About 10 years ago, Bill Fernandez said, “I feel like writing a book.”
That book, “Splintered Paddle, a Novel of Kamehameha the Great,” is finally finished.
Now, that might sound like a long time to complete a book — until you learn that in between the start and finish of Splintered Paddle, he was a little busy — like writing eight other books and remaining involved in the island he loves.
Authors rewrite and rewrite, and Fernandez said that as he worked on the new book, things came up and his attention turned to memoirs, mysteries, action, romance – all related to Hawaii’s culture, traditions and history.
But Splintered Paddle was always in the back of his mind. And with the current turmoil across the country, the political discourse dominating headlines, it was the right time to wrap up the writing, give it final edits, and publish it.
The Kapaa man said his latest book “is a story of democracy, striving for democracy, in an otherwise very hostile world, hostile to the idea that people had rights.”
“This is a good time to get something like this out,” said Fernandez, who grew up on Kauai and graduated from Kamehameha Schools.
Here’s a description of the story:
“Splintered Paddle, a novel of Kamehameha the Great,” features his wars of unification of the islands in the late 18th century. The hero, Kalani, must succeed in Kamehameha’s warrior school in order to save his family from slavery even though he cannot trace his genealogy back to the gods. He faces many tests including a wild boar and bullying. When he witnesses human sacrifices to Ku, he vows to end both slavery and sacrifice if he is successful. Kamehameha places Kalani in charge of the Western muskets from the sailing ships and learns about the American Revolution war strategy. He discovers both men and women can be treacherous.”
Fernandez said the American Revolution, and the French Revolution, were about the rights of man and the thought that perhaps kings should not be all-powerful — that people should have the chance to live in freedom.
It wasn’t that way under Kamehameha the Great, at least not in the early years of his rule. He was a hard man who sacrificed many people.
“When people read this they’re going to get a little bit of a different slant on the man. He did some stuff that was not all that correct,” Fernandez said.
And yet, it was Kamehameha who later became charitable, peaceful, and decreed, “The Law of the Splintered Paddle,” which says, “Let every elderly person, woman and child lie by the roadside in safety.”
“This changed attitudes from Ku’s brutality and awakened the old Hawaiian belief in the peaceful god Lono at a time when the world was starting to move from brutality toward the weak and powerless toward equality and fairness.”
The law is in the Hawaii state constitution and is the basis for the social programs of the state.
“It’s why Hawaii developed so many good social programs, well ahead of most of America,” said Judie Fernandez, his wife, a retired attorney who edits her husband’s books, contributes artwork and handles marketing, as well.
It was a unique law, too, Bill added because in those times human life was considered worthless and “the powerful could kill as they will, hurt as they will or take what they wanted.”
And they did.
“So now there is a restriction on the unrestrained power of the chief. That is in essence what the story is all about,” Fernandez said.
“Here we have in Hawaii a powerful man who at the same time is coming up with a very democratic law. In essence, that’s why I finally decided I wanted to finish the book, especially in the times that we find ourselves,” he said.
Fernandez mixes history and fiction in his stories, but he does extensive research on the historical accounts he cites.
His three memoirs are “Rainbows Over Kapaa,” “Kauai Kids in Peace and War,” and “Hawaii in War and Peace.”
His novels include “John Tana: An Adventure Tale of Old Hawaii,” the “Cult of Ku: A Hawaiian Murder Mystery,” the book “Crime & Punishment in Hawaii,” the book “Hawaiian Rebellions,” and “Gods, Ghosts, and Kahuna on Kauai.”
Book number 10, “Terror in Paradise,” is scheduled for release soon.
As a judge and attorney during his career, Fernandez wrote often, but in a very legal, technical and precise style.
As an author today, he’s free to be more creative, imaginative, have fun and set scenes for his colorful characters.
But a passion for sharing the history of Hawaii, its people, places and events, drives him.
“Bill never stops thinking and he loves history,” said Judie Fernandez. “He’s always wondering, questioning, what if? He creates a story in his mind that he wants to write down. His mind is always working onto the next subject and the next. It just flows.”
“He’s quite a writer,” she added, “quite a mind.”
