Words and Wine

Each month Kona Stories hosts an event with local and traveling authors. This event happens the First Tuesday evening of the month starting at 6 PM. Authors are available to talk story while you are getting your plate of appetizers and glass of complimentary wine. Authors then give a 15 minute talk about their book and themselves, the writing and publishing process or a short reading from the book. After all the authors presentations there is a time for individual questions and book signings with the authors. Expect 2 - 3 authors to attend each month and the evening to wrap up around 8 PM. Dress is Aloha casual wear.

Susan Scott writes the “Ocean Watch” column for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser and has written seven books about nature in Hawai‘i. Her newspaper columns about Kōlea generate more reader e-mail than all other subjects combined. Scott shares Johnson’s fascination with these extraordinary birds and has followed his research for over three decades.

Oscar “Wally” Johnson, the undisputed world expert on Pacific Golden-Plovers, and Susan Scott, a popular-science writer, have combined their knowledge and enthusiasm to create a book for everyone who admires the exceptional birds known as Kōlea in Hawaiian. With easy-to-understand, yet scientifically accurate, text and outstanding color photographs, Hawai‘i's Kōlea: The Amazing Transpacific Life of the Pacific Golden-Plover is a handy, reliable source of information for both general readers and ornithology specialists.

Although the Pacific Golden-Plover is a member of the shorebird group, Kōlea spend most of their time inland, favoring open space with short vegetation. This makes Hawai‘i’s cemeteries, golf courses, and backyard lawns prime real estate for these migratory birds, which have adapted remarkably well to life among humans. Each year Kōlea fly thousands of miles nonstop from Alaska and return to the same spot in the Islands, whether a condominium courtyard, a busy beach park, or strip of grass in downtown Honolulu. As a result, many Hawai‘i residents get to know individual birds, calling them “my Kōlea.” In turn, urban plovers often grow tame around people, an endearing trait uncommon in other birds. Their human admirers see city Kōlea as charming, alert, and personable—qualities that, together with their grace and beauty, have made them arguably Hawai‘i’s favorite bird.

Observing the birds gives rise to countless questions: “When do the birds leave Hawai‘i? When do they return? Do they have chicks in the Islands? How long does it take them to fly to Alaska?” To answer these and other questions, the authors have gathered together just about every detail researchers know about Pacific Golden-Plovers. If you marvel at the remarkable birds that prance through your park, strut in your street, and rest on your rooftop, this book will make you love Kōlea even more.

Tricia Gunberg started her love affair with Numerology in 2011. She was driven to find answers. First for her health problems, then for the nagging voice in her head that told her she was on the wrong path. Numerology showed up and answered many of her questions. This propelled her to embrace her healing ability hidden inside. She received her Level II Reiki Certification in February 2013. Throwing herself into the body/mind connection with no intent other than personal growth, she soon began combining Numerology, Reiki and her intuitive abilities to help friends and family. Tricia started making connections between dream symbols, visions and her intuitive abilities during these sessions. She can now put them together succinctly, giving her clients the messages they need most, when they need them, allowing personal healing on a deeper level.  

Say YES to Who You Are to Create FITNESS is the first in a series.

Tricia lives on the Big Island of Hawaii with her husband Nathan and two cats, Bondi and Sydney. She feels at home in Hawaii, giving credit to the energy of the ocean, sunshine and beauty. When she is not working, you can find her practicing yoga, walking or swimming.  Tricia also enjoys trips to the beach, her new snorkel for fitness group and exploring the island with her husband. She often spends time preparing fresh organic meals and creating new recipes which she recently started sharing on Instagram.

Rochelle delaCruz was born in Hilo before Hawai`i became the 50th State in 1959.  Following her graduation from Hilo High School and the University of Washington, she got married and had three children.   After earning an MA from the University of Hawai`i at Manoa, Rochelle and her family returned to Washington where she taught at Seattle Central Community College for twenty-eight years.  In addition to teaching, telling her stories on radio and writing for Honolulu Theatre for Youth, Rochelle also published and edited Northwest Hawai`i Times, a community newspaper for Hawai`i transplants in the Pacific Northwest.  In 2010, Rochelle retired and moved back to Hawai`i, vowing to never again leave her beloved islands.

Hawai`i Ways is a collection of short, humorous observations that were first written for and aired on public radio stations in Hawai`i and Washington.  Now revised for reading, Rochelle's stories describe her dilemmas while living with one foot in a small town on a remote island and another in a high-tech city on the continent.  Even though Hawai`i has been an American state for over 50 years, life on isolated islands in the middle of the Pacific Ocean is notably different not just when she was growing up in Hilo many years ago but even today.