Red Sky Over Hawaii Read online

  “You and your parents are welcome to come and stay with us anytime. Maybe they’ll even let you come for summers. Who knows?”

  Coco’s whole face wrinkled up and her voice went an octave higher. “But I love it here. So does Sailor.”

  “This place will always be a home for you. Remember what Auntie said? That we carry people and places we love in our hearts. They stay with us forever, no matter where we are.”

  Coco brightened. “And animals, too.”

  “That’s right.”

  All those days at Auntie’s house had given Coco permission to trust herself and to accept her unique strain of magic. “I’m glad it was you who took care of us.”

  All of Lana’s resolve drained away in that moment. She held her arms open. “Come here.”

  Coco came over and sat in her lap. Lana rubbed her back as tears turned on and wouldn’t stop. “I love all three of you like my own. You know that, don’t you? Somehow, I ended up being the lucky one in this war. While everyone else was losing family members, I was gaining them. This house is going to feel empty and soulless without you here, but Grant and Benji and I will keep on going. We have no choice.”

  “But the house is full of Jack—at least you have that,” Coco said.

  Jack was there when the front door opened so smoothly. He was in the extra-wide trim and floor planks, and in the huge windows that let the sunlight in. He was under the floorboards and between each rock that fit so perfectly into the fireplace. Lana understood now that her father had been a perfectly imperfect human. Like the rest of us.

  “When is Mochi coming home?”

  “That I don’t know, but we can keep him in our prayers and keep sending letters every week.”

  “Yes!”

  Marie leaned into them from the other side. “We’ll come up every weekend.”

  “You had better. And we’ll look forward to it more than all the homemade cookies in the world,” Lana said.

  The sound of a motor broke through the warm June afternoon. Lana’s heart sped up. Her palms began to bead with sweat. Coco jumped up and sprinted down the steps, then turned and smiled. A smile that outshone the blue in the sky and the green of the forest around them. Marie stood up and smoothed out her dress, following her sister.

  Grant moved over and put his arm around Lana. This had to be hard for him, too. She caught herself holding her breath, not ready to say goodbye. There is never a good time for goodbye when you love someone. When the car came around the bend, both girls took off running. Lana thought of Mochi and Auntie and channeled all of their combined strength. A particular phrase came to mind. Life is in the honeybee at the tip of your nose. The truth of those words hit her square in the chest.

  This was not a moment to be feared but a moment to be lived and experienced from all angles. As soon as those car doors opened, she was struck with enough love to cure heartache the world over. Here she’d been all this time worrying about the hole in her heart, when the hole had already been filled up to brimming over. These were her people, this was her place, and that would never change.

  LOVE & MAGIC

  When I close my eyes, I still see the fiery glow of lava in Halema‘uma‘u crater. Sometimes if I’m not careful I find myself walking through the clouds while the honeycreepers build nests in my hair. I can’t see where I’m going, but I don’t care. To be there with my boots crunching on lava is sweeter than any honey from the hives. Bees swirl around me. I still feel my hand in his and hear the sound of his voice whispering in my tired ear, She has your eyes.

  In the end, we remember those slices of time where we feel the most—love, anguish, joy, sorrow, fright. I don’t care what the reason. Maybe it was the day you first realized you were mortal or that first moment you saw love walk in the door. Or that no matter how many years passed, you would still be that girl, the barefoot one with long brown hair and a penny in her pocket. Maybe it was when you suddenly realized you had everything to lose and you were too blind to notice. What matters most is what lives in your heart, and if there is one thing I know, it is this: love is the only way.

  And magic.

  I guess that’s two.

  * * *

  AUTHOR NOTE

  This book was born several years ago when I first stumbled upon an old house called ‘āinahou at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. I later discovered that it was built in 1941 as a hideaway in the event of a Japanese invasion. ‘āinahou is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is old and beautiful and intriguing, and I knew when I saw it and heard its story that I needed to somehow write about it. At the time, I wasn’t sure how. Fast forward a year or two when I heard from a friend who was talking about my first book to another friend. This woman mentioned that her mother had been a young girl when Pearl Harbor was attacked, and her parents were hauled off by the FBI and kept at Sand Island and Honouliuli for over a year. As it turned out, this woman and her sister were left to fend for themselves. I was able to find her story online, and when I read it, it broke my heart. People know about the Japanese-American citizens held in camps, but fewer know about the Germans and Italians. It was after reading the Berg family’s story that my novel started forming in my mind. I also wanted to tie in the detainment center at Kīlauea Military Camp (KMC), which was the largest camp outside of O‘ahu, and the main one on the island of Hawaii. To my knowledge, there were no Germans held at KMC, and I created this for the sake of the story. Red Sky Over Hawaii is purely a figment of my imagination, but it is inspired by these places and stories. It is also true that Mauna Loa erupted—not in December of 1941 as in the book, but in early 1942—and the military bombed it to try to stop the flow, worried that it might hit Hilo and also lead the Japanese navy right to us.

  Another part of my story inspired by real life is Sailor. I fell in love with Sailor, a Great Dane with one blue eye and one brown, on Instagram and I asked her mama @love_my_dane_dolly_ if I could make her a character in my book. She said yes. Sadly, several months later, Sailor suddenly passed away. I was heartbroken for her family, but they gave me their blessing to keep on writing. I feel honored to be able to keep her memory alive. I hope I have done her justice!

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be able to write books and share them with the world. I am beyond grateful for my agent, Elaine Spencer, who makes it all possible, always has my back, and also does a wonderful job with early edit notes. Also top of the list is my editor, Margot Mallinson, who is amazingly insightful and talented. My books are so much better because of her. The gift of a good editor can never be underestimated. There are also so many people behind the scenes at Mira that I can’t thank enough. To have such a wonderful publisher is a dream come true.

  Also, thanks to my Authors18 group, whom I could not live without. They are my tribe, and we have been together through thick and thin.

  I would also like to thank Helie Rohner of Hilo, who took the time to meet with me and share her experiences of what it was like growing up in Hilo and spending time at Volcano back in the day. Another valuable resource was this publication on the National Parks History website about Volcano during the war years: http://www.npshistory.com/publications/ hawaii/wwii-special-history.pdf. It is an extremely thorough and well-researched document, and I encourage anyone interested in Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park history to read it.

  On the home front, I am forever grateful to all my friends who listen to my continual book ramblings. Especially Lilly Barels, who has been by my side since day one, and Mia Kresser, whom I can count on to read early copies and give great feedback. Her response is always: It needs to be longer because I don’t want it to end. Music to an author’s ears! Also, to my mother, Diane, who is always there to bounce stuff off of, and Marilyn Carlsmith, who lived through the war here on Hawaii island. Thanks to Lucy (my sweet dog) and Kitty, who supervise all my writing sessions. And l
ast but not least, Todd (Honey) Clark, the man of my dreams, who is always by my side.

  Red Sky

  Over Hawaii

  Sara Ackerman

  Reader’s Guide

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  Suspected sympathizers were hauled away within hours after the attack on Pearl Harbor, some kept for the duration of the war. They were not only citizens of Japanese origin, but Germans and Italians, too. Do you believe this was justified because the country was at war, or do you feel that it was a violation of human rights?

  Lana puts herself in danger of arrest by sheltering her German and Japanese neighbors and friends and lying about their identities. What would you have done in her position?

  Lana experiences guilt and regret over not reconciling with her father while he was still alive. Do you feel that her reasons for staying away were justifiable? Do you think she should have forgiven him sooner?

  Over time, Lana and her housemates grow to be as close as family. Do you have any “chosen family”? Have you experienced bonding during times of great stress? Do you think that she and the girls, and Mochi and Benji, would continue to see each other after the war?

  Fred and Ingrid Wagner were separated from their two daughters without warning and with no idea of how long it would be for. How do you think you would cope with such a situation?

  Animals play a big role in the book as both companions and healers. Have you ever thought about what you would do with your animals if you experienced war or natural disaster firsthand?

  Both Lana and Coco possess intuitive powers that seem to grow stronger at Kīlauea Volcano, a place long considered sacred. Do you believe in the untapped power of the human mind? What about the heightened energy of certain places?

  War is known to bring out the worst in people, but hardship can also bring out the best, and stories of courage and hope and survival abound. How did the characters in the book react to the pressures of war on their doorstep?

  Before Pearl Harbor, there were many signs of a Japanese attack looming. If you’d been in Hawaii then, do you think you would have taken precautions and built an escape house or bomb shelter or anything else, or would you have remained optimistic that there would be no attack?

  Lana does everything in her power to make Christmas special for the kids, despite her own struggles and grief. Do you think it is important to keep up traditions even in such dark times?

  Grant is unknowingly caught between working at the detainment camp and getting to know the two Wagner girls. When he finds out the truth about their parents, how do you feel he handled it? Did you want him to try to help them more? Realistically, could he have?

  To what degree do you think the hideaway house played a role in Lana’s journey of self-discovery?

  ISBN-13: 9781488056147

  Red Sky Over Hawaii

  Copyright © 2020 by Sara Ackerman

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner

  whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied

  in critical articles and reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product

  of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons,

  living or dead, businesses, companies, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  This edition published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

  For questions and comments about the quality of this book, please contact us at [email protected].

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