My first book is finally here!! 😀 You know I’ve been working for a while on my debut novel, and now it’s time to share all the details with you! I’ve somehow managed to not say too much in my newsletters or social media, but I am THRILLED to share all. This post will cover the basics (title, cover, genre, etc) and a follow up post will cover the details on how you can buy and preorder this book! There might be a bit of girly giddiness throughout this post because, after all, this is my debut novel! You’re totally welcome to cheer with me! 😉

Let’s get started! 

The Title of My First Book 🌸

First things first, the title of my book: 

Aloha State of Mind

Isn’t it wonderful? I always knew it had to have the word “Aloha” or “Hawaii” in the title, but over time this title stuck with me. It encompasses everything that this book is about. It’s also easy to remember and establishes, right off the bat, the genre.

Simply put, Aloha State of Mind, as a title is elegant, pretty, and Hawaiian and I absolutely adore it! 💕

The Genre

Aloha State of Mind is all about learning to create paradise where you are. Here are a little more details on the genre: 

• It’s definitely a Self Help book 
• But also multicultural and inspirational
• The book contains Christian themes 
• It has lots of visuals of Hawaii, so if you love Hawaii, prepare to be dazzled and filled with nostalgia 
• The book also contains some of my own personal stories to illustrate the point (but not enough to call it a memoir)

So if you love: 

• HAWAII ✨
• beaches 🏖
• dolphins 🐬
• flowers 🌸
• self improvement 👑
• Hawaiian culture 🌺
• nature 🌴
• more HAWAII 🌿
• hula
• leis
• turtles 
• stars 🌟
• waves 🌊
• owls 🦉
• more FLOWERS 🌼🌷🌺🌻🌸
• ocean
• food 🍧🍩🍚
• good vibes ✨
• God 🙏🏽
• learning to heal and be happy where you are…

THEN YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK! 

The Actual Blurb

With that said, here is the actual blurb, you know, the thing that will go on the back cover, book description, all that! 🙂

People all over the world travel to the Hawaiian islands to feel a sense of peace and happiness. The warm sun, white sand beaches, and crystal blue waters give us a sense of place that we rarely experience in our busy lives. But what if there is a way to feel the love and healing of Hawaii every day, even if we aren’t in the beautiful islands? What if we could bring aloha home? 

With the Aloha State of Mind, Hawaii is never far. Using examples from the Hawaiian language, culture, history, and ecosystem, as well as personal stories, Leialoha brings 24 Hawaiian values to life. These values teach us how to: 

-Bring aloha home

-Endure challenges with grace

-Develop inner peace 

-Increase self confidence and compassion

-Heal, strengthen, and create meaningful relationships 

-Increase trust and faith in God 

-Have hope through any circumstance

-And more! 

We don’t have to wait impatiently for our next vacation to Hawaii. Our hope, happiness, and healing is available to us right now. When we live the Aloha State of Mind, we create paradise right where we are. 

Time for THE COVER 

This is what I’ve been dying to share. When I came up with the title, I immediately started visualizing the cover. It needed to have elements of Hawaii: a beach, palm trees, ferns, and, of course, flowers. Lots of flowers. Hawaiian flowers! 🌼🌷🌺🌻🌸 If I don’t publish any books after this (I sure hope I do though), then at least this book is my “lei of love,” my gift to the world. 

So, I present, the cover of Aloha State of Mind… 

Ahhh I can’t even! 😭😍😱 It turned out super beautiful, bold, bright, and gives off all the good vibes! ✨ Can’t stop using emojis because revealing all of this makes my heart want to explode! 😍💕💙💕💙💕💙

What do you think? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

Who designed it? Me, of course! 😉

When does the book come out? 

September 20, 2021

That’s right! It’ll come out in a little over a month (you’re welcome for not making this the longest book launch/pre hype ever). 😂

I am so honored to send this book into the world. In just a little over a month, YOU will hold an actual copy in your hands! 

The book WILL be available for preorder, so I will send you the details on that next week!

Does this mean you are self publishing?

Absolutely! I made my very own publishing house, Hōkūlani Press, and am loving every bit of this process so far (even the hard, technical, behind-the-scenes stuff). Self publishing, or indie publishing, as it is sometimes called, has its pros and cons, but mostly pros for me.

I won’t get into too much detail but what I really love about self publishing is the control: I get to decide when to launch my book, where to sell it, what the cover looks like, how I want to market it, and so much more. I also get to choose my editor (she’s amazing!) and have the freedom of creativity with my launch. I’m planning on making the book launch a blast, an online pā’ina (party) with lots of fun swag and giveaways! It’ll be a book launch, Hawaiian style (that’s not really a thing but I made it up cause I can)! 😃

5% of every book sales goes to charity 

I’ve always wanted my books to make a difference, not only for me and my readers, but for others in the world. 5% of each book sale will go to charity. This year I am donating to two different charities: O.U.R. and charity water. I’ve been moved by the cause of O.U.R. because every person deserves dignity, protection, and a chance to live a normal life. charity water improves lives in small communities, providing a basic necessity of life.

When more books come out, I will continue to choose other charitable organizations that I care about and continue to donate to different organizations throughout the year. In the future I hope to also offer grants to aspiring writers, entrepreneurs, and creatives, as well as scholarships for students as my way of giving back. I am always open to suggestions on charitable organizations that you love and would like to support, so please feel free to email or DM me your ideas! 💙

Can I read your book before September 20th?

If you can’t wait until September 20, there is a way for you to read Aloha State of Mind before it comes out! Enter ARC — Advanced Reader Copies.

What is an Advanced Reader Copy? Publishers and authors give a free copy of their book (an ARC copy) to a reader in exchange for an honest review. This is incredibly helpful for indie authors, like me, as we rely on reader reviews to boost our rankings and sales.

What do I expect from ARC readers?

In exchange for a free downloadable copy of my book, I would love for you to post an honest review on Goodreads before September 10, 2021. An honest review is not a synopsis of the book, but rather what you loved and didn’t love.

I would also love a review on Amazon but reviews posted before the book launch date is bad. 🙁 So what I would appreciate, instead, is if you post a review on launch day, September 20, or within the first week of the launch!

I want to receive an ARC book!

If this sounds like your thing and you want to receive an ARC book, I’d really appreciate your help. Please fill out this form:

ARC Request Form

If you are selected, I will send you all the information, including links to the book on Goodreads and Amazon, the free ebook, and a reminder to leave a review on launch day!

All of my ARC readers who leave a review on Goodreads by September 10, and Amazon on September 20 will be entered into a giveaway to win a signed copy of my book with a bunch of sweet swag (next week I’ll share more details about the extra goodies!)! You will be notified via email if you won and I will post on here as well! MAHALO MAHALO MAHALO you are the best!!! 💙🌺✨

The Book Blog Tour

Alright, if you got this far you are a gem! This little section pertains to bloggers, social media influencers, and even YouTubers who want to feature my book on their platforms. So feel free to skip this section if you want, no hard feelings! 🙂

Technically this is not a “blog tour” cause it includes more than just bloggers! But what happens here is I’ll send you a free copy of my book (ebook or paperback) in exchange for a feature on your social media, blog, youtube channel, or whatever your platform. You have the liberty of keeping the book, hosting a giveaway, interviewing the author (me), or whatever creative post you’d like to do to feature Aloha State of Mind. As an indie author, I’ll need as much help as I can to spread the word about this book so I appreciate any creative feature you can think of!

If you would like to be a part of the tour, please fill out this survey:

Book Blog Tour Application

If you are selected, I will email you and we’ll discuss all the details! Mahalo nui loa for your willingness to help. I truly appreciate it! 💙

Can I apply for the book blog tour if I already applied for an ARC book?

Absolutely! Go ahead and fill out both forms if you’d like to be an ARC reader as well as feature the book on your platform. MAHALO! 🙂

Where to buy my first book

The book will be available, in both ebook and paperback format, on Amazon, Kindle, Apple Books, Barnes and Noble, Nook, and pretty much anywhere you would buy paperback or ebooks. I will send more information with all the links, where to pre-order, and all that jazz next week! So if you’re not on my newsletter list, better get on! 😉

What’s next?

With all of the exciting news finally out, here’s what will happen next, and where you can help!

• mark September 20 on your calendar!
• sign up for my newsletter (if you’re not already signed up)
• share this post, the front cover, or spread the news in whatever way you desire–yes, I just gave you permission to share this gorgeous cover! 😉
• follow me on social media (instagram and/or pinterest)
• go get something delicious to eat and celebrate!
• fill out the ARC Request form if you’d like to read the book ahead of time in exchange for an honest review
• fill out the Blog Tour form if you’d like to feature my book on your blog or platform
• get ready for more reveals next week (where to order, pre-order, where to get signed copies, the swag, etc)
• cheer, celebrate, and spread the aloha!

Thank you so SO much for being here and supporting me on this journey. I simply can’t wait to get this book into your hands! I truly believe that the values in this book can help you create paradise where you are, and with the Aloha State of Mind, Hawaii is never far. ✨

🌺 Sending love, hugs, high fives, and good vibes. MAHALO nui loa again!

💙 Leialoha

Are you excited?

Are you feeling nostalgic, giddy, and/or excited? Or maybe you’re amused by the amount of explanation points and emojis I used in one post. 😂 Let me know your thoughts in the comments! Or if you have any questions, feel free to drop them below!

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