Meet and Greet with Words and Wine

Join notable authors for the monthly Words and Wine Event hosted by Kona Stories Book Shop, on Tuesday, Jan. 3, 2017 at 6 p.m.

This event is free to the public and offers a chance to meet and greet some of Kona’s favorite authors while enjoying complimentary pūpū and wine. January’s featured authors are: Amy M. Reade, Cindy Sample and Hank Wessleman.

Amy Reade’s novel, based in Hawai‘i. Courtesy photo.

Author Amy Reade. Courtesy photo.

Cindy Sample’s book. Courtesy photo.

Author Cindy Sample. Courtesy photo.

Hank Wesselman’s book. Courtesy photo.

Author and shamanic student, teacher and practitioner Hank Wesselman. Courtesy photo.

Amy M. Reade, a recovering lawyer, lives in southern New Jersey, though she wishes she lived in Hawai‘i. She’s been visiting the Aloha State every year since 1995 and plans to live on the Island of Hawai‘i when her kids are grown. She is the USA Today bestselling author of Secrets of Hallstead House, The Ghosts of Peppernell Manor, and House of the Hanging Jade (set on the Island of Hawai‘i). She is currently working on Book Three of The Malice Novels, a series set in the United Kingdom. The first book in the series, The House on Candlewick Lane, will be released in February of 2017. She loves cooking, reading, and traveling.

In Reade’s book, House of the Hanging Jade, a dark presence had invaded the Jorgensens’ house. On a spectacular bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, something evil is watching and waiting.

 Tired of the cold winters in Washington, D.C. and disturbed by her increasingly obsessive boyfriend, Kailani Kanaka savors her move back to her native Big Island of Hawai‘i. She also finds a new job as personal chef for the Jorgensen family. The gentle caress of the Hawaiian trade winds, the soft sigh of the swaying palm trees, and the stunning blue waters of the Pacific lull her into a sense of calm at the House of the Hanging Jade–an idyll that quickly fades as it becomes apparent that dark secrets lurk within her new home. Furtive whispers in the night, a terrifying shark attack, and the discovery of a dead body leave Kailani shaken and afraid. But it’s the unexpected appearance of her ex-boyfriend, tracking her every move and demanding she return to him, that has her fearing for her life.

Although Cindy Sample’s initial dream was to be a mystery writer, she put aside her literary longings for a weekly paycheck, landing a job as a receptionist.  Her career eventually led to the position of CEO of a nationwide mortgage banking company. After one too many corporate mergers, Cindy found herself plotting murder instead of plodding through paperwork.  Her experiences with online dating sites fueled the concept for her first mystery, Dying for a Date.  The sequel, Dying for a Dance, a finalist for the 2012 LEFTY award for best humorous mystery, and winner of the 2012 NCPA best fiction award, is based on her adventures in the glamorous world of ballroom dancing.  Cindy thought her protagonist, Laurel McKay, needed a vacation in Hawai‘i and thus Dying for a Daiquiri was created.  Never has research been so much fun.

Cindy is past president of the Sacramento chapter of Sisters in Crime.  She has served on the boards of the Sacramento Opera, YWCA and the California Mortgage Bankers Association.  She is also a member of Mystery Writers of America and Romance Writers of America.  Cindy has two wonderful adult children who live too far away.  She loves chatting with readers so feel free to contact her on any forum.

In Dying for a Donut, we find Laurel McKay spending an autumn afternoon munching on caramel apples and cinnamon donuts. It’s a good thing her daughter Jenna has landed a seasonal job at Apple Tree Farm and Bakery.  Then Laurel stumbles over the bakery owner coated in powdered sugar. Axel Thorson was a well-respected member of the community. Who wanted to sweeten him up?  When the police arrest the heartthrob grandson of the bakery manager, Jenna decides to help him by solving the case herself, a move that lands her in jail. With Laurel’s detective honey in another state, and her octogenarian grandmother threatening to chase down the culprit, what’s a soccer mom with a sweet tooth to do but go undercover?  Detecting among donuts should be a piece of cake, but not if Laurel discovers first-hand that sugar can kill you.

Research paleoanthropologist Hank Wesselman is one of those rare cutting-edge scientists who truly walks between the worlds. He did his undergraduate work, as well as his Master’s Degree, in Zoology at the University of Colorado at Boulder, then went on to receive his doctoral degree in Anthropology from the University of California at Berkeley.

A native New Yorker, he has spent much of his life living and working among traditional tribal peoples, primarily in Africa and Polynesia. He served in the US Peace Corps in the 1960’s, living among people of the Yoruba Tribe in Western Nigeria for two years. It was there that he first became interested in indigenous spiritual wisdom.

Since 1971, he has conducted research with an international group of scientists, exploring eastern Africa’s Great Rift Valley in search of answers to the mystery of human origins. During this time, he has worked alongside such worthies as Dr. Don Johanson, Lucy’s discoverer; Professor Tim White, whose expeditions have been featured in several TIME magazine cover stories, as well as members of the famous Leakey family. He is one of the primary investigators involved in the discovery of the “Ardi” sites (Ardiptithecus ramidus) in Ethiopia–recently revealed to be the famous missing link between humans and apes that Charles Darwin predicted would be found in Africa. Hank’s research is involved with the paleoenvironmental reconstruction of the sites (4-6 million years old) at the time they were laid down.

Hank is also a shamanic student, practitioner and teacher, now in the 28th year of his apprenticeship.
Shamanism is a method, not a religion, Dr. Hank Wesselman writes. When practiced with humility, reverence, and self-discipline, the shaman s path can become a way of life, one that may enrich our experience beyond measure. With The Re-Enchantment, this leading teacher offers a compelling road map to help us restore our sense of wonder, reconnect with our true sources of healing and power, and take part in the new transformational movement that is changing our world.

This event starts at 6 p.m. on Feb. 3 with an informal meet-and-greet, merging into a more formal book presentation from each author and concluding around 8 p.m. after a Q&A session. Dress is casual aloha wear. Kona Stories is located in the Keauhou Shopping Center, for more information call Brenda or Joy at 808-324-0350.