Behind the Gregarious Introvert Veil

3 Tips to Replenish, Recover, and Perpetuate Extended Outputs of Energy

Aloha kākou! (Greetings, to all)

I’m chugging through the final push of my book launch for HAWAI‘I RAGE while simultaneously (and furiously) finishing the manuscript for my next contracted book. I’ve been sustaining this intense level of energy since April. With my manuscript deadline and my final book launch commitments in sight, and I can feel the signs of fatigue creeping in. The soothing warm waters of Hawai‘i are calling me home.

But don’t get me wrong;, I’ve had a blast introducing and discussing HAWAI‘I RAGE in bookstores—like The Poisoned Pen in Arizona, and at BOLD Coffee & Books here in Portland—and virtually on numerous podcasts, videocasts, magazines, book clubs, and blogs.

HAWAI‘I RAGE has also been listed in:

• People Magazine – “Most-Anticipated Summer Reads”

• BookBub – “Favorite Mystery Thriller Authors of Summer 2026”

• BookTrib – “Stellar Lineup of Thrillers” in Jon Land’s The Thrill List

• BookBuzz – “Books by Pacific Islander Authors to Immediately Add to Your TBR”

• The Oregonian – Featured Local Author Interview

Next up:

• A Kamehameha Day Celebration Appearance

• Annie Bloom’s Books – Monday, June 15, 7pm in Portland, Oregon

• Hello, Rose City! KGW TV – Tuesday, June 16th 11am PST for a Live Guest Appearance

Tune in to KGW TV on Tuesday, June 16, 11:00 a.m. to watch my segment LIVE!

I also have three more shows yet to air.

And all of this wonderful abundance has and continues to flood in while my ticking-clock deadline runs out.

Is there someone I can bribe to add another week to June? Then again, one more week of frenzied activity might put me over the edge. Better to trim the sail and power ahead. Chee hoo! I’ll make it in time as long as the tradewinds continue to blow.

Note: I’ve embedded and linked some of my favorite appearances, articles, and interviews on my book club page for HAWAI‘I RAGE, where you’ll also find discussion topics, the Hiapo family genealogy, video tours of the recording studio where I narrated both of my Ranger Makalani Pahukula mysteries, and photos from my book research to Hawai‘i Island. I’ll be sure to add my Hello, Rose City! episode after it airs.

Tips to Replenish, Recover, and Perpetuate:

There is so much to do when the PR strategy, execution, and momentum resides predominately with the author. Although I have coordinated my own public relations and outreach with six of my seven novels, every new book launch still feels like a mountain of work. The only way through it is to keep climbing, one small step at a time.

Although exhilarating, this continual expulsion of energy can easily wear a person out, especially considering how introverted an author’s life tends to be. Even those of us experienced in performing and socializing at functions need to retreat into our reclusive spaces—be they physical or emotional–to rejuvenate and rest.

Bottom line: We can’t spend energy we don’t have.

If we try, we will pass that energy debt to the next day—and as we should all know from credit card management, this practice, if continued, doesn’t end well!

I experienced this quite literally while performing eight shows a week in the original 1st national company of Cats. When I pushed myself too hard, I got injured and missed shows.

Since a continual drain on authors can lead to creative and/or emotional decline, it behooves us to monitor those necessary bouts of sustained energy and effort so we know when and how to recover and replenish our supply.

Tip #1: Pace Yourself

As with any type of marathon, it’s important to control and monitor our effort and work load so we don’t burn out early or fall so far behind that we cannot catch up.

To this end, I update my PR spreadsheet and layout my outreach targets and timing well in advance (usually in the lull that follows my editorial passes and while the deadline to turn in my next manuscript is far enough in the distance so it won’t cause me stress). From there, I reach out to my contacts in manageable batches according to which entities need the longest lead time to commit.

Tip #2: Prioritize Segments of Your Day

Authors habitually juggle marketing, editing, and writing for three different projects at any given time. The insanely prolific ones—definitely not me!—juggle considerably more. But whatever our output, we also need to remain physically and emotionally healthy and fit. Since all of this takes time, I find it helps to prioritize my day—or even each segment of my day—so my energy needs correspond to the task.

For example: my prime creativity begins before dawn and carries through midday, so I reserve this time for writing and leave the tedious work of PR outreach and designing graphics (Yep, I create all of my own) for later in the afternoon. Since I can easily drop in and out of this kind of work, I can coordinate it between when I swim laps, power walk, grocery shop, or cook.

I feel more relaxed and on track when I prioritize segments of my day, but measure my productivity by the week. In this way, I can reserve low energy work for low energy days and blaze through the heavy lifting when I feel strong and refreshed.

No matter how efficient we are, we can’t do it all. Time spent for one effort is time taken from somewhere (or someone) else. And since we’re all human, our energy levels and concentration varies day to day.

It’s not only the creative achievement of completing a novel that takes time, the entire business of writing is a marathon, not a sprint.

Tip #3: Rest and Rejuvenate How and When You Can

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when we’re swamped with a prolonged stretch of work and every waking moment feels dedicated to a task. But if we look carefully, we can usually find a few minutes and sometimes even an hour when we can rest our bodies and our minds. When every minute is precious, I am more apt to slow down if I can combine two or more restful activities into one.

My favorite end of day cool down is to lay on the floor with a deep tissue massage roller (AKA the torture roller) under my hips. I can rock and role the tension out of my glutes, illiotibial (IT) bands, and back while I listen to an audiobook and/or scroll through the social media comments to which I haven’t had time to reply. Although this is a far cry from the singular focus of my mindfulness training, it’s a welcome relief when I have run out of time.

BTW: Did you know you can change the color temperature of your screen to mimic the FL-41 tinted computer glasses? I just discovered that while struggling with eye pain to finish writing this blog! Go to Mac settings > display > night shift, click “turn on until tomorrow,” and slide the level all the way to “more warm.” I’m guessing this will work on PCs as well. I felt immediate relief.

Audiobooks and Shows

The other way I wind down from work and take a break from reading words on a page is to listen to and watch compelling stories created by someone other than me. LOL!

Here are a few shows and audiobooks that have kept (or are keeping me) engaged.

DUTTON RANCH and MARSHALLS satisfies the cowboy family drama cravings I’ve had since finishing YELLOWSTONE and writing/narrating my paniolo mystery, HAWAI‘I RAGE.

SHRINKING, YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS, and MARGO’S GOT MONEY TROUBLES are great fun as is BERLIN AND THE LADY WITH AN ERMINE. But when, oh when will THE DIPLOMAT return? I hear they’ll begin shooting season four at the end of the year, which is definitely not soon enough!

As for audiobooks, I’m belatedly listing to Gregg Hurwitz’s NOWHERE MAN and finished (loved) THE GRAVE ARTIST by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado.

If you enjoyed the Hawaiian culture and language in KAUA‘I STORM and HAWAI‘I RAGE, you’ll definitely want to check out Shay Kauwe’s debut fantasy mystery, THE KILLING SPELL, narrated beautifully by Barrie Kealoha.

And if you live in Portland, Oregon, join Shay and me
Monday, June 15, 7:00 p.m. at Annie Bloom’s Books!

• Two Native Hawaiian Authors

• Three Thrilling Books

• One Fascinating and Cultural Event

Learn more about and pre-order your signed copies of Shay’s THE KILLING SPELL and Tori’s HAWAI‘I RAGE and KAUA‘I STORM on the Annie Bloom’s Books Event Page.

A Hui Hou!

That’s it for now. Time for me to get back to work! 😂

I’ll leave you with my favorite book launch videocast appearance with Jeff Circle on his fast-paced and entertaining THE WRITER’S DOSSIER.

Until next time, replenish your energy and enjoy your fun summer plans!

Aloha nō,
Tori 🌺