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Wednesday, September 14, 2016

#TRAVEL TO KAUAI WITH GUEST AUTHOR PATRICIA PRESTON

Alekoko Fishpond, Kauai
Patricia Preston writes witty mainstream romances where love matters most. Learn more about her at her website

Books and a Gift Card Giveaway!
Patricia is celebrating the coming of fall and the release of One Week in Your Arms, the first book in her new Love Heals All series, by giving away a batch of her Kindle ebooks and a $20 Amazon gift card. Enter by leaving a comment and email address on this blog and add extra entries by going to her Giveaway post on her blog. Drawing will be on Sept 30th. The winner will be notified via email and posted on her blog.

The Magical Menehune

In my new release, One Week in Your Arms, Marla and Carson spend a week at a resort on the island of Kauai. During this time, Marla finds out about the legendary Menehune, and she can’t wait to share it with her little girl when she gets back home to Tennessee.

Legend has it that a race of tiny, magical people, like leprechauns, once lived in the mountains of Kauai. The Menehune stood only about two or three feet tall. They had stout bodies with potbellies. They loved pudding made from sweet potatoes, squash, and taro leaves. The Menehune were mischievous and playful. They loved diving off the cliffs. It is said when you hear water splash at night on the island, it is Menehune diving into the ocean. 

The Menehune slept all day hidden deep in caves and roamed through the forests of the island at night. According to legend, they were master builders, and they would band together in groups of thousands to do great feats of construction overnight. They did not like being seen, and if they were seen at work, they would abandon the project.

The Alekoko Fishpond on the island of Kauai was built by the Menehune. One of the stories regarding the fishpond is that it was built by the Menehune who used lava rock transported by a brigade of thousands of Menehune. They were building the fishpond for a princess and her brother, who stole through the forest at night to watch the Menehune at work although they had promised not to do so.

They were discovered by the Menehune who turned the princess and her brother into twin stone pillars, which still remain in the mountains above the fishpond. As was their custom, they abandoned the fishpond, leaving a gap in one of the retaining walls, which was finished by workers in the 1800’s.

The Menehune loved singing, dancing, and archery. They were said to use magical arrows on an angry person, thus replacing the anger with love. 

Some have suggested the Menehune were early inhabitants or primates that populated the island before the third century and the arrival of the modern Hawaiians. Nevertheless, their stories and legends thrive on the islands.

One Week in Your Arms
Book One of the Love Heals All series

It Started With A Fling...

Six years ago, ambitious med student Marla Grant gave into temptation with a gorgeous man. Now a busy doctor and a loving single mom, the only thing that matters to Marla more than her adorable daughter is the Lafayette Falls Community Clinic. When its funding is threatened, Marla is determined to find out why-until she learns the person responsible is none other than the powerful, persuasive man of her long-ago fling and the unsuspecting father of her child...

Carson Blackwell has never forgotten bright, beautiful Marla. When he discovers that she runs the clinic his grandmother's foundation funds, it's the perfect chance to put an end to his ongoing infatuation-and use his leverage to cement a new business deal. He needs a fake girlfriend for one week in Hawaii, and Marla is just the woman for the job. It's a win-win situation, until they realize the attraction between them isn't feigned, and the heat has never died down. Only the secrets they're both keeping stand in the way of a future together-and a love that could last a lifetime.

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5 comments:

Patricia Preston said...

Hi Lois! Thanks so much for having me!

traveler said...

Thanks for this delightful post, great feature and giveaway. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com

petite said...

Love to hear about One Week In Your Arms and the locale. elliotbencan(at)hotmail(dot)com

Patricia Preston said...

Traveler: Thanks for stopping by and entering the contest!

Patricia Preston said...

Petite: Glad you came by! Thanks for the nice comment.