It’s here! Big Island Journey, over five years in the making, arrived in early November (2009).

I think it was well worth the wait with over 60,000 words and 400 photos, including images from both public and private archives. We were fortunate to have access to the collections of Franco Salmoiraghi, Boone Morrison, and Richard Otaki, who have contributed images that have never appeared before in books. And, we were able to team up with the Big Island Food Basket for a marketing arrangement whereby sales of the book will benefit their efforts to feed the hungry.

Late November, Big Island Journey will be available at your favorite bookstores and via amazon.com as well.

Some background: I am a freelance writer, author, and public relations consultant, and seek to provide high-quality literary and communication services. Covering topics that focus on sustainable agriculture and development, and, interrelatedly, food and wine, I specialize in all things Hawai‘i.

In 2004, Kohala ‘Äina, A History of North Kohala, was honored with a Kahili and Best-in-Show in the statewide Keep It Hawai‘i awards. With dozens of articles in national, consumer, and trade magazines as well as in custom-published, non-profit, and corporate publications, I have been writing professionally for more than 14 years. There are other books too.

Lately, fiction is asking its share of my creative efforts which seems to combine well with an increased number of public relations responsibilities.

I am lucky. Born in the Netherlands, I hold a degree in French Language and Literature, and moved to the Island of Hawai‘i in 1988.  Credit goes to leaders in the island community who taught me island ways.

So what is my dream? To communicate with readers through detailed, well-researched tales that reveal the multi-layered reality of our lives in sensitive, skillful, entertaining, and easily accessible ways. My ultimate goal is to bridge differences through the art of the written word. 

 

Big Island Journey: Mutual Publishing, 2009. www.mutualpublishing.com 

 

 

 

(These pages last updated November 2009)