book packed with the surprisingly challenging yet funny aspects of island life.
Having completed the saga of her move from the mainland to Hawaii, Diann and her husband were planning a move to Arizona in November. When she left, Diann carried with her many memories of her life in Hawaii. “I am grateful to members of my writers' groups who helped with encouragement and feedback,” she said. “I am also grateful to HWG as I was able to read two of the stories from the book at readings that HWG sponsored at the North Kohala Library.”
Diann, we are grateful to you, too. Diann served as president of Hawaii Writers Guild for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the beginning of that difficult period, she obtained a YouTube channel that enabled the Guild to continue to reach out to its members and the public at a time when in-person events were being curtailed because of the pandemic. For the time being, despite her move to Arizona, she continues to make videos for that channel. [Editor’s Note: see the video she recorded with Margaret Zacharias mentioned in our main feature story on Latitudes in this issue.]
When a sisters’ trip to celebrate retirement from the corporate rat race ends in an accident, it leads to an impulsive decision to make a move. The author and her husband trade big city living for nut farming and leave mainland friends behind. This collection of stories, which chronicles the author’s own transition, will likely appeal to anyone who’s dreamed of making a daring life change.
Colorful characters add dimension to a book packed with the surprisingly challenging yet funny aspects of island life.
Having completed the saga of her move from the mainland to Hawaii, Diann and her husband were planning a move to Arizona in November. When she left, Diann carried with her many memories of her life in Hawaii. “I am grateful to members of my writers' groups who helped with encouragement and feedback,” she said. “I am also grateful to HWG as I was able to read two of the stories from the book at readings that HWG sponsored at the North Kohala Library.”
Diann, we are grateful to you, too. Diann served as president of Hawaii Writers Guild for two years during the Covid-19 pandemic. At the beginning of that difficult period, she obtained a YouTube channel that enabled the Guild to continue to reach out to its members and the public at a time when in-person events were being curtailed because of the pandemic. For the time being, despite her move to Arizona, she continues to make videos for that channel. [Editor’s Note: see the video she recorded with Margaret Zacharias mentioned in our main feature story on Latitudes in this issue.]
Diann did a public reading and book signing at Kona Stories bookstore on November 7. She was also interviewed about her experience writing her book on a new segment of Write On!
Diann Wilson joined Hawaii Writers Guild in April 2017. She lived in Hawi on Hawaii Island until moving to Arizona in November 2023.
Diann Wilson joined Hawaii Writers Guild in April 2017. She lived in Hawi on Hawaii Island until moving to Arizona in November 2023.