Guest Post

Guest Chick and Giveaway: Jennifer K. Morita

Happy Almost-Thanksgiving, Everyone–and do we Chicks have a pre-feast treat for you! Debut author Jennifer K. Morita is here to tell us about the inspiration behind her brand new mystery GHOSTS OF WAIKIKI. The book is already amassing rave reviews–and Jennifer is generously offering a #GIVEAWAY to one lucky commenter. Take it away, Jennifer!

Thank you, Lisa, for hosting me on Chicks on the Case. Writing this guest blog allowed me to share a little bit of my story with your readers and brought back so many happy memories!

The Hilton Hawaiian Village was my family’s first home in the Aloha State.

The beach resort on the edge of Waikīkī was the fanciest hotel we’d ever seen, let alone stayed at. And it was all thanks to my dad’s federal government job, which had the Moritas moving across the Pacific to the other side of the country from Baltimore to Honolulu in the early 1980s.

My sister, Noriko, and I lived like Eloise for more than a month.

She was four, and I was nine. For weeks our biggest concern was deciding where to spend the day swimming. The big pool was closer to the Tapa Tower, where we could hear Don Ho’s live concerts from our room. On the other hand, the one with the slide and waterfall was way more fun. We could chase tiny, silvery fish in the lagoon, or head to the beach with calm waves and water so blue I was convinced it was fake.

We discovered Maui onion flavored, kettle-style Hawaiian chips at the ABC store, along with Spam musubi and POG  — passionfruit, orange and guava juice.

In the evening, when my dad came home from work, we ventured down Ala Moana Boulevard to the largest open-air shopping center in the world, where we often dined at Patti’s Chinese Kitchen, a cafeteria-style local spin on chop suey. Think Panda Express — only better.

Our other fave was Shirokiya, a Japanese department store with a Sanrio section so big we could smell the Hello Kitty erasers long before the pink glitter was visible. Upstairs resembled a street market with vendors flipping takoyaki balls or taiyaki, fish-shaped pancakes filled with sweet adzuki beans.

We played it safe at first and stuck to bentos of yakisoba noodles, futomaki and teriyaki chicken. But the samples of tsukemono, or Japanese pickles, called to us, and Shirokiya became our go-to place for spicy mustard eggplant as well as giant Asian pears individually wrapped in styrofoam netting.

Our family eventually settled into a rental house in Hawaiʻi Kai at the end of The Bus No.1 route. I went to Kamiloʻiki Elementary, where I took hula lessons and went to  Japanese school at the nearby rec center. We rang in the New Year in our neighbor Auntie Iris’s garage, danced at the Mō‘ili‘ili Obon Odori and performed in holiday orchestra concerts all over O‘ahu. To this day, Leroy Anderson’s Sleigh Ride immediately transports me to Kahala Mall.

(Above: Me and my sister with friends at our first Obon Odori circa 1980s)

(Above: With my friends Shani and Roz in Hawaii circa 1992)

What was supposed to be a two-year stint in Hawaiʻi  stretched to nearly five. I would’ve been perfectly happy to stay forever. But my parents longed to be back with their families in California.

The handful of years we lived in Hawaiʻi shaped the rest of my life. It was where I learned to be proud of being Asian American — half Chinese, half Japanese, and those times dictated the stories I wanted to tell, how I would raise my girls, and the book I would eventually write.

***COMMENT QUESTION & GIVEAWAY DETAILS: Readers, do you have special childhood memories of places or people that have inspired you–or questions for Jennifer?

*******UPDATE: JENNIFER K. MORITA’S GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED AND WE HAVE A WINNER FOR THE SIGNED COPY OF Ghosts Of Waikiki, CHOSEN BY RANDOM GENERATOR! CONGRATULATIONS, katherineholom9332!!!! *****

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Former newspaper reporter Jennifer K. Morita believes a good story is like good mochi – slightly sweet with a nice chew.

Her debut mystery, GHOSTS OF  WAIKĪKĪ to be released by Crooked Lane Nov.19, is about an out-of-work journalist who reluctantly becomes the ghost writer for a controversial developer. When she stumbles into murder – and her ex – she discovers coming home to paradise can be murder.

Jennifer writes for a university in Northern California, where she lives with her husband and two daughters. When she isn’t pushing Girl Scout cookies, she enjoys reading, experimenting with recipes, leisurely hikes, Zumba and Hot Hula.

You can reach Jennifer at www.jenniferkmorita.com

In this atmospheric debut mystery, an out-of-work journalist and the homicide detective who broke her heart must cipher out a murder before the clock runs out, perfect for fans of Naomi Hirahara and Jane Pek.

After the newspaper she works for folds and the freelance assignments no longer pay the bills, Maya Wong reluctantly returns to her native Hawaiʻi to ghostwrite controversial land developer Parker Hamilton’s biography. But when the Hamilton patriarch is found dead under suspicious circumstances, Maya is unwittingly drawn into the investigation.

Maya’s family and friends aren’t happy about her work for Hamilton. And now, with her ex, Detective Koa Yamada, on the case, she’s forced to contend with the very person she was determined to avoid. 

All too soon, Maya is dodging assailants and digging for clues while juggling girls’ nights out with her old BFFs and weekly family dinners. Convinced the police are after the wrong man, Maya is determined to stop the killer before it’s too late. 

Exploring timely issues in Hawaiʻi, including locals getting priced out of paradise, Ghosts of Waikīkī is an engrossing mystery in the vein of The Verifiers. For more info and purchase links: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/759667/ghosts-of-waikiki-by-jennifer-k-morita/

47 thoughts on “Guest Chick and Giveaway: Jennifer K. Morita”

  4. Jennifer, I loved this so much (and the adorable pix, aw). I could feel the warm sunshine and memories all the way here in the Northeast. All those food details, too–I wasn’t familiar with many of them, so it was like a culinary vacay. Do you and your family return to Hawai’i often? (Sorry I couldn’t create the correct reverse apostrophe here!)

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    1. Aww… thanks so much, Lisa. Yes, we go back every couple years or so. I always like going home to O‘ahu, but sometimes we visit the Big Island instead, which is where Leslie Karst lives half the year. It’s our other favorite island. 🙂

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  5. Jennifer, I envy you! What a glorious time in your life. Since it’s the holiday season, I always revisit my fond memories of our trips into Manhattan from the ‘burbs to see the amazing department store windows. I remember watching people ice skate in Central Park from the second-floor windows of FAO Schwartz. Sometimes we even had brunch at the Palm Court in the Plaza Hotel or ice cream at Rumplemeyer’s in the St. Moritz.

    Even with the windows and Rumplemeyer’s gone, it’s hard to beat Christmas in NY. Although I have to say, NOLA does a great job of it too!

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    1. And that smell of chestnuts and pretzels from the vendor carts. Not a fan of chestnuts (I begged to try them and ugh!), but I’ll always remember that smell. (The dept store windows are still there, right? Just not the FAO Schwarz, RIP?) I always went to visit Eloise’s portrait at the Plaza, and visited her pink and black and white suite. Can’t remember whether it was on the tippety top floor, but it was amazing.

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    2. My family lived in New York for a few years, so I some good holiday memories of Christmas there, too! We saw the big tree at Rockefeller Center, and the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person. Christmas in NY is very special.

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      1. I loved those chestnuts! My nonna roasted her own. I can see her cracking them open and eating them now. And yes to the tree!

        I had an apartment two blocks up on Columbus from where they blew up the floats the night before Thanksgiving. We always went to see that and I always slept through the parade itself. In the beginning, it was just us locals watching but now it’s insanity and draws a bazillion people. We always coveted the jumpsuits the workers wore because they said “Macy’s Inflation Crew” on the back.

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  6. As a kid, when we first visited Hawai’i, I found it quite lovely. Plus, we probably ate our weight in pineapple! I still have a souvenir conch shell from that time.

    As for my own memories, I really enjoyed going to Yosemite for its amazing nature. That, and taking vacations to the beach…which is probably why I live in SoCal now.

    And huge congrats on your debut!!

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  7. Your book sounds wonderful! Two of the best books I read this year were the Best Debut Lefty & Agatha winners, I’m always amazed by debut novels that read like the author has been publishing books for years!

    When I was born my parents had recently moved into a new development, there were no fences or hedges so there was an enormous shared backyard where all of the neighborhood kids would play. Summers meant kickball, softball, interminable. Monopoly games and visiting the community pool – I remember it as an idyllic time. I’m in my 70’s now and still close with some of those childhood friends.

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  8. I love this story of your early life SO much, Jennifer! (And you know that hotel was the location of Left Coast Crime about five years back–boy did we all have fun!)

    Some of my most special memories of childhood are from the year we lived in South America when I was six. And I’m sure the reason I later became such a language buff (starting with Spanish, not surprisingly) was because of spending that time in different countries where they didn’t speak English at such an early age.

    I’m so happy to have you visit the Chicks today, and I’m absolutely loving GHOSTS OF WAIKĪKĪ!

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  9. Hi Jennifer! Nice to “meet” you here! Congratulations on your debut! You’re a new author to me, and thank you for the opportunity to know you and your book!

    I’m from Southeast Asia, and the weather there is tropical, just like Hawaii, so the weather, the food, the fruits and some cultures are similar. When I was a kid (in late 1970s), I used to watch Hawaii 5-0 with my father, and we both loved it, especially the opening scene. I said to myself, I will visit Hawaii one day.. Fast forward to 2022, hubby and I decided to have vacation at Oahu, and that’s when my dream came true.. and my father was watching us from the above..

    My father also inspired me to read as a kid. He was a teacher, and one day he brought back some school magazines, and I buried myself in them, reading some interesting articles. Hence, I fell in love with reading, especially mystery genre. Today I am a huge fan of suspense mystery!

    Thank you and have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone!

    Emily Cheang at cwkuen(at)yahoo(dot)com

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    1. Great to meet you, Emily! Thank you so much for sharing the lovely memory of you and your dad watching Hawaii 5-0. Did you watch the new reboot? I didn’t care for it and quit watching when Daniel Dae Kim left the show.

      My mom influenced my early reading and book tastes, too. She is also a big mystery fan.

      Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

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  10. GI grew up in a neighborhood where we were the only Asian family. Visiting my friend in Hawaii was a wonderful experience of not being treated like an outsider.

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  11. It is nice to meet you here Jennifer. Your book sounds very interesting. You have already brought up memories of my parents, who so loved staying at the

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  12. OOPS! Sorry for the cut off response. My parents so enjoyed staying at the Hilton Hawaiian Village when they visited Hawaii. I would love to visit there but am unlikely to ever make it. I see that one of your activities is Hot Hula. I am guessing that is along the lines of hot yoga. But when I read it, for some reason, my brain read it as hot hula hoop. Thanks for the unintentional giggle you provided with me imagining a class of sweating hula hoopers. I am on my phone instead of the computer so I will just say this is Sue Leis. I don’t have a clue where the name in the previous post came from!

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    1. Hi, nice to meet you here! I hope you get to go with your parents one day because I’m sure you’ll have a wonderful time.

      Hot Hula is an exercise form of hula dancing, rather than a cultural activity. I have friends who participate in halau, or hula schools/studios, and they make gorgeous costumes and perform as well as compete. But I don’t have the time or talent to do that, so I go to Hot Hula classes and get some exercise. It’s really fun!

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  13. My father started as an usher at Interstate Theatres in 1923 and worked his way up to District Manager of four theatres in Harlingen, Texas after WWII. Every year, he gave us movie birthday parties. They always had a theme; he designed the invitation and always got a movie that was not going to be released for three months. Everyone that I knew was invited and could not wait to come to the Saturday birthday party where they got popcorn, candy, drinks, and a free movie way before they were released. I had “Pinocchio” in its later release, the Disney movie “Perry” about a squirrel, Elvis Presley’s “G.I. Blues,” and many more. It was the best childhood ever. My father was special and so smart. His mother was going to send him to Columbia in NY, but she kept telling him that she needed him home to help with her Gilbert House Boarding House and dining room. When he decided to marry my mother, his mother said, “I will send you to Columbia and pay for it, if you do not get married,” Well, that ship had sailed and here I am.

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    1. Those sound like amazing birthday parties! It’s fun to go out with friends and see a movie, but a special screening of a movie no one else has seen yet is something else entirely. Thank you for sharing such a fun and sweet memory!

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  14. By the way, despite not going to college, he was the smartest man that I ever knew. I am glad that he was my father. There are more memories, but those are for another day. I was a lucky girl growing up with him as a father.

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  15. Thank you for sharing your memories. I also have fond memories of growing up in NYC. There was always so much to see and do. I remember school trips to places like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building. I also remember fun family activities my mom would involve us all in.

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  17. I’m half-Japanese, half-Caucasian, born in Japan. We spent many years in Hawai’i; my USAF father was stationed there several times during my youth. It’s still one of my favorite places. When we moved back in 1969, I learned from the local teens that I’m hapa (mixed race) – that helped me so much mentally and emotionally. I loved reading your memories of Hawai’i, and am now looking forward to your book!

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    1. Thank you for sharing your story! I hope you enjoy GHOSTS OF WAIKĪKĪ. My daughters are hapa as well, and I put a lot of effort into making sure they know where they come from so they can experience a little bit of what I did living in Hawaiʻi.

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  18. In a way President Kennedy influenced my life. I was in high school when he made his speech announcing his formation of the Peace Corps. It inspired me to join and serve. I never lost that focus or goal. I left for my Peace Corps training about 4 weeks after my graduation from college. It was a wonderful 3 years of my life.

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  19. Hello and Happy Holidays! You are a new author to me. I love Hawaii as a setting. Hawaii was the first place I went (first time on a plane) after graduating from college!

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  20. What a great experience! Ghosts of Waikiki sounds fantastic. I’m always interested in research and writing process. What research did you do for this novel, and was there anything interesting that you weren’t able to get into the book? Also, did you know the ending before you began writing or did you learn it as you wrote? Thanks, and congrats on your debut!

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  21. A lot of my research involved confirming what I remembered from living in Hawaiʻi as a kid. It had been many years since we moved away, and my memories are from a teenager’s perspective. Some of it was using Google maps to make sure I got the roads right since I left before I’d learned to drive. I started reading the local newspaper online and following a lot of local businesses on Instagram, too. There were a few things I ended up cutting from the book, like the history of Pali Lookout, but it may end up in another book. I save everything, because you never know when you can use it again!

    I’m a plotter, so I planned each chapter before I started writing. The ending came to me about halfway through plotting. Fun fact: I tossed about two-thirds of my original manuscript, rewrote the beginning many times. But the one thing that never changed was the ending.

    Thanks for the GREAT questions!

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