An Interview:

You once mentioned in an interview that books and films from the 1950s period greatly influenced the Malaysian setting for your novel. Can you tell us more?

“I read Graham Greene from a very early age and books like The Quiet American and The End of the Affair, gave me an insight into the rules of social behavior during the 1950s which hold a fascination for me. Ernest Hemingway, John Steinbeck and Daphne Du Maurier, were amongst other writers which I read.

“Although slightly earlier than 1950, I think the film which stayed with me is Brief Encounter but films like Rebel Without a Cause, also had a great impact on me.”

Do name a few of your favourite memories of Malaysia.

“I really like the mix of different cultures and religions. On the surface, everyone appears to get on really well, though of course I don’t know if the reality is different. But everyone is really friendly and will go out of their way to help.

by Susan Abraham

Yemeni Child Bride Dies in Labour, Sept 2009
Divisions Among Yemeni Women Over Child Brides, March 28, 2010
Youth Leadership Development Foundation

As a fellow Malaysian writer in Ireland, I was thrilled to discover on the web – and only just – that former Malaysian lecturer at the University of Malaya Chan Ling Yap who later became a food specialist in Rome and is now resident in England, has published her first work of fiction called Sweet Offerings (ISBN  978-1906710989  £8.99)  by Pen Press Partnership Publishing UK.

Better still, Chan’s debut novel is featured at this year’s London Book Fair.

Below is a short synopsis of the historical work of fiction, aptly described by Pen Press which offers a complete publishing service at their offices in Brighton. As a commissioned publishing service, Chan couldn’t be in better hands:

On her website, Chan explains that the title of her novel was taken from the dish lin qi kung meaning a light syrup with lotus seeds and too, a fruit longan with which to sweeten, soothe and balance the yin and yang (energy harmony) of the body. Chan goes on to describe the priceless value of a traditional tea  infused and sweeten with the same ingredients so as to subdue suffering or bitterness.

Chan Ling Yap is holder of a PhD in Economics. She worked at the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Rome for 19 years. In the past, Chan has also written technical books, academic and professional papers. Sweet Offerings is her first work of fiction.

The rose-coloured porcelain bowl on the book cover triggers tender memories of open air coffeeshops in Malaysia – famous roadside stalls – with aromas of curries, soups and fried noodles wafting about while noisy patrons sat  on wooden stools, eager  to dive into those tasty dishes with their clicking chopsticks.  Porcelain bowls, plates and spoons claimed a special novelty all their own before plastic cutlery was later introduced.

My hunch at first glance is that Chan’s story will stay nothing short of alluring.

Read some flattering Amazon reviews Here.

Catch a few paragraphs of Sweet Offering Here.

More on the very exciting Festival.  Think Fatima Bhutto and Urdu Poetry.

Peter Carey’s on it.

Longlist for Miles Franklin Literary Award 2010

Here is the 2010 Orange Prize Longlist for Fiction in full, courtesy of the Bookseller, UK. I believe the news is just out. Some featured novelists are my favourites and I currently own many of the titles:

2010 Orange Prize Longlist for Fiction

You may also like to read this  highly interesting perspective by one of its judges Daisy Goodwin, in the Guardian UK today, who talks about how the  many misery stories highlighting gloom and doom among women novelists almost drove her to despair.  Personally, I agree with Goodwin if some status updates I read by quite a few pessimistic women writers on Facebook are anything to go by.

We forget that we make choices about everyday realities. I have swallowed so many common whinges and lamentations  in the last months I joined the social networking site, that I’ve long lost count.

The win  comes courtesy of the M Literary Residency founded in 2009 by Michelle Garnaut of the M Residency Group, the Shanghai International Literary Festival and writer Pankaj Mishra, with which to foster deeper intellectual, cultural and artistic links with China and also to better pursue its literary heritage. Meanwhile, Colie Hoffman, an American poet wins the India residency where she will work on a full-length book of poetry in Pondicherry.

Thanks to Asia Writes for the heads-up who also kindly reminds readers that applications for the 2011 Residency opens  on May 11.

Further Reading:

Shanghai International Literary Festival 2010
The Harmony Silk Factory
Map of the Invisible World

Saying which I would have done something  right for my solitary soul in having fled traditional encounters which shadowed Asian women in communal settings, willing for so long in earlier harder years… my artistic self only to escape into a realm with hidden wings. It is finally now on turning back to catch my shadow in a rushed hour that I witness my palaced hedonism carved from a street-wise architecture, given me by the Gods as a survival kit.

Now how about and why ever not if  I could playact having never before turned the pages to a book, climb a mountain, as if I had never once tasted the exhilaration of a slippery slide, watch a film while forgetting its end and cradle a melody as if violin strings had only just stumbled upon my serenading heart. And if now while self-contained and  devoid of negativity, I treated  my days as a virginal game, trusting its fate upon the roll of a restless, playful dice, what doubly fun.  And so I would once more plunge into the rest of the watchful year with a willing, breathless heart.

I can attest as a Malaysian that  my childhood was never painfully humid. There were always breezes.  However, vast amounts of deforestation that would occur in subsequent years changed  the direction of monsoon winds forever.  Also,  global warming dangers have not helped.

I received an email from my mountain guide today, eager that I return to my Kilimanjaro climb soon. This is the third time on a customised route and I hope to reach the summit.  It looks like the next several weeks have already been paved in gold for me.  For the moment,  I can return to writing about books and literature at my own pace and indulge in some creative works of my own.  My feet are not yet warm from an ever-comforting Irish soil.

Quote composed by Susan Abraham

I will have a few good blog posts coming soon. I am to go on to Dubai but am having a bad toothache and missing Des terribly.

This week sees me in Dubai but life may be easier as I will have a 24-hour wireless facility in my apartment and can jot things down in between a restful moment or two.  The week after that sees me in London for a few days before I either fly in to Dublin or float away by ferry. I still can’t decide.

My most logical blog escapade would be write out a sequenced pattern of my experiences once I am back in Ireland. My weeks in Dublin would mean having to exercise for the Kilimanjaro climb and it’s back to Tanzania in April.  But at least in Ireland, I would be more settled and I could then talk about authors once more and also, detail with vivaciousness, all the lovely cafes and bookshops that met me these last weeks on my haphazard colourful destiny.

At the moment, I just want to stroll about in the sun and go to cafes and do some light shopping for the coming winter months in Ireland.  Des tells me that it is still very cold in Dublin and likely to be so when I return in a fortnight. Next week, will be terribly intense as I will be in Dubai attending some bookish activities but when I return to Dublin before going off again in about a month to the Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, I will have some free time. How wonderful that sounds. Even hedonism is determined to claim every moment of the spirit. You could surround yourself in a life with situations and activities measured steadily against the felicity of enjoyment but even while immersed with a laidback bliss, are able to forget the uncertainties of a watchful, lingering hour.

I still read diligently at nights. I am quite a fast reader and this subconsciously attuned by my impatient dreamy spirit from young.   Perhaps it is simply that when I find something absorbing, I read for long hours without a break, while imbued with passion and fervour.  In this vein, I have just finished “I am Nujood, age 10 and Divorced, an intriguing memoir from Yemen.  Tonight I’m likely to  close the last page to another fat tradeback, a novel tragic, bewitching and tearful at the same time;  called Mornings in Jenin and beautifully composed by Susan Abulhawa.  It talks about the earlier years of Israel’s wars with the PLO in Palestine and Lebanon.  The plot is accompanied by  vivid descriptive scenes which highlight the enormous suffering of the Palestinian people. I bought these titles, both being exciting March 2010 releases; from Dymocks’ large bookstore on Collins Street, Melbourne.

Filed under: Diary Jottings ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/4th-note/feed/ 0 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/691/ http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/691/#comments Wed, 03 Mar 2010 02:12:13 +0000 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/03/03/691/ ]]> Am visiting friends today, so can’t write a blog post but will do this for you first thing tomorrow. I should be quite free too for the next few days. But on Monday, the madness of flights start again.

Not only is Hollingdrake’s site splendidly conceived what with its striking unorthodox visual impressions and somewhat encyclopedic topic list - he’s got something for everyone interested in books, bookselling and bookshop ownership – that you’d be hard placed to stay content with just a glance. 

He also commands an expert writing crew on hand who all contribute to assorted topics and by the way, do look out for the longish list of online bookstores. Without a doubt, Hollingdrake mixes a generous amount of talent, pride and passion with which to engulf  the ever-enchanting, eclectic world of books. - susan abraham

Credit: Animation gif courtesy of AnimationPlayhouse &
Alphabet Clip Art, courtesy of FreeGraphics.com

by Susan Abraham

Well…I flew into Singapore early this morning and will fly out once more tonight as I leave this weekend for Australia. To follow those famous lyrics from Leaving on a Jetplane, it’s a case of  ’All my bags are packed and I’m ready to go…”

I’m off to explore Arab & Bagdad Streets and Singapore’s Chinatown for the moment.  I am engulfed now only with vague memories at the most of  these particular locations; it’s been a few good years and way too long for Singapore to once more reach out her hand to me, while armed with her breathy  hint of seduction for an assortment of quaint nooks and alleys, not often seen to the eye.

However, I have heard from Amanda Sington-Williams (pictured here) this morning – she authors an exciting  historical novel,  The Eloquence of Desire  – so will not go off without leaving you a few poignant thoughts on how she views her new book  to be published shortly by Sparkling Books  in the UK.  Her romantic plot focusses on a slice of old Malaya and you may read much more from my first blog post on the subject over Here. - susan abraham

Below, Amanda Sington-Williams (AMS) explains why she  set The Eloquence of Desire in old Malaysia.

“Before I embarked on my novel, I wrote a short story called ‘The Carving’ which was set in Malaysia during the 1930s. This was shortlisted for The Asham Award and I thought I would take the three central characters and transform them into a novel. But I decided to move them on a bit time-wise as I’ve always had a fascination for the 1950s, the fashions and how the nuclear family were presented as perfect, how any flaws were concealed during that period. Books and films set during that period also influenced my decision to set it then. Also I wanted to set the novel before independence but during the Emergency which lasted twelve years.” – AMS

…and on her connections with Malaysia…

“My grandparents lived in Malaysia for twenty two years and my mother and aunt both spent their childhoods there. I grew up with anecdotes of life there and I’ve spent long periods of time in Malaysia. This was a huge influence on my decision to set the novel there. I found old family photographs of my grandparent’s colonial house as well as pictures of the landscape and I was able to see the clothes people wore. My characters live in the houses that my family occupied, though my imagination played a large part too. When I was researching for the novel I came across a journal that a relative called Derrick Sington had written when he was a foreign correspondent for The Manchester Guardian in 1955. It had lots of information about the Emergency and that settled the date in which to set the novel – 1955, the year before independence.” – AMS

Amanda’s book, The Eloquence of Desire will be published by Sparkling Books on June 14th 2010.

For more information on Amanda Sington-Williams, you may click on her Website.
For added information on The Eloquence of Desire, you may click on Sparkling Books.

This morning, I woke a little too early. I was well rested but restless. I decided I would start on a new book of short stories.  Although I owned a small stack of novels in my suitcase,  I  had  made up my mind to read the scholarly Daniyal Mueenuddin‘s much-talked about and currently ‘regularly nominated’ book of 8 short stories – strange in a way as all the different tales link to a primary character in a setting – called In Other Rooms, Other Wonders.

Feb 25, 2010 Note: I finished reading the joyous In Other Rooms, Other Wonders last night. What was immediately apparent was of how the later stories which featured socialities accompanied by  their vague romances carried the sharply poignant air of Lahiri’s own stories. The narrations that were all deeply profound possessed a similar crystal-clear feel, so translucent were the fast-paced plots and introspections. I was startled finally to read at the back of the book that the novelist Nadeem Aslam had felt the same. In his praise,  he compared Mueenuddin to Lahiri.  I was naturally pleased as it showed that despite a long gap, I was still thankfully attuned to South Asian fiction.

Cordial greetings of hospitality that transcend stories of political doom and gloom for instance; the many translated contemporary and classical literature, festivals, exhibitions and the visits of invited international guests made up of poets, writers, artists and illustrators to Tehran and all of whom are treated warmly, are some of these. Clearly, this is the kinder, softer spot of Iran that many don’t always see.

For so long, the quest for the Kilimanjaro sponged up all the rest of my passions and would allow them to be squeezed into my heart only in drops.   Now, while I will once more go mountaineering  in April, East Africa seems to be a little laidback  in my spirit and I am finally able to focus on other things.

Once more after a long time, it was back to the Tehran Times and my first contribution to this blog would be to tell you that eminent Iranian author Hushang Moradi Kermani has had a tidy new comic novella out.  Called Cushion – its fictional tale of which Kermani describes as a soft pillow for intelligent society -  the story is made up of a group of smart citizens of a fictional town who try with fervent intensity, to repair and rebuild a clock dating back to a 100 years.

I am not sure what the innuendos are at the present time but it does sound a savvy plot with important social undertones if I am guessing rightly. Kermani who was born on September 7, 1944 and who also writes for children and teens has had his works translated into several languages including English. Spanish, French, Taiwanese and the Italian. I am currently learning Persian so I must with fascinating interest, look out for this one.

Further Reading:Books by Husang Moradi Kermani at the Iran Bookshop

Filed under: Modern Iranian Works ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/603/feed/ 0 suzanabrams2010 cushion pic10 Hushang_Moradi_Kermani http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/the-rain-in-kuala-lumpur-4-25am-dec-5-2009/ http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/23/the-rain-in-kuala-lumpur-4-25am-dec-5-2009/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:28:32 +0000 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/?p=586 ]]> Note: I wrote this just before leaving for the Kilimanjaro climb, at the start of December last year. I had been in Dublin for months and am almost always abroad, in one region or the other. One of the more endearing things I miss about Malaysia is the tropical rain.

by Susan Abraham

The harsh tropical rain beats down the sleepy air in torrents. With closed eyes, I treat myself to the forgotten rush of noise that slices my silence, like a string of fountains in choir. Excitable in togetherness, each one gushes up a melodious spray composed of thunderous hysteria and an orchestrated rhythm bent on applause.

The downpour rises and falls from its cresendo to a slow whimper before another trek climb, up an invisible skyline. Or perhaps a visiting waterfall, mistaking my bedroom for an enchanted forest, waits to pounce unawares. I stay enraptured.

Not far from where I stand, 2 handsome lampposts wear their golden shiny light like Sunday suits, kissing each dainty drop as if they may have secretly been randy lovers at a boisterous party. Who would guess.

I see distant lights from scores of countless apartments and closed offices bathed in yellows and whites and from a nearby street festooned in a strange neon colour…the niftiest royal blue. Far below my window, the rain has painted pavements a sharp silver that makes the puddles glow.

Now and then, tiny cars, buses and lorries snake their way over flyovers and on highways, ferociously determined to challenge the dawn. An empty electronic train shows off acrobatic bodywork. It curls up a circular track with superior dexterity and slides past with a whoosh, vanishing into the darkness.

I observe faraway foreboding buildings loom up like ghosts, their speckled lights and rooftops, melting eerily into the big black skies. I stay untouched by the humidity that lurks outside my glass window.

Instead, I think slowly about how Kuala Lumpur has blossomed into a modern buxomy fullness that threatens to burst with monumental pleasure at its seams. No longer evident is the quaint, uncluttered charm significant of the city – then a township – in the sixties and seventies, where it stayed mothered by lush green jungles and lullabied to a tenderness by cool monsoon winds, manufactured exclusively to the equator.

You may expect to read an interview soon on Singapore based Malaysian crime writer Shamini Flint who created the famed Inspector Singh mystery series, in an upcoming issue of The Asian Writer, UK. From its humble beginnings, the sophisticated online magazine, brainchild of tech whizz and herself a writer, the industrious Farhana Shaikh of Leicester, England, has now turned into a must-have for any Asian writer seeking to receive a ready popular audience and also enthusiasts eager to devour news on world literature, transported in a somewhat sharpish electrifying fashion and this,  with just a click.  Farhana Shaikh owns a talent for bringing you what’s fashionable and new.

Meanwhile, the highly-talented debut novelist Chandru Bhojwani will also feature in the next issue of the Asian Writer for his deeply introspective novel, Journey of Om.  By the way, Flint will have a new Inspector Singh mystery out in London in  April.  Read more Here.

Recently, I read and finished with a long cool breath and mind you, while still not yet missing my coffee; 13 year old *Alicia Loh‘s ambitious 70-page novella called The Last Chapter.

This silent reading episode of course, taking place one blissful morning  while still in bed in my hotel room.  I remember being at peace with all the world, even as the book would dutifully outline a series of melancholy events that stoutly failed to rouse me into grief.   This, surrounding the day-to-day events of a confused protagonist.

What compels us to buy what we do? I was attracted to The Last Chapter initially for the vibrant blue that stood out on the rack. The soft shimmers projected silky threads of shades in-waiting like something beautiful, ready to be picked up, gazed upon and caressed.

I had wanted to talk about The Last Chapter then but preoccupied with the rushed notion of flying to  Singapore, had allowed thoughts to be shelved on the back-burner.

The plot rests with a promising swimmer and hopeful Harvard student, 17 year old Piper, who much to her own amazement is promptly disowned by a seemingly scornful mum when she fails to qualify for the Olympics.  Piper flees to a river where deluged by mournful thoughts of failure, tries to end her life by drowning.

She is stopped in the nick of time from an elegiac notion of  self-proclaimed tragedy, by a young  strange man, described in a way that a reader could only perceive to be nothing short of handsome.  Far from a supposed romance, the story delightfully plods its way into a dark mystery involving a series of broken family connections .  Cryptic clues made up of notes, letters and a locket, hint at Piper’s mother’s shocking if not churlish behaviour. Each unravels a different secret.

I enjoyed Loh’s studied composition and  skilled if not painstaking dialogue of events.  She also sketched out a thoughtful  characterization where personalities shone to supplement a story that flowed with the same direct smoothness through the pages  in a similar pattern of the river Loh describes so vividly, and which acts as a brilliant central theme .   At just 13, Loh’s prose is already flawless and fluent.

Still  at 13, when perceptions, emotions and introspections  are likely to  rely heavily on idealism, I feel that Loh has rested on a fair bit of English romanticism – something that I sometimes come across in a few other local works of Malaysian fiction by adult authors these days – there seems to be a current conflict as an author wrestles with trying to personify a distinct Malaysian sophistication but resting finally on  specific English adjectives borrowed from Britain’s popular modern classics or even that odd whiff of Blyton, if you may, where measured against the Malaysian-ness of something, leaves a story slightly jagged and jarred.

This would be risky venture certainly as flavours and moods that may account for  a present atmosphere instantly vanishes as an interested reader reluctantly abandons the present tale to remember another story from a different place.

Or perhaps it is simply someone like me, a neutral Malaysian reader from abroad, and one who constantly has her eye on regional literature, who  will be astute enough to spot the struggle of two different cultures on a single page of prose.  This, as is evident in parts, in Loh’s  novella.    Letters, lockets, trunks and other common clues found in Western mysteries or predictable British romances find their way into Loh’s inspirations.

The setting is not Malaysian. As a reader, I had to figure this out somehow which added to confusion as well.

In the same vein, I must say that I enjoyed Loh’s very clear and  definitive ideas and talent for suspense; a trait I hope she eagerly develops. Alicia Loh would make a superb mystery writer. She is also excellent at characterization and could easily pen scripts or plays.

In The Last Chapter, there  lay something all the more genuinely Nancy Drew-ish about each hapless and confusing event that spiralled Piper into an eternal whirlpool of distress.

In fact, the mysterious caring lad who invites Piper to take refuge at his home is credibly drawn out. His name is Jaeson and both he and his hostile sister, Autumn will lead Loh through deeper journeys into the unknown. I really enjoyed Loh’s natural flair for suspense.

At the end though, I found the last pages rushed and vague.  The conclusion proved too abrupt for me to derive any further excitement.

Still, a splendid show from Loh for her competent writing, an initially fascinating story and certainly an ingenious structure, which kept me happily hooked to the end.  I very much look forward to her next book.

Further reading & viewing of photographs:

*Alicia Loh suffers from the incurable Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 which results in the weakening of muscles. Her novella was sponsored and published by MPH Publishing Malaysia. Here are some information/photos of Loh’s recent book launch. Each book costs 15 Malaysian ringgit and all proceeds will go towards Loh’s medical fund. International readers could place an order with MPH Online.com

Filed under: Malaysian Fiction, Malaysian Writers ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/21/517/feed/ 3 suzanabrams2010 Pic1 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/487/ http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/20/487/#comments Sat, 20 Feb 2010 11:45:03 +0000 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/?p=487 ]]>

by Susan Abraham

There’s no doubt about it.  Chandru Bhojwani‘s intriguing debut novel, The Journey of Om published in mid-December just last year  and handed to me by the ever-lovely literary agent, Sherna Khambatta ,  currently stays a splendid companion at airports when a meditative spirit may be fervently sought and silenced in mid-flight, somewhere between the rush of a travel upheaval or misplaced poignancy.

Then the selection of  serious fiction which may prove reverential if not alluring to the alert human spirit and this, with which to devour and reflect, is a marvellous opportunity at forgetting a neurotic if you may , turbulence-anxiety.  The Journey of Om – and I am halfway through reading it -  would be skillfully tailored for any long-haul airport passenger.  That much, I have already summed up with relish. Plus the fact, that Bhojwani is himself an avid international traveller.

Now, with  such a noble philosophy ready to be absorbed and cherished, even as I have made my way somewhat mysteriously if not a little triumphantly, and all in the space of one week to Dublin and Kuala Lumpur via Abu Dhabi and then to Singapore and now back in Kuala Lumpur and in 60 hours, onward to Australia; I will steadily read The Journey of Om, scrolling down its pages with careful ease. I will savour all of  the many   rightful poetic conjectures for my watchful heart as an escapade in-between boarding calls and hasty seat belt announcements.  Of course, I hope  to finish the book somewhere soon in the big, blue skies that shroud an ocean.

Philosophical in its theme, The Journey of Om is so far mountaineering up to represent a delicious story from a plot tightly bordering on the erratic zig-zag pursuit of love.  The subjects of everyday romance and eventual loss & betrayal are thoughtfully told and  narrated with smouldering passion, by the dishy Nigerian-based Bhojwani.  Clearly, it is all about introspection. I am enraptured by Bhojwani’s prose as he regales in a masterful  flair bearing a circus of complicated emotions layered gently against an assortment of subdued moods that surround seasons,  a changing environment and an array of familiar objects.

The setting is New York  and other scattered mishaps stay ready to  circle the brooding Om, a protagonist and himself in his search for a missing justice; a ready soothsayer bearing mismatched emotions.

Om while devastated over the onset of a  broken heart from a girlfriend’s betrayal, will later battle alcoholism while a host of characters’ weaknesses and flaws taunt him like tiny demons that refuse to flee.

Bhojwani who has also lived in India and England, is part of an award-winning magazine team.  I will tell you much more about the award-winning short story writer himself, after I finish his first novel.

Further Reading:

Read reviews of The Journey of Om on Flipkart.com

Do read an excerpt of The Journey of Om.

Prerna Malik reviews The Journey of Om.

The Journey of Om is also available as a Kindle edition on Amazon.com

Am leaving for the airport this afternoon and it’s Melbourne on Tuesday.

Here’s to catching up with Indo-Scot novelist, Leela Soma after the publication of her first novel Twice Born.

by Susan Abraham

How has 2010 been treating you  so far?

LS: “Its been wonderful. The end of 2009 represented a downer as I had to attend a funeral of a friend on Christmas Eve. The sudden death was caused by a brain haemorrhage and it was my first Christmas without my only child who is in the USA. I missed her terribly. The icy, snowy weather didn’t help either. The free phone calls to the US and Skype helped a lot though. New technology is a real boon. I relaxed and enjoyed the break, then set myself new challenges for 2010. I registered with two new classes at Glasgow University and kept working at the next novel so keeping busy has proved the best way forward.”

How have you been spending February?

LS:  “February has been like any other month.  The writing goes well on some days and I indulge in other things when the mood takes me. All in all, it’s shaping up well. The bright sunlight in recent days has made me feel spring is just round the corner.”

What are your plans for spring?

LS:  “Good question. I am not a great planner. I go with the flow. The great thing to look forward to is my daughter’s graduation in May in New York so I ‘ll be jetting off to America.  Glasgow gets busy in March with the ‘Aye Write Festival’  that takes place from 5 th to 13th March.  A great literary Festival with a superb line up of writers.”

Do tell us how you are getting on with your second novel?

LS:   “To be honest, I wrote the rough draft in a huge ‘glued to my seat ‘ schedule.  These were hardworking months of diligent work. Now the editing bit has started I can see that a lot of work still needs to be done. But as my friend says once you have the basic work done,  you can polish it several times to get it just right.”

How far have you come with the writing of your second novel?

LS:  “As I said in the last answer,  the basic work is done but a lot of redrafting has to be done. I am good at working at a crazy pace to get the rough draft down as I must get the story in my head down on paper. Then comes the harder part of making sure everything ties up and sounds right. I can’t put a time scale on it as I want to get it just right.”

Any chance that you may divulge a little of the theme or plot for us?

LS: “A little bit maybe. The novel is set in Mumbai and Glasgow. Here is a bit. “Tina is brown her parents are white, people are puzzled that she is not adopted.” Is that intriguing enough to make you want to find out?”

Did you feel that Twice Born changed your life and if so, in what way/s? Please feel free to elaborate.

LS: “What a lovely question! I am totally bowled over by the experience of writing ‘Twice Born.’ I wouldn’t say it has changed my life as I wanted to write that book always. I often talked about the theme to my family. I never found the time to actually sit down and tackle a whole novel.”

“Novel writing when you feel passionate about the subject, becomes almost an obsession. I enjoyed the meditation of writing all the words down that were streaming in my mind. The unexpecetd bonus of ‘Twice Born’ is the kind, wonderful feedback I got and still get from readers, some of whom I have never met.

Recently a friend wrote: (do you know, it’s funny, I am back in the room with the red sofa in my mind right now-they say that if something sticks in your mind from a book then it was worth writing. The scene with auntie and all the goings on where she finds out about her daughter too is still vivid in my head!) Yes, Twice Born has enriched my life in reaching out to people I would have never known otherwise. I also hope that the next generation of Indo-Scots/ Asian/Scots would want to contribute to the mainstream literature.”

What was one of the richest blessings in life in a broad sense, that becoming a novelist has brought to you up to this present time?

LS: “Reading and writing have been constant pleasures throughout my life. My parents opened my eyes to the world of books, music and the arts. Growing up while being surrounded by books and music are life’s biggest blessings. They were and are my guiding lights still.

“I am not sure I can lay claim to being a novelist though I am taking tentative steps to be one. I still feel strange when people introduce me as a writer. I feel blessed that I am around in an age when there are computers that can let you cut and paste and edit your work so easily. Life is good that I can indulge in a passion that was dormant for years.”

Which authors are you currently influenced by? Would you like to give a few examples and tell us why?

LS: “As you know I am busy reading Indo- English fiction at the moment, so the rich heritage of writers like Rushdie, Narayan and  Adiga are some of  the authors I am re-reading with a critical eye. I don’t want to be influenced by any author when I am writing my own novel so I write with my own voice. I love poetry so dip into a varied collection, Ruth Padell being one. I must get Carol Anne Duffy’s work too. In ‘Valentine’ her words  are so powerful when you read the whole poem:

Not a red rose or a satin heart.I give you an onion.
It is a moon wrapped in brown paper.
It promises light
like the careful undressing of love. … – Carol Anne Duffy

Would you treat the writing/publication of your second novel differently from what you did with Twice Born?

LS:  “Yes, It has been a steep learning curve. Like anything you attempt for the first time there are so many things that you are unaware of.  Regarding  the writing itself,  I need to treat it more as work and not  an indulgence. I am still to get into that frame of mind. Sometimes life gets in the way that is understandable. But I also get distracted easily and that discipline of working consistently is still something I must try harder to do.

“Regarding the publication of Twice Born, I am very happy with YouWriteOn (YWO)  my publisher of ‘Twice Born’. I am still not sure whether I would continue with them or switch to  mainstream  publishing.  With traditional methods getting even harder and self-publishing being offered by all the big publishers it is a confusing scene. I have not yet made up my mind about this aspect as Iam still in the throes of getting the book , the synopsis etc right first.”

Are you seeking to widen your audience?

LS: “I am sure every writer would like to reach more readers so I would be lying if I say no thanks to that. However as my answer to the last question tells you that it all depends on how it is published. So if you or your readers have any ideas I am open to them Susan.”

Are there any other genres you aspire currently to write on?

LS: “My next project is a very personal one that involves writing my family memoir. It will  not be slated for publication but held as a tribute to my parents and grandparents as their lives were amazing. Lots of black and white photos and anecdotes will grace the pages. I hope it will be treasured by my daughter, her cousins and perhaps some of my large extended family. So that will be a new challenge. I want it to be an interesting read and not just a chronological record of their lives.”

How has Twice Born changed your outlook on day to day life?

LS:  “An intriguing question Susan. I am not sure if it has changed my outlook on day to day life but it has certainly made me aware that more readers in Scotland are reaching out for books written by all sections of our society. Just yesterday an author was relating her Travellers/Romany ancestry to me and how this has evoked interest in her books.”

What is it about a writer’s life in a deep personal sense that fills you with excitement currently?

LS: “Being in a nine to five job before and leading a busy life as a full time career woman, mother, homemaker before had its joys and its restrictions. As an individual I have been lucky to have always had a free and liberated life from childhood onwards. But the life of a writer is a great responsibilty and joyous in its own way. As an optimist I always count my blessings and feel excited about today, the present so in a deep personal way writing fulfills a need that gives me great satisfaction.”

What is it about a writer’s life that fills you with excitement in a social sense of the word?

LS: “Its been an absolute eye opener. There is a world outside the ‘normal’ friends. Writers Groups, Festivals, readings are a vibrant part of society that is a wonderful club to belong to. I have met people from all parts of the world.”

Do you network with other writers in a social realm? How do you do this and why is social networking important to you as a novelist?

LS: “Networking is the buzz word in every walk of life. I do enjoy the time I spend with my fellow writers. Social networking has always been important from time immemorial. Whether it was at the Kings courts during the Chera, Chola Pandya Kings when poets and scholars discussed their work or the Bloomsbury set in England,  it has been important. Now with technology FB, Twitter we have even more access, sometimes too much to even get time to keep up with. Yes for any new writer this is an important fact of life now.”

Is there any specific character that you are currently passionate about in your second novel?

LS: “The main protagonist Tina is someone I feel very close to as she has been living in my head for so long now. There are two other characters who have made me laugh and rant against as they have been quite real in my mind. Like Aunty BB in the last book who many readers said that they had ‘met some one like her’, these two characters rise out of the page and ‘poke’ me.”

What books are you currently reading for pleasure and for writing courses?

LS: “I think I have covered this in question 9. Sometimes for pleasure I love browsing magazines  the more glitzy & the less intellectually challenging the better.  These are usually found in supermarkets. A friend hands them in sometimes and I have a laugh  not recognising the ‘celebrities’ but enjoying their bizarre life styles. ‘The Gita’ is something I keep reading and rereading it’s a kind of solace to go back to.”

Could you tell us more about the classes you currently attend?

LS: “I’ll be doing little justice to them with brief answers but both are fantastic because of the superb lecturers. The Indo- English Fiction is looking at authors after Post-Independence and their fascinating work. From Devasani, Mulk Raj Anand to Adiga the 2008 winner of Man Booker Prize, we also look at the earliest writers in English … a wonderful study.
‘

“The Idea of Religion’ is a study of major religions first in their historical context (absolutely what I need ) then a discussion on how the concept of religion is continuing to the present day including fundamentalism. The classes are so good with a group of like-minded, diligent students that it is a pleasure to go to.”

If you had the good fortune to someday see your novel Twice Born being devoured by a reader in an unlikely place, where you most like this setting to be?

LS: “What a sweet question! I’d be happy wherever that is as long as they are happy to finish it and not put it on their TBR pile and never look at it again. Under a tree on a warm afternoon would be great, dreaming of an Indian summer!”

Have you already had a similiar experience before?

LS: “Reading ‘Celestine Prophecy’ on a train trip in India. No James Redfield did not jump onto the train but it is a book I remember reading and swaying to the rhythym of the train.”

Did you in an ironical way, feel reborn yourself after the publication of Twice Born?

LS: “Great question. You’ve made me think now. Yes is the short answer at least in the new career as a writer because to hold the first book in your hand and feel that you have achieved a goal is good.”

Are you still passionate or affectionate about your past characters in your first novel? Do they still live with you or have they melted into the distance?

LS: I think there will always be a space for them from Twice Born. No they’ll not melt away. I felt the anguish of Sita as I was writing the awful scenes of BB attacking her or the choices that she had to make. Ram was always endearing in so many ways and his dad is a powerful character who dominated the page during his brief appearances.”

Currently, how do you spend your writing days with your second novel? Are you writing it very much with the routine you employed for the first one?

LS: “I think my routine is simple. I get up and go to the gym or the class whichever is on. I need to get out first thing in the morning. I may have scribbled thoughts on a piece of paper the night before but that’s for later. Come home and have lunch,  catch the news,  then sit at the computer from 2 till 4.30 or 5. Sometimes if the work flows I go with it. If   I am not able to do so I don’t beat myself about it. Lunches or days out are important too.  So no , I have not changed my writing methods but I hope to spend a lot more time redrafting this novel and take my time with  this second novel as the plot is more complex than the last one.”

Further Reading:
An interview with Asians in Media magazine.

I always miss a friendly city more when I am about to depart from it, no matter the hour or  day nor the absence of a week, month or year.

On this Saturday afternoon in Dublin, the austere wintry mood seems kinder, the crowds fewer and upbeat passers-by susceptible to the adjective cordial rather than glum.

I went downtown to clear some last-minute errands and to pay bills. I ended up lunching at a cafe and then with all of my heart’s warmth cushioning my gloved hands, would browse the stores, looking for novelties and souvenirs for the few  across the oceans, I love deeply.

I am often partial to taking something tiny and Irish with me – call it a quaint good luck charm if you like.   I picked up a card and Valentine gift for Des. He has got me one already.  Plus, I couldn’t have said goodbye at the minute to Dublin without stepping into my favourite bookstore with its stately architecture and one of Ireland’s oldest if not august buildings on Dawson Street, called Hodges Figgis.

To my delight, I  caught sight of the newest multicultural titles and ones  I’ve seen just today.  I will be talking about  these books on my blog from another country, where exactly I’m not sure. In truth, next weekend, I will be thousands of miles away and the weekend after next in another continent and yet the weekend after that fortnight, in yet another region . All this in the wink of an eye or otherwise, rollercoasting a breathtaking solar circle, if you like, before returning to Des. There really is no telling.

Upstairs, I was  gratified to  stumble upon a large, varied range of elegant RylandPeters & Small books, organizers, notecards & journals. From this Eden feast alone, I was almost tempted to embark on a cuisine journey attributed to its use in world iterature.  Most seductive, were the recipe organizers and a cook’s range of enchanting wallet notecards.

I bought a handsome book-notes-journal – the very thoughtfully designed kind that I had been poking around the shelves for what seemed like ages but was always unlucky. It’s a little big but not as weighty as a moleskin. This make it marvellous for a snuggle in my luggage. Now, I’m determined to make this journal one of my many guardian angels.

For starters, it displays beautiful photos in various sizes – tender, chic slabs  of libraries, book-stacks, bookcases and new age lounges where one may most likely find an unlikely book.

There are also literary quotes and binder tags with separate sections for Reading Notes, Favourite Quotes, Books Borrowed and Lent and Recommended Reads. I think it would be the perfect diary for me. Lots and lots of singled lined pages for sketching out thoughts and a new excuse for pencil-chewing. It’s just the thing to keep me enthused about reading and to follow current passions.  My reading tastes  change every few months. I’m keen on serious  multicultural fiction at the moment, I can’t get enough of them. I say multicultural as I embody a few continents  all at once in my head. But wouldn’t it be so much fun just to turn the handwritten pages of my journal and  in an instant, recall something that brings on a frown or smile.  In tracing the history of my reads and being sometimes absent-minded, I would hopefully find the effort painless and elementary.

Sometimes, a book cover, like a painting catches me in my tracks! I may will myself to turn away reluctantly but not succeed. Bowled over by an erratic splash of colour, muted shades and vibrant escapades that challenge me to a  mute frolic, I find myself happily mannequined; resting in worlds that encapsulate romanticism and an alluring atmosphere.

In the case of  The Final Bet, the world’s first translated Arabic crime novel penned by  popular Moroccan screenwriter, Abdelilah Hamdouchi,  I sigh with bliss over this  wallpaper treat that eagerly exhibits the lonely stubborn glow of a solitary lamplight guarding a haunting alleyway.  This, measured by an unexpected brushstroke of a bright blue for a watchful shadow and the unconventional alignment of wall cracks that stay in league with well-worn window blinds for  hushed observations of clandestine episodes along its lanes.

Let me say at this juncture that literary products turned out by Arabia Books (UK) are nothing short of classy.

I was riveted by Hamdouchi’s superb storytelling and finished this tale as a bedtime read in just over two hours.  Here  is a writer who knows how to cut to the chase and  hone his talent for pace and plot-structure.

If I had to describe the plot in a paragraph, I would say this: A handsome young man, Othman returns home one night to find the woman he loathes, his wealthy dowager wife, Sofia, 40 years his senior – just think about it, she’s 73 - stabbed to death while he himself sought an affair with a pretty aerobics instructor, Naeema. Through  sinister alleyways, a grumpy Moroccan sleuth in Inspector Alwaar must discover the murderer. Alwaar is of the old school, harking back to the 70s and 80s, where the police were considered to be  cruel and and as a result, much-feared.  They were blamed for thousands of missing suspects and the abuse of human rights through the use of torture. There was always a torture room in the basement of a police station.

Naturally, Othman’s much-maligned love affair lead him straight to the police as an obvious suspect.  The plot details the rough touch and intial rudeness of the detectives. The cantankerous sleuth in Alwaar and his colleagues badger their way around witnesses and use  occasional force – why, nothing like a violent push or a bullying shout at an old woman in a tenement flat - and it’s all in a day’s work.

Alwaar whose life seems to be very much in keeping with France’s own favourite sleuth in Inspector Maigret also like his French counterpart, owns up to the kitchen bustle of a fussy inquisitive wife.  This, for a touch of necessary comedy. I wish that Hamdouchi had developed this specific scene as Alwaar’s fictional wife would have added sharper depth, colour and interest to the plot. However, she fades off quickly  as the story impatiently meanders on its way.

I found the sketching of these fictional police characters to be somewhat one-dimensional. However, Hamdouchi was brilliant at developing the psychological makeup of both Othman and Naema with a tireless dogged focus.  Were the unlawful couple innocent? Did they really have no hand in the killing?  Hamdouchi sketches out the lingering torment that blankets frightened minds and hearts with meticulous ease.

Only the arrival of a stranger and his insistence on new lines of thought, sheds light on the killer.

The Final Bet was translated by Jonathan Smolin.

Further Reading:
International Noir Fiction – The Final Bet

If you desire to celebrate a later encounter, then the less hassle the better. One of my rare, incumbent philosophies that do work.

Thus, I decided to jump on the bus where I could be assured of parting ways with very little cash – a balm for paranoia in this case; head for the airport and have my flight details attended to in a jiffy.  The airline counter staff  made the necessary amendments within five minutes and set my ticket right so that gave me time afterwards for a walkabout. I bought magazines and went to a cafe, something I regaled in without luggage and the bane of having to watch a clock.

I am impatient to leave Ireland for a month.  I am flying to a major destination which will involve good times with the craft of writing and with books. First, 2 stopovers, each involving a few days. I am somewhat superstitious with regards to jinxing an episode before it takes place.  Never fear. I will let you know my locations as I am about to take off or when already there.

What a joy it is to pack a suitcase that doesn’t involve mountaineering equipment for a change!  I’ll relive that ordeal in April. This time, I shall with much flourish, throw a few things into my bag  – and how light too, that bag will be on starting off. A regular Dick Whittington in my case.  Of course, I shall pick up many new titles along my routes. I’m also thankful that I can spend Valentine’s  Day with Des on a Sunday and not have had to tragically miss it.

May 5 – 27, 2010, London, UK. (please click on above title to enter new website)

Dublin 9th Feb. 10.45am: This morning, I stood at the balcony to watch the seagulls play. In their exuberance over spring, I was treated to a circus of twirls, spins and dives. Then a light dusting of snow pounced at speed, eager to watch the scene. The snow was not invited so the seagulls squawked up a frantic disbelief!

The snow got scared and went away again. An inspecting cirrus on its morning beat was glad it did not have to make a citizen’s arrest. It felt important and hired skinny blue strips of sky as elegant bodyguards to keep the peace. That’s why my Dublin suburb is something of a nice day today. - susan abraham

Dublin, Feb 10, 14.31hrs:  An utterly splendid day in Dublin today. The sun shines with such ferocity, the odd bumbling raincloud will with resignation,  find another parking bay somewhere in the wide blue skies.

Hence, I cannot  in  the least, feel sorry for it, although don’t get me wrong; I do love rain and the patter of drops druming up a window pane. This happens when poignancy befriends me with relish on the day of a strange mood.  For the moment, I feel blessed to engage with a merry watercolour palette that stares down at me long and hard, from somewhere far and beautiful.

Still, if comparisons triumph, then Tanzania and the Zanzibar win hands-down when it comes to vibrancy on a bad sky day. I can’t stop talking enough about East Africa.

Hearing from my mountain guide – one of two – is always a bright spark – and an email message relayed that he’s off to a wildlife safari for a week but will send me photographs on his return. There is particularly one, I want you to see, that of a lone bright pink baby crab that spilled out of the Marangu Waterfalls on a rainy afternoon, beleaguered but none the worse for wear; my tiny handsome adventurer as it attempted to fight a duel and grab our hamper – purely for survial purposes – with its sharp finely-tuned pincers. The Marangu Waterfalls lie on the slope of the Kilimanjaro in Moshi village.

Now, this reminds me, that I’ll be climbing the mountain again on a  private route in April. I must reach the summit. The last time was just three hours away when a leg became injured. I was so close and almost there.

My irrepressible energy untamed, I have  just spent time with the airline’s offices here in Dublin, bringing up my flight dates. I have become famous now for penalty payments and did you know like currency exchange, rates differ  and this time round I will pay 10 euros less as compared to the last postponement.

It is a big, bright and beautiful day and my heart leaps with joy at watching the seagulls play.

Credit: Free clipart courtesy of KarenWhimsy

Spiritual Parenting: wisdom (and wit) for raising your child in a stress-free and spiritual environment
by Gopika Kapoor
ISBN: 978-8189988531
Price: Rs.200/-
Format: Paperback

The Asian Writer,

Prerna Malik’s thoughts on Gopika Kapoor

Recently, Gopika Kapoor a writer and communications consultant published a work of non-fiction called Spiritual Parenting with Hay House India.

In her first book, the Mumbai-based author who is married to corporate lawyer and has twins, Vir and Gayatri, talks about the mix of spirituality with common sense practicalities, with which to aid and celebrate a child’s uniqueness and raise him as a compassionate responsible adult.

You may have heard it all before but in truth, this book published only in India at this given time, would easily benefit parents in an international context.

If you like the idea of raising your child in a happy atmosphere and embracing life-altering strategies that gently helps you maouvere your way around with incredible connections and the nurturing of your little one – think distinct ways that recognise a child’s individual personality – than this book could just be for you. Remember that the world has become close to home now and nothing is too far away.  In this respect, feel free to discover more and order a copy from a long list of online booksellers.

Thank you too, to Sherna Khambatta, Kapoor’s literary agent, who so kindly helped me obtain this interview.

Interview

How does motherhood help in your current work as a writer? Has it taught you some lessons along the way which now enhances your writing?

GK: “As clichéd as it sounds, motherhood is probably the most life-altering experience that can happen to a woman. And so the changes that come about a person spill over in all areas of life – personal, professional, spiritual, etc. Personally, becoming a mother has made my writing more real. If I’m writing about something and it doesn’t resonate as true, I scrap it because it makes me feel fake and untrue to myself and whatever I’m working on. It’s also made me more detached from my work, in that I write it and then just send it out into the world without having any expectations from it.”

When do you find time to write with your twins in the picture and how would you go about each day, preparing yourself to write?

GK: “I’ve always maintained that I’m a full-time mom and a part-time writer. So I write when the kids are at school or out at a class or a birthday party. I think a certain amount of discipline is necessary especially when one is working from home, so I make it a point to spend the morning hours at the computer, whether it’s writing a piece or researching an idea or concept for a book. The idea is to sit down and do work, that’s the only way the discipline is maintained. Other than that the only preparation I need to write every morning is a good cup of coffee! Once I’ve got that I’m good to go.”

In retrospect, what would you take back in your work as a writer back to the sphere of raising your children?

GK: “For me, writing Spiritual Parenting has given me a greater appreciation for my kids. Without them there’d be no book. As they grow older, their needs are more and varied, and I think writing the book has given me more competence to deal with them. For instance, recently, my daughter was fussing about something and I decided to approach her not as a parent but as a partner, asking for her cooperation in achieving what had to be done. Not surprisingly, she agreed and we managed to finish up what we were doing without any fuss or tears. This sort of understanding has only come about through the process of writing the book.”

Do you write impulsively as and when time permits or would you hone a straightforward methodical structure to your time?

Like I said, I write in the mornings, but there have been times when I’ve been seized by inspiration and woken up at 3am to write something down.

As an individual what would you aspire to be in your future vision?

GK: “Wow! This is a tough one! I honestly don’t have a future vision. Studying the Vedanta teaches you to live in the present and that what I try to do. Being a mum, you can drive yourself crazy worrying about your own and your kids’ future and I’ve realised that it’s a futile exercise – what’s important is that I do my best for them, for my family, for my society and for myself today. So for today, I try to be a good human being, a more patient mother (a daily challenge, I can assure you!), to write something that can touch a chord somewhere in someone and to make the most of my day.”

Who are your favourite writers? Does any writer currently motivate you?

GK: “There are so many writers whom I love. I read a lot of fiction and my favourites range from Shakespeare to Jane Austen to F. Scott Fitzgerald to more contemporary writers like Amitava Ghosh, Alexander McCall Smith, Khaled Hosseini and Jodi Picoult. Each writer brings their own style to the table, and so I’m so inspired by, for instance, Jodi Picoult clean, bare language, or by the way Amitava Ghosh describes people and situations or Jane Austen’s comedy of manners.”

What are some of your favourite books?

GK: “Again so many. I read The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger a while ago and I was stunned by how beautifully she’d woven the concept of time traveling into a love story. My favourite books change the more I read. I do have some classic favourites including To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth and the Lord of the Ring series by Tolkein.”

What are you reading now and if so, what made you pick up this book?

GK: “I just finished a book called December by Elizabeth Winthrop. It’s about an 11-year-old girl who suddenly decides not to talk, and the effect this has on her family. It’s well-written and the author has managed to capture and maintain the tension throughout the book. I usually read the excerpt at the back of a book before I pick it up to read, and also the first paragraph – if it sounds interesting, chances are it’ll be a good book. Usually I’m write but sometimes I’ve just had to give up on a book if it drags too much.”

Could you describe your  your writing work-space?

GK: “My writing space is far from the ideal writing space of any writer! I work on a desktop computer as I tend to prefer the large and stationery screen to a laptop. The room I write in is situated near the kitchen so I can hear the hiss and whistle of the pressure cooker and the ringing of the telephone in the background. Strangely enough, when I’m involved in writing, none of these bother me. Around the monitor are various books that I would need to refer to – study texts from the Chinmaya Mission, books on yoga and a file in which I store clippings from newspapers and magazines that would aid my research and writing. These however jostle for space with my kids’ Dora the Explorer CD-ROMs and any other toys they might have left around – as I write this, I can see the broken blade of a helicopter, a sketch book and a mirror from a Cinderella set. All part of the pleasures of being a writing mom!”

With another title on Spiritual Parenting to be released this year, what are you currently writing?

GK: “I’ve finished a book on Spiritual Pregnancy, which is being edited and is expected to be out later this year. Currently, I am working on a fun, light-hearted book on how to spiritually go about a wo/man hunt! This is targeted at anyone in search of a soul mate from a teenager to a 60 year old. It includes ways to attract the right person into your life and how to find your spiritual soul mate.”

Would you place a greater emphasis and importance on your life as a writer today than when you first started out with your first book and if so, how do you view yourself today in the seriousness of being a writer as compared to when you first started out.

GK: “The writing and publication of Spiritual Parenting has been a true spiritual exercise for me. I’ve always felt that this was a book that came through me, not to me. It’s as though I was the conduit, the medium through which it arrived. I have consciously tried to detach from the book and any praise/criticism that it has attracted. So yes, on the one hand I do feel proud when the book is praised but on the other hand how can one feel the pride when it was never yours.

“For me, my priority is still my kids. Writing is something I do, something that I have to do; it’s almost a compulsion. By gaining recognition, it hasn’t added or taken away from the process of writing or the way my writing is perceived. So in that sense, nothing has changed.”

What would you tell mothers who want to start out on a writing career mid-way in their lives and if they have to triumph over busy family commitments and the time it takes to raise children etc? How best would you suggest they find their way out to search their thoughts and pen their stories?

GK: “I honestly don’t think it makes any difference when you start writing – you could be six or sixteen or sixty. What does make a difference is how much faith you have in what you have to say and in yourself as a writer. When I was getting one reject letter after another from publishers, my husband even suggested that we self-publish but I was convinced that someone out there would believe in this book as much as I did and I held on.

“It also depends on how badly you want to write. I lived, breathed, ate, drank the book. I truly believe that this book was meant to happen, and so I wrote whenever I got the time. As you can imagine, with twins it was quite hard to manage writing but I really, really wanted to share my experiences and all that I had learned and so I managed to write the book.

What are the few tangible things you consider to be a celebration of life?

GK: “Hot water baths, head massages, carrot cake, new shoes (I’m a shoe addict!), my morning cup of coffee turned out just right, a good power yoga session.”

What are the few intangible things you consider to be a celebration of life?

GK: “Sunday morning cuddles with my family, watching my son totally immersed in his drumming lesson, reading a new story to the kids and watching their expressions, night-time chats with my daughter when she tells me all her secrets, end-of-the-day catch up sessions with my husband, writing something and feel true satisfaction about it.”

Do you work hard to promote your book Spiritual Parenting? If so, what is expected of you in this current time that the book has been received so well and how would you measure these demands against balancing time with your children?

GK: “Spiritual Parenting was launched at the Crossword Bookstore in Mumbai on 28 March, 2009. We had a huge crowd, over 200 people who turned up for the launch, including leading doctors, writers and educationists. Before the launch, my agent Sherna Khambatta outdid herself to generate publicity for the event. Since then, I’ve done talks at school across Mumbai and one in Dubai at the Dubai International Academy, which were very well received. I’m fortunate to have an extremely supportive husband and in-laws who have pitched in to help with the kids when I’ve been busy with the launch and other promotions, so it’s been relatively easy.”

Is there a subject you haven’t touched on but yearn to write about in later life? If so, please tell us a little more about this.

“I would love to write fiction but I feel that to write it, one needs to have a really strong story to tell. One comes across so much fiction writing that is so bad, and I often wonder how on earth it gets published and who reads it. I have a personal benchmark; to me Amitava Ghosh is the best writer to emulate when writing fiction. He tells the most interesting stories with fascinating, well fleshed-out characters, written in colorful yet tight language. I really feel that if I were to write fiction I would have to pass the Amitava test for myself, else it wouldn’t be worth my or anyone else’s while. Hopefully one day, I’ll find a story to tell.”

What do you feel is the greatest gift a writer can give her children?

GK: “When one writes about one’s children, one gives them and the relationship one has with them immortality. Years down the line, when I am no more, my kids will have the words I’ve written about them and the relationship I’ve shared with them to read over and remember.”

What do you feel is the greatest gift your children, husband and home currently bring to your craft as a writer?

GK: “Since I write primarily about my relationship with my family, what it has done is give my writing tenderness and compassion. Sometimes, as corny as it sounds, when I’m writing about my kids, I can actually feel a lump in my throat thinking just how much I love them. This feeling naturally translates into my writing.”

What are your favourite pastimes?

GK: “Not surprisingly, I’m a compulsive reader. I have to have at least two books by my bed because for me, there’s nothing as depressing as not having anything to read. I do power yoga, which I love even though I agonize while I’m doing a particularly painful asana. I also attend two study groups under the aegis of the Chinmaya Mission, where we study different spiritual texts and discuss them. These are times that are sacrosanct and everyone knows that I won’t miss my class for anything.

“I love traveling, especially with my kids. When I’m with them, showing them something new, I feel as though I’m seeing it anew myself.”

How do you approach the writing of your drafts and other writing processes the moment you sit down to write?

GK: “I usually have an idea of what I’m going to write before I sit down to actually write it, including how I will begin, phrase sentences, etc. once I start, I go with the flow, unless I feel it needs something that needs to be researched in which case I would refer to the Internet or a book. I re-read the entire chapter and then usually send it to my agent Sherna, who then mails me back with her comments. I consider her changes, if any and then decide where to slot the chapter within the entire book.

“Once I’ve written the entire book, Sherna and I go over it at least two or three times, reading it as a whole, before we meet to decide the ordering of the chapters, changing headings, etc., before we send it to the publisher.”

Do you write in longhand or straight onto the computer?

GK: “Straight on the computer. I’m a victim of the digital age; I can’t think if I have to write longhand!”

If there are days a mother who wants to write feels defeated and plans to give up because of family stress etc, what would you say to this mother knowing she really wants to write?

GK: “As mums, we’ve all felt bogged down by family, work, household stuff, and more so by the social obligations one is required to fulfill. In spite of this, if you want to write, nothing or no one can stop you. Try and get the support of your spouse by explaining to them just how badly you want this, and I’m sure they’ll help with the kids, etc. I firmly believe (and I’ve seen it happen with this book) that when you want something with all your heart and soul, the Universe conspires to make it happen. Also, write whenever you can – when your kids are sleeping, reading, playing by themselves. Even 20 minutes in front of the computer, writing or researching helps. Kids tire out at the end of the day and once they’re asleep, the night is yours to write away. Sacrificing a few extra hours of sleep is alright if it will help you fulfill your dream. But more than anything believe in yourself, your ability to write and in the power of your dream to publish your book. As the artist Modigliani once said, “Your only real duty is to save your dream.” - suzan abraham

by Susan Abraham

Captions: 2009 Christmas Nativity Scene at the General Post Office, Dublin Here are a few photos taken on my cell phone in a hurry on the  animated Christmas nativity scene at the historic General Post Office, on Lower O’Connell Street (main thoroughfare) Dublin. The Christmas decorations were placed just a few days ago to the delight of many tourists and shoppers who stand and watch in admiration.Location: Lower O’ Connell Street (main thoroughfare) Dublin, Ireland.

The copyright status for the famous Nelson Pillar – shot here in 1830 – still statued on O’Connell Street, Dublin to the present day, has expired.

What the Guide Book doesn’t say…

” is that  customer service at the General Post Office on O’Connell Street, Dublin, Ireland, are one of the best I’ve ever come across on my journeys.  The Irish are kindly and efficient and made up of a host of friendly staff who look out for their customers. An opportunity at money collection or bill payment could well result in paternal remarks like “Be careful with your cash… or … you want to be careful now… or “are you sure your pockets will do the trick…” or “…I’ll count it out here so no one sees…” or “…mind how you go now…” or “…are you sure you wouldn’t like an envelope…” etc etc…

Also, expect speed considering that no transaction takes too long and that more  counters are open instead of closed. Of course,  there are also alert inspectors at all times no matter the day or hour who watch out for an unsuspecting customer’s valuables  from baddies, when eyes are bent earnestly on form-filling or stamp-licking.

Honestly, the feeling’s as warm as shaking off a frosty morning with utmost ease by stepping into the formidable building, past  stationed Gardai (police) and straight to a hot cuppa!

How would I best describe myself as a traveller?

“I began to move freely in the humoured audacity of my longing, sheltered from ordeals shunned and learnt.”

Yes, that would be it!

Caption: Turkish men along an Istanbul street Credit: Photo courtesy of (c) Free pictures of cities

by Susan Abraham

I am about to travel shortly once more. For readers, who know me, this is a particular brand of hedonism I adore. I’d say travel, African safaris, world literature and world cinema top my priority for emotional investments, that challenge any life journey course. I also have an endearing interest in  British New Wave and New Age music, together with cookbooks that offer lavish cuisine which dig deep into family life or promising exotic journeys.

Now that I think about it, I haven’t been to many parts of the world. I know few regions  – too few for my own liking – but because I am to often return in my feverish desire as the wandering prodigal child, I know my regions well.

I returned to Dublin not too long ago after almost two months  in East Africa. My apartment in a suburb close to the city, stays my oasis but now that I’ve had my fill, an irrepressible energy and exuberance will see me off again.  Notwithstanding, I plan to stay close to my library in Dublin, all through the summer ensconced in my armchair and surrounded by my reads before flying again in the autumn.  But allow me to keep my  immediate destinations a surprise for the moment.

It was with some wonderment that on my return from Tanzania and the Far East almost two weeks ago, that  I would find myself eager once more to read South Asian fiction after a long gap. There was also a desire to procure as many Iranian and Middle-Eastern stories for myself. I read Arabian fiction with a passion from March 2008 right up to about a year later. I will always be thankful to Rajaa al Sanea’s Girls of Riyadh who put me on that gleeful roller-coaster ride. My present  book passions could have been derived from being engulfed in a variety of scents, spices, kaleidoscopic scenes and one atmospheric mood too many, from the last time.

I can’t decide what I am to start reading tonight. I’ll make up my mind in a minute.

Credit: Photographs are writer’s own.

Filed under: Diary Jottings ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/diary-jottings/feed/ 0 suzanabrams2010 waitingforthefishermen2 viewfrombandari11 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/the-eloquence-of-desire-by-amanda-williams/ http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/06/the-eloquence-of-desire-by-amanda-williams/#comments Sat, 06 Feb 2010 23:26:45 +0000 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/?p=226 ]]> by Susan Abraham

Forthcoming Fiction on Old Malaya

Where internationally-published fiction on Malaysia is concerned in these coming months, the world can expect to be treated first of all to Malaysian award-winning novelist Rani Manicka‘s historical novel called The Japanese Lover – please do see my earlier post here slated to be released in London on May 13, 2010.

Then readers if you love a touch of literary flair that so kindly befits the Far East, do mark your bookshop or Amazon browse dates again because I have just stumbled onto the nicest surprise. The British novelist, poet and short story writer Amanda Sington-Williams is to have her novel, set in 1950′s colonial Malaysia, published a month later on June 14, in London by Sparkling Books.

The Eloquence of Desire is based largely on the story of  a scandalous Englishman George who is packed off to the tropics as penance for adultery. He arrives with his  reluctant wife  Dorothy while his daughter  Susan, is dismissed to boarding school.  A host of complicated relationships  accompanied by clandestine visits are wound into the more painful reality of Malaya’s Communist Insurgency. The synopsis warns that George subsequently takes on a lover, Dorothy turns a hermit and Susan resorts to self-harm. For some reason that exudes the plot’s flavour and atmosphere, I’m recalling smouldering dinner jacket scenes  and that, often moulded into tragic encounters, from 1972′s The Whiteoaks of Jalna.

Brighton resident Williams has travelled the world and worked in a variety of interesting occupations. Her personality appears to soar off her website with an irrepressible vibrance and her rich portfolio of writings are clearly eclectic.

Dublin Feb 5, 1pm: The day is crisp & golden outside my window. Where are the wind & rain? They promised me a tempestuous waltz! Now, a runaway cloud like a harmless snowflake dashes past on a blue sky, crying for its mummy. The seagulls perform a matinee for free – ballet spins & a gregarious magpie for a touch of the burlesque. The trees are off to shop – the sales are on for the slickest summer greens!

Postscript: It became very cold once more at four but the sunshine and I had a moment in the early spell of a bright afternoon. Then wrapped in its warm glowing kiss, I wanted to write of songs, dances and merry escapades.

Credit: Free clip art of bird-drawing courtesy of Karen Whimsy.com

Below is a fantasy snippet I wrote in Dublin on the afternoon before I flew to Tanzania for a Kilimanjaro climb. Already, I  had sunk into a mild  homesickness for Ireland.

I should explain that I live in a highrise apartment block in a suburb close to the city. The radiant moon appears to take delight in floating past my tall balcony windows anytime it so chooses at dusk or with a  deliberate ghostly effect on vague shadowy nights. In my little story, I talk about its visit at an earlier Kilimanjaro climb when I braved the steep Machame route. Then, the moon at the Shiraz campside  had breezed in, with a glorious largeness that was wondrous to behold. Please enjoy:

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by Susan Abraham

“In a rare appointment, the full moon mounted up from nowhere to peer down at my balcony. At four in the afternoon, the skyscape still clung to a murky blue. The moon wore her anxious silver smile, lest she miss my Dublin departure and now hoped to stand precedence over my packing with expert eyes.

For months, we had shared many a romantic rendezvous in the matchmaking twilight. Would I not accept her shaky reflection as a gift?

I asked if she had forgotten her recent antics up Shira Hut on the Kili’s Machame route.Then decked in her necklaced halo, she had played hide-and-seek with the snowcap, acted the ghost with a ferocious howling wind and ballooned up to Jupiter size with monstrous ease as she teased fatigued climbers all night long. Now she stared longingly, tiny in her sadness, like a mother mute with love for a child.
Only just now, a seagull had whistled on its way but stopped subdued in mid-flight. Bashful, the bird would pay silent homage to the sentiment that quickly unfolded before my misty eyes.”

Credit: Free clip art courtesy of Karen Whimsy.com

It’s perfect as I’ve collected a stack of unread lovelies…properly dog-eared, properly yellowed & properly old to name but a few kind adjectives. Dublin is famous for its endearing and much-sought-after thoroughly-seasoned reads. I have a quite few books in my collection dating up to 60 or 70 years old. I’ve purchased small piles now and then from the Temple Bar Square on Book Market days during the weekend or otherwise, some splendid secondhand fare  from Chapters Bookstore on Parnell Street.

With my travel and writing commitments this year, I think I can just manage 3 Challenges at the most but the Dogeared Reading Challenge that’s unusual and creative is surely on my list.

Filed under: My Blog Reading Challenges 2010 ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/the-dogeared-reading-challenge-2010/feed/ 0 suzanabrams2010 dogearedchallenge http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/thank-you-dorte/ http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/thank-you-dorte/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 01:34:08 +0000 suzanabrams2010 http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/?p=170 ]]> I’ve just signed up for a 2010 blog reading challenge. It’s called the 2010 Global Reading Challenge & I’ve chosen the Expert Category. There is something tender and merry about slipping into literature from various continents as easily as a hand slunk into a fitted glove.

Thank you, Dorte H.

This morning turned up a mixed bag of emotions.  A subdued mood cajoled me to a near silence. I blame it on the lack of light that faithfully accompanied the smudge of grey wintry skies, wind and rain.  Believe me, I consider my quiet life celebratory enough that had the vault of depression threaten to block a fraction of  joy, I’d have resurrected an old passion or grabbed any silver lining from a dark day with which to stifle a tear.

My mood soon lifted but stayed in contemplation. I think my colourful travel experiences – now that I have begun to appreciate them fully – have bounded off a new reverence that challenges me to write and read stories in a deeper holistic way.  This, especially in the summer of my life.  I wrote on Facebook today that I yearned for my senses to meet the texture, flavour and atmosphere of words encountered and pages turned. There, enough said!

With regards to this, I am considering reading a series of books pertaining to world literature or the classics that broach a scholarly meditation. I am contemplating with eagerness the prospect of literary journeys, creative workshops, book blog tours and fascinating blog reading challenges among other things.

I thought I’d start off my resolution by re-reading My Life as a Fake by novelist and former Booker Prize winner,  Peter Carey. I raced through the book – I am a naturally fast reader -   on a recent flight to Kuala Lumpur but the crowds and clutter of my surroundings as I rushed from airport to city made it difficult for me to dwell on the somewhat comic-tragedy of a tale told in old Kuala Lumpur and a mystery encased among its seedier alleyways.

With this thoughtful episode in mind, I so want to re-read the novel again and write out my first literary journey of Kuala Lumpur here on this blog.  I was also inspired by Janet Halliday’s own Peter Carey journey called Faking it in Kuala Lumpur an article I held in high admiration.  However, my views may likely differ since I am Malaysian and have visited this grand dame of a city as a wee tot, everytime my mum took me shopping.  I am quite thrilled at the idea of attempting to write out a literary journey. I hope when the time comes shortly, that you would enjoy reading it.

Filed under: Diary Jottings ]]> http://suzanabrams2010.wordpress.com/2010/02/03/why-i-want-to-re-read-peter-careys-my-life-as-a-fake/feed/ 1 suzanabrams2010 mylifeasafake