A Telling of Ancestors
A long-kept secret reveals Emma Prince is not who she believed. The revelation draws her to the north shore of Kaua‘i in search of Aikue Prince, an elusive Hawaiian artist—and the father she believed was dead.
The quest for the truth about why he abandoned his family twenty-five years earlier begins with an address on a telegram and an omen (hō‘ailona) in the form of a plumeria lei—the dead man flower—with a cryptic message, ‘The reconciliation you seek is connected to the dead’.
The Chronicle~Express
Penn Yan author releases new book,
A Telling of Ancestors
Emma Prince Kauai Mysteries were inspired by chance after she picked up a book on local history while waiting in line for coffee in Hanalei and at that moment, plans to write a book about gardening changed to fiction. Extended time spent on Kauai since, a passion for history and mysteries with a twist of magical realism, have resulted in a modern-day mystery deeply intertwined with the history and legendary mythic past of Kauai.
They say write what you know. So, when Balyszak set out to write Emma Prince Kauai Mysteries, she decided to do just that — except in her case it involved a sharp learning curve on Hawaiian history, culture, language, and mythology.
She amassed an ever-growing historical library, visited the Kauai Historical Society and Kauai Museum, utilized the extensive historical resources at the Prince-ville Public Library, conducted internet research, spoke to historians, read The Garden Island daily, including many of the newspaper’s archived articles, and explored the island’s wahi pana, ‘storied places.’
Marion Balyszak
A former non-profit administrator, with a dual degree in history and anthropology, and a minor in museum studies, Marion Balyszak decided to pursue a new chapter after years of writing grants, research reports, long range plans, and outreach materials.
Emma Prince Kaua‘i Mysteries were inspired by extended time spent on Kaua‘i since 2010, a passion for history—and mysteries with a twist of magical realism. A Telling of Ancestors and Waking the Sleeping Giant are the first two books in the series, and she is currently completing a third book, Beneath Still Waters, to be released in 2021.
Marion and her husband Jim are the parents of two grown children, and divide their time between the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York and Princeville, Hawai‘i.
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