Ghostly Encounters

I recently joined Goodreads, a site I would describe as Facebook for book lovers. You can add a list of books that you've read, are currently reading, or plan to read. You can also add reviews or read what others have written. Goodreads is also a great place to organize your reading list.

I have approximately 50 books stacked in corners, waiting to be read. Was that good enough for me? Noooo! I purchased a Kindle and added 20 more books to my TBR list.

After compiling my list on Goodreads, I added several reviews, more as a writing exercise than anything. One of the first books I listed is entitled Obake Files, Ghostly Encounters in Supernatural Hawai'i, written by the late Glen Grant of Hawaii. Many years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Grant at a library gathering when he spoke about his newly released book, The Secret Obake Casebook. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to join one of his ghost tours, though I did take a tour led by one of his followers.

My Review of Obake Files

The stories in this book are not meant for a Halloween night by the campfire for children. These stories actually reflect 25 years of study conducted by Dr. Grant, who held a doctorate in American Studies from the University of Hawai'i and was a teacher at Hawai'i Tokai International College.

No urban legends here about taking pork over the Pali or disasters following removal of lava from the islands (true stories, but exaggerated over time.) Even if you don't believe in the supernatural, you'll be hardpressed to disprove the encounters detailed in this book. Better to sit back and enjoy the stories of ancestral bones in mysterious caves, a Kapahulu haunting, legends of the fire goddess Pele, and the curse of Aloha Stadium.

You'll soon experience the true meaning of that Hawai'ian expression "chicken skin."

http://www.amazon.com/Obake-Files-Ghostly-Encounters-Supernatural/dp/1566472245


http://www.goodreads.com/

WHAT'S IN A NAME?

Photo courtesy of Photobucket


Do you think a particular character's name within a novel can make or break the story?

If the nice little old lady mentioned in Chapter 3 exhibits the exact same habit as your grandmother of tittering whenever she laughs, will you enjoy the tale more? Maybe the hero’s name matches that of a well-regarded high school sweetheart, or a less than stellar ex-husband. Will the memories conjured up by the mention of this name influence your opinion of the character one way or the other?

In my first draft of For Every Action, two of the supporting characters were:

1. Monica Allen, a friend of the protagonist, and

2. Bill Jacobs, the office manager.

After I’d read aloud a scene involving these two characters to a Creative Writing class I attended, the first comment uttered was, “I was waiting for Monica to call him Mr. President.”

I had completely missed any connection to past “affairs” within the White House! And though the story contained no mention of D.C. politics, the two names together, Monica and Bill, conjured up distracting thoughts for members of the writing class, thereby breaking rather than making the story.

My protagonist's name, on the other hand, has unique qualities. Please allow her to explain:

Almost everyone calls me Pepper. I investigate insurance claims for a company in Wisconsin and the job allows me to travel around the country, but at times it can be murder.

My full name is Kai-Ena Lehua Bibeau.

My father's surname, Bibeau, is derived from the French word, bibau, a soldier who carries a lance or a crossbow. You've probably guessed that I enjoy genealogy research. Digging into family history as a hobby makes me sound like a nerd, but discovering ancestors can be a thrilling experience!

Lehua, my middle name, is for the lehua blossom, a beautiful Hawaiian flower. It commonly develops in various shades of red, orange, or yellow. The lehua kea, white-in-color, is difficult to find and then only on the largest of the Hawaiian islands, the Big Island. You'll learn how I got that name when reading the novel, For Every Action.

My given name, Kai-Ena, is Hawaiian, the language of my mother's people.

KAI is the Hawaiian word for Sea.

ENA means red-hot, glowing;

figuratively: raging or angry.

Kai-Ena translates to a
raging sea,
a storm,
a gale.

If my author had an ego, her alter would be me.