Yesterday I went to collect the weekend papers from the driveway. As I looked towards the west I saw a brilliant rainbow arching right across the sky. I was reminded of the saying “Rainbow in the morning, shepherds take warning.”

Well, I’m not a shepherd and haven’t owned any sheep for over a decade, so does the warning apply to me? And does it also apply to writers, and other occupations? What about them? And why just shepherds?

Then there is the vexed question of the pot of gold at the end of a rainbow. Does one pursue it in the off chance one can find that wonderful treasure? It was quite plain to see where the rainbow ended yesterday – right out there in the paddock just up the hill a little from our driveway. About 200 metres away. A quick two minute jog and I’d find it.

And suddenly I was reminded of the promise to Noah in the Biblical account of The Flood. God promised never to flood the whole earth again.

How does this all fit together – or was it just my sleep clouded brain not yet fully functioning? Let me try to make some sense of it.

1. There is no “pot of gold” – chasing after illusory fortunes is a waste of time and effort. Work hard writing and the rewards will come. Quite often I find that just the process of writing a well crafted story, article or poem has its own intrinsic reward. Too often we only look for recognition from others (“fame”) and monetary gain (“fortune”) . Sometimes merely to write is its own reward.
2. The rainbow was there as a promise of God’s compassion, not a warning. He will provide for me. No amount of worrying whether a publisher will accept my writing, or fretting over my readers’ reactions will change them. So why worry?
3. Rainbows are always formed by rain falling. Into every life some tears will fall like heavy rain drops in a tropical storm. Sometimes those tears are bitter, sometimes sad, sometimes fearful and often in disappointment. But just as every storm blows over, every rain front dissipates, so too will that heavy cloud be driven away. Then the sun can shine and the rainbow burst into full colour.

Good writing.

In due season: poems of love and loss

While it it is a slim book physically, one cannot say that about the poems. All the poems have an impact on the reader. One is taken on a journey through her life – of joys, delights, deep emotions, frustrations, fears and faith. It is a journey from first love to deep loss, from deep contentment to the emptiness of death.

Valerie’s poems poignantly trace the roller coaster ride she encounters in 2008 when her husband is diagnosed with cancer. Some poems hark back to the early days, from their first meeting, first passions of love and the demands of young family life. Other poems are filled with agony as she sketches in verse form the deterioration of Noel’s condition. And the final poems highlight her response to his death, the experience of feeling numb at the time of his funeral, the emptiness of their home without her love and the slow and sometimes painful climb up the mountain of normality.

‘How am I?
Hard to say. I veer between
a stoic resignation – “Wonderful,” I hear them say -
and silent screams of anguish.
Somewhere in me there’s a deep gaping hole
as if a vital part has been ripped out.’

from ‘A Kindness of Strangers’ p.59

I met Valerie during the time we were both completing our Master of Arts course. She has become a respected writing colleague and encouraging friend, one I deeply admire and whose comments on my own poems are highly valued.

Some of the poems in this volume I have a personal connection with, because Valerie presented them in writing workshops for critiquing during our studies for our degrees. One couldn’t help but be touched deeply by the grief she was enduring at the time but still she pressed on professionally.

Highly recommended reading.

Order the book on Valerie’s web site:

• Valerie Volk - you can order any of Valerie’s books on her website. You can also read about Valerie’s academic achievements as well as writing awards she has gained.

The photo (above right) is from the cover of her book. It has deep significance to Valerie – but you’ll have to read the book to find out why.

Reference:

Volk, Valerie, 2009. In due season: poems of love and loss. Pantaenus Press, Adelaide.

Vujicic, Nick, 2011. Life without limits: how to live a ridiculously good life. Crows Nest, Allen & Unwin.

This book was an impulse buy. I hadn’t set out to buy it but don’t regret for one moment having spent the money. Only the night before ‘chancing’ upon the book I had seen Nick interviewed on television. I’d seen him previously on a video shown at church. This impressive young has achieved so much in his colourful life. His testimony in his book about life, dealing with life’s challenges and the role of faith in God in all that is inspirational and one of those ‘Must Read” books.

So what makes Nick different from all those other inspirational writers?

He was born without limbs.

No arms, no legs, no worries. That’s his motto. By trusting in God – and through dogged persistence and effort on his part, he has overcome most obstacles in life – and then some. Nothing seems too hard for him. He has learned to swim – yes, without arms and legs – learned to care for himself, to surf, scuba dive, skateboard and much more.

He has learned how to become a successful international motivational speaker and preacher, how to raise heaps of money – and give it away – and how to have a zany sense of humour in all the challenges life has thrown at him. And he comes up smiling every time.

Truly humbling, amazingly inspiring.

Do yourself a favour and go out and buy this book; it will change your life.

Because it is essentially a compact journal, competition to be published in it is intense. I’ve only managed to get one story published in this journal, but I should be fair to myself as I really haven’t bombarded the editors with submissions. The submissions do not have to focus on spiritual topics, though some do.  On the web page is says:

Studio is a quarterly journal publishing poetry and prose of literary merit, offering a venue for previously published, new and aspiring writers, and developing a sense of community among christians writing.

I highly recommend this fine journal. More information, including submission guidelines, can be found on the Studio website here.

Good writing.

The Word Writers Fair

I should have promoted this sooner.

Never mind – there’s still time for South Australian writers to attend the first Word Writers Fair in Adelaide tomorrow, 21st August 2010. (Just make sure you vote in the federal elections first!)

This special event is free. All you have to do is rock up at Tabor Adelaide, 181 Goodwood Road, Millswood. There’s plenty of free parking on-site too.

Tabor is where I am doing my Master of Arts in Creative Writing so I know some of the speakers and can highly recommend them. Registration is from 8:30am and the programme kicks off at 9am and goes until 5pm.

It should be a great day with plenty of useful input from the speakers. There will be a bookshop too, selling books written by some of the speakers. You can get them signed on the spot.

For more information, including a programme guide click here.

Good writing – and see you there.

Whatever you read this year, put this novel on your MUST READ list.

Ameera, 17 years old, is the daughter of an Australian mother – a Christian – and a Pakistani father who is a devout Muslim. Seeking to be like her Australian friends, Ameera discovers that her father strongly and actively opposes any social contact with non-Muslims. He tightens his grip on her activities until he discovers her interest in a Pakistani Christian boy.

She is suddenly sent off to visit relatives in Pakistan thinking she is attending the wedding of her cousin Jamila. Soon after she arrives she discovers the awful truth: it is she who is marrying her wealthy cousin through a business transaction organised by her own father.

When her passport, return ticket and mobile phone are confiscated by her uncle, Ameera realises she is trapped. There seems no way out of going through with the wedding. Only her determination, courage and a growing love for Tariq can see her through this nightmare.

This is without doubt the best novel I’ve read this year, and the best YA novel in a long time. The author has drawn a wide range of believable and very memorable characters, all of them true to their particular culture, either Australian or Pakistani. I found the conflict experienced by the characters caught between two cultures as portrayed in Ameera, for example, to be both compelling and authentic.

Rosanne Hawke has used to great advantage the time she lived in Pakistan while teaching, and later on a fellowship while researching this novel. Her understanding of the Pakistani culture brings this story to life as she describes the customs, foods, clothing, ceremonies and even the elaborate jewellery used in weddings.

While this is a story which carries the reader along – a page turner – it also has a very serious message. The people living in countries like Pakistan still practice arranged marriages, and have done for centuries. This story is different. It portrays a forced marriage which is now illegal in Pakistan. Sadly, many forced marriages, in a range of countries, still occur. Few girls caught in such a situation don’t have the means to escape, or have the courage of the character Ameera to face the consequences of their plight.

This novel is a love story.

A tragic love story with just a touch of romance, romance shattered by reality. I believe, however, it is not a novel just for girls. Sure, it will appear to be most attractive to teenage girls, and they won’t be disappointed.

If I had my way however, I’d make this compulsory reading for every teenage male in Australia. There is so much they could learn about love, respect, honour and relationships. Besides – it’s an exciting read with danger abounding on every page.

References:

• Hawke, R, 2010, Marrying Ameera, Harper Collins, Sydney.
• Rosanne Hawke – click to go to her website.
• Reading guide to Marrying Ameera

Update: this book sold out in the first week after publication. It is about to go to a second print run. Fantastic.

.

My supervising lecturer recently gave me this book to read. She thought it could be of some use in the writing of my children’s novel which is also set in Nepal. Himalayan Adventures written by Penny Reeve is a charming little book (of only 96 pages) which deals with various aspects of life in Nepal. Each chapter is a self contained story about an animal, bird or some commonplace aspect of village life. There is little connection between each chapter.

The stories are short and written in a narrative style with minimal dialogue. Each is an object lesson in living the Christian life as seen by the author who served as a health professional with a mission organisation in Nepal. While each story is charming in its own way, I would like to have seen some connection between each chapter, such as the same children appearing in each story. This would have allowed more use of dialogue which would also have improved the book.

This book has not been of much value in writing my own children’s book about Nepal because it is so different from what I am trying to do with my story.

Reference:

• Reeve, Penny 2005, Himalayan Adventures, Christian Focus Publications, Ross-shire, Great Britain.

]]> http://www.trevorhampel.com/book-review-himalayan-adventures/feed/ 4 http://www.trevorhampel.com/review-better-than-the-witch-doctor/ http://www.trevorhampel.com/review-better-than-the-witch-doctor/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 22:30:38 +0000 Trevor http://www.trevorhampel.com/?p=1535 Mary Cundy is an amazing woman. I have never met her, but after reading her book I feel as if I know her very well. I read this book as background research for my Master of Arts in Creative Writing thesis novel and exegesis essay. Although it did not have a direct bearing on my novel it was fascinating reading and it gave me a good feel for the setting of my novel. In fact, she lived for a time right where my novel is set.

In 1957 Mary Cundy, a young social worker in England, obeyed the call of God on her life and travelled to the mountainous country of Nepal. At this time very few outsiders had ever visited the country, let alone work there as a Christian missionary. For the next 33 years she served in remote parts of the country bringing medical help to the local people, even though she had no training in the field.

Scene from our lodge in Monjo, Nepal

She lived with the people in their villages in very poor and demanding conditions. She quickly started a dispensary, helping over 100 very ill people daily. She graphically describes the daily lives of the village people and the struggles she had coping with their medical needs, physical needs as well as making small inroads into their spiritual needs. As a Christian missionary, however, her work was frequently hampered by officialdom (it was forbidden at the time to proselytise), suspicion (the local witch doctors were very powerful) and mistrust (she was often the first non-Nepali person locals had seen).

This is a very encouraging book. Not only is it a good read, I found it amazing how God can take ordinary people like Mary, put them in impossible situations, and produce extraordinary lives.

As far as I can determine, this book is sadly no longer in print.

Reference:

• Cundy, M 1994, Better than the witch doctor, Monarch Publications, Crowborough, East Sussex.

Further reading:

• My travels in Nepal – links to my travel blog, includes many photos taken in Nepal.
• Writing a novel – a series of articles about how I went about writing my novel for children set in Nepal.

Ama Dablam, Nepal

What I am reading: “Braver than the Gurkhas” by Sikhar

I chose to read this little know book as background reading for the writing of my novel for children. Like my novel, this book is set in Nepal. It is based on true events but is written as fiction.

On the cover it states that this story is an account of ‘heroism of an oppressed minority fighting for survival.’ It is not an understatement. In the dedication it says it has been written in memory of Bir Bahadur Rai, the first known Nepali martyr for ‘Yesu.’

Nepal in the 1980s was still emerging into the modern world. Christian missionaries had been working in the country since the early 1950s, predominantly as medical staff in clinics and hospitals set up in a range of towns and villages. Nepalis throughout the country were slow to embrace the Christian faith and in the 1980s there was an open government policy forbidding conversion to Christianity. Converts were not only ostracized by their families and the wider community, they were usually imprisoned. Many were tortured for their faith in ‘Yesu’ (Jesus) and some were killed.

This novel traces the fortunes of one family who suffer as a result of these policies. The father of the family is a drunken, wife beating, lazy farmer who actually bashes up the local Christian pastor. One night, while drunk yet again, he decides to burn down the church in his village. Instead of being successful in his aim, he overhears several of the Christians praying for him. This leads to his conversion as a follower of Yesu. His life is quickly transformed from his drunkenness. His daughter notices the change in his life and she too becomes a Christian. Things turn nasty only minutes after her father’s baptism in the local river. He is arrested, tried and later tortured in prison.

This is a fast moving, intriguing story with strongly drawn characters. The plot moves forward with the inevitable ending. The simple village life permeates the story. The attitudes of the villagers are shown clearly, contrasting well with the changes Christianity brings to their culture. Although the ending is sad, there is also hope for the future. The Christian church has continued to grow and estimates are that now about 2% of the population claim to be Christian. Although imprisonment is no longer government policy, in practice there is still widespread opposition and persecution of Christians.

While there are only a few references to faith in my novel, my two main characters show a friendship between a Hindu Nepali boy and the son of an Australian missionary doctor. I have set my story in 2006, a time of great political unrest and turmoil in Nepal. While my reading of Braver than the Gurkhas does not have a direct bearing on my story, I found the reading of this novel gave me a greater understanding of the way the Nepali people think.

Reference:

• Sikhar, 1990, Braver than the Gurkhars, Word Publishing, Milton Keynes.

Further reading:

• Writing a novel: more articles in this series outling how I went about writing my novel for children.

Myths vs facts of publishing by Rachelle Gardner.

It has some very interesting things to say about agents, and about getting an agent to represent you, and about getting published.

The many reader comments are worth reading too.The agent writing this blog is a committed Christian; in fact, she is actively seeking fiction which ‘does not contradict a Christan worldview.’

Pity we have no agents like her here in Australia.

Good writing.

]]> http://www.trevorhampel.com/some-myths-and-facts-about-publishing/feed/ 0