Coleman, an O'ahu surfer, teacher and writer, is readying for a book launch that begins here 7 to 9 p.m. Jan. 15 at Indigo Eurasian Cuisine in Chinatown and an event Jan. 22 in New York. He will be doing more book signings here and in southern California in late January.

We asked him to sit for "5 Questions."

Q. When you were writing "Eddie Would Go," you looked for a national publisher but weren't able to get a contract. What's changed?

A. Several New York houses considered publishing it. The editors knew it was a solid story, but the company bean-counters didn't think many people outside of Hawai'i or the surfing world would be interested. So I decided to self-publish "Eddie Would Go." Later, when the book became popular on the Mainland and was critically well-received, the big publishers started to realize that Eddie's epic story appealed to a broad audience.

Q. When the Mainland does pay attention to the Islands, it tends to be for Don Ho, tiki drinks, "Magnum" or "Blue Crush"? How do you think a real story about real Hawaiians will play?

A. Hawai'i is one of the most stereotyped and least understood states in the union. Except for those people who have visited the Islands or lived here, it's amazing how little most Mainlanders know about Hawai'i. What they do know comes from TV and movies, and those versions are often clichéd or based on outmoded stereotypes. But there seems to be a growing interest ... After the success of films like "Whale Rider," which portrayed Maori culture so well,ÊI think people are hungry for real stories about Hawaiian culture too.

Q. Why is Eddie such an important and enduring figure?

Courtesy of St. Martin's Press

Q. Do you wonder what Eddie would be doing if he was alive today, where he'd fit in the post-Renaissance landscape?

A. When I was doing research for the book and interviewing scores of people about his life, I would often wish that he was still around so I could talk to him. But in a way, his spirit spoke to me through all those friends and family members who knew him best. One family friend speculated that he probably would have gone on to become a full-time musician because he loved playing slack-key guitar and performing at clubs with well-known Hawaiian musicians. Another friend said that he might have become a community leader because he had successfully resolved intense racial disputes on the North Shore. But whatever his profession, he would still be surfing as much as possible!

Q. How has all this changed your life? You were teaching at Iolani, what are you doing now? Do you have any book or other project?

A. Although researching, writing and publishing "Eddie Would Go" was the hardest thing I've ever done, it has also proved to be the most rewarding. I still live in the same apartment and drive the same car, but my life has definitely changedÊbecause of the book. Whereas I was a teacher first and writer second before, now I can focus more on my writing. With the release of the paperback editions of "Eddie WouldÊGo" by St. Martin's Press and Random House, I hope to have a much easier time pitching my next book to publishers! I can't say for certain what my next book will be about, but it will either be a spiritual memoir of sorts or another book about surfingÊand Hawaiian culture, with an emphasis on Makaha. I am also working with the Aikau family to make "Eddie Would Go" into a movie and trying to get the book into as many schools as possible because it's an inspirational story.