Book 1 - First Winds of Winter

Waves of Warning weaves a story of what can happen when cultures clash against a backdrop of the ocean's timeless power. To tell that story, about generosity vs greed - about community vs corporations - I think there may be no better setting than the world of surfing. And that is a world that I know quite well. In fact, my initial epiphany for writing this novel was inspired by a milestone in the history of surfing.   For the first half of my surfing career, I always wondered if riding waves might ever be recognized as a special human endeavor that would deserve the attention of a highly respected publication such as the National Geographic Society. One day that recognition finally happened when a surfer was on the cover of the Society's magazine. It was Laird Hamilton, one of surfing's all-time legends, riding down the face of a huge wave that filled up the space inside the famous yellow border. When I saw the magazine, I was stoked!  But then I wondered, "How does surfing really measure up when compared to the natural wonders and great human accomplishments covered by National Geographic? And specifically, what do modern surfing's shameful localism and corporate profiteering, look like from the perspective of the Polynesian wayfinder cultures?" To put surfing in proper perspective, I concluded that I would have to extrapolate trends in modern surfing to their extremes and write a novel. As I completed my research and began writing and editing, I became increasingly aware that my story was less about surfing - and more about losing contact with the primal and timeless reality of the oceans - and by extension, the critical lessons to be learned from Nature itself.   Waves of Warning is about a world that we, and not just surfers, are in danger of making for ourselves. And my concern was inspired by none other than Mr. Rodgers. Fred Rodgers was on public television for thirty years reaching young and old with a gentle and powerful message about human kindness and understanding. Towards the end of his career in 2001, when our world was at the threshold of the digital revolution, he said, "I don't know if, as human beings, we are made for the world we are making for ourselves." Now, in 2025, despite our amazing advances in technology, from smart phones to artificial intelligence, we are becoming data-saturated instead of human-connected. So, I decided to publish this new and revised edition both in print and as an audio book. My story is about the awesome wonders that can be found in the waves and oceans of our planet, the corrosive realities of our accelerating world of commerce and competition, and what we need to do to leave a lasting legacy of generosity, kindness, and community for future generations. I hope you will find Waves of Warning a source of both reflection and inspiration. Glenn Hening, Oxnard Shores, 2025