Q&A with Tori Eldridge

 

Photo by JLyn Portraits

 

Tori Eldridge is the author of the new novel Kaua'i Storm. Her other books include Dance Among the Flames. She lives in Portland, Oregon.

 

Q: What inspired you to write Kaua'i Storm, and how did you create your character Makalani Pahukula?

 

A: After writing my Lily Wong ninja series, I wanted to explore my Hawaiian heritage with a new and highly relatable protagonist.

 

Making Makalani Pahukula an Oregon national park ranger gives her the wilderness and law enforcement skills needed for this adventurous mystery while living on the mainland for so long has her wrestling with longing and displacement in her family when she comes home.

 

Q: The novel is set on Kaua’i--how important is setting to you in your writing?

 

A: Setting has always been the focal point of my novels. I chose Kaua‘i because of its raw, natural beauty, its strong Native Hawaiian community, and their connection to the land.

 

Caring for and respecting the ‘āina (land) is a core theme of my story whether in the wilderness or on homesteads like Makalani’s grandmother’s riverside farm, where she and her father, aunties, and cousins grew up.

Q: Did you know how the novel would end before you started writing it, or did you make many changes along the way?

 

A: Although I expected the deeply emotional resolution that would tie up my story, I didn’t have a clear picture of the second half or the climactic last quarter of the book.

 

Since the same thing happened while writing my fourth Lily Wong thriller, The Ninja’s Oath, I felt confident that Kaua‘i Storm would carry me where my characters needed to go.

 

Q: Did you need to do any research to write the book, and if so, did you learn anything that especially surprised you?

 

A: My writing process habitually begins with a setting and research from which my characters and story emerge. This is how I learned about the Hawaiian Homes Commission Act of 1920 that set aside crown and government land for Native Hawaiians.

 

I also learned that although Prince Kūhiō—who was a congressional delegate at the time—pressed for a blood quantum of only 3.13 percent to qualify, the US government demanded 50 percent. This untenable requirement has broken up families and kept poverty-stricken Native Hawaiians from accessing the homes and lands intended for them.

 

Q: This is the first in a new series--can you tell us what's next?

 

A: Without giving away the details, I can say the next book takes Ranger Makalani Pahukula to the Big Island of Hawai‘i for an exciting mystery and the paniolo (Hawaiian cowboy) way of life!

 

Q: Anything else we should know?

 

A: I sailed to Kaua‘i as a kid with my friend’s family and had a close encounter with shark in Hanalei Bay. I thought of that experience as I wrote a scene for Makalani in Kaua‘i Storm.

 

--Interview with Deborah Kalb. Here's a previous Q&A with Tori Eldridge.