Nancy Arcayna has loved to write for as long as she can remember.
“Writing felt natural to me and helped me make sense of the world and a means to connect with others,” she recently told Aloha State Daily. “My writing is deeply personal and rooted in reflection. Much of what I write comes from my own journey — particularly my experiences with healing, growth, and self-discovery. Writing has always been a way for me to process life, find meaning, and move forward.”
This Saturday, Arcayna will be promoting her new book “Checked Out to Checked In: A Nomadic Journey to Self‑Love” at the Barnes & Noble at Ala Moana Center. The book "takes readers on a soulful adventure across borders and deep within" and "explores what happens when you allow yourself to get lost — only to ultimately find yourself," she writes. Click here for more details about the event.
Born and raised in Maine, Arcayna moved to Hawai’i more than 30 years ago with a friend and promptings from “Hidden Hawaiʻi” by Ray Riegert.
“We started reading it, and then we mapped out where we would go and saved money,” she recalled. “We finished school and came out together, but then both of us ended up on different paths.”
She turned her passion of creating stories as a child into a profession, working as a journalist for the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (then Honolulu Star-Bulletin) for nearly two decades. There, she reported on human interest stories, as well as arts and entertainment, home, health and more.
Arcayna joined public relations firm Pang Communications five years ago and released her first book "Two Suitcases and a Carry-on" in 2021.
“I still find myself drawn to conversations with strangers, listening to their stories, and learning from their perspectives,” she said. “Those moments often inspire my writing and deepen my understanding of the human experience.
“For me, writing isn’t just about telling my story — it’s about honoring the shared human experience and the ways we learn, heal, and grow together,” she continued.
Her writing process consists of both discipline and intentionality.
“When writing (books), I would set aside a couple hours every single day, whether I wrote nothing or whether I wrote all day. I just set aside that time because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t do it," she told ASD.
“Checked Out to Checked In: A Nomadic Journey to Self‑Love” took a little over a year to write, Arcayna said, adding that for six months she stuck to that schedule. The book includes Hawai'i references throughout because the Islands feel like home, she noted.
She also kept a journal during her solo travels across parts of Asia and Latin America.
When asked about why the book is relevant to readers today, she said, “We’re always going through the day to day and doing all of things we have to do. Everybody has things they want to do or dreams they want to pursue.
“Especially with solo travel, for instance, the things that people said to me when I was going to Latin America, most people wouldn’t have gone. … I guess it’s pursuing that dream or following something that you want to do. I’m hoping to spark that curiosity of, ‘If she can do it, I can do it. Anyone can do it.’ I think we stay stuck in our little bubble because it’s easy or because other people make us afraid, or whatever the reason. My hope is that people can step outside of that.”
Her advice to up and coming writers is to set a consistent period to write and to remember that “writing is a process, it has to flow. Make room for the creativity and make it what you want it to be.”
"Through travel across different countries, I explored not only the world but also the depths of self-love, independence and personal growth," Arcayna said. "It’s a story about taking bold steps, embracing change and living my best life."
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Kelsey Kukaua Medeiros can be reached at kelsey@alohastatedaily.com.
