Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Sarawak: Wild and Wondrous

Often I'm asked, so what is Kuching like? Then I realized I wrote this article on Sarawak, mostly about Kuching, two years ago for a hotel/trade publication in the US, and now that I have my own scanner I can finally post it -- better late than never!






Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I 

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

The Sun - June 23


I just completed answering interview questions for the August issue of The Expat for Tropical Affairs, when this review came out today in The Sun – how appropriate! It’s like that sometimes; you go through a dry spell and for months nothing about your book (ok, I was recently on TV!), then in less than one week, I find out that Tropical Affairs has been nominated for the 2010 The Popular-The Star Reader’s Choice Awards, I get interview questions for The Expat (it’ll also be in Senses of Malaysia Sept/Oct), and now this review! Soon The Star will be doing a write up about the nominated books; hopefully Tropical Affairs will get highlighted, and I hope some more interviews and book reviews will follow.

Of course my son Zaini, who "stars" in this book and this review, too, may feel otherwise, especially if his friends start reading about him as a toddler! This time around, let’s avoid that long dry spell again. Been there, done that. But the real question in my mind is—what book am I publishing next? I have several options, so let’s hop to it, or they’re really will be a long dry spell. As a writer, it’s always best to be looking ahead and never back…


Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I 

MELTA International Conference 2010


Here I am smiling after lunch just prior to my workshop "Using Critical Thinking Skills to Create Ideas and to Create Stories" at the 19th MELTA International Conference 2010 at Four Points Sheraton, Kuching, 17-18 June. The theme was “Transformations in English Language Education: Vision, Innovation, Implementation". The good thing about conferences, it gets me out of the house, I get to meet some new people, exchange some ideas, network a little, attend some talks, have some fun at other people’s workshops (I was in drama skit playing the part of a Chinese father who’s upset with his daughter).

It’s always interesting for me as a writer when I meet someone I’ve never met before but who has read one of my books or some of my articles in magazines (“Prove Them Wrong” in Quill, and “Merdeka Miracle” in Going Places that I wrote with Lydia Teh and Tunku Halim, were both mentioned), so they sort of know me. Others were vaguely familiar, having attended a previous workshop of mine or bought an autographed copy of one of my books from me. Some I recognized right away, having taught them at USM in Penang when they took a break from teaching in Sarawak to pursue their English Language and Literature Studies degree.

The turnout for the workshop was good, more than 50 people. They had me in the main ballroom, Rainforest Two, where there’s this huge stage and a row of sofa chairs for the VIP’s for the opening ceremonies, totally unsuitable for a workshop. But Agnes, a student at Batu Lintang Teachers Training College, who was nervous and excited assisting me since this was her first international conference and here I am her first American, helped me with rearranging the table and flip chart to eliminate the distance between the participants and me. It worked out fine. Glad I arrived early to sort this out. Now I was free to interact with the participants and not feel so cut off from them.


By the end of the workshop, as you can see, I felt pretty drained, but still happy to sign autographs. In all, after two days, I sold 25 books, 17 Lovers and Strangers Revisited and 8 Tropical Affairs.

*Thanks to Santhi for the photos and being my Chinese wife in the drama skit!

**Announcement latest workshop:  Writing Your Life Stories Workshop—Kuching! 28 April 2012 (with links to other workshops and writing tips!)



Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:


Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I 

Friday, June 18, 2010

Tropical Affairs nominated for 2010 Popular-The Star Readers Choice Awards!




What a nice feeling! Lovers and Strangers Revisited won the 2009 award for fiction. Can Tropical Affairs make it a double in non-fiction? I haven't seen the other nominees yet, but if I'm up against one of the Prime Ministers, whether past or present, or a celebrity, could be rather difficult. Last year, I was never mentioned or highlighted as one of the favorites, so you never know. Being nominated two years in a row is quite an honor. Wish me luck!

*
Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I 

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Taxi Anxiety Attacks, The Expat June 2010


 
*Update, the 20th anniversary of Lovers and Strangers Revisited  

Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:


Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I