Pu’ukani’s Song is a short story about a whale. Yes indeed, and he’s quite an amazing and fantastic person. I hope you’ll enjoy reading about him at least as much as I enjoyed writing him.
Description:
Pu’ukani is a singer and magic weaver.
He also happens to be a whale.
Follow Pu’ukani on his journey with the love of his life and her daughters, to their summer calving grounds. Encounters with humans and killer whales change his entire life, and the life of the clan led by his beloved. Through drama, loss and daring exploration, this whale finds himself at a cultural crossroads and in a position that breaks all rules. Will he be able to fulfill his duty to his true love?
Listen to his Song.
Hannah’s Thoughts about Writing “Pu’ukani’s Song”
This story was originally written for an anthology that never took off. The main topic was “Winter”, and I thought about the themes that winter stands for: Darkness, loss, and eventually, new beginnings.
Which is what you’ll get in this story.
One really interesting part was to imagine how a whale feels like. What is it like to swim in the oceans? To have to consciously breathe every few minutes? How does sound travel, and how do things that we humans take for granted look like for a whale?
Another thing is that whales breathe consciously. That is, they have actively decide to take a breath. Which makes a lot of sense, considering that taking a breath underwater would kill them immediately. This is why you will see the word BREATHE appear in the story many times, since Pu’ukani decides to take a breath at that moment.
In order to get a feel of the story and of those whales, I often spent time just sitting in my armchair and traveling underwater in my mind, getting a sense of what it means to be a whale. I tried to feel that floating sense I know from snorkeling on the coast of Santa Catalina, as well as hearing all the sounds underneath the waves. That was great fun and quite an experience, really. I suggest you try it out, just for giggles.
And here’s another little bit that I love about the story: All of the names are Hawaiian words. I made that choice because whale are abundant around Hawaii, and I wanted to have a consistent way of naming my characters.
What people say:
“I was thoroughly enchanted by this marvelous book, my heart moving and swelling with Pu’ukani throughout. It made me think, it made me feel…everything a good story should do. […]”
Susan M. Kelly (amazon.com)
“[Hannah Steenbock] makes the reader feel like a part of the group of whales, heart filling, heart rending, heart thrilling moments are truly felt, because you are there!! You want to leap out of the water with joy, weep at the losses, and rejoice in the good things throughout the story.”
BWilder (amazon.com)
“I found the story immensely touching. It evoked a lot of feelings within me while I was reading. The author’s skill makes the book a winner all the way.”
Mamta Madhavan (Reader’s Favorite)
I want to read it!
Find the ebook and print version on Amazon. I will put it up in other stores eventually – if you really want it, let me know!
Please consider leaving a review on Amazon or Goodreads for it. And please let me know if you write about my wonderful whale on your blog.
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