How she had used to imagine the whole writing a book process was. It is sooo amusing. If only it were that simple, hahahaha!! Her book As You Wish will come out in Fall 2009.
Category: The Literary
Being literary and other stuff.
Storytelling Seminars at the Arts House!
You got to click the thumbnail cause it’s pretty big. In any case you get discounts if you register before 31st July or in group registrations of 3… A bit late I think since I just got the email today so I guess you can only get the discount if you have at least two pals to go along with you or something.
Amusingly I checked out The Arts House website for August and they have a short storytelling competition too (it’s Singapore International Storytelling month by the way)!
How to Make a Baby in One Minute. Closing date is 25th August. It’s actually kinda funny if you do try out for it! Rules are you have to make a video telling about um, how to make a baby in one minute. They say there are attractive prizes too… I have no idea what they are though since it’s not stated but whatever. OH YES, IT HAS TO BE PG.
Which makes it all the more interesting. LA LA LA!!
Wena Poon talk at Republic Poly
Sooooo, Wena Poon was there and since I was pretty much there, I figured I’d go listen to her talk.
It was an exclusive to RP talk anywho which was pretty cool since she had the time to come here. In any case, besides promoting her book Lions In Winter (her blog is at: http://lionsinwinterbook.blogspot.com/ ), she talked about reading and local writing in general.
Some tips she had that, when you publish a book it does not stop there. If your publisher sends you to the radio station to do an interview, you do it. If your publisher sends you to the tv station to talk on a morning show, just do it. In any case, you need all the publicity you need so just ACCEPT it.
And even more interestingly, she talked about local books here and oh man were the sentiments similar to mine. Apparently Wena knows also that the majority of people here think it’s crap. HOWEVER, she brings up a good point that when you see our local books it’s by a limited number of people and genres.
As compared to in the US, there are more people and hence more variety of books. The main point is, not everyone likes Harry Potter (oh gasp!) but there’s STILL a number of people who like it.
In summary since the above was in “Sarah-speak”, there’s too little books in the Singapore section of different types that most people get turned off by it since it’s not in THEIR favourite genre.
And aww come on admit it people, drama, drama, ghost stories, detective? There’s a lack of fantasy and sci-fi and okay there’s bunches of romance too but it’s still not enough.
In her words, if you don’t like what you see in the shelves, why don’t you write one?
So… really, I think that’s the most sensible advice ever (besides the go everywhere your publisher asks you to bit).
Heck that! Just write a book and then publish it then maybe we’ll have more variety and then people will just start to drift more to the Singapore section of the bookstores and stuff!
So go forth and do it!
There are people here who WILL help you get your book published if it’s good enough.
Meg Cabot coming to Singapore!!!
I was reading her blog entry when I came onto this paragraph.
And people who’ve been asking me why I never come to their country? Well, if you live in England, Sweden, South Africa, Hong Kong, Singapore, or Thailand, you’ll be able to come see me (Brazil…you’re next, when I hit the Bienal do Rio de 2009). Click here to see the tentative UK, Sweden, and South Africa schedule…tentative because although the book festivals and public signings are pretty much set in stone, everything else is TOTALLY UP IN THE AIR!
WUARGH!!! SHE IS COMING HERE ON 6th AND 7TH OCTOBER!!!
You can check her tour info on this page: http://www.megcabot.com/tourinforma
BUT AAAAAH!!! MEG CABOT, YES!!
Radical Comics – Caliber, Hercules and… Oblivion?!
Okay, I got to go to Free Comic Day on 3rd of May, so yes amongst my free comics, I decided to buy Radical‘s new comics of Hercules and Caliber. It cost me $1US each since it was their first issues EVAAAAH. Also, I got my free comic book day by Radical too. A preview of their upcoming stories.
Included inside were artwork from their upcoming titles like Aladdin and Freedom Formula too. Truthfully, I got to see most of the artwork during Barry Levine’s Comics to Film seminar but now I have it printed form so YES!!
The thing that made me gasp was this though:
Firstly, yeah right, as if I’m going to squish my book onto the scanner and flatten it. Secondly, ACK!!??? WHAT IS THIS? Okay, I admit, it made me go ack cause Kai was my coursemate back in polytechnic.
Well technically it’s not THAT surprising considering he’s part of the upper people of Imaginary Friends Studio, so that’s duh.
What’s surprising is that this is like OUT OF NOWHERE. I haven’t SEEN or heard anything of this new title until this preview ad in their book. So he has his “own” comic coming soon. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! ;_;
But that’s okay… One day I’ll have my own comic too since I’ll keep working on it and see if they’d accept my story proposals. ANYWAY, back to THEIR comics.
This ain’t your Kevin Sorbo Hercules. This is the REAL utter gory Hercules of the Greek stories. First issue, let’s say… Even if this is the first official comic (besides Caliber) from Radical, you will know that the artwork of Radical is ALL beautiful.
The painting! ARRGH, they are all… Well, it is seriously a piece of art when you flip through the pages (I lie, I didn’t flip through the pages, I CAREFULLY turned it over one by one to not get my fingerprints on them) and look at it.
The story… Well, I’m not really sure how to explain without giving spoilers… but it REALLY is like how the unglamourous story of Hercules is. The real pain and anguish, nothing about “LALALA, I’ma son of Zeus and I’m soooo strong!”. Nah, it’s more of your classic type of the tale of Hercules. It ended with a DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUH moment of course.
Though, it makes me wonder… WHEN IS THE NEXT ISSUE GONNA BE WITH THIS HIGH QUALITY ARTWORK!? Cause seriously, I’d like to know if it’s a monthly or bimonthly thing.
Next up is Caliber. I totally like Arthurian stuff. This is a remake of King Arthur… With guns.
HOW AWESOME IS THAT?
Rumour says that this will be picked up and turned into a movie but we’ll see if and when it happens. So far, I LIIIKESS IT.
Painted artwork like woah.
Arthurian story = A double plus.
The way it’s being told = Major awesome.
And that’s it for me… I’m keeping my issues all pretty so next time I see any of the IFS guys who did the artwork, I can get them to sign it.
Ps. For both titles, there are alternate covers.
Pps. They’re both mini series so you don’t have to go “AAGH” like certain comics with their hundreds issue storyline and all.
An Irish Tour of Singapore
Yesterday was St Patrick’s Day and I chanced upon Rozen aka Rosemary at the parade while I was helping the Jedi in the Star Wars contingent record stuff. Technically, if you were there, you might notice me in this here picture (page 6, 17 Mar 08, Today Paper).
Well, I suppose not really unless you zoom in but I was lugging camera equipment around in the background.
Anywho!!
Ten minutes before the parade started, I called out to her for a hello and all and then… GASP!
She shoved me this!
An Irish Tour of Singapore, published by Two Trees, her book was finally done! AND it’s published by Two Trees aka HER publishing company. What surprised me most was that it was a HARDCOVER book.
Frankly, how many hardcover books have you seen printed for local books? Not many right? (Books meant for literature class don’t count since those are for students who’re rough on them.) Or they might mostly be for children’s books too… as it is, it’s NOT often!
The paper quality is pretty nice too, smooth and white since there are also pictures printed in it to reference the historical events that has happened.
Although it IS pretty much a history book of sorts, talking about the Irish in Singapore, for some reason, it doesn’t really feel like it. It didn’t feel as boring as some other books I’ve read (for history) and somehow… the writing is sassy.
Maybe it’s because I know the writer or the subject matter of the book but in all, it feels upbeat and you’d go “Woah” over the facts in it.
For instance, I did not know a lot of the roads I’ve been to around Orchard and such are named after Irish people!! Heck, I didn’t even know “Killiney” was Irish. The name only brought “Coffeeshop” in my mind because of the famous coffee and toast around there.
The history it brings makes you realize there’s a lot of Irish in Singapore and the contributions they did in building up the country!
There’s a slight moment on page 59 of the book that hit me as the chapter was about the Catholic Brothers and Sisters coming to set up the schools and teach people here in Singapore (St Joseph’s and CHIJMES for instance). You learn that these people really, REALLY want to help the people back then in giving education, medical help and all.
And okay, I admit.
There was one line too about one of the Sisters marrying the captain of the ship (this is legal back then since it wasn’t in their vows and whatever so she wasn’t breaking anything) AMIDST THE BACKGROUND OF TURBULENCE AND PASHIIOOONE.
Okay, okay…
So not really much on the passion but the book described the journey from where they came to Singapore was not an easy one. They had SHIPS back then and STORMS and fevers and stuff! And to think they’d travel all the way through the hardship to just give the people back then education, help, Churches and etc.
This book has pictures and pretty much a LOT of info on the Irish from the past till the present in Singapore. In fact, page 109 made me snort in amusement because the writer had written about herself winning the Singapore Literature Prize Merit Award under the chapter about the arts, culture and media. This is true (she’s Irish!) but I could imagine her saying “HAH!” or “Me, me!” while writing this bit.
Me thinks, if I get to know more writers and read their books, I’ll start to have a mini commentary in my mind on how they write or something.
If you’re a history buff or need research or inspiration about the past, go pick up the book!
It costs SGD$25.
The official launch is in June so I’ll probably post a reminder till then.
When it comes out, it’ll be available in major bookstores and possibly Amazon too, so hold on until it’s properly released!
It’ll also be on sale at their website.
Meet a Literary Agent…
This is amusing because this was the same title Rozen and I came up with when we did an impromptu Agent session last year at the Writer’s Festival.
For those who missed last year, there’s another literary agent holding a session!
Here’s the info!
Meet a Literary Agent
Ever written a novel and never quite knew where to send it? Wanted some advice about getting your works published but was not quite sure who would have the answers? Then chase away your Monday blues and join us at this session with Jayapriya and Priya from Jacaranda Press, India’s leading literary agent now based in Singapore. You can learn more about the business of literary agents and pose ANY questions you may have to them.
Date: Monday, March 10
Time: 2.30pm onwards
Venue: Temasek Room (Level 6, MICA Building, 140 Hill Street)
Admission: Free (kindly RSVP by 6pm on Friday, March 7, to koh_jau_chern@
Curse of Jeju Island
When I saw this book, I went “Hmmm”, seeing a manga styled cover art with Korean text in the Singapore shelf of the bookstore. I then went “You must be kidding me” when I read the blurb.
Here’s the blurb anyway:
Over fifty years ago, more than 60,000 people were killed during the ‘Jeju Massacre’ on Jeju Island, South Korea, when the South Korean army attempted to brutally suppress an armed insurrection by the people of Jeju. The bodies of the victims – civilians, rebels, and soldiers alike – were sealed in a volcanic cave on Mount Halla to rest, or so it was hoped, in peace for all eternity. However, decades later, some of these bodies were mysteriously resurrected as vampires and they are now doomed to roam the streets of Jeju seeking living human prey and continuing the battles that they once fought in life. Thus, the bitter feud between the two mortal factions – The Regiments (former soldiers) and The Guerrillas (former rebels) – has now become immortal. Today, fifty years later, we meet Han Mirae, a young Korean girl who is caught in a love triangle between Jackie Chang, a swashbuckling vampire hunter from Singapore, and Shin Taewoo a powerful vampire of the Guerillas. And, we meet Kim Hyunsuk, the opal-eyed vampire of the Regiments, who abducts Mirae in order to set a trap to kill the other two.
Can Taewoo or Jackie save the girl in time? And who is Mirae’s real love?
I retranslated the blurb in my mind and grinned.
Seriously, how could I NOT buy the book when you have a vampire slayer named Jackie Chang with hot Korean vampires and an alledged love triangle? The current blurb is wordy with educational historical value but what basically got me into buying this is “Singaporean vampire slayer”, “hot Korean vampires” and “love triangle”.
YOU CAN’T RESIST NOT WANTING TO READ IT.
Sure, it is in the Singapore shelf, which is sadly where most local books… die if they’re not marketted strongly by the authors or shops. Or sometimes, they’re not even reviewed and no one realises the existance of these books… So nonetheless, I must read it and review.
Anywho, after buying Curse of Jeju Island, I went off to read it. Okay, I lie, I read it a few days later because I got busy but I DID finish it and if the author is reading this review, I would like to smack you hard, IN A GOOD WAY!
Because you are evil and ended the first book of this trilogy at a part where you KNOW readers are going “WHAT?! WHAT!?!?? That’s the end for this one?!”.
Right, right. Let me do a “semi-professional” review of this book now.
Curse of Jeju Island is pretty much what it is said in the blurb of the book, however the story takes a rather educational tone about Korean culture and language. Sometimes, you might wonder if you’re reading a book about Korean food and greetings or if you’re really reading about the vampires on the island.
It is useful however since not everyone would know what the Korean dishes or terms are but I suppose there must be a better way somehow of integrating this into the story without making it sound like you were having a tour guide in the middle of the book.
The story is pretty simple and while the writing isn’t too bad, the author could get the story spruced up a bit with a little more editing. For those reading the book, well…
Some of the characters might seem familliar to you, perhaps it is on purpose by the author on having a teenage boy named Jackie Chang as the human hero but as you read on, readers of Japanese manga or watchers of anime might wonder if Ronnie is a fan of popular Ninja series.
For one thing, Hayeon, a girl vampire in the story is a timid shy thing with a description of having opal eyes with no pupils at all. Further more, she wears a thick white jacket with a ton of clasps in the front. If that doesn’t ring a bell to some of you, then perhaps it’s purely my imagination going on overdrive.
On an unrelated note, I’m actually REALLY liking Hayeon and hope she’ll have more appearances in the second book even if she isn’t the “main” character of the story. I just can’t help liking her!
Right, on with the story. To me it felt like it had a slow beginning and the action only started around the end of Chapter Six. Overall, it had pretty action sequences and imagery.
I can’t say more without spoiling so just get the book! I got it for $12.89 at Popular. The quality of the book is pretty good and it’s published by Candid Creation. If anything else, the writer’s blog is at http://ronnieng.blogspot.com to see upcoming books.
I’m definitely waiting for the continuation of Jeju Island and… PONTIANAK SLAYERS OF VAMPINES!
Sometimes you shouldn’t judge a book by it’s title.