"I wrote the first book because it was the kind of thing I wanted to read as a 14 to 16-year-old growing up in the islands. There were always so many stories set in other parts of the world but never anything I could directly connect with - never anything in Samoa," she said.
"I'm writing these because I'm thinking of my children and for those Pacific young people who don't read. It's really powerful when you can read a book about people that look like you and think like you and going through the same thing as you. That's what's lighting the fire to read."
The first Telesa novel, The Covenant Keeper, was published as an e-book on the Amazon website in October, 2011. Within two months it had reached the No1 spot on the "top rated fantasy romance" list and was issued in print.
The second book in the trilogy - When Water Burns - was released last year, followed by a novella, I Am Daniel Tahi, in December.
Between 12,000 to 15,000 e-book and print copies have been sold since then and the books have been widely distributed around the world.
They have also been picked up as study novels in several high schools in New Zealand and Samoa , and by tertiary institutions including the University of Guam and the University of Auckland.
Mrs Wendt-Young, whose influences include her famous uncle, writer Albert Wendt, is now working on another series for adults. She said she hoped more stories set in the islands would come out of her novels.
"It really is something that is missing at the moment and not easily accessed. I just hope more Pacific writers get on board."
She is now working on the final book in the series, Telesa: The Bone Bearer.
