‘Words and Wine’ at Kona Stories on Dec. 5

Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Dennis Alstrand. Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Eliza Cahill. Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Heather Friedman Rivera. Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Selvy Thiruvengadam. Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Image courtesy of Kona Stories Book Shop.

Kona Stories Book Shop will host its monthly Words and Wine event on Dec. 5, at 6 p.m. Offering complementary pūpū and wine, the free meet-and-greet event joins the public with local authors. The featured authors for December are: Selvy Thiruvengadam, Heather S. Friedman Rivera, Dennis Alstrand and Eliza Cahill.

Selvy Thiruvengadam is a lifelong artist and art therapist who teaches meditation and has worked with people struggling with mental illness and addiction for more than 20 years. She is the founder of Mystic Bee Sanctuary in Kailua-Kona, a creative space for adults to explore meditation, art and well being.

Thiruvengadam’s novel “Love Ladies” explores the bonds of female friendship and the healing power of humor and love. Told through the looking glass of seven women who join together for an annual restorative retreat, her debut novel celebrates the literal and symbolic meaning of sacred circle, and honors the unique connection created between women.

Heather S. Friedman Rivera, RN, JD, PhD, is a Los Angeles, California native and founder of the Past Life Research (PLR) Institute. In addition to speaking about and researching past life experiences and related therapies, she is a fiction writer for adults and youth and teaches workshops on fiction writing as therapy. She is the author of “Healing the Present from the Past,” “Maiden Flight,” “Ultreia,” “Into Exaltia,” “In Search of Emerald Bay,” “Into the Crystal,” and “Quiet Water.”

Quiet Water tells the story of Tess Whitaker whose dreams of a lost love compel her to leave her stable marriage and teenaged son. Haunted by visions of a past life lover, she struggles to create a new life in the face of self-doubt while trying to believe in the promise of rekindling a connection that transcends space and time.

Dennis Alstrand is a dedicated writer and musician who heads the Special Olympics committee in Hilo. His debut book in 2016, “The Beatles and Their Revolutionary Bass Player,” became an Amazon bestseller and was the number two Beatles-related book in Europe. His newest book, “Beatles in Your Soul,” is a compilation of stories, recollections, inspirations and love for The Beatles by fans from all ages and backgrounds. Alstrand pieced the book together over three years through interviews illuminating the impact The Beatles’ music had on individual lives.

Eliza Cahill is a lifelong poet and aspiring young writer, director and designer. Born in Milan, Italy her first work was published in a children’s book at the age of eight. Since sharing her work through live performances in the San Francisco area as a teenager, she has received multiple local and national awards for her poetry. Most recently, she won the Big Island National Spoken Word Competition in 2014 claiming the title of “Big Island Slap-Champion.” Her poetry from the competition was compiled into her first book, “Paper Life Vest.” In 2015, she published a sophomore poetry book entitled “Words Float.” Her work conveys a surreal combination of childhood experiences in nature, underground hip hop and the feminist movement.

Cahill’s play, “Strange Whorl,” tells the story of an intelligent but disenchanted woman named Jillian Heart who survives an unusually tragic childhood. Beginning at the onset of a spiral into suicidal depression, the story follows Heart on the edge of self destruction until fate intervenes. After she meets a tender, honest man with razor sharp insight, she is propelled onto a path of catharsis and healing. With help, she uncovers the secret universe of her past and reinvigorates her life with a long forgotten feeling—hope.

Words and Wine will begin at 6 p.m. with an informal meet and greet, merging into a more formal book presentation from each author. The event will conclude around 8 p.m. following a Q&A session. Dress is casual aloha wear.

Kona Stories Book Shop is located in the Keauhou Shopping Center. For more information, call Brenda or Joy at (808) 324-0350.