Rita D'Orazio's Blog, page 2
March 31, 2017
‘Legend’ comes to life
WOW!
What an honor to be featured in Kaua’i’s local newspaper, The Garden Island.
A big thank you to Ed and Cynthia Justus, owners of Talk Story Bookstore, for featuring my work. Be sure to check them out. You can find Legend of the Coco Palms and many other island treasures in their bookstore.
!!!Feature in The Garden Times HERE!!!
!!!Feature in The Garden Times HERE!!!
!!!Feature in The Garden Times HERE!!!
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March 13, 2017
MARCH BREAK PROMO
Aloha,
Today until Sunday March 19th, Legend of the Coco Palms Resort e-book is FREE for KOBO!
!!!DOWNLOAD FREE E-BOOK HERE!!!
!!!DOWNLOAD FREE E-BOOK HERE!!!
!!!DOWNLOAD FREE E-BOOK HERE!!!
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March 1, 2017
!!!MARCH SALE!!!
Aloha,
download your e-copy of Legend of the Coco Palms Resort for only $0.99 this month at Amazon and Chapters Indigo. Don’t miss out on this great opportunity for a tropical read this March!
!!!CLICK HERE TO GET YOUR COPY @ AMAZON!!!
!!!CLICK HERE TO GER YOUR COPY @ CHAPTERS!!!
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February 9, 2017
The Dawning: Final Installment
In honor of Chinese New Year 2017, (Year of the Rooster) let me start off by posting a couple photos. These free-roaming roosters live on the island of Kaua`i. You are bound to bump into the unobtrusive creatures at some point. My favorite sighting was going back to the parking lot after seeing the Spouting Horn. Lined up like soldiers were a brigade of roosters and chickens. Somehow it felt as if we were being followed. (Just kidding).
[image error]After stopping at a food truc...
February 2, 2017
The Dawning: 2nd Installment
Before continuing with this week’s installment, I need to introduce my co-author, Tweaker. My loveable cat deserves a mention for keeping me amused. In some way, shape, or form he manages to sit with me daily. I’d be lost without his antics. You may be seeing random photos of our collaboration over the next few weeks.
As for Kaua`i, we’d finally landed. Sunset occurred during the descent, which meant darkness had fallen upon the island. Without any inkling of what to expect, everything was going to be a novelty for us. For the moment we had our car and directions, which I’d downloaded from home. If all went as planned, the drive from Lihue airport was about 40 minutes. We would soon be in the southern part of the island for the next fifteen days.
[image error]Street View
When we got to the street we were in search of, it was difficult to make out what was on the left side of the road. Given it was pitch black out. I realized it must be the Pacific Ocean, as it was giving off a gentle rumbling. The streets
were narrow. I remember saying to my husband, “Whatever you do, don’t turn left. I’m 99% certain that’d land us right into the water.” My husband recognized the tone of my voice and decided to drive below the speed limit. When the sun rose the next morning, my concerns were justified. A left turn most definitely could have been trouble, but the view was spectacular.
We spent the first few hours relaxing, but once the sun had risen, I needed to get moving. Our first few days were spent visiting Waimea Canyon, Hanapepe (Talk Story Bookstore-a must), the swinging bridge, and every shop that Hanapepe had to offer. One must never bypass the Coffee Planation. Actually, nothing should be bypassed while you’re there.
As I mentioned in my first blog, hindsight is a strange thing. It was our trip to the Botanical Gardens, (McBryde and Allerton) when mystic island happenings started to surface. I didn’t know it then, but as time passed, I could pinpoint the subliminal messages that became reoccurrences throughout our stay.
An extensively informative young man led our guided tour. At one point he explained the Awapuhi flower (aka shampoo ginger) to our group. As you can see in the photo, the flower contains sap, which is used in hair products, such as the famous Paul Mitchell.
[image error]Awapuhi: a.k.a ‘Shampoo Ginger’
After the demonstration, he gifted the flower to me. As curious as I was about the Awapuhi, I wasn’t willing to put anything foreign on my head. I’d been using the same mail order product for ten years. When he extended the flower for the taking, I graciously thanked him, but declined the offer. I sensed a shift in mood. Not that he was rude, by any means, quite the contrary. It was a look of hurt pride, which I realized I’d been insensitive to. I put my hand out and told him I’d be honored to try the product. Now it was he who looked at me with skepticism. Without another word, I promised that I wouldn’t waste a drop of it. To my astonishment, there was enough sap in that flower to last the remainder of my stay, which was about thirteen days. I came home with soft silky hair. Not only did the young man give life back to my hair, but he may have spared our lives as well.
Before departing the gardens we were approached once again by our tour guide. He’d overheard my husband and me, discussing our potential hike of the Kalalau Trail. After about ten minutes discussing the hike, he had let us know that we were welcome to join him and his family, as they would be doing the hike over the weekend. Again, this young man showed heart, grace, and subtlety. He didn’t come straight out and voice his concerns about whether my husband and I could sustain the rigorous hike. It was in the manner that he posed his questions and told his stories of the trail, which led me to believe we weren’t fit enough to carry out the expedition.
As I reflected back on the conversation throughout the day, I voiced my concerns to my husband. In all fairness, he hadn’t picked up on the message the young man was trying to convey without insulting us. When I reiterated the conversation along with my own concerns, we decided to skip the hike. We did have a few more days before the weekend should we have changed our minds, but after doing some research on the Internet, we chose to skip the hike.[image error]
This installment may not have given you the answers to why I wrote Legend of the Coco Palms Resort, but what I did give you is the insight of my deep gratitude to my tour-guide. If it weren’t for my fond memories of him, my character, Kanoa Kahala, may have not come to be. After the initial thought to write the book, my next huge impact was this young man’s face etched in my mind. His sincerity and generosity will always stay with me. The pride and passion I heard in his voice about his birthplace could bring tears to one’s eyes. He was so engaging, that I could have listened to him my entire stay. There are some people who have the ability to affect one’s life in a matter of seconds, minutes, or hours, and I’m so glad to have been the recipient of this particular heart-felt soul.
I’d like to leave you this week with one of my favorite photos of the botanical gardens. No, it’s not my tour-guide, as I do wish you could have seen his beautiful hair. As my blogs continue I’m sure you will see me reference Hawai`i as being majestic. That’s the best way I can describe most things about the island. Everything is larger than life. You be the judge after seeing this photo.[image error]
See you next week and thank you for checking in.
January 31, 2017
InD’tale Magazine Feature
Great NEWS, fans!
Rita’s novel Legend of the Coco Palms Resort has been featured in the February 2017 issue of InD’tale Magazine:
!!!CHECK OUT THE FEATURE HERE!!!
!!!CHECK OUT THE FEATURE HERE!!!
!!!CHECK OUT THE FEATURE HERE!!!
Stay tuned for this Thursday’s blog post on how Rita’s ‘Legend of the Coco Palms Resort’ came to light.
January 26, 2017
The dawning of the Legend of the Coco Palms Resort
Procrastinating over booking our winter escape led to hearing these words, “Sorry, but we’re fully booked until April.” I couldn’t believe it. Now what? My heart and expectations were set on our usual destination. We’d been escaping there for the past ten years. How could the reservation agent not have room for us? It took me a few days to have the bad news sink in. I couldn’t wrap my head around where my husband and I should go. My main focus was trying to find the same quick flight, where I’d still get plenty of sunshine and heat, but with little flying time.
As I began my search, I came across a tiny Hawai`ian island, Kaua`i. I kept ignoring it, but for some reason flights and resorts kept popping up. Who didn’t think about going to Hawaii at some point in their life? I know I did, but it was always more of a fantasy, never something I’d have considered. Thirteen hours sitting on a plane was not for me. Yes, I love to travel, but I confess to not being the most relaxed flier. I think we should dig deeper into this topic another time (laughing).[image error]
Ignoring the pull that Kaua`i was having on me, I redirected my focus on perhaps going back to Santa Barbara. It would be a great alternative, even though it was two hours further than my usual spot.
By month’s end, without discussing it with my husband, we were booked. I remember calling him at work and saying, “What would you say if I told you we were going to Hawai`i for fifteen days?” He, not being a nervous passenger, was ecstatic. Don’t get me wrong I was really happy about it, so much so, that I booked us to leave in late November. I’d always preferred February to getaway from the deep winter freeze, which is home to us, but something unexplainable happened. I just couldn’t wait. I felt as if I were silently being tugged to venture out earlier.
[image error]My flight to Kaua’i
To this day, my husband and I get a chuckle over the fact that I didn’t flinch once during our entire flight. Mind you I ate every snack box that the airline had for sale, but that doesn’t count. Neither of us to this day comprehends the shield of calmness I was surrounded with. I still remember the amount of times he’d lean over to ask, “Are you okay?” I always nodded that I was fine. I was busy watching movies and reading. But I knew what he was really referring to without having to say it. He was questioning if I’d taken anything, knowing full well that I didn’t even like to take a Gravol. I had them with me, but I never touched them.
Hindsight is a strange thing. I now realize that the flight and my calmness were just the beginning of a string of odd incidences. It’s as if the mystical powers of Kaua`i were planting its seeds in me—to write, Legend of the Coco Palms Resort.
Join me next Thursday to continue learning how the book came to light. Stay tuned.
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New Year, New Look
Happy New Year to all!
2016 was filled with new adventures and successes as Rita released her latest novel, Legend of the Coco Palms Resort.
Now, she is proud to share with you, her new web-blog!!
Every Thursday Rita will be sharing with you a little bit about herself, including: her passions and what inspires her to write.
This week: The Dawning of the Legend of the Coco Palms Resort.
