Kona Stories is hosting a special panel featuring young adult authors this Thursday in Keauhou in a new effort to get young adults reading.
Kona Stories is hosting a special panel featuring young adult authors this Thursday in Keauhou in a new effort to get young adults reading.
The featured authors taking part in the inaugural panel are Anna Banks, Marissa Meyer, Lish McBride and Rori Shay. They will discuss as well as take questions from the audience, during the event, which runs from 6 to 7 p.m. at the Keauhou Shopping Center-based book store. The panel will be moderated by local author Ayesha Patel, who wrote “Priya in Heels.”
“We are hoping the panel will work well for our teen readers because we want them to ask the questions. There will be a moderator in case it gets slow but we feel if we can get those kids talking to the authors, asking their questions, telling their stories we will ignite the spark that leads to more reading,” said Brenda McConnell, who owns the store along with Joy Vogelgesang.
She also noted, “teaching younger readers is always a goal of Kona Stories. Kids that read do significantly better on tests in school and are more likely to stay in school and attend college. Anytime we can connect kids to authors we increase the chance for those kids to engage and get involved in reading their books.”
Banks is the author of the New York Times-bestselling “Syrena Legacy” series including “Of Poseidon,” “Of Triton” and “Of Neptune” and the standalone novel, “Joyride.” During Thursday’s panel, she will discuss her book titled, “Nemisis,” a thrilling futuristic fantasy in which the fate the world’s energy source is in the hands of a prince and princess who are rivals.
Meyer, New York Times-bestselling author of “Heartless” and “The Lunar Chronicles,” lives in Tacoma, Washington, with her husband and twin daughters. She’s a fan of most things geeky (Sailor Moon, Firefly, any occasion that requires a costume) and has been in love with fairy tales since she was a child.
McBride, an author, bookseller, and all-around ne’er-do-well living in the Seattle area, has written the much-praised young adult novels, “Hold Me Closer,” “Necromancer,” “Necromancing the Stone” and “Firebug.”
Shay, a strategic management consultant also living in the Seattle area with her family, black lab, and cat, is primarily known for her science fiction trilogy, “The Elected Series.” Shay enjoys running, helping animal causes, and pumpkin picking. She is also a member of the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.
Bringing more authors to Hawaii Island is part of Kona Stories’ community outreach. The book store was among 87 honored national in 2015 for those kinds of efforts via the James Patterson Christmas Bonus for booksellers.
While at the Chicago Book Expo last summer, McConnell spent a deal of time networking with national authors hoping to encourage them to come to Hawaii Island and help spread the power of reading.
“This leg work has paid off with these authors choosing to do this event,” McConnell said.
McConnell and Vogelgesang hope that the event featuring young adult authors here on our island becomes recurring, but that depends on finding local authors.
“Kona Stories is always looking for authors, but young adult authors are in short supply here on Hawaii Island,” said McConnell. “Luckily, these authors reached out to us because they were here on a writing retreat and we worked together to put this event together hoping to bring in new teen readers.”
The event is free and the book store has contacted all schools, libraries and teachers in an effort to get keiki to check out the event. Light refreshments will be served.
Info: www.konastories.com.