Jules ✨ asked Austin Aslan:

Throughout the first book, Leilani talks a little about her struggles with coming to terms with being hapa and not fully Hawaiian and being judged for it. Was this based off of any personal experience while living on the Big Island as a haole? If so, how did you deal with the situation?

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.

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