Aloha, Reading ‘Ohana,
As promised, here is the captivating cover for my second Ranger Makalani Pahukula Mystery, HAWAI‘I RAGE!
The longer I look at the cover, the more symbolic elements I see. When you read the book description below, you’ll understand what I mean.
A suspicious death on a Kohala Mountain ranch draws ranger Makalani Pahukula into a tangled family tree in an emotional and suspenseful adventure by the bestselling author of the Lily Wong series.
Makalani Pahukula, interpretive ranger for Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site, craves some rejuvenating hard work on Hawai‘i Island. When cousin-in-law Rosie offers Makalani a chance to help at the Hiapo family ranch, it’s the perfect opportunity. But something else weighs on Rosie’s mind. Her father recently died in a gruesome accident―trapped and cornered in a pit by an aggressive bull.
The wrong place at the wrong time? Rosie suspects something more sinister.
Not long into her work, Makalani’s suspicions rise too. The Hiapos aren’t as close as Makalani thought. Everyone in the family―the grandfather, the widow, the adversarial brothers co-running the ranch, the sister who wants anything but a paniolo life for her son, and the cowgirl who becomes Makalani’s friend―are hiding secrets from one another. And from Makalani.
When more dangerous accidents occur, Makalani has no choice but to follow the clues that lead her into the dark history of Hiapo Ranch and draw out the culprit before someone else dies.
Mahalo to my fabulous publishing team at Thomas & Mercer—editorial, marketing, and design—who worked together to create this evocative cover for HAWAI‘I RAGE. Special thanks to cover artist, Ploy Siripant and art director Jarrod Taylor—who also worked together to design the cover for KAUA‘I STORM—and to my wonderfully caring editor, Elizabeth Agyemang for including me in the process. Trust me, that is not always the case.
In my previous muse-letter I wrote about how empowering it felt to hear ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i being spoken by the Native Hawaiian characters in CHIEF OF WAR. Although some people griped about the effort it took for them to read subtitles, it was, for me, a brave and essential choice.
I felt the same imperative while writing KAUA‘I STORM and HAWAI‘I RAGE. While I don’t expect my readers to sound out the occasional words and phrases that appear in my Ranger Makalani Pahukula books, I believe it enriches the reading experience to see our language in print.
Including ‘ōlelo Hawai‘i in literature and media is also culturally important because our language was discouraged in the colonial society and banned from our schools—even though the Hawaiian Kingdom was one of the most literate nations in the world at that time!
Of course, there’s a delicate balance between authenticity and fluidity.
I thought the CHIEF OF WAR creators were particularly clever in the way they were able to weave English into the dialogue via Ka‘iana’s experiences abroad and the arrival and influence of John Young on Hawai‘i Island. This gave a plausible reason to integrate the two languages and make the story easier for the public at large to digest.
As an author, I strive to embed Hawaiian words and phrases in a way that makes contextual sense. Sometimes, I will define it for additional clarity. Other times, I’ll trust the reader to understand. It’s this trust that invites my audience into Hawai‘i, as if to say, “E komo mai i ko‘u hale. Come in to my house.”
But like visiting any new country, place, or culture, immersion and understanding requires effort on the part of the visitor as well.
This is another reason I loved CHIEF OF WAR. The creators didn’t serve it on a platter for easy consumption. They did their part and expected viewers to do theirs. If reading subtitles is overly taxing for a particular viewer, then I guarantee our Hawaiian history and culture will require too much effort to appreciate and comprehend. And you know what? That’s okay!
Entertainment does not need to have a universal appeal to be great.
I also loved the way creators Thomas Pa’a Sibbett and Jason Momoa infused our Hawaiian culture, crafts, and spiritual beliefs into their show. It was especially fun for me to see some of the historical facts and ancestors I wrote about in HAWAI‘I RAGE appear in their show.
King Kamehameha I’s sacred heiau on Hawai‘i Island’s Kohala Coast is the Pu‘ukoholā Heiau National Historic Site where my protagonist Ranger Makalani Pahukula now works. Fans of CHIEF OF WAR will appreciate the added bits of history behind this heiau, which involve Kamehameha’s rival cousin Keōua and his advisor (and uncle) Keʻeaumoku Pāpaʻiahiahi—featured as “Moku,” father to Ka‘ahumanu, in the show. My readers will also learn more about the ancient craft of nā hulu ali‘i, royal Hawaiian featherwork in HAWAI‘I RAGE.
For a truly immersive Hawai‘i experience, I invite you to listen to the KAUA‘I STORM audiobook, narrated by me!
“Author and narrator Tori Eldridge invites listeners into an entertaining and enlightening new series… Eldridge’s engaging performance and immersive writing ensure that listeners remain captivated from beginning to end.”
―AudioFile Magazine
Narrating my book for Brilliance Publishing was a highlight to both my acting and author careers.
After ten years as a national park ranger in Oregon, Makalani Pahukula is back on Kaua‘i for her grandmother’s birthday. Having been gone for so long, Makalani finds the disconnect with her people and their struggles have never been more profound. Neither has her need to reacquaint herself with everything she left behind. When she reaches the homestead, she finds a bickering family and the disconcerting news that her cousins―a failed college football player and a rebellious teenage girl―have gone missing.
Makalani hopes they just ran off, too careless to realize the worry they’ve caused. But when hunters find a dead body in the Keālia Forest Reserve, Makalani fears something ominous is at play, and the search for her cousins grows more desperate. Although her help may not be welcomed by family and locals, Makalani is determined to solve a mystery that poses a greater risk than anyone imagines.
The investigation will open her heart, reawaken her love for the land she calls home, and strengthen her bond with her family. Because no matter how long she’s been away, for Makalani, Hawai‘i is in her blood.
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Until next time, I wish you all joy and peace during the holiday season. I know it can be stressful at times, but at the core of all these celebrations is love.
Me ke aloha,
Tori 🌺
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