Ephesus

The gods do not speak English

2012-01-30T20:39:00.001+01:00

The gods do not speak English!
Biola Olatunde
I have been watching football.No matter our troubles, fuel subsidy removal, corrupt politicians and extremists, football brings us close together and we laugh , agonize and scream while the game lasts. You can also be very sure that for the duration of the game, we are tribeless. So Saturdays are happy days as husbands abandon homes to head for stadia or a clubhouse to watch the round leather game as the men call it. The wives take time off to do their hair in the million braids or whatever fancy name we live by. Now from my younger days I have always being amazed at our insistence that a side cannot win a football match fair and square. We insist that they must have gone to the gods to appeal. We defend our goal posts with magical art and some are known to have incisions cut into the goal scoring feet to make them invincible to the other side. This is a very serious issue during the rains when the professional league is on efforts are redoubled that the rains can only fall on their own terms. So rain is not allowed to fall on Saturdays. It is a firm conviction. My sons reminded me of what had happened when Nigeria hosted the U-17 FIFA World cup some years ago. I recalled we also then had forgotten our frustrations with electricity, water, and practically any form of amenity we hoped would make life bearable. I do not like football because I simply think it is silly watching twenty two able bodied males chase a round leather on a field that could be put to better use. And with some thousands hollering and making all types of gestures. My family will groan if they read this. I am not writing about that actually but something interesting as the papers reported the matches daily.
There was one interesting report from my Eastern daily, that paper that a match had to be postponed in one of the venues because the field was water logged. There were groans, frustrations and pontifications about our efficiency or lack of. After all, people argued that we had fair notice that some people were coming to play from other countries so how come we did not make enough preparations? What struck me and caught my attention was a piece of news tucked away in one of the pages of that daily, it gave reasons on why the field was water logged. The reporter suggested that we might have been able to watch the football if we had done some of the precautionary things any self- respecting organizer in the south east takes into consideration. We should have made use of the services of the rainmaker! I blinked when I saw that piece, looked again, in fact I went for my glasses because you never know I may have been imagining this, but no, there it was in black and white!
We had that problem for two reasons, the reporter wrote, one reason was the governor who should have contracted the astro turf to a professional had been parsimonious and in his penny pinching endeavor had given the contract to someone who could not do the job properly! The other reason the reporter gave was that the organizers had not thought fit to invite the rain makers to ensure that they will be no rain on match days. He pointed out reasonably enough that the rain makers were pissed off and so had ruined the match for everyone. I bent over laughing, years later I still remember and chuckle because it underlined one very important thing for me. No matter how educated we claimed to be or enlightened , or westernized, scratch a typical Nigerian and you will find he takes his traditional religion seriously.
If he seeks medical help for his ailments, and it does not seem to be working for him, he will return to the elders to ask the priests to divine for him.
You will find in every street corner women selling herbal remedies and until recently they were a regular feature of every garage. Men seeking to get married, and women looking for prince charming will as an insurance quietly visit a diviner to read the stars to enhance their marital chances.
So this Saturday, as my sons got ready to demand a refund for their money from the charlatan priest, I also recalled that for them the services of the rainmaker was very vital to the soccer success. I smiled as I also recalled what had happened when I showed that same paper to my friend and a cousin who were visiting. Well, my friend looked at me like she would humour a silly child and asked if I was not aware of the importance of rain makers for any important event. “Haven’t you noticed that rain hardly falls on Saturdays”? She asked with eyebrows raised at me for my ignorance. I said I had not paid it any particular attention, She shook her head at me in pity. “Saturdays are party days, when we get married, bury own relatives, parents, or turn over the bones of those who had departed some twenty years before or more. This is the season and no one was going to allow some silly rain put a spanner in the preparations! Thus the prudent event manager will add the cost of the services of rain maker to his bill for you. It goes under the innocent title of ‘contingency’”
What I found odd was that no one seemed surprised about rain maker story. I asked my friend and cousin if they really believed in the ability of someone to hold off rain from falling and they laughed at me saying my ‘book knowledge’ had made me silly. This is Africa, they reminded me and of course it is quite possible to hold off rain if you had an important thing to do like an international football event, and what were the organizers thinking allowing rain to fall so that they lose face? Hmm.
What has civilization done for us really and truly I wonder? We are neither truly African nor properly westernized as our deeply ingrained culture comes to the fore at the slightest puff of trouble. If we really can stop rain at will, shouldn’t we export this art for the benefit of those countries that experience tornadoes, tropical thunderstorms. Monsoon et al? My cousin stared at me and shook his head in real sympathy for me. Then he intoned in a tone that brooked no dissension.
‘the gods do not speak English!’
My friend chimed in, “neither do the gods understand a bride with wrong colour”

Numen Yeye: The Rationale

2012-01-22T11:50:00.002+01:00

My up- coming novel Numen Yeye , all things being equal should be out in print very soon. My friends have always asked me why did I call it by that name and what does it mean really? I have thus decided it might be a nice way to start introducing you to my character Imole Ife who may or might not be a human being. In the concept of my Western friends, they will find our customs strange and even bewildering but my fellow Africans and particularly fellow compatriots will be truly at home. I am Nigerian, Yoruba of the south West part of the country. It is an exciting part of Nigeria, and more so because you see I come from there.

The Yoruba race we claim is as old as time, as complicated, simple and exciting. We are ruled almost solely by our religion which is the Ifa religion. We are guided by its laws, its spiritual concept and ethos. We say that four hundred light beings escorted the Creator from the heavens down in the forming of terra firma. From these four hundred, you have your pick of gods and goddesses that will do us proud in the pantheon and probably give the Greeks pantheon stiff competition.

Every aspect of the life of the Yoruba man is ruled by the supreme Being , assisted by the pantheon. Once scandalized my mother when I flippantly called them, the ruling council of gods and goddesses, she was sharp in her reprimand that the light beings were not be trifled with nor did I have the luxury of being irreverent about them..

The Ifa oracle was and still is consulted on every aspect of the human existence. We would not give a child just any name, but must check with the oracle to know the child’s pre-destiny and/ or fate. Since we live a fairly seamless existence with our ancestors and never feel that an actual separation occurs during death so it is with the incoming incarnating being we give birth to, and rear. In this context are we to understand the concept of “ABIKU” literarily translated to mean ‘one who is born to die’. The ‘Abiku” is believed to be a group of near ethereal humans who can incarnate and die at will. They are generally dreaded and every respecting woman prays not to attract the attention of such a being. Modern science today has explained what really had been happening but that science is not comparable to hundreds of years of belief and agony.

Ifa priests are called in as soon as a woman suffers from recurring infant mortality to find out if she has attracted the attention of one. Divinations are called for. Appeals are made to the child to tell its spiritual affiliates that it has decided to stay and live out a proper course of existence and would not keep a predetermined date of death again. A child who is confirmed to be an ‘abiku or emere’ is assumed to have incarnated with a ‘pact stone’ which would have been hidden in some place, known only to the child.

This ‘pact stone’ is what the Ifa priests would try to cajole the child to give up in the form of promises to the child that it will receive kind care and consideration. If the child refuses or denies knowledge of being an abiku, the next child was given very insulting names intended to shame the spiritual partners to reject the status of the child as a spiritual member thus bringing about an expulsion from the group.

There is also the ‘emere’ who is believed to be far worse than the ‘abiku’. While the abiku is generally regarded as a stress on the emotional and finacila resources of an afflicted household, the emere is a different class. The emere is definitely assumed to be a spiritual being that has at its disposal wealth, fame, and beauty which it can dispense at its discretion to any home it incarnates into. It is understood that an emere is temperamental, is conscious of its dual personality and can experience human and spiritual realms simultaneously within minutes.

As a young girl growing up , I was aware of these influences on my village. I had friends, relatives who were suspected or assumed to be either of these beings. I had also observed how withdrawn most of them were particularly if they should fall ill because they would be generally ignored. I started wondering about the stigma, the sense of remoteness and bewilderment they must be going through.

Years later enlightenment came to some of my generation that lack of proper medical education and care may have been the cause of the ‘abiku’ syndrome but the emere still goes through that silent accusation and stigma.

Interestingly, women were prone to being labeled as emere and some of the symptoms were given as if the person is too beautiful, is light skinned and above all given to shifts in temperament. I came across some of my Western friend who had what their medical science would call bi-polar. I became intrigued because that person in my village would simply have been judged as an emere.

The emere is powerful, more powerful than witches and could make or mar the financial potential of anyone they were interested. They were assumed not be really interested in marital longevity as they already had ‘spiritual homes complete with family et al.

I thus decided to bring all these into one mix in a young girl whom I called IMOLE IFE. I decided to ask questions through her. I am intrigued that my people are comfortable about the concept that certain human incarnations may have more mission to it than is ordinary. I decided to probe what would happen if sometimes a really light being, beneficial and benevolent incarnates amongst my people and is regarded as an emere. I decided to explore the confusion, pain, and sense of stigma that an emere would experience. Could we really have light beings visit the Earth with a mission to help? Could we grasp the lesson they would have brought and how much they would be willing to dispense of the Grace? Numen Yeye explores that through the emerging understanding of Numen Yeye who finally sees herself as a priestess not of an ignorant goddess but of the true concept of love and service. It is my own version of an African fantasy.

WHAT DO YOU WANT FOR CHRISTMAS?

2011-12-16T11:19:00.000+01:00

Honestly, I really couldn’t tell you. If I had to pray from now to the next Christmas..hey I could give you something for Xmas. First offer will be a big hug and smile that you have been part of my life for this long. You have come to this blog when you are bored? or think I may have something to offer? Or as I fondly think, you wanted to encourage me to touch the stars and make one mine.

I did own one star, actually several stars, all those that have come to view this blog, nodded and even dropped a comment or two. We have met through dreams, mists of the sheer substance of creativity. I have through you opened my inner being to the light substance of the Muse and searched for the meaning of my existence. I have lived through months and moments of happiness it will probably take a life time to define. I have met human beings who lit up in airy shades of happiness my corner of space and the universe. In long nights of hunger for the meaning of life, I have been touched by what you have favoured me with.

Gerry Huntman

Life was not for me riches in currency, but in the experiences and the flight of my soul to touch the outer span of your thoughts and soar to heights undreamed of through your thoughts. What should I offer you for Xmas? Let’s make twin flights back and through the meadows remember those who have shared this blog with me and who have touched you and I one way or the other. Center Stage really started this way

GERRY HUNTMAN AUTHOR AND PUBLISHER. January 7 2011
This week I am starting something new. Apart from my regular writings, I wish that we get to know ourselves a bit more. I would like to introduce guests. Authors, poets whose work I have admired. They bring to the human table their own very talents and have been a great influence one way or the other. Actually writing is a great influence one way or the other. My first offering this week is someone who I hold in very high esteem and feel he is very special.
The truth of a human soul shines through from the windows of his spirit and that is in the eyes. My people will tell you, the conversation is in the eye. I have the distinct pleasure therefore to invite you to read about Gerry HUNTMAN

I learned many things about writing over those years, the hard way. Perhaps the most useful and rewarding was joining a small virtual group of speculative fiction writers, which eventually became the nucleus of the International Fantasy Writers Guild, and which culminated in us forming a publishing company. It was then that I discovered that I also had the right temperament and skills to be an editor - and which I have honed since then.

Over the last few years I have grown as a writer, culminating in 2010 where I had 10 short stories accepted for publication, as well as my first published novel, GUARDIAN OF THE SKY REALMS.

ELIZABETH LANG

JAN 13 2011

Elixabeth Lang

The Empire by Elizabeth Lang
I would like first of all to congratulate Elizabeth for a very brilliant piece. I would like to thank her for giving heart stopping moments. She wove a story of love, naked abuse of power, real evil and outright hypocrites. I would like to thank her for using the novel “The Empire to lay bare our pretensions to civilization and ‘empire building.’ I have never felt so involved in a supposed fantasy as Elizabeth made me feel with the brilliant characterization of Adrian Stannis, Kali MIrren and the very awful Sester. Humanity has great potential for infinite good and absolute evil and in the portrayal of Adrian, the scientist who learned through love to discover his own humanity and almost die in the process of saving humanity, I had an urgent prayer that copies of this book be made available to all those ‘intelligence’ men. The tragedy might be they may not find themselves in time as Sester did. I could not drop the book even as my eyes went heavy, every page held me and tortured me with the hunger to know more so I kept turning the pages and forgot all else. Thank you Ms Lang. Congratulations, may your quill continually flow with creativity.

In talking about herself this very creative and exceptional author said:

I'm a Canadian, born in Hong Kong. I've been writing for about 3 years. The Empire is my first published novel, though it's not my first novel-length story. It is my first original one.

In my other life, I'm an IT professional, working mainly in a software development company specializing in insurance.

I've worked on various projects in many places and especially enjoy working overseas, most recently in Taiwan and India.

I find it fascinating learning about different cultures and perspectives in a work and social setting rather than just as a tourist. And, of course, I love sampling the foods of the various regions.
2. You write science fiction, and have now published a very brilliant piece: “The Empire” how do you feel?

Thanks, Biola. I can't lie...it feels great! I hadn't considered publishing The Empire but I had thought of being published eventually, so this was a great opportunity. I really must thank my publishers, IFWG Publishing for taking a chance on The Empire.

JACK EASON

Sunday, March 6, 2011

CENTER STAGE

ONET’S TALE: My Review

Onet’s tale is a chilling warning of what real evil could be. I never was into sci-fi and definitely this one held me by my short hairs. It grabbed from the first page and refused to let go until the very last. I found the interesting twist at the end more frightening. For I felt Onet was the absolute evil itself. I would not deign to classify it as even near human. I found the way women were portrayed a bit of a hard chew, which being female I guess is understandable. I would like to congratulate Jack for this brilliant work and can only say, in obedience to his statement from the beginning, mankind sows seeds in words, actions and in thoughts and the consequences of such sowing lies at their feet. I would sincerely hope the world will be spared the thoughts of the Khaz.

Jack Eason

I ‘met’ Jack Eason on one of the social networking sites, specifically FACEBOOK. He had a contained presence even then and has this brusque vinegar and lime gentleman courtesy towards me. I took a risk, I decided I liked him which may have annoyed him but he was (and still is) unfailingly encouraging and supportive as I submitted my book and waited for the publishers to take a decision. He remained always encouraging and had a deep sense of what I may be going though. His book came out and I was awed but for all I know it was Greek. I read it and yes, that is my review you just read. I have retained my respect for Jack since then knowing full well we are cut from different bands of light. It is thus my pleasure to bring Jack Eason to Center Stage. Please enjoy the interview.
1.Tell me a bit of what you thought of in your younger days as you gazed at the stars?
Like most people from my generation, I grew up as the space race was in its infancy. I still remember the reports when Sputnik was heard beeping for the first time. We all thought it was a wonderful technological achievement at the time. As for my literary preference for science fiction novels and short stories Biola, my imagination was fired by authors like Arthur C Clark. I must admit that it was several years before I got bitten by the astronomical bug. But when I did I spent many happy nights looking up towards the stars, wondering if we were the only sentient beings in the entire universe.

Merry Xmas and Season's Greetings to all. I do have stars in my eyes.

CENTER STAGE WITH SEHINDE AROGBOFA

2011-12-05T14:29:00.001+01:00

He is Nigerian of the mould of the Nobel Laureate Wole Soyinka and as radical as they come. A chief in his own right , tall, spare with a piercing turn of language, my guest on Center Stage today… Chief Sehinde Arogbofa.

SEHINDE AROGBOFA

Chief Arogbofa started having his books published 37 years ago while still in school. Today he has15 books to his credit and was for a time the state chapter chairman of the Association of Nigeria Authors. (ANA). When I met him, I had asked him to review my debut collection of poems titled CHANTS IN MY DREAMS. He looked at me and gave a wry grin asking why I wanted to launch myself into the public with a book of poems. He said, "books rarely make the grade as pleasure reading and you are thinking of poetry". I laughed then, shrugged and said I might as well start from the deep end of the pool. He reviewed the book to a crowd of 5 who had come for the launching. He watched me keenly trying to guage my reaction to the non existent crowd as the 5 were all family. I think he adopted me thereafter and faithfully attended all other book presentations I have done since then. The attendance got better and I think he approved of me too.

I am thus not reviewing a particular book of Arogbofa, (I would need to review all 17 books published to date) but having a chat with him about the Nigerian Literary scene. It is an interesting conversation, please read.

You have been a published author for some 37 years now, please tell me what it has been like and your experience

Well Biola, I have enjoyed myself a lot. I started writing because I wanted to leave something behind for posterity. I have received some level of satisfaction through that.

Early Nigerian writers have tended to become activist of some sort or the other, why is that?

Interesting! Well you could say a lot of us started out being members of the literary and debating clubs in secondary schools. Naturally I started writing about the things around me, commenting about the society and as a teacher of young persons, which was a natural profession for most of us, I guess becoming at some level an activist was a foregone thing. It came with the territory. Speaking for myself, but for my teaching profession I probably would have been as radical as the late activist Gani Fawehinmi.

The Nigerian literary scene is rather lethargic in the sense that creative authors have an uphill task getting recognition why?

Well, up to some point, you are correct Biola, but the problem is deeper than that. Generally very few Nigerians read for pleasure and reading is restricted to the academia. People read to pass examinations, the lecturers publish in order to sell to the students or make money or get promotions.

Some years ago you were the State chairman of the association of Nigeria Authors ANA, what really does ANA do for its members?

ANA provides a forum for authors to meet, exchange ideas, fellowship and discuss current trends In writing. It has a yearly conference that affords its members to also celebrated excellence. The body tries to network with similar bodies of West African authors to enhance its activities.

Authors today have embraced self publishing in order to get their work noticed, what do you think?

I do not really like self publishing as there are too many disadvantages. One, there is no real editing done and the author is the editor, review person and marketer. The author has no real knowledge of market forces and is subjective about the reception of the book. Most authors do not have much of a choice than to be self published. The Nigerian experience of traditional publishers leaves a lot to be desired. Most traditional publishers here are arrogant, discriminatory and they tend to check if you have a political clout that will ensure sales.
You also find that these traditional publishers do not give the author enough publicity relying solely on the social standing of the author to push sales. This can be very depressing for an upcoming author. Writers here do not get decent publicity at all so there is little appreciation of the creative potentials that abound in this country. Chinua Achebe became very popular and celebrated because of the publicity he got outside the country.

Internationally, there are different genres of writing with fantasy, horror, sci-fi commenting with old traditional genres of writing, would we be able to see a Nigerian J.K Rowling?.

Why ever not? We had D.O. Fagunwa who wrote about the forest of a thousand demons. How many Nigerians have read about him? Or his books? As I mentioned earlier, it is about appreciation, and proper publicity. D.O. Fagunwa is in some way our own Shakespeare. I mean his town has become a tourist attraction because people want to visit the forest of a thousand demons.

Give advice to young and upcoming authors

Practice makes perfect we say, you must always write, write and write. You should also understand what you write. I remember I wrote in one of my books about witches and witchcraft. A friend called me after reading it and wondered if I am a witch. I laughed and took that as a compliment because it meant I had made the book believable. That is the beauty of creativity.

Could a writer in Nigeria make writing a ful time profession?

Heck no! He will be hungry for a long time. In this country, writing can at best be a serious hobby. You should have some financial background. Have a job, have a business and you will derive some satisfaction from your hobby thereafter.

I see that you have written almost exclusively drama plays.

Yes. Biola I am actually more of a playwright than an author, I read your books as prose and doff my hat to your expertise but seriously I do not write prose. You could say I am lazy. Besides I think plays serve me better as vehicles to comment on the society I live in.

Are any of your books listed on amazon.com or some such?

(smiles) I think I will ask my publishers if they have done that, but I come from the old line, we just wait for royalty which has gone through all types of deductions.

Thank you for coming on Center Stage.

CENTER STAGE WITH IAN HALL

2011-11-24T20:21:00.001+01:00

IAN HALL

You know by now that we sometimes get lucky and have a guest paying us a visit. Our guest today is none other than Ian Hall

When I fist got in touch with Ian, I naively said I would like to read his book first before sending my questions after all the rationale of Center Stage is to read the book, review it and then ‘chat’ with author on Center Stage. Ian must have laughed when he said his book was 200,00 words strong 605 pages. I gulped. He offered that I could read in bits, I stared at the computer screen wondering if I just read those words 605 pages. I gave a timid reply asking if there was a review I could read meanwhile I took a look at what he had sent. Heck, it is history book of guns, war, sickness and Jamie. 6 pages into the book I was laughing while I wanted to give Jamie a spanking too. Well, Ian is here and I would like to share him with you. Ian Hall author of the very readable and enjoyable book “OPPORTUNITIES”

First of all I would like to congratulate you. That was one hell of a story Ian. I am at best an old lady of 61 living in the middle of nowhere in Nigeria and you took me back into the middle ages and one hell of a journey that I was shocked to find I did not want it to end.

This is incredible as my jaw had dropped when you landed 605 pages on me! I would like to assure you I am reviewing my naïve promise that I give to authors that I need to read the book first. Seriously though, I feel exhilarated almost confused myself into thinking I am a sailor now.

1.Now Captain, if we may start this sail appropriately, please tell us about yourself

I’m 51, born in Edinburgh, Scotland, and immigrated ten years ago to Kansas in the USA. I started writing 15 years ago, but only seriously for twelve or so. Midlife crisis, etc. Opportunities isn’t my first novel, but it’s the first one to be actually finished.

2, Opportunities like an onion story has a lot of layers and it is a straight adventure story, why did you write it?

I’m a bit of a historian, you’d never guess, and when I found the Scottish Darien story, it was a bit of a surprise to me. I’d never heard hide nor hair of it before. It kinda became a big-interest deal for me; I wrote a song about it, and it must have festered in my head for a few years. Then I wrote the (then) short story of Jamie stowing away. (I must say here, that if it hadn’t been for my wife Karla, Jamie would never have been born) When I opened the second chapter, I still didn’t know where Jamie was, and the story then wrote itself. I was only along for the ride. After Jamie was under my skin, the rest was almost a compulsion. Jamie really has become a member of the family.

3, Jamie grew right in our eyes from a cold faced street savvy urchin to prosperous shrewd merchant ship owner making the title of the book “OPPORTNUNITIES” most apt. Man is always given opportunities and what he makes of it becomes his responsibility right?

OPPORTUNITIES

Whether it be begging (or in Jamie’s case) stealing a penny, or using your business acumen to prosper, there are ‘opportunities’ everywhere. I believe that God has a purpose for everyone, and it’s up to us to open our eyes to find it. The short story was called “Opportunities”, and the theme never changed; right to the very end. It also carries Jamie into his later adventures.

4. In today’s world, do you see your book picking up interest and steam?

Good question. If you look at today’s genres, historical fiction is selling very well. Also, Hollywood is dying before our eyes looking for new, fresh material. My plan is to get Jamie (Opportunities) to the Edinburgh International Book Festival next August, and present it there.

5. What made you want this kind of writing?

I’m not constrained by genre. I’ve also written Sci Fi, Horror, and American. I’ve had high plaudits and won awards in other genres.

6. Have you ever wanted to be a sailor, a pirate or an empire builder?

Oh, heck, NO. While I’m at my pc, I’m relatively safe. I know the facts about life back then, two million sailors dying from scurvy etc. Plus, I’m crazy scared of heights. I get on rung two of a ladder, and I’m getting nervous. I don’t even buy thick socks!

7. The world is full of people like Byres, Pennecuick and Kidd, what exactly were you trying to tell us about such leaders?

Basically, I told the story as the historical facts presented themselves. These men were asses, almost the lot of them. Good ideas have to be driven by good men to succeed. If the leader is not perfect, he can surround himself by good men, and he can still achieve great things, but if there’s not a rock foundation to build upon, there’s nothing at the core, so the idea withers away.

8. It is said that if we look hard enough, there is always a moral in every tale, what is it for “OPPORTUNITIES”?

I guess the whole idea behind the book is what’s called in American Football, the “Hail Mary Pass”. It’s the last chance for victory, when not getting the pass to the appointed player, absolute disaster occurs. In the late 1600’s, Scotland had many years of bad harvest. England was at war with every nation we traded with, so all the ports were blockaded. It was Scotland’s last chance for survival. We missed the pass. And as a result, England annexed Scotland, and we were powerless to stop it. Now, the very act of union in 1707 actually set Scotland free, into a bit of a renaissance, but it spelled the end of us as a single nation. My wife, Karla, said that I embodied all my love for my country into that little boy. I just hope he can cope!

9. What comes after this? Are you on a new story?

Oh my. You had to ask that one. Here we go; Jamie 2 is 70,000 words done. “Opportunities; Jamie Leith the Jacobite.” Six years past the end of Opportunities, Jamie gets ‘restless’. A mysterious Scot offers Jamie a chance of a big ship in exchange for helping put King James VIII back on the throne. So book 2 goes from Providence RI, to France, Scotland, Ireland. There’s also a heartwarming chapter when he meets his mum again.

I also discovered Kindle and Nook, so am in the middle of putting all my shorts, and a couple of novels onto Kindle. I’ve also just finished a Sci Fi novel collaboration novel, with book 2 also being written. And I’m also in the middle of another five, maybe six projects.

10. I loved specially Jamie Leith making good but there is the sneaking feeling that he survived not because he had heroes worth emulation, Drummond was a weak wicket and Fonab made me yawn, what effect do you think the story of Jamie will have on modern street children?

I’m not advocating thievery as a way of getting to the top, but there is the undercurrent of never giving up, never letting go of your dreams, no matter what hits you.

11. 605 pages was a lot of pages for a novel, read more like an epic, is that going to be a standard with you?

No. At 200,000 words, Jamie will probably be the longest book I’ll ever write. I thought about breaking it in two, but there was never a good chopping point. The Sci Fi collaboration is 37,000 words, and Jamie 2 will probably be about 150,000.

12. Share a day with us on your writing schedule.

Ok. I get up when I wake up (7am-9am, it just depends on what I did last night, or how the night went). No breakfast. I go next door to my ‘man-cave’ (yes, I have one) and put on Mike Oldfield. I write till 10am, maybe more, but I try to keep 10 as my cut-off. I try and get at least 1000 words done a day, but have done 4500 at times. I then have to ‘work’; two doors away to the ‘jewelry room’ and make jewelry, circlets, tiaras for a few hours. (lunch sometimes) Post office, then dinner, then back to the man-cave for more writing or watching sci-fi, tv, or soccer.

13. Please give us links to sites where your book might be purchased.

www.amazon.com (search for Ian Hall in books, or in Kindle)

www.barnesandnoble.com (same search)

14. Do you have a fan page? Please supply links.

http://www.jamieleith.blogspot.com/ (blog)

http://www.jamieleith.com/ (Jamie Leith Chronicles website)

http://www.facebook.com/jlchronicles (facebook)

15. Who would you recommend this book to?

Anyone who likes History, Scottish History, Real life Adventure, or a rollicking good yarn.

Thank you Ian for coming on Center stage.

Thank you Abiola

The question was simple

2011-11-20T18:12:00.001+01:00

Give a saying

Of the ancestors

The hare being small

spoke first

with a glance

at the lion

he affirmed that

no matter how tiny

the needle;

the chicken cannot swallow it

the lion sniffed and tossed

his mane in affirmation.

The ant looked at the elephant and said,

‘If we enter through your southern gate

we can stop you

and make you stampede in pain’

Then the tortoise was asked

to give a saying from the

Elders

he scratched his pate

and looked down in shame

the vulture cackled

‘Stupid as usual’

the tortoise walked

the earth from

east to west

picking all the

wisdom he could find,

into a calabash gourd

to shame all and one.

He searched for the tallest tree

determined to hang

all wisdom

out of reach

he held the gourd

firmly to his chest,

as he tried

to climb the tallest tree.

The squirrel passing by

stopped and wondered

"but why don’t you sling

the gourd on your back

to make it easy to climb?

As tortoise stared in shock

the squirrel rushed up the

tree as he muttered and

shook his tail

‘stupid as usual’

Oronshen: Goddess, Myth or Fact

2011-11-12T21:43:00.001+01:00

Every Yoruba Kingdom has always been able to identify and trace its roots to the cradle that is to say you will find every Yoruba city, village, or even hamlet tell you tales about how they came from the ancient kingdom of Ile Ife.

Ile-Ife also has its own story, it is the story of creation, how Man came to be and the concept of the eternal struggle between good and evil. Sometimes in the struggle, gods and goddesses are apportioned powers, responsibilities and I always found it very refreshing that very much like the Greek Pantheon, the Yoruba race has very human gods and goddesses whom they see as errand mortals achieving immortality after fulfilling their specific tasks on earth. Thus the concept of Destiny, Fate, and Karmaic returns originates from the Godhead and is given recognition in the lives of the average Yoruba man or woman.

Civilization has arrived and we have accepted its sometimes doubtful benefits but the average Yoruba man is deeply rooted in his native religion no matter how much allegiance he is expected to give to the new fancied imported religion. You will find thus in every city a patron god or goddess that the city has deified for one thing or the other.

In Owo a town in the Ondo State, a goddess, has been deified and is worshipped and commemorated very faithfully every September. I call her very simply our own Venus, the goddess of Love but she is better recognized as ORONSHEN. That was not really her name, but it is the name that every citizen and visitor remembers her by. Now simply translated ORONSHEN means “No TROUBLE HAS OCCURRED” it is in direct contradiction to what happened and what led to her worship.

As the myth or story goes, Oronshen was a half mythical woman that the king of Owo kingdom happened upon at night in the forest as he and his warriors took a much needed rest from the infernal inter -tribal wars that was the bane of the Yoruba kingdoms. As the story goes, the king watched a beautiful creature take on the shape of an exquisitely beautiful woman and was intrigued. He traced her to a vassal town as a stranger living with a hunter. She attened a festival of the king and the king fell in love with her. Before she agreed to become his wife she explained that certain taboos must be maintained. These taboos were simple enough but she insisted it must be kept. The besotted king agreed and a marriage took place.

Oronshen ‘s arrival at the palace upstaged all the other queens breeding jealousy, hate and anger. She was also reputed to have made the king very wealthy by some magical art of excreting priceless corals. Naturally the king had no more time for the other queens in the palace. A plan was thus concoted by the enraged and neglected wives. They plied the king with palm wine until half- drunk he disclosed the true nature of his strange queen. War broke out and the king went to defend his territories, In his absence, the queens took their revenge and openly broke the taboos of Oronshen, who left the palace in distress.

When the King returned, he sent warriors on a desperate search for her, they met her at the mouth of a grove and she refused to return rejecting all pleas. She however relented enough to offer to be a protector of the kingdom requesting that the king with his subjects must return to the grove every year to supplicate her in they ever were in distress or needing help of any human nature. The spot where she indicated was thus identified as Ugbo Laja (the reconciliatory grove).

Fact or Fiction: Archeological digs at the Ugbo Laja have confirmed that the grove had been a repository of clay pots, offertory carvings and such stuff dating back to the assumed time when the festival of Oronshen was suspected to have started. These relics have been carbon dated and give credence to the story.

To this day, as the month of September draws near, there are precise announcements to the people of the town. Beating of drums and such merriment is forbidden. The warriors do a special ceremony with long sticks in a fairly secretive ceremony exclusive to the lineage of the warriors who first went to search for the queen. A particular quarter of the town carried this singular responsibility. There after the king proceeds to the grove for the prayers and supplication. He is decked out in a beaded blouse, a white wrapper. The king has golden swords and heavy coral beads (symbols of the wealth of Oronshen) on his wrists. Infact the coral beads about his person are so heavy and plentiful that two chiefs hold his arms as he makes his way from the palace to the grove. The solemnity and pageantry of the event has made the event a tourist attraction to Owo. The trip to the grove serves as the climax to the festival. However an exclusive festival of the queens who had naturally become devotees of ORONSHEN also takes place within the palace premises.

Modernism, Religion and Commerce: Oronshen has evolved over 600 years into a planned and well orchestrated festival that spans a 24 day period. Its tourists potentials are being harnessed to create and enhance the economic potentials of the town to its sons and daughters within and outside the country. Purists of Oronshen worry that Modernism may soon erode the real social and moral benefits that Oronshen had for the people and a tribal tradition and legacy may soon be lost. Society thrives on change and has a tendency to be deaf to the lessons of its past. One of the effects of colonization and modern religion on our culture, ethos and customs is to create a sense of shame in all things native as it had been translated as barbaric. There is the other view that change is a necessary force, darkness is the absence of knowledge, so the town needs to exploit modernism to bring the savage things we did in the past into the light of reasonable civilization.

2011-11-04T19:42:00.000+01:00

In the African concept, a sexual health discussion is held with quite a lot of innuendoes and unfinished sentences. Most parents are very embarrassed to discuss their sexual health problems or queries with the older folks. They prefer to rely on the suspect information of their friends or surf the Net for answers!
POLICY MAKERS
Policy makers and implementators are yet to give honest, open lectures on sexual health a recognized place in the school curriculum. It is thus not very surprising that the fight against the spread of STD's and HIV particularly is moving rather slowly.
SOCIETAL CONCEPTS AND VALUES
The young person grows within a society and is bewildered by the inconsistencies he finds within. The boy is expected to be virile and active while the girl is assumed to be virginal and chaste. These realities are barely acknowledged but do affect the attitude of youth to each other resulting sometimes in risky sexual attitude.
ECONOMIES OF LIVING
I say the economies of living because even rich people hardly ever know how to handle the exigencies of negotiating a responsible life style let alone teach the youth how to live responsibly. Poverty of both funds and right knowledge is one of the important factors that the youth must understand if he is to effect a change.
SOLUTION/SUGGESTION
What role can the youth play in behavioral communication change.
ACCESS AND ASSESS
He must be able to have right access to correct information and be empowered to assess information he receives and process it accordingly.
Ability to access information depends on the facilities available to him. We already have mentioned quite a few. The key factor on this will be his relationship with the source of information. Relationships and our dependence on them determine our ability to process such information towards change. If we are able to trust our source of information, then processing is easy. We tend to collect information from our peers but are they really trust worthy sources? In early adolescence, from the ages of 10 15 or thereabouts, our peers exert a great influence on our information processing ability. Our self-awareness is just coming into play and we sense the need to belong. But a more trusted source of information ought to be our teachers, parents and at a level, our information services like the print and electronic media. The youth of today has moved from a lack of information to a surfeit of information. Why does he need to change his attitude? He now has a surfeit of information! The fact is he has a surfeit of superfluous information! A chat room in a Cyber café is the last place a 13 year old should go to have a chat because that child lacks the right negotiating skills to maintain a relationship.
POWER TO NEGOTIATE
Life skills are developed and enhanced by availability of correct and accurate information. Youth need to able to negotiate their different realities in relationship. That is what makes it easy for them to have the right emotional, and mental perspective on their goals and dreams. He must be empowered by the right kind of information to have the ability to negotiate his relationships with his friends, his peers, his parents and the society at large.
Communication in its right format and perspective helps the youth to understand these realities and process accordingly.
What can the youth do in ensuring these changes are positive?
SET GOALS
He must be willing to identify his own goals and dreams and define the priorities that can make these dreams actualities. Youth are natural scientist in the fact that they experiment a lot! They tend to believe practically everything they see and half of what they hear. It makes them feel cool, hip, with it? Right! However a focused youth who has a set goal will take a more pro-active measure towards achieving his set goals and will naturally seek out the right sources of information. He would employ what comes to him, naturally, the ability to question and assess the consequences of his actions. He would be able to define his identity and accept his differences from his fellows as not an embarrassment but see it as a uniqueness of his person.
IDENTITY
He would have a list of priorities and belief system that he can trust and defend. This will give him an identity of himself, which gives him confidence and trust in his ability to achieve his set goals.
Here's the problem. When do you really decide it is okay to have sex? I mean in my days, it was hinted at, we whispered about it but I very much doubt if we really knew what it really meant. Let me tell you a little bit of what relationships were like amongst us and our parents, especially for those who had parents that were not very educated. My dad spoke English to me. He got as far as standard four. That was education then. He ran away to join the army he says because he wanted to be in on the action. When he was demobbed, he worked for the British tobacco company and was paid something like ten shillings.
I could not possibly imagine me and Dad talk about when I could have a sexual relationship! Now there was another problem, as far as my mum was concerned I was 'alakowe' that is to say, I was educated. In essence I ought to know better than her. Technically in terms of academics ,she may be right. But heck, we were talking about negotiating a safe relationship with the opposite sex and as far as we know, it was zilch! Let us take a breather from my story and take some hard look at today's scenario. How much different was it from what obtained in the past? Today's children make up for what they miss on the pages of newspapers, electronic media with surfing the internet. I once watched in rapt horror as two girls discussed how you could pick up a date on the internet! I have daughters and I watch them sometimes with some fascination when their friends come visiting. The law in the house is clear, no visitors of the opposite sex! Sounds archaic? But for goodness sake is there a manual about how to tell your child the intricacies of first sexual experience or phew! If you should know what to do? In my last year at school, when I came to the village, I would have male friends come visit. My mum did not frown, she excused us by leaving me alone in the room with them. She innocently thought, she was giving me respect and privacy. She also felt being better educated than her, I would know better! I know a lot of my contemporaries who abused that ignorant trust. The nearest to sexual education we got in those days were strictures! Nice girls don't get pregnant. I lost a school mate who out of terror did an abortion and died from it. For most of us, I tended to think it was the fear of death from abortion that kept us from experimenting. Today, there is the added knowledge of HIV, so I guess a niggling horror of contracting that keeps some girls and boys for that matter from experimenting. I also learned through the years that parents are yet to have a clear understanding about how to go about handling their adolescent children. It could be very confusing and I look forward to the day when we can sit our children down in true African fashion and show them a viable working manual for life. In this day of grinding poverty and awful wealth, a man has to define himself every step through every experiencing, how he wants to weave the tapestry of his journey here. Sound like preaching? I guess, you could say that. Communication is fluid and mobile mechanism that we must use each time. Responsibility is not only about feeding and sending the children to school but also looking after the emotional need of the child. I remember one time in Lagos during the launch of one of our series, the Kenyan musician Tedd Josiah, said something. He said, sex for young adults was just so much nervous expenditure of energy. He tried to explain to the students we had invited, that self control was possible if it is backed by knowledge. Do parents talk? Do they have correct and accurate information they can pass on. We heard quite a lot of myths! We believed them. I grew up on a diet of authors like Denise Robins who wrote for audience that may not have included me. It gave me an unrealistic concept of men. I saw them as chivalrous! How mistaken I was, as very painful avoidable experiences came my way. I had to grope my way to maturity! It was not a picnic. Maybe one of the reasons I am writing this at all is to expiate some of the guilt we feel for some of the things we did. I could have listened meekly to my mum, but my age and ignorance were factors that did not help. So when she said, promise to marry him but do not get pregnant, she really lost a lot of moral ground. When she made a u-turn and said I could no longer marry him, I felt betrayed! I had been brought up to that point by my father to believe that a man's word was sacred. I had given my word to him that I would marry him, as long as I had no reason to believe that status quo had changed I was not prepared to change my word! I had a bitter few months with my mum. The bit of closeness we had achieved evaporated. Then she said, if I married him she would disown me! What was that? I left the next morning. I stayed away for seven years.

Ephesus: CENTER STAGE WITH PAULA BOER

2011-10-27T11:08:00.000+01:00

Ephesus: CENTER STAGE WITH PAULA BOER

CENTER STAGE WITH PAULA BOER

2011-10-27T10:54:00.000+01:00

PAULA BOER

Paula Boer is a writer with an interest in nature and travel. She lives in New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and a variety of animals. When she is not writing, she loves exploring the countryside, reading and playing the piano.

It is my pleasure to welcome Paula Boer on Center Stage.

I ‘met’ via the internet and through her debut novel THE OKPAI PROMISE. I was intrigued about the novel. Well, what did I think? Paula knows how to spin a story. I am African and shook my head at all that happened in the forests. I am not so sure I agree with the doctor in withholding the promise of the Okapi to humanity. I took with a dim view his pretensions that he would like us to remain savages for long. He played the classic Zeus complex. I was hurt at the unnecessary murder of Derik and felt Paula did not show us the proper justice that was coming to Cheryl. Okapi promise had my full attention from being a simple and interesting travelogue to a chilling murder thriller. Like the African weather Paula was unpredictable and took me through a variety of emotions but I was held by her expertise. Loved the story and felt sad about tragedy- prone Derik. Then I heard through our joint publisher IFWG Publishing that Paula has done it again, she is about to launch her second novel BRUMBIES so felt it appropriate to invite her to Center Stage for a chat. Please enjoy the interview.

1. Congratulations Paula on your up- coming book, please share your thoughts on it.

Thanks, Biola.

2. Who is Paula really?

I've had a number of careers, starting with farming in England when I left school at age 15. After a while I decided I would like to own my own farm, so went into computing to earn better money. After twenty years (a lot longer than I thought), I did end up with a hobby farm, where my husband Pete and I had up to thirteen horses at one stage. Then we retired early as we decided to simplify our lives and sold everything up to travel around Australia. During that time I started writing; now I consider that my third career.

3. Would it be right to make the outrageous submission that you love animals a little teeny bit more than humans?

No. I think you should say A LOT more! Animals and wilderness are my passions. I love my close friends, but can happily live without people en masse.

4. In the Okapi promise, one could surmise that you have misgivings about the effect of civilization on the human mind and behavior, is that true?

I don't have misgivings about the effect on humans per se, more the impact of so called civilisation on the planet. Personally, I think living in balance with nature is preferable to exploiting the earth's resources.

5. Okapi promise was a travelogue/suspense/crime thriller, Brumbies promises to be different, it is a shift from the previous genre? Why?

I was taught 'write about what you know'. The Okapi Promise was based on my own travels in Africa and my concern about the widespread nature of rabies across the world. The Brumbies series expresses my years of experience working with and enjoying horses. I loved The Silver Brumby series as a child, and have heard many young people wish for more horsey books, so I targeted that age group, but the series can be (and has been) enjoyed by adults too.

6. You wrote Okapi promise from the view point of a benevolent person that seemed to respect the norms of the Okapi people, but one came away from the book that there was something primitive and naive about their acceptance of the tourists which would thus indicate they already had contact with the symbols of civilization, wasn’t the doctor playing god in refusing the rest of humanity the opportunity for healing?

Each reader is likely to have a different take on that (and there were four points of view used in the narration). I try to put forward all sides of a story and let others decide what is right or wrong. I can only present the information as I understand it. I try very hard not to preach through my writing.

7. What genre of writing has had the most impact on you and thus influenced your writing?

I think the biggest influence has to be that I don't stick to a single genre in my reading. I read both fiction - science fantasy, historical drama, thrillers and so on) and non-fiction - coffee table books, 'how-to' books, essays, even dictionaries!

8. There is a growing sense that the written word is going out of fashion, yet it had shaped millions of people in the past, what do you think as an author of e-books, electronic libraries as against the traditional library of the printed word.

I believe there is room for both. Personally, I only read paper books. However, I recognise that other people prefer an electronic medium. It's good to have a choice.

9. As we await the imminent launch of Brumbies, what do you hope it will achieve for you as well as the readers you intend it will benefit.

I hope the Brumbies series will be successful in numbers of sales, both for my personal gratification but also to promote IFWG Publishing. As a small independent publisher that looks after their authors, I would like to see IFWG do well and rise up to be respected and recognised by the industry.

For the readers, I hope they will enjoy the same thrills that I have in sharing the outdoors with horses, whether that be only in their minds or results in them experiencing Australia's high country and wild horses first hand.

10. The developing world has a lot to catch up with particularly in the widening of their horizons through reading, yet the reading culture is dead on arrival in my neck of the woods, books are expensive and publishers are worried about making returns on their investment, do you have any suggestions for us on how we can access your books fairly moderately?

I have only visited Nigeria briefly, so can't claim to be able to solve local problems in Africa. However, I do believe that schools and libraries (state based and charitable as well as private) should play a significant role in making books accessible to a wide as audience as possible, both young and old. I believe education is the key to understanding the problems facing the world and hope that through an informed populace we can fix the damage done by previous generations.

11. Are there plans to market Brumbies to reach the African market?

As for all IFWG publications, Brumbies will be available online, so should be available wherever there is access to the Internet (subject to countries' import conditions). If I make another journey to Africa, I will be happy to do book signings wherever I am invited!

12. You are an established author, please give advice on how one can maintain a sustainable writing career.

Write, write, write. Listen to advice (but only act on it if either three or more people tell you or you wholeheartedly agree with it). Don't give up – be self-motivated and determined. And, despite writing at times being work, enjoy the process! We (should) write by choice, or because we feel compelled to do so, not because of any desire to achieve fame or fortune, sell a message or because we feel obliged to share our story.

13. Do you worry about how your next book will be received?

Of course! The process of writing from experience is very personal. But I hope that I can take any criticism constructively and use it to improve future writing.

14. Most authors look forward to seeing their books become a success even being adapted into a film, which of your books will you like to see as a film one day?

All of them. Seriously, I believe either The Okapi Promise or the Brumbies Series would make fabulous films – great scenery, lots of action, and hopefully characters that viewers can relate to. Bring it on!

You can buy THE OKAPI PROMISE online at amazon.com. Kindle, Barnes & Noble, and most online stores anywhere. BRUMBIES is scheduled for release in a matter of days WATCH OUT!!

Thank you Paula for coming on Center Stage.

Center Stage with Jeannette Katzir

2011-10-21T19:34:00.001+01:00

Today I have the pleasure to introduce on Center Stage Jeannette Katzir

Jeannette Katzir

She is someone who made me emotional after reading her book. I remember not immediately being able to say anything. I had taken a cursory look at the first page intending to read it later as I was just finishing a screen play and felt I should rest for a few hours at least. It was a mistake opening that first page. I was tired, needed to make dinner and I had Jeannette to thank for sleeping hungry and exhausted at the end of the read some eighteen hours later. My neck was stiff and I had lived through a thousand agonies of pain, fear, hurt and exasperation. In fact at the end of my reading I had to send Jeannette this short instant poem:

Channa.

Just one bird,

it flew the skies

on one broken wing

as her dream died at dawn

unable to feel the heat of the sun

the caress of the winds

the soft murmur of a fresh spring

for as a broken bird she flew the skies

pain and fear through her soul

Channa oh Channa.

I am sure when I sent it to Jeannette she must have blinked and wondered what kind of person I am. I was that affected and immersed. Before I bring on my guest I would most earnestly recommend her book,”Broken Birds”. To anyone who has been at the receiving end of injustice through racism. Let me share a few of the comments that this book has elicited, so you will know why you ought to get a copy soonest

“ . . . The final hundred pages of "Broken Birds" are thrust and parry, insult and body blow. It's nasty, nasty stuff, and yet I didn't turn away. And not because I'm a voyeur; in that game, I'm an amateur. But stories are life, distilled; as a collector of stories, I'm All Pro, and so, I'd bet, are most of you. And when the storyteller is gifted, our capacity to hear them expands.”

-Jesse Kornbluth,

The Huffington Post & HeadButler.com

“ . . . Katzir’s pacing was impeccable . . . I could not put it down from the first day I began reading it . . . I truly felt as if I, too was hiding from the Nazis and running for my life . . . [The] realistic portrayal of her beloved parents really added depth and complexity to this memoir. . . ”

-BookClubClassics.com

Let us now return to Jeannette, please enjoy the interview.

Please tell us a bit about yourself

I'm a fifty- plus year old wife, mother, grandma-ma, author, equestrian, photographer and travel-aholic. I started seriously writing after my mother's death and haven't been able to stop. I'm putting the finishing touches on book #2 and am co-writing a children series with two of my riding buddies.

2. Broken Bird is a very powerful story but it is a family story, is it personal? Your name is Jeannette and not the name of the author.

It is a non-fcition memoir about myself and my family. It can't come any more personal than that.

3. You have explored several themes in the story, particularly about racism, and parenting, which one of the themes has impacted on you most?

Being jewish in a predominately non-jewish world and suffering from the racism it invokes has instilled a wariness in me. Parenting is something i have dealt with since i was old enough to care for my younger siblings. It is something i enjoy, but not nearly as much as grand-parenting. It has all the best parts of parenting - with none of the worry.

4. Channa’s story has made a very powerful impression, what would you say was the Achille’s heel that finally defeated her?

I don't feel Channa was ever defeated, if anything the history of her youth and she herself were her worst enemies.

5. Parenting and family values also seem to have been given a lot of consideration in Broken Birds, both Nathan and Channa missed the point, didn’t they and why do you think so?

I think their time in the war jaded them, and although they both tried very hard, parenting didn't come easy to them.

6. Please why did you opt for Broken Birds as an Ebook? Is Ebook now gaining the upper hand over traditional publishing?

Broken birds is available in both ebook format and as a paperback, but i think traditional publishing will go the way of the 8track.

7. Who are your favorite Authors?

DAN BROWN, JEANNETTE WALLS, KATHRYN STOCKETT AND J.K. ROWLING.

8. You mentioned in your book that there grew a systemic denial of the holocaust, what is the situation now?

I was in germany in 2005 and sadly found holocaust denial and anti-semitism flourishing.

9. Distrust, has had a devastating effect on Channa’s marriage and ultimately destroyed a close knit family, do you think the story would have been different if Channa had received some counseling?

I don't know if counseling could have fixed her. The demons that surrounded her were profound and ever present. When she died she carried those fears with her.

10. Why do you call her Momila? What does it mean and signify?

Momila is a Yiddish word for mother, it is a term of endearment and my mother was very dear to me.

11. What were the lessons you learned from the story of Channa?

I learned that if you have children, and you do have a favorite try with everything you have not to show it. And if you are going to be anything but fair in the handling of issues such as money, property, etc., don't be secretive, or leave the discoveries for a time after you're gone. The children deserve to be told while you are alive so issues can be discussed. If fairness is something you feel is unwarranted, at least tell the children to their face, because once you're gone they are left with an open wound and no way to heal it. (i am not saying you have to be fair, it is after all your right to do as you wish, but have the backbone to tell the child to his/her face).

12. What genre of writing do you prefer?

Writing broken birds, the story of my momila, a memoir, was cathartic and i'm glad i wrote it. My second book is a fiction - and i have enjoyed writing it very much. The children's book is also fictional and writing this one as a group effort is a lot of fun. If i had to select a genre, i think i only had one non-fiction in me, so i'd pick fiction as my favorite.

13. Who would you recommend this book to? What has been the response to this wonderful book?

I would recommend this book to parents, so they'll understand the harm in favoritism. To grandparents, so they will know that if they leave money, property, belongings, remembrances unevenly those left behind are left with a question in their hearts that will never be answered. I also think anyone who wants to know what it was like to be the child of someone who suffered through such an atrocity would gain great insight after reading this book. Brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles or/and world war ii adicts would find it a fascinating read.

14. Share your writing day with this blog

Unfortunately i wish i was able to write all day, but i can not, so i write whenever i have a couple of peaceful moments, sometimes very early in the morning and sometimes very late at night.

15.Please give links to anyone interested in buying Broken Birds.

It is available on my websitewww.brokenbirds.com, on amazon.com. Barnesandnoble.com andsmashwords.com,. A number of small bookstores also carry them on their shelves.

Thank you for coming on Center Stage.

THE ASSIGNMENT---BABATUNDE

2011-10-15T11:33:00.001+01:00

It was an assignment he had set himself. Babatunde came back to the village determined to find out as much as he can about the herbs and barks of his village. He also wanted to know about a strange esoteric attack that was simply called ‘ATA”, which translated simply meant ‘pepper’. He had trained as a pharmacist because he had an almost instinctive knowledge of herbs and that always unsettled him. His father would stare at him for long moments but very rarely said a word.

Tope had doubled over in mirth when he said he was going to the forest alone. Tope gave him amused glances, shook his head and grinned, “You don’t even know the proper names of the plants and would not know a ‘dogonyaro’ plant from the other.”

“Well, I know the proper name as the Neem tree, besides everyone knows the ‘dogonyaro tree’ and what it is used for. In fact we are actively studying the plant and why it does not have the same side effect as the more common drugs we use for patients.”

“That is my point, you are westernizing everything. We do not do that, we talk to the plants and ask their permission before we cut them, so we have no need to go looking for side effects because you fellows have extracted everything.”

Babatunde was curious, “Why do you that? I mean why do you feel you need to talk to plants, they can’t hear you can they?”

“Silly, we want to inform the beings in the plant that we need their help and want them to change location before we use the plants.”

“The way I see it, this particular kind of ailment if you want to call it that, is not done physically.”

“ATA” as we all know it is a kind of attack done through radiation, all you need is the shadow of the offender or even call the person’s name, then you call the precise name of that part of the anatomy that has offended you. You see there are different types of the attack, but the anatomy that manifests the affliction indicates what the offence was, like someone who runs off too often at the mouth will have the affliction on the mouth and face. If you were interested in a lady and she said no with too much disdain or contempt for your person, you afflicted that part of her anatomy that indicated her feminity, which could be her face or her privates.”

“So why do you call it ‘ata’? As that means pepper, does it mean pepper is used in preparing the concoction for the attack?”

Tope shrugged, “I did not call it by that name, it is the name everyone, in every part of the Yoruba kingdom calls it. So if you went to any village, you will find that as the general name. I do not know if pepper is used either. I never had a need for it.”

“Why?” Babatunde asked then amended when Tope stared at him angrily, “I meant why people do that?”

“You really have gone soft in the head with this education of yours. It is a general fighting weapon. Remember when you came home from the holidays and Papa insisted that you were to be given the same antidote incision from anyone who might inflict that on you?”

Babatunde frowned as he remembered, “Don’t change the subject, why do people call it by that name?”

Tope sighed in patient frustration, “It is because, using pepper is the only way you know whether the thrush, rash or skin cancer you think you have is local attack or garden disease, if you apply it to the spot you suspect and you feel no pain, it means you have been afflicted with ‘ata’ and you must get a herbalist to divine who did it and have it washed out.”

“Washed out?” Babatunde leaned closer to his half brother really interested, “How is the washing done? With soap?”

Tope roared with laughter almost doubling over, “Of course not, soap indeed. It is a collection of herbs picked at first dawn to ensure it has potency and with a few words chanted over it, it is used to wash the ailment.”

Babatunde wrinkled his brows, “Chants?”

Tope was firm, “Yes chants. You need to tell the beings in the plants that you need the properties in the plants for healing.”

Babatunde shook his head,” you fellows do have confusing styles, beings in leaves..” then he stopped as he abruptly saw the picture of the old man on the farm path and what he had gone through after that. It was an experience he rarely wanted to relive. It had brought the question of reincarnation sharply into focus for him. Not that I need a reminder with a name like mine.

There was a lot he still needed to learn and he had found himself moving closer to his half brother and trying to learn as much as he can from his more traditionally grounded brother.

Babatunde gave his half brother a keen look. Tope had become a really successful farmer but had yet to pick a wife saying he would wait for the next virgin dance and see what the village had to offer. He still lived at home but had made a small hut for himself behind the main building and it had become a meeting point for all the boys. Babatunde tended to spend most of his time there now.

Tope still made early dawn trips to the farm and there had been times when he spent the night on the farm. Papa had given him a small portion of the family cocoa plantation to manage for himself. Babatunde was impressed with the way Tope had expanded and built on his small holding. He frowned as he thought over what Tope just said, “what do you mean you inform the beings?”

Tope gave is half brother a smile before he replied, “You are losing more and more of your local touch. Don’t become too much of an educated ass. Everything has a name and Olodumare gave everything a name. If you want a plant to work for you, you call it by its name. Isn’t that why Ekun Agba became so famous?”

He was silent after that comment knowing there was some truth in what his brother said. He had become more inclined to acting the civilized jerk he told himself. Babatunde wondered if he was really interested in drugs and their uses or that he was just searching for himself and the meaning of his life. There were so many confusing things in his life and sometimes he just wished to be left alone.

He went still as a voice jumped in his mind and spoke distinctly, “if you ever want to qualify as a man you must know why you are here.” Babatunde went still and stared at Tope, he wondered if his half brother heard the same thing, “Do you hear strange voices sometimes?”

Tope laughed and replied flippantly, “Yes Amoke’s voice but then after I have had a bottle of palm wine at ‘Apata gangan’ the palm wine shed. Oh, you have seen your Imole Ife, your friend again? I had the strangest feeling when she walked past me the other day”.

“Who?”

“That friend of yours, the strange one. Imole Ife, I just mentioned her name, have you gone deaf?”

“You know her name and you call her a strange friend?” Babatunde asked mystified.

“I used to think you had fallen for her hence you rarely want to go girl chasing again”. Tope said with a shrug.

Babatunde laughed but felt funny inside. He did not want to make a joke about her. He knew who Tope was talking about but did not want to acknowledge that even to himself. He felt the enquiring looks of his half brother and tried to shrug it off.

He had never been able to identify his true feelings about Imole Ife. After that fantastic experience in which she had experienced his past with him, he had been unnerved.

Tope gave him a curious look, “Something happened to you about that girl didn’t you?”

“Nothing happened.”

“Exactly.”

“What do you mean exactly?”

“Nothing.”

“Okay, act like a fox and see if I am going to ask you further questions”.

“You do not need to ask me further questions, I see the fear, longing and desperate hunger in your eyes. You cannot approach her, you are not allowed to, and if you attempt to fall for that girl you will be hungry for her all your life. I think a simple girl like Amoke will be a good choice, she is warm in the right places, you do not need to think before you talk to her and all she wants is to have your children. Her mother had seven sons so you will not have to worry.”

Babatunde snorted disgusted, “What are you jabbering about? Me and Amoke?”

“Papa thinks I should sound you out about your intended bride now that you have finished the almighty western education, even though you still do not know much about our plants and barks. I am not seeing any sign of quick money in this venture of yours. I sold almost five tons of cocoa last season, and got good money. Papa says he can let you have the farm portion on the western side of mine whenever you are ready.”

Babatunde stared in anger at Tope, “You fellows are not serious are you? My intended bride? That is some joke I take it”, then he sighed and tried to make his tone conciliatory knowing that Tope meant well, “I will have a farm and job when the time is right.”

“Well I told Papa that I never heard you discuss any women with me and we both know there is no road in your longing for that strange girl, Imole Ife.”

Babatunde gave him a look of disgust, “Just keep your nose out of my business.”

“I should tell Papa that?”

“Are you mad or something?” Babatunde fumed. “Papa did not send you on such an errand and we both know it. How come you are not married yourself?”

“We are not discussing my marriage”

“Neither are we talking about me, how did I ever think you were smart?”

Tope was not finished and Babatunde saw the amused glint as he looked at him, “Fancy yourself as Joseph right?”

“What?”

“You know, I used to hear these Christians talk about the Virgin Mary and well you seem to be the male counterpart, after all her husband was called Joseph, and he always dreamed right?”

Babatunde stared then threw a punch, but Tope ducked and made pretence of cowering in abject fear, Babatunde chuckled, “You horrible pagan. You have mixed them up and as usual did not bother to check. Men are not virgins. There are two Josephs alright but I don’t how I fit into any one of them you heathen.”

Tope slapped at his face and laughed, “That is what I told Papa but he said you are the gentleman. He was worried that you might bring a strange girl from another town home as a wife so he asked me to quietly check the girls for him and felt I would know your taste.”

Babatunde shook his head in real bewilderment, “You must have taken a whole keg of palm wine to have been stupefied into thinking you had an idea at all. You, of all people, besides, how could I want to have your left over?”

Tope went cold suddenly and snarled, “My taste is better than yours brother Alakowe.”

“Yeah? I am not interested in village idiots as you.”

Tope stood and walked out slamming the door.

The voice laughed softly, “That was not very clever.”

Babatunde snapped, “He is not very clever.”

“Not clever maybe but very lethal, you had better see your friend, the one you call Fancy pants”

He looked round him wondering why he was talking to himself and sighed. He was tired and really should sleep. He closed his eyes as he remembered fancy pants. He smiled.

Would have been nice if he could just see Fancy pants right now. He sighed and closed his eyes as he tried to relive the memory of fancy pants.

I almost Did

2011-10-01T22:09:00.002+01:00

My son just called
and said the militants
dropped their guns
and crossed their arms.

The noise of the celebrations
makes the creek red
like those who fought
for a tomorrow
that died yesterday

habit or beloved
he said it once
I love you
and will take
care of you
he even signed
the piece of legal nonsense
that made me his.

Twenty years on
we still sleep two spoon
in the middle of the bed holding hands,
but sometimes I wonder,
am I his habit or beloved?

went to my uncle
for the traditional pounded yam
he had just married a woman
from across the seas
we came for the ceremony
to wash her legs into the family

She could not cook
Our breakfast
But gave us two tiny slices of bread, eggs and tea
no moonlit tales
had never heard of tortoise
We felt sorry for uncle
There was no pounded yam
nor fresh palmwine for grandpa
the saddest thing however,
she did not allow us to wash her legs too.

Chants in my dreams I

2011-09-28T20:39:00.000+01:00

I wish to invite you into the meadows of my mind as I listen to the chants in my dreams. They have fallen through the years watered by my dreams and sun kissed by the tears of my longings. One day the spring of success may wet my dry lips. My son just called and said the militants dropped their guns and crossed their arms. The noise of the celebrations makes the creek red like those who fought for a tomorrow that died yesterday

Don’t make me cry He thinks you smell like a rose and says the sun shines in your hair that you make his day you preen and think of diapers little miniatures of him And the devil laughed

PEACE He who cannot walk away From his anger, Cannot in trust, Approach the peace of Love. Those who betray us, Those who revile us, Those who hate us, Show through their ugliness, The awesome beauty, Of Light’s compassion, As they mirror to us, What we must never be. Simple Lessons What do you give A neglected child? Love if you have A persistent politician Contempt if you dare An angry teacher His allowances But a neglected wife? A blank cheque That is what you do!

Center Stage with Louis

2011-09-02T09:46:00.000+01:00

We have been away for a while, it is for a reason. I have the pleasure today to welcome to Center Stage, Louis Lowy author of the darkly humorous book “Die Laughing”.

We have a saying in my corner of the world. “The speech is in the eye.” I generally always believed that the quality of the person can be sensed if you look into the eyes. It is an art my people have developed and that has helped me in a lot of ways. I needed to have an idea of the person of Louis so I asked as usual with all my guests for his photograph. I am sure I must have embarrassed him with my responses later. So I took one look into the eyes of Louis Lowy and saw a world of compassion, humor and laughter with a bit of ‘tongue in cheek’ question in those eyes. I would thus wish to share him with you on this page.

‘Die Laughing’ started deceptively enough. I first smiled, chuckled and then laughed. The hook was in, I might even die laughing, only the confusion of Sam E sneaked up on me. I was no longer smiling, I scratched my head as with the ease of a skillful story teller Louis told me an ‘onion’ story. He used his book to share with me life, even the agonies of tentative love affair with Cricket,(what is in name?) held me sometimes painfully amused, scared and even impatient with Sam E. I felt his pain and shared his emotional tensions as he tried desperately to understand his mother, forgive her and love her. It was not anything physical but the damage to the responsibility of Motherhood was clear to me through the memories of Sam E. Sam E never needed to tell us anything, he just felt his way through the sick horror of Francis, the Aliens who he really should thank for their green ugliness and Cricket. His bumbling loyalty to his friend and manager. It is a book I would wish to recommend to my Nigerian friends. Here in my country we still look at fantasy stories with the suspicion with which we regarded the Western world. There might be something in building a fantasy world where we could deal in Louis fashion all those frightening gods and goddesses that had made life an embarrassment and a dread. These were some of the emotions that Sam E went through.
Please enjoy my conversation with Louis Lowy
1) Please may we know you a bit more?
I was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in the United States, moved with my parents to South Florida when I was around five. I grew up in Hialeah (home of the racetrack), which is just outside of Miami. I worked as a firefighter there. I also played bass guitar in many bands, mostly original music. My most well known band was Hemlock which had the dance hit “Disco Break.” I currently live in Miami Lakes (still south Florida) with my wife and daughter. Our son is studying Asian literature in Japan and our daughter is attending a local college. I’m currently studying to get my MFA degree in creative writing at Florida International University.

2) Die laughing reads like an ‘onion story of subtle layers of the person called Sam, it demands we read more to the apparent first layer. how did you achieve that?
Great question. I set out to write a story about a man – comedian Sam E. Lakeside – trying to find his sense of self-worth. Due to his lousy childhood he’s lost not only that, but all the things that come with it: the ability to develop true and meaningful relationships, a confidence that is more than skin deep, and a sense of being loved for himself not his onstage persona. In order to break through all those barriers he had to go through a series of self-awakenings that came about partly because of the burden he was going through and the decisions he had to make. The catalyst that started the process was the mist that he was exposed to by the space creatures.
3) What genre of writing will you classify your novel? How long have you been writing?
Honestly, I didn’t set out to write in one genre. I set out to tell a story. I used elements from many genres: sci-fi, mystery, suspense, noir, and everything in between. My main goal was to write something that would hopefully have depth and at the same time keep the reader interested enough to keep turning pages. To your second question, I’ve been writing seriously for about four years.
4) Sam E is a lost boy, a comedian. an idealist as well as a cynic which is he actually?
He’s a little of each, and I’d even throw in a bit of a romanticist. At times it’s hard to see, but he truly longs for a real relationship.
5) Die Laughing is unusual, yes I said that before because I keep getting the feeling that it is a commentary on the human society, can you enlighten me?
I never thought of it like that, but I can see why you’d say it. Because my story takes place in the 1950’s I decided that I wanted to portray the people as I believed they would be in that time period, that is, male and female roles in society and their racial views. During that time period in America it was a man’s world. Women’s role was largely subservient to the man’s. Sam E. could get by being somewhat flippant in his attitude to the opposite sex and get away with it. Women, on the other hand would have been frowned upon if they acted the same way.
Racial attitudes were different then. Derogatory terms were thrown around more loosely than they are today. It’s a much sensitive society today – and thank goodness that it is – than in the fifties. I let my characters be less attuned to that sensitivity. Going back to the story, I felt it was important not to emphasis or deemphasize the 1950’s values, but to let my characters and their surroundings play themselves out in a manner that was as true to that era as I could make it.
The story also deals with power, greed, control, and the pop culture of that era. Certainly they say something about not only that period but society in general.
6) The human mind has been pre-occupied with the UFO’s , which view shall we hold? Francis? Who wants to see them as avenues for money, Sam E? or the sneaking feeling that you want us to see sci-fi as something more?
That’s the wonderful thing about UFO’s, alien life and the unknown. There is no one viewpoint. The truth is in the eye of the beholder. I think that’s the way it should be.
7) Share a writing day with us, and if you have fixed hours of writing.
I’m normally a much disciplined writer. I write a minimum of two hours a day, six days a week. I usually start off anywhere between 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The first thing I do is make a cup of hot tea or coffee to take with me to my office, which is decorated with things that allow my mind to open up, like old movie posters, figurines and action figures, childhood models, and of course, my books.
The second thing I do is enter in my writing log, which is on my desk near my computer, the date and starting time. I don’t cheat on my two hours. If I leave for ten minutes then I add ten minutes to the time.
The final thing is the hardest: concentration. It can be difficult because your mind wants to play tricks. It’s simpler not to concentrate, so if you’re not vigilant you’ll think of a thousand excuses to let yourself wander. That’s pretty much it. The rest is to keep plugging at it.
I will add one caveat, since Die Laughing was published I’ve had to put my writing schedule on hiatus for a time to keep up with the release and everything that goes with it.

8) In my neck of the universe, our pre-occupation is far removed from sci-fi , fantasy and such science based stories, how can we make these genre of writing popular and thus acceptable?
Hmmm, I think the best way would be through exposure. If people have the opportunity to experience different genres, then it removes a lot of prejudices and preconceived notions. Sort of a literary cultural exchange program, if you will. And the reverse is true, too. If the U.S. were more exposed to other country’s literature, it would do the same for us. I think that’s one of the beauties of the Internet, it is certainly bringing us closer together.

9) Authors when they write generally add a touch of their creative inspiration into what they write and thus make a statement of some of what they believe or doubt. Can you imagine a world of the kind of creatures that Sam contends with or is it a more subtle message?
Not only can I imagine it, I did imagine it. That’s one of the wonderful things about writing. You get to shape your ideas and put them on paper (or on computer memory.)

10) Share with us your favourite authors?
Though I have many, some of my favorites are James Joyce, Robert McCammon, John Dufresne, Jane Austen, Stephen King, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Flannery O’Connor, and on and on and on.
11) What genre of writing do you prefer?
I’m open to most any kind though I tend to gravitate toward something with an edge to it.
12) Have you ever been frightened?
Yes, indeed – all the time. I don’t know anyone who hasn’t been, do you?
13) Who will you recommend to read Die Laughing?
Anybody who’s looking for a page turner with dark humor, suspense, characters struggling to find themselves, and shape-shifting aliens who can only morph into individuals that have been projected over television airwaves.

14) Please give us links to where we might buy copies of the book.
I’d be happy to. Below is the Amazon link, though the e-Book and hard copy versions can be found anywhere online books are sold, including worldwide. Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Die-Laughing-Louis-K-Lowy/dp/061551846X/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314054983&sr=1-3
15) Please give us more hints on how one might become a best selling author.
I ever become one I’ll be happy to let you know, though I can say it’s nearly impossible to get there without hard work, a thick skin and belief in yourself.

Thank you for coming on Center Stage
Biola, thank you for inviting me on Center Stage. It’s been a pleasure.

Blood Contract.. Chapter Nine

2011-08-22T20:34:00.000+01:00

Thought I should share with you excerpts from my novel BLOOD CONTRACT. Check IFWG publishing.com. amazon.com and others for the book. Would love to have your feedback

CHAPTER NINE

Chapter Nine
The room was hot, including the tempers of the men gathered there. They were chiefs and all were talking at once about their frustrations. It was negotiation time. Ken had come to ask the terms for the release of the hostage in their custody. First they had played dumb and said they were not aware they had a hostage but were holding a traditional trial of one who had breached the norms. The Egbesu code demanded that you do not betray your kin. Apparently, the person they were holding had done that. It was alleged that he had sold communal land to an oil prospector.
There was also mourning amongst the people. Diepreye had been popular and Ken had expected that the meeting would be postponed. But he was here at their summons and now they didn’t really want to negotiate. He sensed they wanted a scapegoat. He was one of them and they were feeling frustrated and angry.
Some young men were sitting on a long bench. The conversation was animated. Torjor was also part of the discussion and he was particularly angry. Torjor gave a slow contemptuous look around and wondered why everybody seemed to be hesitating taking the only viable option that would make the world sit up and listen. He was sore after the death of Diepreye and demanded to know what the chiefs thought they were doing failing to convince the government to ask the oil men to leave their territory.
Torjor was almost violent as he screamed out that the youths had decided there was going to be no more crocodile deaths. Some of the youths had expressed the view that Diepreye had been used for ritual purposes because people too often disappeared at the crocodile cove, which they now called Johnson’s Creek.
Ken murmured that he had not heard of violence paying off. There was silence as they all turned to look at him. He moved away from the window from where he had been and gave all of them a slow look. There was a gentle smile on his face and he spoke in a soft voice. “I grew up here; I know about hunger, I am still hungry myself. Let’s look at things this way, for twelve years Isaac Adaka Boro carried this burden. One of my uncles died with him so it is personal.
“Nobody is going to call me woman here, because I am a soldier too. Ken Saro Wiwa read and wrote so many books, he went to the United Nations. He talked to everybody important about what was happening to us here in the creeks, I mean the man my dad named me after. Egbesu strengthened his hand and the world got to know about him, we all felt that was why the Federal Government sat up and listened…”
Torjor interrupted him; almost beside himself with anger. “You mean after they put a rope around his neck and hung him and eight others?” He bitterly laughed and pointed at them in a sweeping gesture of contempt. “You all have a prize; it is easy, those idiots come here, build a one bedroom shack they call a community hospital, it has cost them only three million naira; they go to the press, invite the National Television network, and the National dailies, they spend about ten times the amount of the cost of the hospital on the publicity, then give you, the chiefs, the supposed elders and custodians of our wealth a miserly ten thousand naira each into your accounts, and you nod and accept their mistakes. They spill oil; the chiefs keep quiet; why? It is easy; they don’t fish anymore, so they don’t know what we are going through. They are not educated, so they don’t know we can’t get jobs, that the jobs they give us when we go to the cities, are jobs meant for houseboys, gardeners and such stuff! Why are we here just talking?”
There was a murmur of angry voices, Torjor looked round at the faces and smiled.
Ken tensed knowing this was going to be dicey. He sensed that Torjor was deliberately trying to whip the people up. He raised his hands “Listen please, I believe there are nine different ways to kill a cat.”
“We are not talking about cats,” Torjor spat.
Ken looked at Torjor, shook his head and continued as if he had not heard the interruption. “We are losing the war if you have not noticed. Those who are supposed to be on our side are worried at our preference for violence; when you name your child, you do not advertise the name until you have told the owner of the name.
“This is our custom, how we do things. We are warriors by nature but on matters that are right and we do it the right way. When a child has a big head, we know how to sew the cap; the history of other countries has shown that violence has not won out. I have been to some of these countries and I know. We have a right to demand for our rights but not through violence.”
Torjor laughed. “Ken has tasted white women, eaten white food and he has gone soft. I hear he has married a white woman so who is he to talk now?”
Ken turned Torjor with a smile. “Whatever I have done, I have not started a local refinery and stolen money from the populace I am supposed to serve.”
There was shocked silence as all eyes turned to Torjor.
They stared at each other, clear implacable enemies from that very moment. Ken was holding his anger with difficulty. I could wring his neck, he thought to himself, but smiled at the chiefs.
Torjor reacted by attempting to rush Ken, who nimbly stepped aside, just as Senator sailed in unannounced. He had been watching the conversation from the window.
“Well, my people, I am here, risking Federal bullets, making sure that our resources are adequately spread. Anyone who is found guilty of sabotaging the efforts of our people will have to explain it to me.”
He turned and gave Torjor a keen look before returning to address the meeting. Senator was swathed in jewelry around his neck and gold rings on every finger.
The chiefs smiled and everybody started fawning on him. Senator went around distributing brown envelopes while a young man came in carrying sacks of neatly packaged rice which he dropped by the side of each of the chiefs. Ken watched in amusement.
Senator came to him and opened his eyes wide in amazement, then opened his arms in embrace.
Ken side stepped away, neatly smiling.
Senator stuck the smile on. “It is my favorite nephew, isn’t it?” he asked with an expansive smile, then turned around to the chiefs and continued. “We all should do everything Ken says. He is an important man from his company and they reluctantly released him to help with the negotiations here. I hear he was supposed to be actually on his way to England when our request got to his bosses.”
Ken stared at Senator the way a snake would stare at a chalk drawing on the ground, as his mind raced, why is Senator saying all this? He remembered that Tonbra said that she suspected the same piece of newspaper cutting in Ediseme’s bag was probably in Senator’s house. What was the real link?
Senator had finished speaking and turned to give him one unreadable glance then left the long room. The chiefs were busy counting the money in the envelopes and for a while there was no conversation. Ken felt sick. This was something more than a simple hostage taking. He was uneasy at Senator’s show of power.
His village was not always like this. What had happened to them? He headed to the door just as Torjor went to the car. Ken saw Torjor hold an animated discussion with Senator, then stomp off in anger. The car moved off as well.
He returned to the room and the elders said they were tired, but would make arrangements for another meeting soon, as they needed to conclude their negotiations before they could accept any further terms from Ken. One by one they left the long room holding their wrappers and top hat in one hand.
Ken decided he needed a walk around the village. He wanted to get a perspective on what was going on. Nobody seemed to care much about the hostage and apart from that first disastrous outing, he had heard very little from anyone. He also had not seen any sign of Jite. He went to Ediseme’s knowing he would be able to pick up some gossip.

Who Is Numen Yeye?

2011-08-06T08:41:00.000+01:00

Ife decided the next morning she needed to see Yeye. She had known of the silent vigil that Yeye had maintained at her bedside during that strange experience she went through. She wanted to know if there were ways to fight witches red and black. She wanted to ask about witchcraft, drinking poison to prove your innocence. Ife had kept her distance from Grandmother Olaoye and it still annoyed her father.

Yeye gave her a smile as she approached the house and brought out two traditional wooden stools. Ife sat on one of them and then forgot why she came because she also met a couple of very young girls adorning their bodies and ankles with the clear liquid of a fruit. She could not pronounce the name but knew that, by morning the girls’ bodies will be all types of designs darkened by the liquid of the fruit. They were practicing songs as the Aeregbe festival was due again. Ife remembered the first time she had known about it and how she had joked with Tinu then. She gave the girls a critical look and listened in amusement to Yeye giving the girls instructions.
“I think you might also give the girls some hints on herbal practice or cookery lesson after all they are in training to be wives right”? Ife joked.
“No, Ife, being a woman does not end at being a wife and or mother, I am teaching them how to be pure in their thoughts and ward evil that way.”
Ife replied instinctively, “People can’t be pure even in thoughts Yeye, they can be chaste and have good intentions, you know like running stream, you feed and are fed.”
Yeye was struck by that statement and gave Ife a smile,” That is kind of profound the way you said it Ife.”
Ife shrugged,”I said it without thinking you know but it feels right don’t you think?”
“You are right, purity belongs to Olodumare, there is no man that walks that does not have an unsteady head.”
“Now that is really interesting, I am going to look at heads from now on.”
They both laughed at that.
Ife regarded Yeye and looked at the girls, “You know you are right, it is not just being a virgin is it”?
“No, it is not just being physically a virgin, it is about being beautiful from within”
“Yes, but Tinu says girls who are not virgins cannot get up that festival hill, is it really true”?
“Well since it has always happened each time, I think the sense of shame and guilt of the girls has proved enough weight to make climbing the hill an impossible thing for them”.
“Plus the fear of the scolding, disgrace and not being able to get a husband”, Ife added.
“Every village maid is expected to attend Aeregbe before they marry.”
Ife grimaced, “you know I think it encourages indecency as all those boys come round and ogle the girls, is there a virgin dance for the boys”?
“Actually the boys have their own initiation rites to follow.”
Ife laughed, “I hope that includes doing a test of strength and they must know how to manage a house too or a farm”
“Definitely Ife”, Yeye said smiling as she arranged the girls and asked them to start with the songs she had taught them a few days ago. The girls were in various ages ranging from twelve to fourteen, with beads as the only item of clothing.
Ife slept late the next morning and was brought rudely awake by screams and running feet. She rushed out to see people running towards a house along the street. Puzzled she looked round for her mother but saw no one except Yeye Agba who stared out.
“Yeye Agba, what is going on”?

Yeye Agba shrugged, “the hunters caught a witch returning late and she is being taken to the palace. She did not have time to change her shape.”
Ife gaped, Great Lights, what shape was she?
Yeye Agba smiled thinly, obviously some cat shape. “The hunter almost killed her thinking she was a cat and she cried out so is stuck in a grotesque shape.”
Ife turned around to give her grandmother a puzzled look, “You have seen her?”
Not this one, but I have been called to help someone like that pass and I don’t like the experience, it is like walking through muck”
Ife stared and forgot her curiosity to go see for herself, she sat down beside her grandmother, tell me more Yeye Agba, “Is there really a witch”?
“Of course Ife, the power that Olodumare gives you is neutral and you decide what you do with it. You use your power anytime and anyhow but there is a god we call Esan”
“Vengeance”
“Yes, we say all ailments can be healed but not the one Esan inflicts because Olodumare gave him that power, but we also say before the earth avenges wickedness of evil, lots of good things may have been destroyed. That is why we do not support witches that kill. The white man is a witch but I think it is a good witch.”
“This is interesting Yeye Agba, so what will happen to this witch now, they will stone her”?
“Not necessarily Ife, sometimes the king could just render her harmless and she is helped to return to her normal shape, her coven won’t have her back and neither would her family so she will be allowed to live out her days in the palace”
Ife wrinkled her nose in disgust, “but she can still be harmful”?
“It depends on what the king wants, now that she has been taken to the palace”
Ife’s mother who was returning from her night vigil heard the last part and shook her head. She said the woman was not so lucky as she had started speaking, confessing to being a witch and of course her relatives could not get to her in time so she was dead by the time the king’s messenger got there, stoned to a pulp by the angry mob.
There was silence thereafter, Ife stunned and shaken by such summary dismissal of something that could not be authenticated.

Later in the evening she sat and listened to her grandmother Yeye Agba tell stories about the origin of Aeregbe in her village and why she is the chief priestess. Ife was beginning to understand quite a lot of things. She also listened to her mother as she counseled a young woman who was wondering how to manage her senior mate.
Ife was beginning to understand the complications from polygamy on the women. For instance; as she got older the easy friendliness that had existed between her and her half brother had steadily cooled, because her step mother regarded her with suspicion and jealousy. Ife who had been in the habit of coming for the holidays and wandering into her step mother’s room found the door now shut against her.

The first time it had happened she had been shocked and hurt. The lady had explained that they were personal things in the room. Ife had replied, “you are not implying I am stealing your things are you?”. The lady had shrugged but kept her door shut, then her mother had asked her not to readily accept food from the wives too because she was going to have her star (destiny) clouded. Mystified Ife had asked when she had been allocated a star, but her mother had clamped her lips together and insisted.
Her father had married another young girl just barely older than herself and Ife had sighed, “Papa is there going to be a time when you will stop marrying, there doesn’t seem to be much money around you know”
He laughed then and gave her a mischievous look, “I am not marrying them they are the ones who marry me”
Ife had laughed but she thought about it. So as she remembered now she asked Yeye Agba about it. Yeye Agba smiled and looked at her, “it is the lot of women to have mates Ife or else they will see you as jealous”
“Are we not supposed to be jealous Yeye Agba”
“It will serve no purpose my dear. A man is expected to show his progress in life by the increase of his wives. Only a poor man or a stupid man stays married to one woman”
“Really”?
“Jealousy is unnecessary pain Ife , pining over what was never yours. True love serves hand and foot unquestioning but with a clear gaze. You know we have a saying, the eye that will last you till your old age should not start showing pus early. A love that will serve you through to your age is earned with patience.”
Ife gave her grandmother a considering look and then grinned, “You know Yeye Agba I never asked you, have you ever fallen in love”?
“And you feel like fishing today right”?
Yeye Agba said with a faraway look in her eyes, “I have loved someone I have never met in the physical, but we have gone through things together. I have shared my fondest longings and be assured of his protection all the time. I have felt his longing and slept in the happy conviction that he came into the world same time as I did but we would experience together at great distances”.
Ife stared struck at such longing in Yeye Agba’s voice. Her voice was soft when she placed her hand on Yeye’s knees. “Did he have a name?”
Yeye Agba sighed and stood up, she gave Ife a keen look then smiled with resignation. “Love is expensive and rare Ife. The woman is never asked if she ever loved the male wretch she is allocated to, she works on his farm, lies on his mat and must bring him good fortune or else she gets a mate or several mates.”
Ife shook her head firmly, “I do not have the slightest intention to get married.”
Yeye Agba laughed, “you will do as you are told if you are the Numen we have been expecting.”
Ife stood still as she stared at her grandmother, I am the what?
Yeye kept a steady gaze on Ife as she spoke, “It is time your parents told you that they have been negotiating for you to be allowed to finish school because Numen demands that you must lead the virgin dance before further contamination becomes permanent.”

Ife felt like someone just took her breath and she stared at her grandmother wondering why the air was suddenly so thin and her heart was beating so hard, she looked round her wildly and her mouth was dry. Yeye Agba stared at her and there was gentle compassion in her eyes that Ife could feel from a great distance. She felt she was running through great distances and needed to hold still, there were bells in her head and she wanted to alight.

When she opened her mouth to speak, she felt she was speaking from great distances, “Yeye Agba what are you talking about? Who is Numen and why do you say this”?
Yeye Agba sighed, “I am going to tell you this, there is nothing to the story that you are emere. Your mother and father for that matter know who you really are, at least they know they were expecting someone special through the processes that took place before you came.One of the demands of Numen before you came was that you should lead the virgin dance and help the women. You were supposed to have done that when you entered into your puberty, it was to mark that, but you were in school and your father did not want you distracted so an appeal was made to let you finish school, your mother begged that you be allowed to finish secondary school and now Numen demands that you should perform that before you go to University. You father and for that matter your mother too, have been dithering and time is no longer on our side. I have no intention of courting Numen’s anger further. Meanwhile the witches are determined to stop you, hence your confrontation over Tinu’s son. Yeye came to me because she says you sense something and she does not want you angry with her later. The power is pulsing strongly more into you and it is time.”
There was silence as Ife’s heartbeat gradually slowed but she was still tense. She stared at her grandmother, Ife felt very strange and she felt goose bumps all over her skin. Her mother returned from church and immediately knew something was wrong. Ife turned steady eyes on her mother, “Mama why did you insist I was emere when you knew all along that I was not and you spent all these years making me frightened and worried. Mama Why?”
Her mother stared in total surprise and looked at Yeye Agba who stared back. Ife holding down tears simply walked away without saying a word.

Are Diamonds Forever?

2011-07-30T09:36:00.002+01:00

He said I will love you forever
Stars in her eyes
She danced to the rhythm
Are diamonds forever?

He said
I will take you to the stars
And build you castles of gold
She lived amongst the finery
Of his skilful words

Now tis past the witching hour
The birds roost
The moon silvers
Her lonely watch
She heard his
Drunken shuffle home
Her tears as bright
As the diamonds
He said are forever
The bills pile
And mock the
Promise of furs
Unqualified she waits
On his labourer’s wage
On the highway of wealth
They had in foolish passion
Detoured into the pits of poverty

Sulks and silences
Hunger and hate
Pain and worry
Becomes the fruits
Of their haste
To eat unripe
The gifts of life
The silent screams
Thunders through
And mocks at them
Are diamonds forever?
Will love last the day?
When kisses are not worth
The word of the lover?
Tell me child
Are diamonds forever
When your tomorrow
Is now slave to the
Errors of a hasty yesterday?

Sango

2011-07-17T20:53:00.000+01:00

Sango the god of thunder was held in healthy respect in her village and you were not allowed to swear in his name in a trivial manner. One of the things her mother used to tell her was she should not stand in the doorway while it rained as that might irritate Sango if he was on a mission. You could appeal to Sango if you wanted to catch a thief or someone had refused to tell the truth about something and it was important, because if you lied, you would get an answer within seven days. At least that was the story Tinu told her.
Ife had been skeptical until one lazy afternoon, during a previous visit when she had heard a scream and rushed out. The day had started innocently dry and sunny with no hint of rain in the wind nor in the sky, then a slight breeze had started and while still sunny some showers of rain had started to fall. Suddenly a loud rumble and flash of lightning, the rain stopped as the screams came.
Lying on the ground with a bag of cocoa beans on his chest had been a pastor. It was clear what had happened. He had stolen the bag of beans and the victim had appealed to Sango. No one could touch the body in obedience to the custom, her grandmother was sent for and she started up drums and songs, to summon the devotees who soon joined her. They had to search for Sango’s axe round the victim and they danced watched by crowd as they searched for the axe, when they found it they needed a black smith to extract it from the ground, so they took the man to the blacksmith. Sango was a blacksmith in his earth days when he lived as a man before he became a god so blacksmiths were always consulted on anything that had to do with him. However the devotees found the axe just a few meters away.
Ife had stared awed by the whole drama. Just before the pastor finally died, the devotees revived him and asked him to explain what had happened to him, he confessed to stealing the bag of cocoa beans, the Sango priests were asked to conduct the funeral by a shame faced congregation. Ife had wondered a lot about traditional religion and became hesitant about seeing it as a joke.
She remembered that her Dad had said religion was a matter of faith, experiences and conviction. He had said those who practiced traditional religion believed it and it worked for them. He just wished to be left alone because he felt it was presumptuous attempting to describe a Creator or the concept of one. She did not really know what he meant but she had nodded in some dim understanding.
There was also her mum who insisted that the world was full of evil spirits and could only be overcome by constant prayers, fasts, and seeing visions. She would light candles everywhere, refuse to drink palm wine or even water that was in bowl that had contained palm wine. Will pray into water to make them holy or sanctify them as she said. Her father would tease that the savior she followed took the occasional bottle or else why would he make casks of wine from water? Ife would be afraid to laugh with her father because of her mother’s scandalized expressions and pursed lips of intense disapproval.
To top all these religious pot, there is Yeye, easy going and her unforced acceptance of the human being, her simple practical healing. She was a devotee of Numen, the goddess of Love and Mercy, of women, childbirth and the patron goddess of her village. The village simply accepted Yeye and would visit her, for advice on what to do during pregnancy, children fevers, or the odd marital issues. She had learned all that from Yeye Agba and Yeye herself. Religion is really personal, like papa says, imagine the many different versions even in one family and oh yes there is Uncle Sasa and of course father Abraham.
Those were the patterns and experiences that shaped Ife’s holidays in the village. She could look forward to them and she gradually became really close to Yeye Agba as they would sit out most evenings in the moonlight and Yeye Agab would tell her stories about the gods and goddesses. She learned that the goddess Numen had been worshipped because she protected the village from invaders. As Yeye Agba explained, “Numen was a very beautiful and young maiden who had led the invaders away from her village saying the village men were hiding in the surrounding hills. She led them to the caves in the hills and then called on her spirit friends to seal the caves. The men could not find their way out and presumably perished in the caves. In gratitude they asked her what she wanted in recompense and she said the girls must go up the hills as a coming of age rite”
“Oh that is the meaning of the “airegbe”? Ife asked
“Yes Ife, every girl must go to the grove of Numen, learn the secrets of being a woman and be part of the virgin dance. If she lies about her virginity, she will be unable to climb and her family would be disgraced and she would not get a husband, it is that simple”.
“Did Mama make it up the hill?”
“Even to her wedding night, they brought her cloth to me Ife”.
“Cloth?”
“Her bridal bed sheets, appropriately stained, your father met her at home.”
Ife laughed, “I need a special translator to understand you sometimes, you mean Mama was virgin right?”
“I hope you will follow the same tradition”
“I hope you are not expecting me to marry a village farmer”

“A farmer is a human being Ife”, Yeye Agba said sharply and Ife laughed unrepentant
“I am not asking anyone to pinch walls for me that is sure” she retorted but her face showed she was teasing her grandmother.
Ife would watch as women brought their children to Yeye Agba, she would smile gently, take the child’s palms and speak to it. She understood the speaking to the palm as divining what the ailment was and deciding what the remedy would be. Ife was always curious and would ask questions after the mother and child have left, she also noticed that her mother never objected but would join in some of the consultations helping the mother to feel at ease. It is like attending a clinic.

Lucy's pain

2011-07-09T21:34:00.000+01:00

She wore white
As her confident smile
Roses in her hair
Blue against her rosy cheeks
Lucy came to the wedding
She wore yesterday’s hope
Splashed red with today’s pain

She walked the aisle
Her future in her eyes
Her train as bright as tomorrow
Lucy came to the wedding
Her cares as train to pain
Her tomorrow forgone by welts

They made vows of eternity
To hold and to love
To see in the mists
Of a gleaming morn
The ecstasy of a promise
Lucy came to the wedding
The ashes of defeat
Like nectar maggots on
Her mind bespoke doom
The crowd cheered
Her heart whimpered
The lights flashed
Mememtoes of happy time

Lucy stared at the couple
Their beauty as entrancing
As his treachery was denouncing
Lucy came to the wedding
Clutched at by hungry hands
Fruits of his whispered promises
Even as he told the bride
Today ‘I do’

Aeons ago
In better stupid times
He had said the same
And from the whispered passion
Seeds formed in her belly
And aborted her tomorrow

Now they walked the aisle
As he smiled his felinity
At her naïve stupidity
That her promises are forever
Lucy came to the wedding
Minutes ‘ere she knew
She ought to have died first
The scream of the bride
Mingled with the groan
Of her shattered tomorrow
Like glints of shattered shard
When she stepped forward
With living accusations
Of his feline perfidy
Her mother’s tired groan
From the grave bespoke
Of the many appeals
To let tomorrow be
Father to today’s passion

Face to face with him
She pointed bony care worn
At the hungry cries
The seeds of forbidden fruits
Stolen from classes of love
Lucy came to the wedding
With a funeral song
For the bride who wore
White as a confident smile.

CENTER STAGE

2011-07-03T19:45:00.000+01:00

RD ARMSTRONG …..POET/PUBLISHER

I have been actually scratching my head trying to think of how best to present this one… this guest. Okay I could call him a poet but he might howl at such impertinence. I remember requesting him to send my answers back within a week and he asked me what I thought he did, twiddle all day? Okay but don’t be a Rudyard will you and he came right back saying if he was Rudyard Kipling he wouldn’t be in this business, he also called me honey. I am black so I did not blush plus I am over 60and gone past be tongue- tied or finger- tied in this case. RD Armstrong came into my world through another great poet John Yamrus. Now I simply tagged along RD wondering why he is called RD, what makes him such a special person. He is in the business of publishing, a poet himself, and he has a heart larger than his frame which he totes around publishing poets and knowing he will probably not get to be a big time publisher, but well he is darned if he is not going to give that tiny percent of the market his all.
RD Armstrong is on Center Stage, prepare to enjoy a good interview

Tell us about RainDog and Lummox press
Well, first of all, the origin of Raindog is from an album & song put out by Tom Waits back in the early 80s (I’m a big fan of Mr. Waits, who, for those unfamiliar with him, is one of the greatest American songwriters of the late 20th century). I was looking for a “handle” – a nickname – for myself back when I was a blues/folk musician back in the early 90s. When I moved to San Pedro, CA in ’92, I started going by Raindog. It’s been almost 20 years!
Eventually this evolved into RD. When I started writing stories, etc, RD Armstrong seemed more like a writer’s name than Raindog Armstrong, which just didn’t roll off the tongue as nicely as Raindog. So, RD became a second nickname. None of it is real, it’s all about reinventing oneself. People call me Mr. Dawg or Mr. Dog; Dogman, besides those other names…at least they’ve stopped calling me asshole!
As for Lummox…I was trying to come up with a suitable name for a production company (I really hadn’t planned to publish anything back then) and since I was a big lummox, I thought, why not? A lummox is a man who is big and slow, some say a dullard, but I prefer just a bit dim. One often hears the word ‘lumbering’ used in conjunction with the term. Not quite an oaf or an idiot, but more a bit slow… “special.”
Lummox Press came into existence in 1993 when I teamed up with Andrea Kowalski’s Vinegar Hill Press to produce our ode to the late Charles Bukowski, “Last Called, a Legacy of Madness” which featured the work of Andrea’s boyfriend, Jay Alamares (one of the best poets I’d ever read at the time, brilliant but destined to self-destruct), myself, T. Thrasher, Gerald Locklin and Tracy Cleantis, who was a friend of Andrea’s too. Last Call was a beautiful book, with silk-screened covers and hand stitched bindings, which Andrea did most of the work on (she was into the ‘art’ of bookmaking), while I did the editing. Years later, I would co-opt the title, when I put out Last Call: The Legacy of Charles Bukowski…one of many little books with big contents.
Perhaps, after I am dead or done with this foolishness, someone will discover the treasure trove of poetry and prose that Lummox has put out over the years.
In 1994, I self-published my first two poetry chapbooks: “Unkissed by the Angels” & “And Love is Dancing Just out of Reach” (which was a line from a song I had written years before). These were rough, homemade chaps with hand-stitched bindings. As I recall, I only printed 50 copies each. I wish I saved copies, because some of the poems in Unkissed by the Angels were lost after that and I have no copies for my records.
Since then I have published a Literary/Arts magazine called the Lummox Journal, over 100 issues between late 1995 until the end of 2006; The Little Red Book series, 60 titles since 1998; and numerous other titles in book and chapbook form. What began as a means to publish my own work back in 1994, has become a very small publishing outfit serving the needs of hundreds of poets world-wide, mostly due to the internet.

Poetry is the speech of the soul? Do you agree?
I think it can be. But as souls develop and mature so to the poetic voice. When I was a teen, my poetry was pretty bad. It continued to be bad; whinny and confessional, unfocussed and unedited, right up into the early 90s. I had actually stopped writing altogether for about ten years (another story), so when I began again, imagine my surprise when the poems were richer, deeper and more focused. I think some of my best poems were written in that period. I also believe that my “voice” had matured considerably. I think there’s a direct connection between maturity and one’s mastery of the speech of the soul, as you put it. One learns to control one’s urges, to temper one’s passions; one doesn’t necessarily have to learn poetic forms, but I believe one must learn to speak plainly and honestly about one’s passion (and I don’t mean ‘love’) without attachment.

One holy book says, “Man shall not live by bread alone”, can a poet survive on poetry?
Well I guess that depends on how you define ‘survive’…if you mean to make a living by writing poetry, I’d have to say no, in this day and age, it’s not possible. But if you mean to wander the earth writing poetry, to be a philosopher king, beholding to no man or nation, then yes, it might be possible. As long as you can dodge the bullets that seem to be flying everywhere these days. But most people want stuff and I don’t know where poetry can be traded for stuff (if you know let me know, because I’m ready to move there today)!

What is small press to the aspiring poet?
The small press is a forum by which aspiring poets, crackpots and lunatics can express themselves without too much supervision. Thanks to the Internet, any fool with a computer can voice his or her opinion about anything. I used to say, “Do not confuse information with knowledge,” but this is exactly what has happened. And the idea of fact-checking before drawing a conclusion is as antiquated as a typewriter or a rotary phone dial. People, poets included, believe what they want, whether it’s accurate or not. This entitled ignorance is fueled by the Internet, which is a gossip mill times the speed of light.

If you were president and Lummox press was a nation of poets, please tell us the state of such a nation in the literary firmament.
I’m afraid that such a nation would be very tiny and very poor.

Established traditional publishers do not seem to be particularly interested in poets, could you explain why this is so?
The great businessman/poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (who founded City Lights Books & Bookstore in San Francisco), summed it up a few years back when he announced that City Lights Bookstore would no longer sell poetry because (most) poetry doesn’t sell. He was nearly run out of town for this and quickly retracted the statement, but the fact remains that for all the hue and cry, there are very few nationally recognized poets anymore. And within the small press you rarely see anyone who crosses over into the mainstream. Even poets like Bukowski or Ginsberg were never household names in this country, unlike they were in Europe.
There is a hierarchy of writers in this country, probably just like anywhere else in the world. But because America is such a big place, with so many people, the hierarchy is really daunting. The big traditional publishers get about 85% of the business. That leaves some 15% for the small presses to divvy up and of that amount, perhaps 5% is poetry. Within that 5%, I’d guess that about 1% are poets who might contact me. And of that amount, I might publish .01%.
Now, these poets I publish are really good in my opinion, but they represent such a tiny amount of the canon of American literature, that they don’t even appear as a dot on the radar screens of the big publishers. And even though their work may be crucial to American literature, they will be overlooked because, sadly, the “bottom line” is not interested in literature, unless it makes money. Like so many other things that have been ruined in America as well as around the world, greed has claimed another victim here.

Lummox in the library is a new concept to reach as many people as possible about our unsung small press hero, Todd Moore, tell us more.
Well, that’s not quite true. The idea behind this is that it’s a way to benefit the Lummox Press with monies to keep it operational (and to keep me from going hungry) AND to help spread the word of poetry from the small press into the library systems here in the US and even beyond in other countries – perhaps your country of Nigeria would benefit from a Lummox Press care package? People donate $25 to Lummox and pick a title from the catalog. Then they tell me which library to send the title to. Or I pick a title or a library or both for them. I place a sticker inside the book that says it was donated by them by name and send it off. Perhaps someone will select Todd Moore’s book someday, but so far, it has been very slow. Apparently, there is plenty of money for parties and movies and champagne but little money for libraries and small poetry publishers. So it goes.

Poets of old seemed to have been recognized and celebrated, were even regarded as souls or conscience of a nation and revered. Modern poets seem to have been relegated to back rooms of clubs with few dedicated followers, as a publisher and poet, what do you think needs to be done to reverse this trend?
A full scale revolution. Corruption is pandemic, greed drives everything and it must be rooted out and cleansed. Quite frankly, I don’t know if it is even possible, short of another world war…and you know, in cases of revolution, who are the first to die? That’s right, the intellectuals, the poets, the teachers and the artists…so even then we’ll still be screwed!

There is a new trend of poetry from the old traditions, like free verse, horror, minimalism and bone marrow poems (my definition for the poems of Todd and Rob Plath), is this likely to hold or will it fizzle from lack of support from the wider public?
Bone marrow poems? I kinda like that… though I have to say that the sensationalizing of blood & gore gets just as old as anything else. It numbs the mind and dulls the soul and desensitizes one to those moments of beauty that happen everywhere, even in the midst of a firestorm. I’m afraid that all these styles you mention and so many more yet to be named will be swallowed, co-opted, tamed and eventually sanitized by the great machines of pop-culture and commerce. And in the not so distant future, when our lives will just be part of the great soap opera designed to keep the rulers entertained, one might hear the words, “I have seen the best minds of my generation…” and have no fucking clue as to their meaning or weight.

When you call for submissions, what do you look for?
Solid, well-written work. All styles are acceptable, although I have a prejudice against so-called rhyming poetry (mostly because there are forms for rhyming and most people think the crap they learn in elementary school is correct – I’m speaking of American’s who are under forty…I don’t know how it is in Nigeria, though my guess in a lot of ways you are better educated than I am). That said, I will be publishing some marginal rhyming poetry by a local poet because the theme is about his son who suffers from Autism. It’s topical and fits with a new direction that Lummox is heading in; that of publishing books concerning overcoming some sort of handicap or disability. Some of the books I will be publishing next year are hard for me to read because their content deals with demons that I struggle with as well.

Are there potentials for best seller poets and could they win a Nobel prize for poetry?
On the world market? Yes, I suppose so. I doubt that this country will see one, though… there’s no money in it…

CENTER STAGE

2011-06-26T20:11:00.000+01:00

My guest today is Katina Ferguson: Author, Mother and loving daughter

You would wonder why I added that particular one about being loving daughter. The answer is simple, Katina became an author by simply chatting with her father. I was impressed when I learned that from her. I also was impressed by the comments of her father that not every book has to be an epic. One could be humorous, chatty and pass on sterling life lessons. I would love to say more but I guess this chat should suffice
1, Conversations with Dad has brought about Fergyville series, tell us more
I talk to my dad every 3 to 4 weeks, just to catch up things and see how he's doing. I tell him about the chaos of having three young kids in the house (what he calls pay-back), I talk about how tired I am, I talk about how tired my husband is, I talk about the car that needs fixing etc. It all sounds grim and dry, but I find humor in it all and the conversations become fun and lively. Right now, the driver-side door of my car won't open. Initially I thought someone tried to break into the car and messed up the lock. I even showed my husband subtle scratch marks near the key hole where the wanna-be car thief tried to tamper with the lock. After having a police officer look at the car, he said there was absolutely no evidence of an attempted break-in (at all). Go figure…it's true that I've missed the mark a couple times trying to get the key in the lock, but I never noticed the marks until the lock when bad (ha-ha). I'm not inclined to take the car to a mechanic (or locksmith) just yet, I want to exhaust all possible do-it-yourself avenues before we spend money on the door. Until then, however, I find creative ways to get into the driver seat (from the passenger side) without giving the general public the idea that I'm mentally retarded. These are the kind of stories I share with my Dad, and a string of these types of stories led him to nudge me in the direction of writing the Fergyville series.

2. Humour and anecdotes have become ‘teaching’ pieces without been prudish or boring how did you achieve that?
I love humor. It's how I learn, it's how I cope with life, it is pretty much a part of my DNA. I've become pretty comfortable with laughing at myself, even more comfortable with laughing at others (note, it's not my best social skill) and as long as humor is in the mix then I think it wipes out the chances of the material being boring. The other kicker is drama. When lessons have dramatic consequences I think it does a good job of keeping the reader's interest as well.

3. Your first is part of a series, which sounds like a serial epic or enter-educate collection, who is your primary audience?
I would have to say that my primary audience is men and women in their 30s. I think most of them would find themselves in same stages and phase of life as the characters in the book and would relate to them most, but I've had reviewers in their 20s and others in their 40s show great appreciation for the material, so I'm happy to welcome them into the demographic as well.

4. paranormal and science fiction may be made into this type of series, what do you think?
I have to agree. Paranormal and science fiction can set a different stage for these kind of stories to play out, but essentially the story would be the same.

5.You are a mother as well as author what do your children think of Fergyville?
My children are very young, so they have no idea I am writing Fergyville. They know that mommy works from home and that she's on the computer a lot (ha-ha).

6. When you observe people, and they give you ideas for your characters do you also wish to impart something to your readers?
That's a 50/50. My primary reason for drawing inspiration from real people is to create characters that are "real". If a reader can see a bit of themselves in a character (or two) then I know they will connect with the story, especially if the character does something that they would also do. On the other hand, the people I observe may present a style of humor, or drama, or a bizarre perspective I choose to share with the readers for entertainment purposes only.

7. What genre of writing will you call your series?
It would definitely fall within the realm of material that is contemporary. For genre, I've mixed in drama, with humor and mystery, so it's hard to find a box to put the series in, but if I'd have to pick one I'd have to go with drama.

8. This might be a hard tack from me, but if you were to pick reading material between this and Harry Potter, what will you choose?
Unfortunately I have yet to read a single Harry Potter book (don't shoot me!), so it's a bit hard to answer the question. If I wanted something quick to read, then I'd pick my book, but if I had an afternoon to myself (hubby and kids had gone off somewhere and left me to my own devices) then I'd certainly pick up a Harry Potter book.

9. The minds of young adults and children are malleable and easily molded by what they read as it fires their imagination, can your book be recommended for young persons?
I wondered about that. I would not recommend my book to young persons (anyone younger than 18), but I'm sure they could handle the material just fine. My writing isn't vulgar (though you'll find the occasional expletive) and I aim to keep it as realistic as possible, but sometimes one never knows how young people are going to process, or use, the information. In all fairness though, a lot of people I know now (at 30-something) are not much different from when I knew them in high school, so cutting out the high school crowd (because of their age) is just a precaution.

10, What has been the reaction to your book?
So far everyone that has read the book loved it. They love the characters most and find them to be well developed. A few readers were surprised to find that wasn't a standalone novelette (there is a cliff hanger at the end), so I've modified the product description for the book to reflect the fact that Episode 1: The New Plan is a first installment. I'm especially happy to get positive feedback from men. It lets me know that I've kept the viewpoints universal and not overly feminine.

11. Authors grow by the day and finding recognition becomes a bit tougher, do you hope one or all of the series might become a television hit sometime?
That is a thought that enters my mind occasionally. In 2004 when I started to really get into writing, my first batch of stories was for graphic novels and animated sitcoms. I was leaning heavily script-writing styles (even for the graphic novel) and envisioned those stories making it to the silver screen one day. With this series, I'm not sure how well it would translate as a television series, but if a producer wanted to option Fergvyville I would happily consent.

12. Who are your favourite authors?
I wish I could say that I had a favourite "anything", but that's not usually the case with me. No favourite food, color, music and no favorite author either. When something is good, or appeals to me, I keep it (yes, my tastes are eclectic). If you looked at my bookshelf you wouldn't find more of one author than another. I will say that a book that had a profound impact on me (I wasn't expecting to feel the way I did about his book) was The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch. Another author, someone I discovered on Goodreads, is Haresh Daswani. He's not well known, only has one book out, but I found his book (The Evolution of Insanity) to be among my current favourites. I like his way of seeing things and illustrating concepts.

13. Share a typical day with our readers
My typical day varies by season. In the summer time (like now), when all my kids are home from preschool and elementary, the typical day involves entertaining them, teaching them (reading, math, etc), saving my house from their destructive tendencies, using their nap time (quiet time) to market my book, and in the evenings (if I'm not worn out by then) I write the next book.

14. Please give tips and hints on publishing, and what you have noticed publishers generally want.
Tip #1: If you are self-published, have more than one proofreader look at your book. The minute a proofreader becomes familiar with your text, they are likely to miss a couple things ─part of the brains wonderful auto-correct feature. Traditional publishers have many eyes looking at one manuscript and if you're self-published you should too. Three is my lucky number.

Tip#2: Get involved in a writing group and have them critique parts of your material. If you find that a lot of people don't "get it", then the problem isn't them, it's your execution…it may need some fine tuning.

Tip#3: Look for the angle that no one sees. Some genres of material are completely saturated with material (I think of paranormal vampire books when I say this), so what is your book bringing to the market that the others are not? Unique perspectives are hard to come by, but if you set your brain to actively look for one, there will be an impending eureka moment lined up for you. When it does manifest, you'll have a new story, an interesting plot and a better way to market your book.

Tip#4: Write no matter what. Write what you are passionate about. In this day and age you can afford to do that. If you can't find a home for your manuscript (and it is well written… so that's not the reason it is rejected by a publisher) then you have the option to self-publish at no cost to you; Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Lulu.com etc. Move on to your next manuscript, if it finds a home, super! If not, self-publish and move on to the next book …I think you get the point. With each book you become a writer and the more material you have out there, the better your chances of jumpstarting your career as a writer, or at the very least, gaining a following of readers who love your "voice".

Katina's book has been reviewed and has generally received an avarage 4 out of 5 stars rating. I will present a few:

I give Fergyville 4 out of 5 stars
Fergyville Episode One was a very well written novella that captured my attention from the very first sentence. I could feel Frank's annoyance, not so much with his job but more with the customers who kept pestering him, demanding the often impossible. I could also relate to Catherine and her growing frustration at trying to get everything right. The atmosphere was one of marital normalcy, and yet I could sense something in the air. Subtle hints placed by the author, who really knows how to play on emotion, throughout the writing that increased my anticipation and growing dread. I really liked the cliff hanger at the end and can't wait for the next instalment in the series to find out what happens next.
If you want a short, well written mystery that will draw you in immediately and leave you wondering what's going on, get this.

Purchase outlets:
Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Plan-Fergyville-ebook/dp/B004ZG7UJO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1306492123&sr=8-1

Barnes and Noble:http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=EBOOK&WRD=fergyville&page=index&prod=univ&choice=ebook&query=Fergyville&flag=False&pos=-1&box=Fergyville&ugrp=2

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/57376

CENTER STAGE

2011-06-22T20:45:00.000+01:00

LAURA VOSIKA
Mother, Author and multi musician

I blinked when I read the small blurb Laura sent me when I asked her to tell me about herself and invited her to Center stage. She is a mother of 9 children. In my corner of the world she only needed 3 more to qualify for a chieftaincy title. Then I saw her picture and blinked again, that would be the picture of her daughter I said to myself but then the caption said that was a picture of herself. I sighed, and thought life wasn’t fair, I mean I am only a mother of six and grandmother of two but I definitely look all of my age and some. Where did she get all that energy and figure? Beautiful, elegant and charming Laura is a pleasure as guest on Center Stage . Let’s us read first about her book before we chat with her.

BLUE BELLS OF SCOTLAND

Shawn Kleiner has it all: money, fame, a skyrocketing career as an international musical phenomenon, his beautiful girlfriend Amy, and all the women he wants-- until the night Amy has enough and leaves him stranded in a Scottish castle tower.
He wakes up to find himself mistaken for Niall Campbell, medieval Highland warrior. Soon after, he is sent shimmying down a wind-torn castle wall into a dangerous cross country trek with Niall's tempting, but knife-wielding fiancee. They are pursued by English soldiers and a Scottish traitor who want Niall dead.

Thrown forward in time, Niall learns history’s horrifying account of his own death, and of the Scots’ slaughter at Bannockburn. Undaunted, he navigates the roiled waters of Shawn’s life-- pregnant girlfriend, amorous fans, enemies, and gambling debts--- seeking a way to leap back across time to save his people, especially his beloved Allene. His growing fondness for Shawn’s life brings him face to face with his own weakness and teaches him the true meaning of faith.

Blue Bells of Scotland is both a historical adventure and a tale of redemption that will be remembered long after the last page has been turned.

1. Tell us a bit about yourself.

First and foremost, I am a mother to 9 wonderful children, 7 boys and 2 girls. I'm also a musician and author. I majored in music and played trombone semi-professionally for quite a few years. I also play flute, harp, and piano, and have taught music lessons on a dozen instruments for over twenty years.

I consider myself lucky to have grown up in the military. It has some obvious drawbacks, but I got to see historical sites up and down the East Coast of America and plenty of castles in Germany and England, as a child.

2. Blue Bells of Scotland reads like an interesting read, do you wish you could turn back the clock sometimes on certain things?

No. I've tried from early on to live in a way that I would not have regrets. There are some decisions I might be tempted to say I would change--such as setting aside my writing for 15 years. But even decisions such as those, either I had good reasons for doing at the time, or a great deal of incidental good has come out of those 'bad' decisions.

3. What motivated you into writing this book?

I had written a novel many years before that was sitting in my drawer, and set writing aside. In 2004, a friend on a twins forum raved about National Novel Writing Month, in which participants write a novel (defined as 50,000 words) in a month. I figured I didn't have time.

2005 was a difficult year that needed something good in it. So on November 3, I signed up, went back to my love of writing, and started a story based on bits and pieces of ideas that had been hanging around in my head for a couple of years: a children's novel about four siblings who go into a tower in the 1970's and come out in medieval Scotland, the lyrics of a folk song that became a well-known trombone showcase piece, and a fragment of an image of a man gambling away his livelihood (in this case, his trombone) and conning his girlfriend into pawning her ring to buy it back.

4. Crime and Punishment, redemption is a longing of the human spirit, tell us a bit more about Shawn.

Shawn is charming, funny, good-looking, charismatic. He's also a drinker, gambler, and womanizer. He's arrogant and selfish and has learned he can be, because his ability to earn money for his orchestra and all the musicians in it has given him a great deal of power. When he wakes up in medieval Scotland, he learns bit by bit that he no longer holds any power, and that people fighting for their lives and with different values are not amused by his ways. And, they're much more willing than their modern counterparts to express that displeasure with knives, swords, and nooses. Bit by bit, he faces why he's made the decisions he has, and begins to think about others, and begins to redeem himself.

5. Historical adventures and romance mixed in with tense thriller reads like a very heady mix, what has been the response so far?

Quite good. Blue Bells of Scotland currently has 24 reviews onamazon.com. 20 are 5 stars, and the other 4 are 4 stars. One reviewer sent me a private e-mail calling it one of her top 4 favorite books of the year, and another put it in his top 3. It has currently moved into amazon's top 100 top rated books in two categories. "I couldn't put it down," and "I was up all night," have been a common comments.

6. What is your favorite aspect of the story?

It's hard to narrow it down. I like both the historical aspect and the musical aspect. I loved learning about the lives of Robert the Bruce and James Douglas and their remarkable accomplishments in defending their country against a powerful nation. I think my favorite scene is when Shawn plays the sackbut at a medieval fair, under the angry eyes of Niall's enemies, to prove he's not Niall Campbell. As a musician, I like the musical aspect because there aren't a whole lot of novels about musicians, especially orchestral musicians. Then again, the story of redemption and change is also one that I value.

7. Authors generally leave a bit of themselves in a story, you strike me as particularly interested in correcting the mistakes of the past, if you had one singular opportunity, look into the future and tell us, in looking back what will you like to change about the world today.

I would put a sense of gratitude back into the world. I think we live very well in this country, but don't appreciate it. Being grateful for what we have changes everything, our entire outlook, our attitude, how we behave, how we spend our time and relate to others...everything.

8. Share a regular day with us.

I start the day with coffee, washing dishes, running a load of laundry, and maybe playing harp while I drink my coffee (play a song, drink some coffee, repeat). I check the younger boys' homework and make sure they get off to school. Then I spend a couple hours at the computer writing and editing. I have lunch with my kindergartener, push him on the swing while kicking a ball for the dog (who is absolutely convinced that swing time is his ball time, too!), take my son to school, and then head to wherever I'm teaching lessons that day, and write until my first student arrives. In the evenings, it's more checking homework, chores, and bedtime. After the kids are in bed, I usually write for another two or three hours.

9. Share your thoughts on the rise of epublishing and how you think it might affect traditional publishing.

It's been an incredible opportunity for those who are motivated and willing to work hard. There will be fewer bound books sold, due to cost and the ease of carrying around hundreds of books on your e-reader. However, I often think of the story of the carriage company that went out of business when cars became popular, because it defined itself as a maker of carriages, versus the carriage company that defined itself as a transportation business, and was able to adapt to new ways.

I have recently had the experience of finding a bookstore can't carry my books because they are going out of business due to the rise in e-readers and fewer people buying books. That really saddens me. There's something magical about browsing a bookstore. But I also don't think books will go the way of the dinosaur. There will always be something uniquely satisfying about holding a book in your hands.

10. What hints will you give an aspiring author wanting to come into the publishing world?

Write, re-write, edit, write. Read books on writing. Read books in your genre. Most importantly, get together with other writers for mutual critiquing. It is invaluable to have others go over your work. I cannot overstate the value of the Night Writers in my work. They are encouraging and full of positive things to say, but if something isn't working, doesn't make sense, whatever, they'll say so.

Thank you for coming on Center Stage.

CENTER STAGE

2011-06-19T20:25:00.000+01:00

CENTER STAGE

VERONICA MASSEY: MOTHER AND AUTHOR

We seem to have a fair number of distinguished authors we will be talking to for a while. As a young girl growing up in Nigeria, I enjoyed Bessie Bunter comics and from there graduated to the romantic novels of Barbara Cartland and Denise Robins, As I got older I started writing comics myself and followed my childhood tales of Bessie Bunter, Archie and the like but I never thought there would come a time I would meet a lady who would answer to male nick name. We met on the social networking site and there were so many wonderful authors that socialized. I felt it would be a nice opportunity to get to know them not with the virtual hello and sharing, but really talk to them. I have the pleasure thus to welcome Veronica Massey known as the author Ronnie Massey.

Author Ronnie Massey gives the reader a bloody good time through a unique combination of captivating story line and the female narrator’s disrespectful tone. Violence, sensuality, tense conflict, and intense drama roll at full speed against the backdrop of North and South Carolina. “Crimson Dawn” manages to be almost everything to every fantasy fan, however, with a number of surprising twists and turns, a feat not easily pulled off.

CRIMSON DAWN

When vampire Valeria Trumaine comes home one morning to find her father waiting for her, she knows she's about to get trouble in spades. But she never imagined it would come in the form of her ex-fiancé. Now she must confront old demons and face new possibilities as she struggles to bring the rouge vampire to justice.
After she left him, Valeria avoided Tristan like the plague, but now that he's gone rogue, she's going to have to utilize every thing she's learned as a sentinel to find him. Finding Tristan proves to be more dangerous than anyone realized. He's changed in ways that go against nature, and has become more powerful than anyone ever imagined.
Refusing to let her face the abomination that Tristan has become alone, Val's best friend and powerful Sidhe princess, Irulan joins the hunt. Valeria will find that Irulan's motives for keeping her safe aren't what she thinks. And soon she's faced with an undeniable attraction that makes her question everything she knew about herself.
Can she accomplish her task and prevent more innocent lives from being destroyed? Can she do it and not loose herself to his madness? In the middle of all the madness, can she embrace the unexpected love that fate has thrown her way?

1. Why do you use Ronnie Massey as the author of the book when you are actually a lady? I thought I was going to have a man as my guest.

Ronnie is a nick name that I have had all my life. Most people know me as Ronnie and don't even know that my first name is Veronica. My father named me after Ronnie from the Betty and Veronica, Archies Comics.

2. Please tell us a bit about yourself.

I am a single mother with two wonderful daughters. I have been writing since I was in high-school and drawing for longer. The drawing lead me to learn tattooing. I have somewhere in the neighborhood of thirty. Aside from writing paranormal themed work, I also love to write poetry. My poetry is very different from my other work, most of is it very introspective and afro-centric in nature. I also love to sing and write songs.

3. Do you think Romance has taken a violent turn these days?

I think it has in some ways. A lot of women like their hero's tall dark and brooding. And their heroines to be defend themselves just as well as the men now a days. With authors writing stronger characters, they also have to write harder situations for them to get out of.

4. Who were your role models in the dark fantasy genre?

I love Kim Harrison who writes the Rachel Morgan, Hollows novels. Laurell K. Hamilton is one of my favorite authors also, as well as Gena Showalter, Steven King, Rachel Vincent, and Lynsay Sands; although Lynsay Sands is more of a paranormal romance author than dark fantasy.

5, You have explored the dark depths of the human mind in this book, could you tell us why?

With my vampires, Val specifically, I wanted to have a clear struggle between her vampiric nature and the person that she wanted to be. My vampires struggle to prove to the world that they aren't the monsters that humans expect them to be, but some of them fail miserably. I think the same can be said of a lot of people in the world today. Not everyone is born with this driving need to do good or make a difference, a lot of people have to work at it.

The thing I love about fantasy is that you can have these off the wall situations and seemingly insurmountable odds thrown at these characters and somehow, some way they overcome. And if you look deep enough you can usually find some small instance where the fantasy mirrors reality.

6. Has anything within the human society influenced your preference for this genre of writing?

My preternatural races live in a world where humans know all about them. While some humans have accepted them, there are many that still many that don't want to share the world with races that are different from them. My Extras face the same prejudices that anyone for various reasons, may face in the world today.

7. Authors generally tend to have a personal message they send or disclose in their writing, what is yours?

With my main characters Valeria and Irulan I just want to show that love is love no matter what form it may come in. Gay, Straight, Bi...A heart doesn't have eyes and love does not know color, creed, or sexuality.

8. A vampire, or vampires are concepts that are steeped in myths and some will say ignorance, do you beleive in vampires?

I'm not sure if I believe in the 'rise from the dead', immortal being, kind of vampire. But who knows, maybe they are out there watching us and laughing at the media's many interpretations of them and wondering who will finally get it right. I believe that a person can believe that they are one. I do fully believe in ghost and spirits though.

9.As a lady, have you felt a need to identify a strong woman syndrome in your writings.

Yes. I am a diehard Xena fan and in my head any type of female that I write will have to project some of the strength that the Warrior Princess did. I like writing strong female that are able to take care of themselves and while they might not need a partner to complete them, the love of one just makes them that much stronger.

10 Who are your favorite female authors, why?

Kim Harrison and Laurell K Hamilton are at the top of the list because while they write very strong female characters, they aren't perfect. The characters face struggles and actually grow during the course of their stories. There is also Lynsay Sands who writes the Argeneau vampire series. I so totally love how she has taken one central family and picks different members to write about. Through the family members readers are still able to keep up with characters from past story line's and also begin for form connections with upcoming characters.

11. Self publication or traditional publishers, take your pick and tell me why?

A year ago I would have said traditional, but with self publishing on the rise I am leaning towards self. There are some people that look down on authors that choose to self publish. I've read articles that said self published authors lacked the drive to query traditional publishers and do what it takes to make their work sell-able. I've seen articles that say authors choose to self publish because their work wasn't good enough for traditional publishers. I think that is crazy. I have read plenty of works by self published authors that was just as good, if not better than the works of some traditionally published authors.

Whether it's an author that has received rejection after rejection and just wants to see their work in print for their own satisfaction, or an author that has decided to forgo the traditional route all together and is ready to put in the effort that it takes to build their audience; with platforms such as Kindle Direct Publishing, Create Space, and Smashwords, among others, the self publishing industry is offering authors opportunity's that weren't here ten years ago. At the end of the day an author should do what feels right for them. Crimson Dawn was published traditionally but that is not going to stop me from self publishing my book of short stories and poems.

12. look into the crystal ball and tell me the fate of bedtime stories to children before the turn of this century.

I think that fairy tales will never go out of style as go to bedtime stories. Every little girl dreams of being a princess at one time or another but those same girls are also watching tv shows and movies with strong female characters so some stories will have to adapt. Little girls will need stories that show them they can be strong and not sacrifice their femininity. Young boys will need stories that show being sensitive and understanding does not affect their manhood and that strong women are nothing to be afraid of.

...And vampires and werewolves wont be the monsters, they'll be the hero's.

Thank you for coming on Center Stage

For more information, including a preview of the first chapter, see http://crimsondawn.copperhillmedia.com/.

CENTER STAGE

2011-06-11T20:56:00.000+01:00

My guest today is a ‘young man’ just shy of 70. Merle has a sensitivity that age has lent him, a practical approach to the bewildering change that humanity has turned into. As we would say from my corner of the world, he has prepared for himself a seat amongst the ancients. He is a man made wealthy by nature, by an understanding of the possibilities of the human potential and how we have collectively frittered it away. I met Merle through the Muse, both as devotees at the altar of creativity became ‘family members’ of IFWG and have learned and shared since then.
The Author is a special breed, he dreams, makes a compass and hopes in the galaxy he might find that particular star that answers his dreams.
Please have an interesting time with my honoured guest and Author
Merle Burbagh

1 Please tell us a bit about yourself
I am called a WWII baby boomer born in 1947. The oldest of nine children, I was raised in a small farm community near Albany, N.Y. We hunted, fished, and grew our food, not for some back to the earth thing, because we needed food to live. It was many years before someone told me that because we didn't have a lot of money we were poor people. Looking at today's world, I feel sorry for those 'rich' people that lost so much of the meaning of life while hiding in their cities pretending they have the good life and never knowing the beauty of the world is invisible to them.
I joined the Army at 19 and did two tours in Vietnam. I attended a teachers college in Mo. until they tried to get me to go to an anti-Vietnam War rally. I quit and went back to the Army where I retired in 1988.
Been married to my wonderful wife for over 41 years now and have two children, three grandchildren and one great grandchild.
2. The human mind has some basic similarities round the world , would you agree or disagree?
I would agree.
People have certain desires, regardless of where they hail. They wish to be free to make most of their own choices, right or wrong. The desire to be able to find someone to love and have them love back. The wish to have basic needs of food and hearth available for themselves and their families. I also find minds are both good and evil. None are all good or all evil, but all seem to have a delicate blend of both that can be molded from childhood to lean either way. Always exceptions of course.
3. How would you classify what you write?
I tend to write along the Science Fiction genre because the mind is free to explore and present new ideas. To twist existing ideas and concepts into improbable scenarios that, if done correctly, seem to become believable, at least for a little while. I have dabbled in Westerns and other genre as well, but always gravitate back to Sci-Fi.
In my stories I do not try to sugarcoat death, having seen it up close, I find that somehow the world is being conned when people try to sanitise the truth of it, making them more willing to accept it as a first choice solution to problems facing countries the world over.
4. Your recent novella is a fantasy on abstract theme of the human mind for the sublime as it seems humanity has a need to achieve a luminous goal, why do you feel that way?

Most of the world seems adrift, no goals other than those immediate ones for self or family. Christian religion is being attacked, and others as well, as some evil plight put upon man that is demanding we have a moral rudder. The naysayer tells you man should have no morals set for them, only those they wish to apply to themselves. Any religion requires a belief and often has a set of goals or moral edicts to strive for. We have proven repeatedly the many failures when man is not allowed to believe, except as dictated by those in charge.
5. Would you say evil counterbalances good?
Right now, today, I would say Evil has started to gain an upper hand. Here in the States we pamper our wrongdoers with hotels called prisons, we coddle to illegals, totally disregarding the word illegal. We supply the drug cartels with money in our never ending quest for new highs to help escape the very reality we have created.
I will hope I am wrong and that there is still enough good in the world to draw a line and say "Na evil, you shall go no further."
6. What motivates you in what you write, do you have a hidden longing to see a better world?
I believe I addressed that already, but yes. My grandfather felt the world was going to hell in a hand-basket with the younger generation. My father said the world was going to hell in a hand-basket with the younger generation. I guess nothing has changed as I also feel the world is going to hell in a hand-basket with the younger generations.
Still I feel there is hope as I see people give their lives unselfishly to try to save others, people they don't even know. Over and over it happens around the world. Someday there may indeed be a better world if we can expose the evils so cleverly hidden among us in disguise.
7. There is a school of thought that feels that writers are the moral compass of the world as they write from the effects of what their sub conscious has picked or sensed, will you like to comment?
I would say religion has always tried to fill that role. However, writers display the effects of the direction that the compass swings. We can hope that some small percentage of writers try to point the compass in a positive direction and perhaps influence a few readers to follow its course.
8. Circle of Seven is suited for young persons but ‘young at heart’ persons would enjoy it, writers are sometimes teachers too, what do you hope this would do for your young readers.
I would hope that some would realise that what is seen as good or evil isn't always so easily identified. Being good does not stop one from taking harsh actions when necessary in the battles against evil. I guess the final idea would be that good can overcome evil once it is properly identified as such.
I have been complimented by three older people on presenting a good action story that didn't require swearing in every other sentence, people notice.
9. There are authors who have written stories about witches thus spawning a morbid interest in children on all things satanic, but the works of authors live long after their own mortal death, what slice of immortality are you hoping to achieve by what you write?
Very interesting question and something I honestly have never thought about beyond my great granddaughter maybe reading one someday and saying she liked it. I will fall back on my idea that an author is nothing but a storyteller using print as their medium instead of their voice.
I guess my goal is still the same as it has always been, be it for tomorrow or a thousand tomorrows away:
To write the perfect words when combined with the readers imagination allows one to get lost in a world of the mind and escape reality, if only for a little while. To cause them to be late for work or to bed, to maybe say at its end, "Well done." Sorry, I have no grand enlightenment to bring forth.
10. Please share a day with us on writing.
Boring at best.
I wake about 3AM every day and start both the Computer and coffee. I read and respond to E-Mails and glance over several sites for changes and additions that might interest me or give me a story idea. I tend to write many different stories at once so I can select from any 'in progress' works that feel right for my mood or thoughts. I will break around 7Am to eat breakfast and take my grandson to school as well as getting my great granddaughter's day started. (Yes, when needed I will even change dirty diapers. Imagine that?)
From then the day varies drastically. Some time is devoted to reading, some to family, but usually I am back to writing before 10AM. I tend to write for hours on end, often with no concept of time. My wife reminds me it is lunch time with food or my great granddaughter will remind me she wants playtime. I have no rigid schedule I follow.
Following a personal tradition, after lunch I often spend 30 minutes or so sitting in my front yard staring at nothing, thinking of nothing in particular, enjoying the world around me, then back to work. For the afternoon, until 4PM I will write or edit any of half a dozen ideas I have running through my mind. After supper, as the mood strikes, I may go back to writing for a few more hours but am usually in bed around 9PM for my 6 hours of handsomeness rest, which my wife assures me has failed.
11. Have you ever had writer’s block?
I have a very hard time defining that. If you mean have I had a period of time when nothing came to mind on some specific story I might be working on, then yes. If you mean a period of time where nothing at all comes to mind, then no. On average I have six or seven stories and maybe a novella or Novel I am working on, all at the same time. I always find I have something to write about on any given day.
12. Your book has been reviewed by adults, have you had a feedback from a young person on your novella?
Two teens, one biased in my favor (My grandson) who read the early versions, but he is more into the vampire slayer type books.
The other happens to be a Fantasy fanatic and she tore it apart, comparing it to Tolkin and Rowling. The fact she put my book in the same category as them was a shock. She had to be reminded it was only a novella and didn't get the in-depth development given by those writers to their worlds. She liked the dragons and riders and all of the action and magic scenes, but felt there wasn't enough 'dark' forces running about doing evil things. She said she liked it overall so I am happy.
13. You have briefly explored selfless sacrificing love, the ultimate gift of love as it were, are you exploring another sublime theme again in your upcoming novel.. We were Legends.
Sublime? High spiritual or moral worth? Not sure I could say yes to that.
The main character is thrown into a failing culture as his spaceship crashes on a freezing planet and he tries to introduce 22nd century ideas into a barbaric tribal society were most men have died from war and love is a concept that is almost forbidden. Fighting the norm, he finally compromises with himself and them, as he fights to save the dying planet and manages to get almost half the tribe killed. I think the best I can say is good wins in the end.

excerpts from reviews of Merle's book:
After being kidnapped by pirates, a young earth girl, Myra, finds herself on a strange planet full of magic, hate, and ancient prophesies. Befriended by a Dwarf Princess, she struggles to understand her environment or die.
War looms on the horizon as Elves, Dwarfs, Dragons, and others face the reality of an ancient judgment to come.

This is the story of pirates, death, war, magic, and ancient prophesies.
Myra may hold the key to their planet's destiny in her tiny hands as she struggles to fulfill the ancient writings and stay alive.

Onet's review (Jack):

Circle of Seven

A group of misfits in the guise of space pirates on the run from the Inter Galactic Police Force land on a planet called Vitore where morality and a rigid hierarchy rule. To their great consternation, they find they have landed on a world where magic, manners and a strict moral code of absolute truth is the norm.
Populated by Magi, Elves, Gnomes, Orcs, Fairies, Dwarves, Dragonkelt and Yeti, where the populace speak using a form of telepathy, regarding vocal speech as anathema, the world of Vitore slowly unfolds within the tale.
Two innocent children from Earth, Myra and Kyle, taken prisoner by the pirates are seemingly rescued by the locals. But all is not as it seems as they begin a great adventure of discovery while being taught the ways of the world they find themselves marooned upon by the devious Faeldor and then the kindly Dwarf princess Deeppacer.
Imagine Tolkien's characters in space and you have the basis for M.F Burbaugh's novella.

14. Thank you Merle for coming on Center Stage