Words and Wine

Words and Wine Author Event

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.

Karen Ellison is an author, artist, teacher and inspirational speaker living on the Big Island of Hawai’i. She is the mother of three wonderful sons, two beautiful daughters-in-law, and four (soon to be five) of the cutest grandchildren ever. Her husband of 37 years went to be with the Lord in 2017. He was her biggest cheerleader and encouraged her to complete what he knew she could do. The writing and the artwork took 10 years to complete, so always know you are able to complete your dreams with hard work and perseverance. Seeing herself as a painter of life, she finds inspiration in the artistry of God’s creation.

Her book, cards and artwork all part of Karmel Creations and are designed to share this aloha, breath of life, with you.

Her award-winning book, BEACH WALKS AND GOD TALKS: Diary of a Cowrie Shell, takes you to the shores of Hawai’i, where you will walk the beaches with her, searching for treasures from the sea as well as for your soul. Let your feet sink sweetly into the soft sand or carefully tread across the rough a’a, lava, of the islands (and our lives).

This full color coffee table book is filled with inspirational stories, artwork, Hawaiian trivia, a Hawaiian language glossary, and more information than you’ll ever want to know about the cowrie shell! Each story ends with a “treasure” for you to find. Plus there is space to journal about the treasures you collect on your own journey. Karen found her first cowrie, leho, when she was nine years old. She was instantly captivated by the sea-polished oval shell glistening in the afternoon sun. Even as she tucked the treasure into her small palm, she felt she had discovered a hidden treasure.

Her search for these shells continued over the years inspiring her to finally write this book, originally titled Diary of a Cowrie Shell. In it, she shares her search for treasures of the sea and for the soul with you.

As Bill Barley, Pastor of Living Stones Church in Kona says,

“Beach Walks and God Talks takes you on a beach combing adventure in search of small shell treasures that transition into spiritual treasures that can transform your life eternally. Karen does a wonderful job showing how attention to little things in life can or Nancy I Sanders, bestselling and award-winning author of over 100 books:

“A perfect gift for a beach cottage…This is a great gift to take on a honeymoon, anniversary, or for anyone planning a special trip…everyone who loves the beauty and solace of the shores.”

Donna Maltz is a published author, TEDx speaker, professional photographer, talk show host, Life, and Business Coach. She has been an eco-entrepreneur since 1980 and is the founder of Soil to Soul SOUlutions, helping eco-entrepreneurs thrive. Nature, ethics, and regenerative SOULutions are at the forefront of her career and life decisions. 

Donna and her husband ran the first natural foods bakery and café in Alaska for 37 years. During this time, she also founded a variety of successful eco-businesses — including the national company AH!LASKA, which produced the first organic hot cocoa mixes and chocolate syrup in the US. After falling hard 20 years ago, she cracked the code and rose like a phoenix from the ashes to help herself and others prioritize success. She learned the key to true success is knowing these three things. Health is your greatest wealth, time is your most significant currency, and prioritizing health, family, business – in that order. To get the whole story, you'll have to read her "Memoir of Sorts," Living Like the Future Matter ~ The Evolution of a Soil to Soul Entrepreneur.

Donna has inspired thousands of eco-entrepreneurs through her books, coaching, and mentorship. She is actively writing, teaching, and mentoring others to gain health, lose toxins, and build a life they can be proud of by living like the future matters; being a SOULutionest. Her motto is "Why Retire When I can Inspire." 

She lives in Hawi, Hawaii, with her Nature-loving hubby, a bevy of four-legged friends, and exotic and edible plants on their beautiful farmstead retreat, where they run Always in Season Vacation Rental and offer holistic retreats. She spends her days immersed in Nature and strives to help make the world a more vibrant place for all sentient beings.

Donna's inspirational books (from a coloring cookbook memoir to a journal) are written to help make the world a better place. They inspire the reader to be part of a universal consciousness to live in harmony with the systems and cycles of Nature. When we live like the future matters, we are part of an optimistic paradigm that will change the world. One bite at a time, one choice at a time, we can make a difference with our gifts. 

Eila Algood’s interest in writing began as a child, writing letters to her aunts.  IN 2022, she published her second poetry book; “Estuary” Interdimensional Poetic Journey & third novelette, “Smitten & Bitten”.  She’s had numerous pieces published in newspapers, magazines, and anthologies. 

Her certification in Transformative Language Arts inspired her to bring spoken word events to the community.  The pandemic restrictions motivated her to create via ZOOM, a recorded YouTube show “Inside the Writers Studio” presented by the Hawaii Writers Guild, featuring a different writer for each of the 29 programs.  As a radio personality, she hosts: Women’s Voices at KNKR where she plays songs and spoken word pieces by female artists; and co-hosts Intuitive Talk Story which is a spirit-inspired talk show. 

Her passion is to give voice to the invisible.  Whether emotions, actions, or experiences with the unseen world of Spirit, she’s committed to writing and speaking her truth. Recently she opened a retail shop in Hawi in North Kohala called “Raise Your Vibration” where she sells Sound Healing Instruments, and other items intended to assist people in raising their vibratio

Like an estuary transitioning rivers with sea, this poetry collection transitions the reader between third dimensional life and fifth dimensional existence. The poetic experiences and observations of nature, life and Spirit are often grounded in the third dimensional reality many of us live in.  Then as we move beyond that, we interact with the fourth dimensional bigger picture void of space and time.  Some poems give a glimpse into the etheric fifth dimension, where love, peace, joy, and bliss are plentiful. Grab a heart shaped raft and ride this river of poetry across dimensions.