Banana Leaf Books

08/11/2026

The early reviews are flowing in -- and PACIFIC DREAM is a hit!

Readers are loving the unintended adventures of Marielle Margaux in Thailand, where she is mistaken for a nun from the West, 'Sister Mari Mango' !

Click on this link and scroll down a bit to read the wonderful praise offered by authors Jake Needham, the Rev. Roy G. Pollina, and master of detective fiction James Roby:

PACIFIC DREAM: Mari Mango and the Accidental Orphanage (The Pacific Trilogy)

08/03/2026

By Day Two, my new PACIFIC DREAM is perched to break two Amazon category Top 100 best seller lists:

Best Sellers Rank:
#104 in Travel (Kindle Store)
#203 in Travel Adventure Fiction
#399 in Women's Adventure Fiction

Well, it's a good start . . . !

If you haven’t seen it yet, hope you enjoy the story of Marielle Margaux (aka Sister Mari Mango) as she navigates life in rural Thailand!

PACIFIC DREAM: Mari Mango and the Accidental Orphanage (The Pacific Trilogy)

08/02/2026

PACIFIC DREAM .99 launch week special!

07/31/2026

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

07/24/2026

Kind words from Jake Needham, award-winning author of sixteen mystery novels set in SE Asia and resident of Thailand for over thirty years:

“Whenever I lose sight of how much fun it is to live here in Thailand, I just grab Chet Nairene’s latest and reread a couple of chapters, and it all comes right back to me”

Novel #3 in the PACIFIC TRILOGY is now available for preorder on Amazon and will launch 1 August!

PACIFIC DREAM: Mari Mango and the Accidental Orphanage (The Pacific Trilogy)

07/23/2026

Early rave reviews are starting to drift in for PACIFIC DREAM: Mari Mango & the Accidental Orphanage.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

"Mari is an endearing heroine at her most vulnerable . . . Nairene is a master at taking the reader into the sights, sounds, smells, even the heat and humidity of a tropical locale. With a bevy of colorful characters and an odyssey of trials and triumphs, this will be a favorite book to read and re-read when you want to pick up your spirits with a great story well told."

-- Rev. Roy G. Pollina, author of "Justified by Her Children - Deeds of Courage Confronting a Tradition of Racism", winner of the Illumination Christian Book Award

PACIFIC DREAM: Mari Mango and the Accidental Orphanage (The Pacific Trilogy)

07/19/2026

Oh, happy day -- author's paperback proofs of PACIFIC DREAM have arrived!

Pacific Dream, the third book in The Pacific Trilogy, will publish on Amazon on 1 August.

It is already available for preorder so don't miss out . . . get yours ordered today!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

07/17/2026

PACIFIC DREAM is coming soon . . . August 1 from Amazon!

And I’m delighted to share that this funny, heartfelt cross‑cultural adventure set in Thailand is already officially live for preorder.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

If you enjoy stories about reinvention, misadventure, found family, and the messy ways we end up saving one another, this one’s for you.

Mari Margaux’s escape to Thailand becomes a chaotic, meaningful journey she never expected, and I can’t wait for you to meet her.

Preorder now and be ready for launch day on August 1. Your early support makes a huge difference for visibility, ranking, and momentum.

Thank you for reading, supporting, and being part of this journey.

07/05/2026

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

“Whenever I lose sight of how much fun it is to live here in Thailand, I just grab Chet Nairene’s latest and reread a couple of chapters, and it all comes right back to me” — Jake Needham, resident of Thailand for over thirty years and award winning author of sixteen mystery-thrillers set in Southeast Asia

Chet Nairene's third novel will arrive 1 August on Amazon!

PACIFIC DREAM is another humorous, exotic adventure of a young Westerner getting mixed up in cultural clashes in Asia.

Preorders already open!

07/03/2026

Preorders are now OPEN!

My new novel PACIFIC DREAM is now available on Amazon — launching August 1.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0H5RBWP1R

If you enjoy warm, funny, cross‑cultural fiction set in Thailand, this book delivers chaos, heart, reinvention, and a cast of unforgettable women. Mari Margaux flees to Thailand for a fresh start… and accidentally ends up running a refuge for women and babies escaping Bangkok’s bar‑girl world.

I’d be grateful if you’d preorder today — early orders help tremendously with launch visibility.

PACIFIC DREAM — Preorder now for August 1!