Ask the Author: Sara Ackerman
Answered Questions (18)
Sara Ackerman
Hi Susan, I'm so happy to hear this!! I have a contemporary novel, The Maui Effect, coming out in November. It's an adventure/love story. Also my next historical releases summer of 2025 and it's set in Waikiki in 1905 & 2005 and is centered around a real historical mystery. Thank you for asking:)
Sara Ackerman
Wow, I'm so honored to hear this!! I wish I had more suggestions for you, but most WWII books I've read are not set in the US. I loved The Flight Girls, and found The Code Girls to be fascinating, though it's not purely WWII. My favorite non-fiction though, is Joe Rochefort's War, about Pearl Harbor and Station Hypo. Thank you for reading my books, and for reaching out:)
Sara Ackerman
Hi Tina, thank you, I'm so happy to hear it! Interesting question...no, I did not know what Duke was up to during wartime. So, I just looked it up and came upon this article. Sounds like they were still out there. Would be fascinating to learn more! I'll bet your dad sure had some stories, what a life...
https://www.ilind.net/2009/08/26/wedn...
Aloha, Sara
https://www.ilind.net/2009/08/26/wedn...
Aloha, Sara
Sara Ackerman
Hi Susan, what an honor to hear this:) Thank you for letting me know. My next project is a dual timeline novel about a pilot's daring race across the Pacific in the golden age of aviation–and the woman who uncovers her buried history sixty years later and fights to set the record straight. Her Most Perilous Flight (the title will change) was inspired by the infamous Dole Air Derby, an incredible story of courage and heartbreak. I am about to start on edits and the book should release early next year. I can't wait!
Sara Ackerman
Thank you! Yes, I did see it, and was thrilled to be included:)
Sara Ackerman
Hi Eric, howzit yourself, I'm good! I loved your fun review:) Thank you for reading Radar Girls and taking the time to write something so thoughtful, and even quote the book. My day is made. It's always nice when fellow Hawaii people enjoy my books. Aloha!
Sara Ackerman
Hi Ginger, yes Warren was a cousin of my father! Lots of Ackermans in the islands:)
Sara Ackerman
There has never been a time where I suddenly felt like I was a writer. Even after publishing several books! It always felt strange to tell people "I'm an author." It still feels weird to me, like I'm not quite there yet. But I think maybe when The Lieutenant's Nurse hit the USA Today bestseller list, and I got to put that on the cover of Red Sky Over Hawaii, it felt more real. Hope that answers your question!
Sara Ackerman
Wonderful! I love going to the bookstore at Pearl Harbor, Kona Historical Society, Bishop Museum, or the University of Hawaii Library. Other than that, you could check state archives? Kauai is such a wonderful island, enjoy🌺
Sara Ackerman
I was very intrigued about the signals picked up on the Lurline on their way over to Honolulu just before the attack, and what happened to the Captain's log after it was delivered to the military. It got me looking into the pre-knowledge theory and how much was known. I think the Ni'ihau incident was also very important in helping to spread the fear against Japanese living in the islands. Also, so many people from the mainland did not understand the local culture and how embedded the Japanese were here. Hope that answers your question!
Sara Ackerman
Aloha, sorry, I just saw this! I guess not, since Iʻm not sure which singer or character you are referring to? (Iʻm ashamed to say) I randomly come up with names, sometimes by looking in old school yearbooks and usually combine a first from one person with a last from another. Also, for Clark, it is my boyfriendʻs last name, and I felt like he deserved a character named after him:) Thank you for reading and reaching out.
Aloha,
Sara
Aloha,
Sara
Sara Ackerman
Hi Caroline, WOW! Thank you so much. This makes me so happy to hear. I hope so, but it looks like they are on to semi finals and it's not on there. Boohoo! Anyway, I'm thrilled to have your vote. It means the world to me. Aloha,
Sara
Sara
Sara Ackerman
Keep on writing. I am pretty strict about sticking to my daily word count of 750. But I do slip up now and then when life gets in the way, so I aim for at least 5,000 words a week. I don't get writers block per se, but I do have some days were things come very slowly and seem awful. I just keep writing!
Sara Ackerman
I am living my dream, and that makes me happy. It is not easy, but it is extremely fulfilling. Ask me in a few years after my books are out in the wild:)
Sara Ackerman
My motto was and is Patience & Perseverance. If you want to write, you have to be very disciplined and guard your writing time. I am also a big believer in Writers Conferences. I had such great teachers at Santa Barbara, Mokuleia, and Kauai, and really learned so much and met so many amazing aspiring writers. Also, you don't need a ton of time, just an hour a day is enough. But you do need mental space. I find long walks, swims, paddles or drives help to clear my head and give my mind time to wander and sort out story stuff.
Sara Ackerman
Another WWII story set on Hawaii Island. The story mostly takes place at Kilauea Volcano, and is about an unusual cast of characters thrust together by circumstance, who must navigate living in a remote rainforest hideaway while the world falls apart around them. Kilauea Military Camp was home to the main Japanese detainment site during the war.
Sara Ackerman
I love how stories take shape in my mind first as a bunch of loose ideas, and then once I start writing the book will take on a life of its own. I always write about something I am passionate about, so it is impossible not to be inspired. Hawaii is also a great place for writers. So much beauty and rich history and so many untold stories waiting to be written.
Sara Ackerman
My grandfather was the principal and my grandmother was a teacher in Honoka'a, Hawaii during the war. It seemed like all the fantastic stories my grandmother told were about the war and all the soldiers they befriended, as well as all the people of Hawaii and how the war affected them. I was always so intrigued by the fact that the soldiers had a lion with them, too. These stories stayed with me, and after I had written a few novels, I decided it was time to write one around Camp Tarawa and Roscoe the lion, and Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers was born.
For The Lieutenant's Nurse, it was another story from my grandmother of her trip to Hawaii in the 1930s aboard the Matson Steamship Lurline. She and my grandfather had only recently met when he sent her a ticket to come visit him in Hawaii. She lived in Minnesota at the time and on the crossing to Honolulu, she met another man, who she fell for. But when the Lurline arrived, my grandfather was waiting on the dock and proposed. She said yes, but she never forgot about that man. We always wondered what if?
For The Lieutenant's Nurse, it was another story from my grandmother of her trip to Hawaii in the 1930s aboard the Matson Steamship Lurline. She and my grandfather had only recently met when he sent her a ticket to come visit him in Hawaii. She lived in Minnesota at the time and on the crossing to Honolulu, she met another man, who she fell for. But when the Lurline arrived, my grandfather was waiting on the dock and proposed. She said yes, but she never forgot about that man. We always wondered what if?
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