Award-winning author Roberta Summers is a published novelist, short story writer, and poet. She served as an editor of San Juan College’s Perspective(s) Magazine and is the former co-owner of Silverjack Publishing. Her newest release, Pele’s Children (September 2024), is her second crime adventure novel set on the Big Island of Hawaii. You’ll find Roberta on her website RobertaSummers.com and on Amazon.
What would you like readers to know about the story you tell in Pele’s Children?
Pele’s Children is the sequel to my first novel Pele’s Realm. It is based on the murder of an acquaintance of mine. She was murdered by the Hawaiian Mafia. I didn’t know she was a Mafia wife. In fact, I wasn’t aware there was a Hawaiian Mafia until she was killed. In the books, Maggie, the main character, becomes a person of interest to the Mafia and is frequently targeted by them, mostly to keep her living in fear. In the sequel she is taken into witness protection by U.S. Marshals. Both books are steeped in the mystic of Hawaii and its myths and legends, with Pele’s Children having more mystical realism. Madam Pele, The Fire Goddess of the volcanoes, has a larger presence in the second book. For anyone who loves Hawaii or would like to go, it is like taking a trip there, feeling the caress of balmy air, the fragrance of flowers, and the Aloha spirit.
What unique challenges did this work pose for you?
Since I lived in Hawaii for 25 years and on the Big Island for five of those years, I knew my subject well. I was an avid volcano watcher and familiar with the Pele legends. I also have the benefit of a step-son who was born and raised on Oahu, a hapa haole (half white), not leaving until he was in his mid-30s. He was a valuable resource and technical advisor on some of the underworld activities, such as Cheeken Derbies (Chicken Fights) and the disposal of unwanted fishes (dead bodies) in the Molokai Channel and other things known to the local population, but not necessarily to haoles (white folks). There is an underlying story about gang wars between the Hawaiian and Japanese (Yakuza) Mafias which exposes the dark underbelly of paradise. That part of the story is set on Oahu.
What inspired you to write the first book in the series? Had you always planned a sequel?
My sister April inspired Pele’s Realm. During a conversation with her, she said, “Since that murder still bothers you, why don’t you write a book about it?” I had no plan to become an author, but I went to San Juan College and got a creative writing degree. I took every creative writing class, both required and elective. I joined two writers’ groups and wrote the book. I may have considered the possibility of a sequel since I left an epilogue hinting there may be more. I also have left a hint at the end of Pele’s Children.
Who are your main characters in Pele’s Children? What will readers like most about them?
The main characters are Maggie and John Kovac, loosely based on myself and my husband during the five years we lived in Hilo. John is fiercely protective of Maggie and deeply in love with her, but because he is an epileptic, he can’t always fulfill his desire to protect her. They are both fragile, Maggie because she suffers from episodes of depression, John because he’s an epileptic. At the beginning of Pele’s Children, John has amnesia. Readers will wonder if he’ll ever remember Maggie.
How did the Pele books come together?
It took years to come up with published books. The first one because I had to learn how to write, edit and publish a book. The second one because I wrote Fatal Winds (see below) in between the Pele books. I bought the cover photo for Pele’s Realm for $300 from G. Brad Lewis, a volcano photographer. When I saw it on the internet, I had to have it. At that time, I was co-owner of Silverjack Publishing. I did all the layout and cover design. The printing was done locally in Farmington by Accent printers, the binding was done in Albuquerque. I was truly self-published. The cover for Pele’s Children came off the internet. Since I was no longer involved in the publishing house, it was published through Amazon’s KDP publishing arm. I lack the patience for dealing with agents, etc.
What was your favorite part of putting this project together?
My favorite part of writing Pele’s Children was the vicarious trips to the islands—revisiting my favorite waterfall and the volcano. I can still recall my awe when viewing my first eruption. I loved the feel of the air, the easy charm of the people, solo papayas, swimming in the ocean, ethnic foods and the aloha spirit. When I wrote the Pele books, I remembered all of this with great fondness.
Fatal Winds became your passion project after writing the first Pele book. Tell us about this “in between” novel.
Fatal Winds is a story about Downwinders (victims of radioactive fallout during the era of atomic bomb testing in the Nevada desert after winds carried the fallout hundreds of miles from the test site). I’m a Downwinder. That book became my passion and took 12 years to write because of extensive research, but mostly because of becoming so emotional, I had to take long breaks. Fatal Winds just won an International Impact Book Award.
What first inspired you to be a writer, and when did you actually consider yourself a writer?
I had no plans to become an author until my sister suggested I write a book about Leilani Kim’s murder by the Hawaiian Mafia. Nobody was ever arrested for her murder. So, I changed the names to protect the innocent, namely me, and got busy. It is only after publishing Pele’s Children and winning several awards for books and short stories that I’ve started considering myself an author/writer. I notice people around town are beginning to acknowledge me as an author.
What are the challenges of writing a series?
The challenges of writing a sequel are providing enough information from the first book that the reader knows the backstory, without telling so much that people who’ve read the first book wonder why I’m including all that information.
Which do you prefer: the creating, editing or researching aspect of a writing project?
The creative process is pure joy. I don’t mind editing and researching, but beyond that, I’m not a fan of publishing and selling,
Describe your writing process.
I’m a “seat of the pants” writer. I don’t outline, plan or plot. All I need is a chair and a computer. I think best in front of my laptop. I never write longhand first. I once did NaNoWriMo and got into a stream of consciousness and wrote a book in three weeks—still to be edited and published.
What kinds of scenes do you find most difficult to write?
Sex scenes. It’s hard for me to get the emotion and keep away from the graphic. I think I’m much better in Pele’s Children than in Pele’s Realm. I took tips from Ayn Rand. I think she writes the best sex scenes. The other thing I find challenging is shootouts and fights. One of my colleagues is the best. I get critiques from him.
Your writing takes several forms — short stories, novels, poetry. Is there one form you’re drawn to the most when you write or read?
My first love is novels. I like a fast-paced book and I get bored when there’s so much background the foreground goes underground. I recently read a historical romance novel that was a trudge because of so much history and little action. As for poetry, it is truly beyond me. Even though I’ve written it, I don’t think I know what I’m doing.
What writing projects are you working on now?
I’m writing memoirs. I’m the last of my generation who was raised on farms and ranches. Unlike my younger siblings and cousins, I knew my grandfather who was larger than life, a politician, Speaker of the Utah House of Representatives, and successful rancher and farmer with five sons to do his bidding. Even though I was a child, I remember vividly FDR’s “This is a day that will live in infamy” speech about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and I remember the WWII years. If I don’t preserve my perception of those years, and write about grandma and grandpa, all will be lost in time. I don’t have children so I’m doing this for my nephews and their progeny. When I finish that, I’ll move on to Maryanne Winslow, a western with a female protagonist. It began as a short story for San Juan Writers’ first anthology and expanded into a full novel during my NaNoWriMo experience.
Is there anything else you’d like readers to know?
When I began to write, I wrote because I had something to say. It was a burning desire. Now I write because I can and for the pure joy of it. I hope that comes through in my stories. This I do know about my writing: nothing happens if I don’t put butt in chair and start typing.
KL Wagoner loves creating worlds of fantasy and science fiction. Her current work in progress is The Last Bonekeeper fantasy trilogy and short stories in the same universe. A member of SouthWest Writers since 2006, Kat has worked as the organization’s secretary, newsletter editor, website manager, and author interview coordinator. Kat is also a veteran, a martial art student, and a grandmother. Visit her at klwagoner.com.
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