Ask the Author: Austin Aslan
Answered Questions (13)
Austin Aslan
Hi Richard! Thank you so much for making contact. I’ll tell you: in Hilo ONLY, the locals call it “ice shave.” I must have confirmed this fifty times over, because it sounds so wrong, but I stand by my experience from living there and having “ice shaves” all the time. I often thought about changing it to avoid this very critique, but I erred on the side of local authenticity, I assure you. At least that’s how it was back in 2012 when the book was written.
As for the audiobook narrator, a native narrator was never made an option, though I made that request.
Otherwise I hope the book was a good read for you. Please leave reviews here and on Amazon! It really helps mid-level authors get there stuff a wider audience.
Best wishes and aloha!
Best,
Austin
As for the audiobook narrator, a native narrator was never made an option, though I made that request.
Otherwise I hope the book was a good read for you. Please leave reviews here and on Amazon! It really helps mid-level authors get there stuff a wider audience.
Best wishes and aloha!
Best,
Austin
Austin Aslan
At this time there are no plans for another book in the series. Though I'd write one, given the chance! I hope I can update this answer someday. :) Thanks for your interest in following more of Leilani's adventures!
Austin Aslan
This question really tripped me up! I had to seriously think about it. And the more I did, the more frustrated I became that so few candidates were coming to mind. I think the problem is that fiction demands so much tension between couples that they become hard to relate to as a real person. Their flaws eventually interfere with the "Happily Ever After" dream, and sour my affection for them (think Han and Leia).
I would LOVE to see more couples like myself and my wife in fiction; stalwart supporters of each other who have figured out how to communicate and talk through their differences, thereby avoiding further drama, misunderstanding, and disaster. Couples that would never think of betraying each other, who, while quirky and individual, march in lock step on the important things. But how freaking BORING is that?
The couples that have come to mind since I started considering this question are not traditional couples. R2-D2 and C-3PO, Indiana Jones and his father, Frodo and Sam, a brother and sister pair from an unpublished novel of mine. The closest I can get to a traditional couple are Mulder and Scully and maybe Rick and Evelyn (from The Mummy). I'm also a huge fan of the relationship between Katsa and Po from "Graceling."
I think this interestingly points to why I chose to write ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD as a daughter-father adventure with only a hint of outside romance. Lei and Mike as a "couple", per se, embodies how I like to think of real world love: strained and tested during moments of adversity and outside tension, but the strength of their bond is never really under suspense.
Thanks for bringing this thought-provoking topic up!
I would LOVE to see more couples like myself and my wife in fiction; stalwart supporters of each other who have figured out how to communicate and talk through their differences, thereby avoiding further drama, misunderstanding, and disaster. Couples that would never think of betraying each other, who, while quirky and individual, march in lock step on the important things. But how freaking BORING is that?
The couples that have come to mind since I started considering this question are not traditional couples. R2-D2 and C-3PO, Indiana Jones and his father, Frodo and Sam, a brother and sister pair from an unpublished novel of mine. The closest I can get to a traditional couple are Mulder and Scully and maybe Rick and Evelyn (from The Mummy). I'm also a huge fan of the relationship between Katsa and Po from "Graceling."
I think this interestingly points to why I chose to write ISLANDS AT THE END OF THE WORLD as a daughter-father adventure with only a hint of outside romance. Lei and Mike as a "couple", per se, embodies how I like to think of real world love: strained and tested during moments of adversity and outside tension, but the strength of their bond is never really under suspense.
Thanks for bringing this thought-provoking topic up!
Austin Aslan
Thank you, Kim! I would love to return to Hawaii in future writing projects. I do have plans to set one book in a Middle Grade environmental education series on the islands, and will always be looking for other opportunities to revisit that setting, as well.
Austin Aslan
Thanks for the question! Lei needed a reason to leave the Big Island for Oahu with her father. A choir concert, or the like, would have done that, but there's more potential for character growth and plot lines with a personal challenge to struggle with. I believe that plot is a function of what gets in the way of what a character wants. Lei's medical condition provides lots of plot in that respect, and I really liked how epilepsy ties into the larger world context of the globe basically experiencing a seizure. It's all symbolic on that larger scale. I have direct family that struggle with the disease, too, so it was approachable for me in a way other ailments might not have been.
Austin Aslan
I have several new projects in the works! Hope to make an announcement soon. Stay tuned, on my website and here, for further updates.
Austin Aslan
I have several new projects in the works! Hope to make an announcement soon. Stay tuned, on my website and here, for further updates.
Austin Aslan
Thanks for the question, Pamela! Yes, Aslan is my real last name!
Austin Aslan
Hi, Leslie,
Thanks for the questions. I love the Hawaiian passages throughout the book. The language is so beautiful and very integral to the Hawaiian culture. I do not know the language myself, so my only recourse for using it in the story was in the form of already-know passages. I haven't heard of any reader being turned off by them. Readers overwhelmingly enjoy them. Also: slang, or "pidgin." I didn't use too much of this in the book, because that can deter readers as the dialogue becomes hard to decipher or read quickly. But I tried to provide a sampling. I think in real life, at least in parts of the book, the real use of pidgin would be heavier than I portrayed it.
Thanks for the questions. I love the Hawaiian passages throughout the book. The language is so beautiful and very integral to the Hawaiian culture. I do not know the language myself, so my only recourse for using it in the story was in the form of already-know passages. I haven't heard of any reader being turned off by them. Readers overwhelmingly enjoy them. Also: slang, or "pidgin." I didn't use too much of this in the book, because that can deter readers as the dialogue becomes hard to decipher or read quickly. But I tried to provide a sampling. I think in real life, at least in parts of the book, the real use of pidgin would be heavier than I portrayed it.
Austin Aslan
Hi, Rachel. I'll refer you to my blog for this answer. I think you'll like it... https://laustinspace.wordpress.com/20...
Austin Aslan
Thanks for the question! It's a biggie. I WAS/AM an outsider to Hawaii, as I only lived there for a year and I'm not from there. So 'no' to the 'personal experience element.' But I saw my kids dealing with a fairly closed environment when they were in school. The situation is much more heightened in high school and later. It's understandable. Hawaiian culture has been poorly co-opted by American colonization. Local folks can sometimes bristle with so many new people coming and going. But they are kind and welcoming. Once you earn your place, proving that you treat HI as a home and not just a place to pass through or a vacation playground, then the local community can be extremely welcoming. Anybody can and does become "Ohana" in HI. It can take time, though; which is fully understandable. Personal experiences will vary, of course, as the do anywhere, but the 'Spirit of Aloha' is a real thing on the Islands and people are generally very nice and understanding and welcoming.
Austin Aslan
Thank you, Cody! I'm thrilled that the book has inspired more reading for you! Keep it up. There's always another book out there that you'll love. Enjoy discovering more great stories. My sequel, GIRL AT THE CENTER OF THE WORLD, comes out everywhere on August 4. It's ready for pre-order even now on Amazon, too. Are you on twitter? Find me at @laustinspace. Happy reading and I look forward to hearing how it goes!
Austin Aslan
I would! I have a film agent as we speak. Keep your fingers crossed!
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