What happens when the rising sun invites you to come along, too? Journey up, up, up into the Hawaiian sky with the sun as your guide, meeting birds and bees, flying over treetops and airplanes, and soaring through an outstretched rainbow. Then set softly down on the sandy shore as the sun's busy day comes to an end.

Maui's rich history and culture are the foundation of these new, original short stories by Maui's award-winning author/playwright. Under Maui Skies, and Other Stories presents seven Maui tales in different genres set in a variety of Maui locales ranging in time from pre-contact Hawai`i to the 1960s. In The Cave of Whispering Spirits, a couple and family face the wrath of the goddess of fire, Pele, in the last eruption of Haleakala. That legend is followed by The Cruel Sun, the true story of a love affair in Old Lahaina and the demons that haunt them - alcoholism and missionaries. Under Maui Skies, the title story, is a western set in 1908 Kula and Kama`ole where an ordinary ranchworker is enlisted by the local sheriff to trail and report on the activities of an opium dealer called Albert Devil. The action changes in Aloha `Oe, E Ku`uipo (Goodbye, Sweetheart) when a money-strapped Wailuku detective takes on the case of a femme fatale. A rainbow of multiracial usual suspects is under the microscope in this island style homage to Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler. A soldier in 1942 Pa`ia and Kihei previews, in a Twilight Zone world, the horrors of World War II at Guadalcanal in Aunty Becky's Tavern. Hawaiian culture and science fiction blend in An Island Beyond Hokule`a. A diaspora from a war-ravaged planet use the universal porthole of Haleakala in search of someone who will take a philosophy of aloha to their new home at the edge of the galaxy. The final story, Climbing Woman, a ghost story, tells the sad legend of a young woman who spirals into depression and eventually death - later sighted as the legendary White Lady who haunts `Iao Valley. Moniz's fresh voice and cadence captures the flavor of the islands and their history, using these traditional storytelling genres.

Aloha! Welcome to the Maui Island Series where the dramas of everyday life keep the Briscoe family and their friends laughing, crying and falling in love. Set against the lush backdrop of a tropical island, Under the Maui Sky captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of a family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as Ava Briscoe and her children discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most…even in the face of deep betrayal. Ava Briscoe wants nothing more than for her children and the family’s pineapple business to flourish. When a dark secret comes to light, more than her steadfast resilience is tested. Christel is picking up the pieces after a painful divorce. She’s found solace in the family business. But a bitter discovery soon shakes the once-steady foundation under her feet. Katie is a wife and mother with a full plate. She yearns for purpose but her efforts to make her dreams come true falter when she learns nothing is at it seems. Aiden makes his living rescuing people on the island of Maui. When facing life’s changes, can he rescue his own family when it matters most? Shane believes life is a party, but sometimes life hands out more than a good time—fun crashes to an end and growing up is no longer an option. Come along on the journey . . . with all the messy wonder, humor, pain and ultimate hope of this heartwarming family as they grapple with an uncertain future and learn they can face anything, as long as they do it together. A heart-grabbing story, perfect for Robyn Carr and Susan Wiggs fans.

For thirty years starting in the mid-1970s, the byline of Jim Dooley appeared on riveting investigative stories of organized crime and political corruption that headlined the front page of Honolulu’s morning daily. In Sunny Skies, Shady Characters, James Dooley revisits highlights of his career as a hard-hitting investigative reporter for the Honolulu Advertiser and, in later years, for KITV television and the online Hawaii Reporter. His lively backstories on how he chased these high-profile scandals make fascinating reading, while providing an insider’s look at the business of journalism and the craft of investigative reporting. Dooley’s first assignment as an investigative journalist involved the city housing project of Kukui Plaza, which introduced him to the “pay to play” method of awarding government contracts to obliging consultants. In later stories, he scrutinized bloody struggles over illicit gambling revenue, the murder of a city prosecutor’s son, local syndicate ties to the Teamsters Union, and the dealings of Bishop Estate. His groundbreaking coverage of the forays by yakuza into Hawaii and the continental United States were the first of its kind in American journalism. As Dooley pursued stories from the underside of island society, names of respected public figures and those of violent criminals filled his notebook: entertainer Don Ho, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye, Governors George Ariyoshi and Ben Cayetano, Mayor Frank Fasi, and notorious felons Henry Huihui, Nappy Pulawa, and Ronnie Ching. Woven throughout is the name of Big Island rancher Larry Mehau—was he the “godfather of organized crime” in Hawaii as alleged by the FBI, or simply an ex-cop who befriended power brokers in the course of doing business for his security guard firm? The book includes a timeline of Mehau’s activities to allow readers to judge for themselves.

Inspired by real places and events of WWII, Red Sky Over Hawaii immerses the reader in a time of American history full of suspicion and peril in this lush and poignant tale about the indisputable power of doing the right thing against all odds. The attack on Pearl Harbor changes everything for Lana Hitchcock. Arriving home on the Big Island too late to reconcile with her estranged father, she is left alone to untangle the clues of his legacy, which lead to a secret property tucked away in the remote rain forest of Kilauea volcano. When the government starts taking away her neighbours as suspected sympathisers, Lana shelters two young German girls, a Japanese fisherman and his son. As tensions escalate, they are forced into hiding — only to discover the hideaway house is not what they expected. When a detainment camp is established nearby, Lana struggles to keep the secrets of those in her care. Trust could have dangerous consequences. As their lives weave together, Lana begins to understand the true meaning of family and how the bonds of love carry us through the worst times.