KALAHEO — After eight years, Mark Daniel Seiler saw his 388-page story go from handwritten sheets of paper to a published novel. “I wrote it all with a pencil, and I had stacks of paper everywhere, and I had to
KALAHEO — After eight years, Mark Daniel Seiler saw his 388-page story go from handwritten sheets of paper to a published novel.
“I wrote it all with a pencil, and I had stacks of paper everywhere, and I had to divide into chapters,” he said.
“Sighing Woman Tea” takes place on the fictional island of Virdis, also known as the Green Island. The novel chronicles the struggles of the people as they try to protect their most important commodity, tea, which is getting attention of outside forces.
The title reflects the lengths islanders went to protect their tea, Seiler said.
“The tea from the Green Island is so good that the market becomes flooded with counterfeit Green Island Tea,” he said. “But the islanders come up with a clever solution; they sell their tea in hand-carved tea chests. When you break the seal, and open the lid, you hear a woman’s sigh, so you know it’s the real thing.”
Seiler self-published the novel because it gave him more creative control in the publishing process, he said.
“I didn’t want people to change it,” he said.
After getting published by Xlibris in 2015, Seiler sent the novel to reviewers like Foreword Reviews, the San Francisco Book Review, Manhattan Book Review and Blue Ink Review. “Sighing Woman Tea” received one great review after the next, with reviewers saying it was full of entertaining characters, plot twists and strong dialogue.
Despite the praise, there was one review company Seiler had his eyes on.
Kirkus Reviews, which reads 7,000 books a year, has a reputation for being candid about their critiques, Seiler said.
“Everyone kind of sweats bullets,” he said.
But Seiler didn’t have to worry; his book came back with the Kirkus star of approval and a little confusion.
“I looked it up, and there was one star, and I was said, ‘only one star, bummer,’” he said.
But Seiler quickly learned the one star Kirkus reviewers put on their reviews means it’s a book of exceptional merit.
“Sighing Woman Tea” was further recognized by Kirkus Reviews in a list of the Best Indie Books of 2015.
“When you write a book, and you go around telling people that it’s a great book, it’s kind of embarrassing,” he said. “Now I can say some of the top people in the publishing industry think it’s great.”
Seiler moved to Kalaheo with his wife in 2004 from Idaho. A carpenter by trade, Seiler said writing is a way for him to get away from everyday life.
“I’m not an English major, so I guess the good news is if you want to write a book, you can,” he said.
When he’s not writing, Seiler enjoys playing the violin, building wooden canoes and volunteering at the Lawai International Center.
Seiler said he drew inspiration from Kauai, and the fictional island, Virdis, is a lot like the island he has called home for 12 years.
“There’s uncles and aunties running around,” he said. “People have read it have said, ‘Oh yeah it’s like Kauai.’”
He also said the plot of an island being taken over by another civilization has ties with the Hawaiian history.
“When it comes down to it, these things repeat — islands get taken over by greater forces,” he said.
Seiler has already finished a second novel, “Tall Tree Tales,” and is looking for a publisher.
The best part of being a writer is meeting the people who read what he wrote, Seiler said.
“My favorite part of writing is visiting with readers who have brought the story to life in ways I’ve never imagined,” he said. “People paint their own picture of it, and that’s the best part of the whole thing, seeing how other people see it.”
