That Which Feeds Us The New Thriller From Keala Kendall

"This astounding book is both a finger pointed directly at the rotting heart of colonial greed and a truly heart-pounding mystery." — Andrew Joseph White, New York Times bestselling author of Compound FractureKeala Kendall is available to talk about the book on May 7. Ask her about:Why she chose the typically dark gothic horror genre to tell this story, set in Hawaii, a beautiful and bright paradise.
The novel explores the impact of colonization, inherited trauma and the real human cost behind paradise and luxury in Hawaii. As Hapa Native Hawaiian, what she wants readers to know about the anger, grief and love you carry for a place that keeps being taken.
The story revolves around the protagonist, Lehua’s search for her missing twin sister, Ohia, after Ohia goes missing after traveling to Hawaii to work at Kōpaʻa Island Resort. Tell us about the sisters’ complex, dynamic relationship.
In addition to telling a great supernatural horror story, THAT WHICH FEEDS US invites readers to reconsider the real human cost behind paradise and luxury. Hawaii is seen as an island paradise designed for tourists, but not locals. With native Hawaiians being priced out of their homeland and trying to hold on to what no longer exists. If that is a tension that she is intimately familiar with.
If taking the deep dive into the colonial history helped her to better understand her past.

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Speaker 1: It's a podcast network called arrow dot Net A r

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your exploration. Hello, and good morning. How are you doing today?

Speaker 2: I'm doing great. Thanks for having me sing it right erow.

Speaker 1: You said it right man. That's one of those weird

names that came to me back there in the summer

of nineteen eighty one and Lewistown, Montana, and I said,

all right, let's do it, let's do it. And so

all these years.

Speaker 2: It's been except I was not born yet.

Speaker 1: You weren't. Oh man, you got to go back to

the eighties. Something happened back there in the nineteen eighties

that really kind of changed the whole planet.

Speaker 2: Yep, No, definitely changed the acts of the world.

Speaker 1: We got to talk about this, this this book cover.

And the reason why is because I too am an author,

and I I am a book cover whore. And I mean,

you've got the raised coloring you. It's so dynamic. It's

it's something that I would hang on a wall. I mean,

it's like this is a work of art. How did

it come into being? Because this is first impression? Here

this book cover, Oh, I love it.

Speaker 2: Francis Brenz there and artists they illustrated it, and they

did tell me I had to learn a lot about

percions to make it, but they were really detailed with

how they came up with it. I think it's I

feel like I've bluffed out with my covers, like I

have how far ago the monitors the tail and then

nobody gets left behind and those always look great. And

I just like how they all look on a shelf

like you, my books are arranged by color. It's a

work of art art for me. And yeah, this cover,

I love all the symbolism in it. And it does

feel like a word of wark to me too, because

you have the po Maria growing out of her and

one of the characters is actually named Melia, which is

the Hawaiian word for poo Maria. You have the persimmons,

and you have like the moths that are these black

witch moths and Hawaiian lore that are said to be

our visiting dad, visiting loved ones who have passed, like

who's died? And yeah, it's just I love all the

details they included. Yeah, it's very haunting and evocative.

Speaker 1: So what what's really interesting about your writing is that

the reader is going to pick it up and they're

going to catch that chill that you put into those paragraphs.

So therefore, my question is is that when it comes

from you, were you cold and you wanted us just

to be chilled? What was it? Because I always want

to make sure. I want to know what that connection

is between the author and the reader, because what we

feel started with you.

Speaker 2: Mm hmmm no, yeah, I so I approached this horror

like writing it similar to like Midsummer I really, have

you seen the film Midsummer No.

Speaker 1: I'm not that Yeah, that will please fill me in.

Speaker 2: It's well, it's this weird just a position of horror

because it's takes place and basically this northern I think

I'm not I don't want to assume which country. I

can't remember at the top of my head, but it's

this northern Scandinavian country and it's very very bright. It's

midsummar and Florence too is the main character, and she's

having this almost hallucinogenic experience there. You can't be eighties

and whils and it's just this weird j exposition of

this bright eeriness. And she's having these experiences in this

cult like Midsummar celebration. And I thought about that with Kabai.

How do I get people to not to see pass

the tourist landscape that they're familiar with, you know, the

postcard image. How do we peel that back? Basically layer

by lair. And I really liked using La Hua, who

is the main character, is the vehicle for that because

she's never actually been to Habaii, but she has an

idea of it in her head and she kind of

comes to it feeling like an outsider. You know, we

have I heard you like to journal and your.

Speaker 1: Writers I am.

Speaker 2: And when we hear our family history from our grandparents

or you know, just any relative and then going to

a place to actually experience it, maybe it's like the

family farm, the family you know, house they grew up in,

and then you go there and maybe it's more dilapidated

or it's not been taken care of. That's the feeling

I really wanted to start with, is I feel like

a stranger in my hometown even though this is the

place I should belong, yet it's owned by someone else. Now,

you know, I think a lot of people have had

that experience where their family houses and't they don't live

there anymore, someone else does. And you see how they

painted it and how they had changed it, And I

think that's an experience everyone can relate to. So it's like,

how do I blow that up with the audience and

for Lahu to start there and also have this loving

connection to the land that you know, she's building roots

to it at the same time.

Speaker 1: So yeah, see if in radio we would call that

a relate break, because and he would always say that,

the program directors would go, where's your relate, where's your relate?

I need a relate break. If you're not relating, they're

not picturing. You got to get them to picture what

you're saying and what you just described. I was just

in a car with some friends yesterday that went back

to their first home as a husband and wife. Yeah,

so you're spot on with that.

Speaker 2: Yeah, And because many people haven't been to Hawaii, so

I was like, how do I bring them there? How

do I show them my Hawaii? Because that was ultimately

the challenges. I know this might be their first experience

with this vision of Hai that I grew up with.

How do I make it not feel like almost not threatening?

That's way too strong of a word, But you know,

I don't want it to feel like, uh uh, this

is actual Hawaii. I want it to feel like a conversation,

like I'm inviting you into my house to like, let's

take a tour through place. And I'm sure people who

are like, you know, based in I'm trying to think,

like I've been using New York as my example on

these reviews, but like when people say I'm from if

you're from New York, they might be like, oh, Manhattan,

and they're telling you about Oh I've been brought, I've

been to this, and you're like, I'm from an update

New York actually, you know. And so that kind of

conversation of comes, come see my house with me, and

this is my experience, and yeah, relate break I.

Speaker 1: Love that, Please don't move. We've got more with Keela

Kendall coming up next. The name of a book that

which feeds us Oh, this is a good one, we

are back with author Keela Kendall. You've got something here

that's just so magical in the hearts of readers, in

the way that for many of us we think of

Hawaii as being our version of a modern day OZ.

And number two, when you've got twins involved, we all

have our interpretation of what it must be like to

have a twin. I mean, you're you're tapping in two

very important things that get that we all think about it.

If they say I do, not yes, you do. Somewhere

along the line, you did bring it up and you're

covering both subjects in this.

Speaker 2: Mm hmm yeah, because I definitely well. I thought the

gothic genre was perfect for exploring those two concepts leading

doppel gangers and twins or common trope, And for like,

who was the main character when she's looking for her sister?

Since you know you're a writer, I'll talk more about

the craft two of it. I thought, she's not really

on the page, So how do we keep her sister

present throughout the novel while we're looking for her and

not in a gosh, I can't believe we're looking for

this girl because where they start off in the novel

they've had a terrible fight, and it's not the type

of person you're like, well, let me go muster so

much enthusiasm to go find them in Homebodi and spend

the last of my bank account savings. Because she's a

college you know, drop out turned Mortigian's assistant, she has

to go there. And the lasting her sister told her

in their fight was you're wasting You're throwing your life away.

Speaker 1: And yeah, just to the fact that that you've turned

this like into a gothic kind of a horror style.

I was just on the phone with another jockey yesterday

and he goes, how would you describe what it is

that you're doing on your podcast? I said, I said,

you have to understand it's goth there's something about it.

You're not supposed to understand it. Just go along with

it and pick something up along the way.

Speaker 2: And it kind of thrives on that contrast, that gossip genre.

You know, Like I think a lot of people, I

think we're living through a gothic time to be we are.

Speaker 1: But nobody's dressing the part.

Speaker 2: Yeah, no, because it feels very gilded right now. Like

sure we all have iPhones, Sure we have like fancy

cars and everything, or we have these modern conveniences we

didn't have, you know, in the eighties, in the hundred

years one hundred years ago. But there's still the same

struggles and there's still this kind of ropnith at all

where everyday people are still struggling. And I did want

to connect it to like Lehu in that way where

she goes home and it's like, oh, real life for

Hawaiians when you check out, they're still struggling, Like this

is life for them. It might be a postcard where

you can step in and out of it, almost like

a portrait, you know, and it exists in that fantasy

land in your mind, separate from reality. But when she's there,

she's not there for vacation. She's there to find her sister.

And I think I had a line when I was

talking about it to friends, It's like, I really want

people to feel like their dream vacation is her nightmare.

Oh now you're talking.

Speaker 1: Now, you're talking about that old Brady Bunch special where

the Brady family went over there for two weeks and

they lost a little teaky Oh my god. In fact,

I was going to bring that up stating, you know,

the last time I really got into a Hawaiian story

was with The Brady Bunch, and now I've got this

was gone. Thank god, you gave me a good Hawaiian

story here.

Speaker 2: Oh I'm so glad. I'm so glad you like you

like to get corn straight. I'dout to check out that

Brady Bunch episode. I love I love finding other you know.

I like seeing how you through other people's eyes too.

It's just such a different contrast. And yeah, uh someone

when I was on action, we went to auction with this,

and so I got to hear from a lot of editors.

I feel so lucky to be in this position. But

one editor is like, yeah, I felt like White Lotus

meets Jordan Peele or written by Jordan Peel. And I

was like, oh, slap that on the cover. You do. Like,

that's high praise, you know. I said, I'm peaked. Put

that on my team stone. That's what I want. There,

such my praise. And so yeah, I'm so glad you've

a little twisted version of Habai A two in your

media with the Brady Brunch.

Speaker 1: If you're going to bring up White Lotus and I've

got to I've got to go ahead and bring this

up that's in my notes, And I said that you

write with a way of knowing that I am sitting

here inside my imagination in front of a giant theater

movie screen, and through your words, I see pictures on

that screen and I and I do feel like that

this is an action type that I would love to

see on that big screen.

Speaker 2: Oh that's so kind. So my background is actually in media,

So I have a background screenwriting, TV and film production,

and so I wanted to have this visual like. I

really aim to bring that visual sensibility and narrative driven

style to my writing and try to really focus on atmosphere.

When I was first writing, in the beginning, I was like, Man,

I know how i'd shoot this in a film, like

the direction i'd give on a for the cameraman, because

you know, you always have that moment in the horror

film where you know someone is watching the protagonist but

they don't know. And that's a lot harder to do

when you're in this person's head, and it's like, how

do you show someone's watching them without them seeing it? Anyway?

Speaker 1: So where can people go to find out more information

about you? Because I want them to really dive into

your work of art.

Speaker 2: Oh, thank you so much. First of all, my website

is the best place Calikandle dot com. I always say

Kendle like the Jenner. That's gotten me a lot of

mileage in Los Angeles, where I'm currently based. But I

also am on social media. For now. The book is out,

that would jesus. It's the Funny Reads pick for me

and it's available at Target with an exclusive edition and

then wherever books are sold. And yeah, I usually have

a lot of dog picks on my social media. I

have a Bernie Mountain dog. You know, there's you know,

just a cutie and she's my writing assistant. But I

always say she doesn't put in as many hours as

I think she's.

Speaker 1: I love it. Well, please come back to this show

anytime in the future. The door is always going to

be open for you.

Speaker 2: Yeah, I'd love to hear more about you know, I

love the what was it? Relate break.

Speaker 1: If you can't relate, then they're not they're not checking in,

they can't envision it. You've got to be able to relate.

Speaker 2: Relate fun they're not either. So if you're not having

fun writing, your audience isn't going to either.

Speaker 1: That's why that movie should be about It should be

a movie about you putting together a great novel.

Speaker 2: Oh well, thank you so much. You're so kind. I

hope you guys have a great day today.

Speaker 1: Will you'd be brilliant today?

Speaker 2: Okay, okay, thank you so much.