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“A compelling story of family, heartache and transformation told in prose as intoxicating as the 1930s and 40s Honolulu that is its indelible backdrop.” –Meg Lukens Noonan, author of The Coat Route.

Sadira Doyle yearns to escape her life in a small New York town during the depression. When her alcoholic husband Archie loses his job, she decides their family will begin anew in Hawai‘i. The move exacerbates Archie’s drinking and her son Lionel’s emotional struggles, but Sadira lands the job of society columnist for Honolulu’s daily paper and finds herself in the company of the rich and famous. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor ends Hawai‘i’s days as a playground for celebrities and Sadira must recreate herself once more.

Marjorie Nelson Matthews was born and raised in Honolulu. She lives with her husband in Hanover, NH, and Hawai‘i Calls is her first novel.

Joni B. Cole teaches creative writing at her own Writer’s Center in Vermont, and is a frequent teacher and speaker at academic programs, conferences, and social-service organizations across the country. Cole is the author of six books and a contributor to The Writer, as well as host of the podcast Author, Can I Ask You?