Naupaka Blooming: A Reincarnation Romance Based on the Myth of the Naupaka Flower by
![Naupaka Blooming: A Reincarnation Romance Based on the Myth of the Naupaka Flower by [Eck, J.L.]](https://i0.wp.com/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51-6VmmTZNL.jpg?resize=193%2C309&ssl=1)
An ancient Hawaiian myth begins after the tragic ending of two unlikely lovers. Centuries later, Liz moves to the land of her ancestors and finds herself caught up in the myth. Will she be able to break the curse and finally find the love she has always dreamed of? Or will she meet the same demise as the ancient lovers?
After an auspicious encounter with a sea turtle, her family guardian spirit animal, young princess Leilani unexpectedly falls in love with someone she is forbidden from – Kanoa, a commoner. But when the young lovers seek the blessing of the gods, their relationship ends in tragedy. Ever after, the symbol of their love, the naupaka flower, mourns Leilani and Kanoa by growing with only half its petals.
Centuries later, Liz finds herself navigating a new life in Hawaii, the land of her ancestors. Between job-hunting and romantic pursuits, she learns about Buddhism, reincarnation and the myth of the naupaka flower and its tragic love story. She has a sense of deja vu. After a strange encounter with a sea turtle she learns that the sea turtle is her ancestors’ guardian spirit animal. And then she finds herself intensely drawn to a local man she’s never met before. Or has she? When she starts having vivid dreams about him in what seems to be a prior life, she wonders. Has destiny brought her back to Hawaii? But dark forces gather against Liz now, much as they gathered against Leilani so long ago. Will Liz finally find the love she’s always wanted, or will she — like Leilani before her — be caught up in a tragedy as old as the naupaka story itself?
Naupaka Blooming is a contemporary coming-of-age love story set on the beautiful island of Oahu. If you like tropical settings, cultural exploration, a little romance mixed with a little fantasy and compelling stories linking the past and present, then you’ll love this exotic novel from J.L. Eck.
About the author, J. L. Eck:
Jaimie has always been a bit of an artistic, creative, romantic nomad. She loved drawing with pencil, taking pictures of the world around her and reading romance novels growing up. Her parents moved around a few times – Jaimie has lived in Utah, California, Washington, Arizona, Michigan, Hawaii and Oregon. She also traveled around Europe quite a bit.
Instead of following her dream to be a writer and taking action on her many story ideas she took a different path in college, earning an MBA and then working in management in the business world. When she moved to Hawaii in 2006 she was transformed by the magic of the islands. She opened up and blossomed. No longer afraid of what might happen if she followed her dreams of writing, she finally decided to just go for it. She spent the last ten years researching, writing, editing and learning the tricks of the trade. Jaimie has always had an open, inquisitive mind and she likes to explore far out ideas like reincarnation and time travel in her writing.
Jaimie met her soul mate in Hawaii and they had the dream Hawaiian beach wedding with an amazing Hawaiian Kahuna (priest). They now live in Portland Oregon with their three year old daughter and two dogs. Jaimie is currently working on her next novel – a paranormal romantic thriller series. She loves reading as much as she loves writing.
Kelvin C. Bias (born in Glendora, California) has written for the Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News, The Washington Post and Sports Illustrated, where he has been a reporter since 1995. A journalist for over 20 years, he has traveled the world, and is on a mission to visit all 50 states (40 and counting). He graduated from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Dept. of Dramatic Writing, with an M.F.A. in Screenwriting in 2000 and received his B.A. in political science from the University of Arizona in 1995. His independent short films and feature film Noctambulous (2011) have screened at festivals worldwide. You can watch his short films on his Vimeo channel: 
As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL he led a team of computer scientists and engineers in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of eight books. (Website www.hpeteralesso.com)
As a scientist and author specializing in technology innovation, H. Peter Alesso has over twenty years research experience at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). As Engineering Group Leader at LLNL Alesso led a team of computer scientists, engineers, and physicists in innovative applications across a wide range of supercomputers, workstations, and networks. He graduated from the United States Naval Academy with a B.S. and served in the U.S. Navy on nuclear submarines before completing an M.S. and an advanced Engineering Degree at M.I.T. He has published several software titles and numerous scientific journal and conference articles, and he is the author/co-author of nine books.