First, buy a mallet

A local author's guide to keeping up a house in Hawaii is a best-seller

Ah, paradise. The idea of beautiful settings filled with beautiful people has piqued the curiosity of many impressionable travelers, lured to Hawaii by glossy brochures and countless TV shows playing up the islands' natural splendor.

"The Hawaii Home Book: Practical Tips for Tropical Living by Karen Anderson Watermark Publishing $19.95

Toni Polancy's practical book, "So You Want to Live in Hawaii," is a cautionary aid that prepares those dreaming about moving to a tropical locale: Living in paradise does comes with its own particular set of problems. Thing is, it's not always about you: You might be adjusting well to your new environment, but your new home could be on shaky ground.

Millipedes? Check. Termites? Check. Check. The broken, in-line propane tiki-torch system that seemed like a good idea at the time? Check. Check. Check.

What happens if you've settled into the community of your dreams but your charming home is beginning to crumble around your feet, wondered Karen Anderson, a Big Island-based author who writes about home and garden topics unique to Hawaii.

Anderson has written "The Hawaii Home Book," which specifically discusses caring for a home in paradise. Released in August, the soup-to-nuts book has remained a fixture on Top 10 nonfiction best-seller lists at area Borders and Barnes & Noble stores since its debut. The book is also getting a boost from real estate agents who are giving copies to clients during closing.

"The idea came for the book because there wasn't any on the subject," said Anderson. "I thought I'd better do it now before someone else does. I wanted to fill that void."

Anderson is managing editor for At Home in West Hawaii, a Sunday supplement to the West Hawaii Today newspaper. Her book offers suggestions on topics from removing the termites that eat away at the structure of your home to combating the salt air that chips away at your varnish.

Her inimitable words of advice to any homeowner who dread dealing with the elements? "Don't freak out. There isn't a problem that can't be solved with vigilance."

No prophetic words here, just advice that can apply to homes in most any location. A list of resources includes useful contacts, rules of thumb for hiring contractors, plus guidelines for obtaining building permits.

Her advice is the result of firsthand experience, said Anderson, also a property site manager for Kealakekua Bay Properties in southern Kona. "Being a site manager, I might have learned a thing or two."

But mostly, Anderson turned to service professionals when she began working on the book last summer. She tackled such topics as mold control, battling salt-air corrosion, energy efficiency and landscaping with native plants.

"There were two common denominators I noticed," said Anderson. "One is you get what you pay for. If you're cheap with the AC or skimp on painting contractors, you'll be spending more money later. The second thing is the damaging effects of the sun."

Anderson offers plenty of advice on keeping a home and surrounding areas weatherproof and waterproof. But the most feedback she's gotten has centered on troublesome creatures -- coqui frogs, gold dust day geckos and, in particular, termites.

"A lot of people really liked the chapters on bugs. People get freaked when it comes to coqui frogs. The frogs are affecting the quality of life in Hilo and Puna. But one of the things that surprised me most was people's lack of knowledge of dry-wood termites and subterranean termites. People really need to become familiar with subterranean termites, They are so destructive."

She does have a few choice personal extermination methods, tactics that some might consider offbeat: "I surveyed people for their favorite methods of killing centipedes. People spoke of pouring gasoline and chopping and burning them, but I can't imagine the sight or smell. Some used a machete or tongs, but my favorite method is a rubber mallet."

She eventually developed an affinity with some of her experts -- namely the pest controllers. "I met a lot of pest controllers who had a secret appreciation for the centipede. Centipedes eat bugs and prefer to hang out in the garden. If a centipede wanders into your home, they're just as confused as you. Just remove them."

Though there are plentiful chapters, one subject Anderson wishes she expanded upon on is irrigation. She hopes to add more on that topic in her next book. In the meanwhile, "I think it's a fun book; there's a sense of humor. But I hope people enjoy the book and find it useful."

Her own pet peeve? Millipedes. "They just don't seem to die." Not even with a mallet.

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