Robert Raymer's Blog, page 12

There’s No Downside to Being a Finalist!

The fate of A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit in the novel category in 2012 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition has already been decided—a finalist.  The final verdict for The Girl in the Bathtub in the novel-in-progress category is still out there.  It can still win or it can be a runner-up.  But it can’t lose!  It’ll merely remain where it is, as a finalist.  There’s no downside to being a finalist!  


For six weeks now, I’ve been a finalist.  A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit will forever remain as a finalist in the 2012 Faulkner-Wisdom Competition.  If The Girl in the Bathtub fails to advance, it too will remain a finalist.  I can live with that.  That’s still quite an achievement.  Last year it was a short-list finalist, a big improvement already.
Sure I would like for it to win.  Being a runner-up sounds pretty nice, too.  Everyone who enters a competition wants to win.   Starting out everyone has an equal chance in winning.  But once they announced the finalist, only those select few who had advanced have a chance to win.  I’m still in the running with The Girl in the Bathtub and that feels pretty good. 
Yes, I’ve been checking the Faulkner-Wisdom website for updates pretty much every day.  But I also like the fact that a decision has not been made; therefore every day, I still have a chance to win, just like all the others finalists.  Win or lose, no one can take that away from me.  Again, there’s no downside to being a finalist.  At this level, you’re locked in as a finalist, with the potential to go higher but never lower.  It’s a sure thing—I’m a finalist!
As I wrote in an earlier blog, this year's novel competition had a record 406 full manuscript entries, of which 14 are finalist.  A third novel of mine, The Resurrection of Jonathan Brady, a recent Quarterfinalistin the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, was a short list finalist a for the second year in a row.  I’m pretty proud of that, too.   It wasn’t a finalist, but it was short-listed, which meant it looked pretty good.  14 novels, including A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit, just looked better. 
The fact that both of these novels are set in Penang, Malaysia, and both feature the same expat character, Steve Boston, though set nine years apart, means I got something here.  It means that the success of one novel will help sell the other, possibly in a two-book deal (and before Christmas would be rather nice—Santa, I have been good this year.)

But in the meantime, until the announcement is finally announced, I’m more than content being a finalist—that’s what we are finalist.  Not a bad place to be.  We can only go higher and never lower in this year’s competition.  Right now that decision rests in the hands of the judge, Deborah Grosvenor, and that decision will be based on both the quality of the manu­script and bias of the judge—what she likes and doesn’t like to see when she reads manu­scripts.  Hopefully, she’ll see a lot of what she does like in The Girl in the Bathtub.

 *Here's the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and forTrois autres Malaisie.

Congrats to the Winners of 2012 Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards.

(From left) Yeoh Gim Suan, Bernice Chauly, Kuan Guat Choo, Datuk Wong Sulong, MPH Group Publishing’s Ivy Tan (representing Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) and Hanley Chew.

As a past winner for the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards(2009, Lovers and Strangers Revisited , fiction)  and also a nominee (2010 Tropical Affairs, nonfiction) I know what it feels like to be present when they call your name as the winner, and also the let down when they don’t call your name. 
This year the honor for fiction went to Hotel Tales byHanley Chew, who collaborated on the book with writer Choy Ee Ling.
Second prize winner was 4...5...6by Kuan Guat Choo, a friend of mine who has been nominated several times now and finally wins!  Congrats!  
The third prize winner is Melody of Love & Other Stories by Yeoh Gim Suan.
For nonfiction, the winner was A Doctor In The House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad by former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Second place was Notes To The Prime Minister: The Untold Story Of How Malaysia Beat The Currency Speculators by Datuk Wong Sulong.
In third place Growing Up With Ghosts by Bernice Chauly, another friend
Here are the ten nominees for both categories (in no particular order) as listed in The Star:
Fiction
1. Hotel Tales by Hanley Chew
2. 4...5...6 by Kuan Guat Choo
3. Malaysian Tales: Retold & Remixed by Daphne Lee
4. Bitter-Sweet Harvest by Chan Ling Yap
5. Melody Of Love & Other Stories by Yeoh Gim Suan
6. The Dulang Washer by Paul Callan
7. The Female Cell by Rumaizah Abu Bakar
8. DUKE: Inspector Misla & The DUKExpressway Murders by Rozlan Mohd Noor
9. Malacca: A Romance by Kamsiah M. Bostock
10. The Amok Of Mat Solo by Salleh Ben Joned

Non-fiction
1. A Doctor In The House by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad
2. Teohlogy by Patrick Teoh
3. Notes To The Prime Minister by Wong Sulong
4. Kopitiam Chit Chat by Peggy Tan Pek Tao
5. Unmistakably Chinese, Genuinely Malaysian by Rita Sim
6. Patriots & Pretenders: The Malayan Peoples’ Independence Struggleby Kua Kia Soong
7. A Map Of Trengganu by Awang Goneng
8. Found In Malaysia (Vol. 2) by The Nut Graph
9. Coming Of Age: A Decade Of Essays 2001-2011 by Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad
10. Growing Up With Ghosts by Bernice Chauly

*Here's the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and for Trois autres Malaisie.

“Home for Hari Raya” Ohio University filming—13 US students coming to Malaysia

Frederick Lewis, professor of film/video at Ohio University, recently emailed and said that he has 13 students coming to Malaysia for the filming of “Home for Hari Raya”, from Lovers and Strangers Revisited.  He said, “All systems go.”  This was the final confirmation that I wanted to hear.  Ever since he first contacted me in December 2011 about his interest in filming one of my short stories,  I’ve been excited about the project.  It’s not every day that one of your short stories is going to be filmed, especially a story set in Malaysia.
As noted in an earlier blog, two stories from the collection, “Home for Hari Raya” and “Only in Malaysia” have also been taught at Ohio University.  I was fortunate enough to hold a Skype session with Tun Razak Chair, Professor Habibah Asharia  and a group of her students there back in April. 
Filming is slated for December 2012, during their term break.

Two Novels are in the Faulkner-Wisdom Finals!

A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit is in the finals in the novel category and The Girl in the Bathtub is in the finals for the novel-in-progress category for the on-going 2012 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Competition in the US!  Both novels are set in Penang, Malaysia, both featuring the same expat character, Steve Boston, though set nine years apart.  I've been hoping that the success of one novel will help sell the other in a two-book deal (I have a series of books planned for this character).  It can still happen, especially if one or the other wins.

Back in September 2011 an excerpt was published in the New Straits Times. I also posted the pitch and the first chapter, now revised.

This year's competition had a record 406 full manuscript entries, of which 14 are finalist.  These will be read by Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Mangement.  A third novel, The Resurrection of Jonathan Brady, a recent Quarterfinalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, was a short list finalist for the second year in a row. 

The Girl in the Bathtub had also been a short-list finalist in the 2011 Faulkner-Wisdom novel-in-progress competition.  This year, Deborah Grosvenor of Grosvenor Literary Agency will be reading the novel-in-progress finalists.

Last year, A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit (as The Expatriate's Choice) was a semi-finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition; however, it has been extensively rewritten several times since then (for both the 2012 Amazon and Faulkner-Wisdom competitions). In fact, I was in the progress of revising and changing A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit from third person back to first person (where I originally had it), after rereading The Great Gatsby, when I got the call that my father had passed away.  Now I'm still back in the US visiting my brothers. 

Yet right now, after receiving the good news about my two (three) novels, I'm anxious to return to Borneo to finish that off and have it completed, so when the results come out I'll be ready with a freshly revised manscript in hand for another round of query submissions for agents to see if I can still make this two-book deal happen for 2012.  I know my father would be proud.

Update:  Here are the winners and runner-ups.

*Here's the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and for Trois autres Malaisie.

The Novel Project: Two Novels are in the Faulkner-Wisdom Finals!

A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit is in the finals in the novel category and The Girl in the Bathtub is in the finals for the novel-in-progress category for the on-going 2012 William Faulkner-William Wisdom Competition in the US!  Both novels are set in Penang, Malaysia, both featuring the same expat character, Steve Boston, though set nine years apart.  I've been hoping that the success of one novel will help sell the other in a two-book deal (I have a series of books planned for this character).  It can still happen, especially if one or the other wins.

This year's competition had a record 406 full manuscript entries, of which 14 are finalist.  These will be read by Jeff Kleinman of Folio Literary Mangement.  A third novel, The Resurrection of Jonathan Brady, a recent quaterfinalist in the 2012 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Awards, was a short list finalist for the second year in a row. 

The Girl in the Bathtub had also been a short-list finalist in the 2011 Faulkner-Wisdom novel-in-progress competition.  This year, Deborah Grosvenor of Grosvenor Literary Agency will be reading the novel-in-progress finalists.

Last year, A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit (as The Expatriate's Choice) was a semi-finalist in the Faulkner-Wisdom competition; however, it has been extensively rewritten several times since then (for both the 2012 Amazon and Faulkner-Wisdom competions). In fact, I was in the progress of revising and changing A Perfect Day for an Expat Exit from third person back to first person, after rereading The Great Gasby, when I got the call that my father had passed away.  Now I'm still back in the US visiting my brothers. 

Yet right now, after receiving the good news about my two (three) novels, I'm anxious to return to Borneo to finish that off and have it completed, so when the results come out I'll be ready with a freshly revised manscript in hand for another round of query submissions for agents to see if I can still make this two-book deal happen for 2012.  I know my father would be proud.

Creating a Photo Collage on ipad

My wife was playing with her ipad last night and to humor me, since I was feeling neglected (it happened when we had babies, too, but an ipad?) she threw this photo collage together, so I forgave her. Two of the top photos are from Indochine, which is celebrating it's 20th anniversary.  Then there was the interview at Kuppa Kopi, winning Popular Star Reader's Choice Award, and various poses alone or with other writers.
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Lettres-de-Malaisie

   










[image error] I immediately liked the Facebook page Lettres-de-Malaisie, especially since it had a copy of Trois Autres Malaisie among many other books on its photo page (below). Trois Autres Malaisie just had its fourth review, the first in a French magazine, too, Petit Futé. 
  According to the about section of Lettres-de-Malaisie:  La littérature en provenance de Malaisie et de l'archipel malayophone, sous toutes ses formes et dans toutes les langues.
Check it out and like it, too.
Here's a link to the intro and excerpts, and to four reviews of Trois Autres Malaisie ineurasie.net, Malaisie.org, easyvoyage.com, and Petit Futé mag .Here’s an update to the French blog about Trois autres Malaisie , a link to meeting the French translator Jerome Bouchaud in Kuching, and also to order a copy or recommend it to your friends, especially those who would like to know more about Malaysia or have an interest in Southeast Asia.
  *Links to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and to the French translation of Lovers and Strangers Revisited,Trois autres Malaisie.  Thanks!

Trois Autres Malaisie Reviewed in Petit Futé mag-May-June 2012

Here’s the brief review in Petit Futé.  (Had trouble uploading the PDF page with all the other reviews, eight in all.  This was the first review at top left of page!) 
Multiple Malaisie
Une immersion dans le quotidien et les coustumes traditionnelles des communautés malaise, chinoise et indienne de Malaisie : c’est ce que nous propose Robert Raymer dans ce recueil de quatorze nouvelles agréablement illustrées.  Au fil de ces récits nous est livré le portrait d’une société composite, à la richesse culturelle fascinante, où les communautés se croisent mais peinent aussi parfois a se mélanger.  Un dépaysement rare, au sujet d'un pays dont on parle peu.  Trois Autres Malaisie, Robert Raymer, GOPE 18.18 Euro

*Update: Here's a link to the intro and excerpts, and to four reviews of Trois Autres Malaisie ineurasie.net, Malaisie.org, easyvoyage.com, and Petit Futé mag .

**Here’s an update to the French blog about Trois autres Malaisie , a link to meeting the French translator Jerome Bouchaud in Kuching, and also to order a copy or recommend it to your friends, especially those who would like to know more about Malaysia or have an interest in Southeast Asia.
  ***Links to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and to the French translation of Lovers and Strangers Revisited,Trois autres Malaisie.  Thanks!

Trois Autres Malaisie Reviewed in Petit Fute mag-May-June 2012

Here’s the brief review that I rewrote, minus the proper accent/stress marks.  My apologies.  (Had trouble uploading/copying the PDF) 
Multiple MalaisieUne immersion dans le quotidien et les coustumes traditionnelles des communautes malaise, chinoise et indienne de Malaisie : c’est ce que nous propose Robert Raymer dans ce recuil de quatorze nouvelles agreablement illustrees.  Au fil de ces recits nous est livre le portrait d’une societe composite, a la richesse culturelle fascinante, ou les communautes se croisent mais peinent aussi parfois a se melanger.  Un depaysement rare, au sujet d'un pays dont on parle peu.  Trois Autres Malaisie, Robert Raymer, GOPE 18.18 Euro

*Here’s are more reviews ineurasie.net, Malaisie.org, and easyvoyage.com
**Here’s a link to the intro and excerpts, to meeting the French translator Jerome Bouchaud in Kuching, and also to order your own copy

****Links to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and to the French translation of Lovers and Strangers Revisited,Trois autres Malaisie.  Thanks!

Kuching and KK: Two Creative Writing Workshops in June 2012.

Kuching :
The Writing Your Life Stories Workshop—Kuching that was originally scheduled for 28 April 2012 has been postponed until 23 June.  Instead of starting at 8.30am, it will now begin at 1.30pm.  My apologies for any inconvenience.
For full details and to sign up please go here. 
Kota Kinabalu :
A Facebook Public Event has been set up by Sana.Sini.Situ for the Creative Writing Workshop with Robert Raymer.
Sunday, June 17, 2012 from 1:00pm until 6:00pm at TBA in Kota Kinabalu.
It states:

Robert Raymer will be coming back to KK for another creative writing workshop!

Title: Story Mechanics, Manuscript Formatting and Internal Logic or How to Make Your Stories Believable and Saleable

Formatting your stories to the 'international' standard
Using dialogue
Analysing samples of short stories
Would s/he really do that? - story believability
Editing samples of writing

Registration fee: RM120 per pax (RM100 for students)

Light refreshments included

About Robert Raymer:-
Named as one of the “50 Expats You Should Know” by Expatriate Lifestyle, American Robert Raymer is a freelance editor, writing consultant, and author who has taught creative writing at two Malaysian universities, was the editor of Silverfish New Writings 4, has judged short story competitions, and conducted numerous workshops on writing and creative writing. His short stories and articles have been published over 500 times in The Literary Review, Thema, Aim, London Magazine, Going Places, My Weekly, The Writer and Reader’s Digest. Lovers and Strangers Revisited (MPH 2008), a collection of short stories set in Malaysia, winner of the 2009 Popular-The Star Readers Choice Awards, has been taught in several universities and private colleges and currently being translated into French. Tropical Affairs: Episodes from an Expat's Life in Malaysia (MPH 2009) is a collection of creative nonfiction about living in Malaysia for over twenty years. His latest book is Spirit of Malaysia (Editions Didier Millet). His blog on writing borneoexpatwriter.blogspot.com, interviews, and book reviews are available on his website www.borneoexpatwriter.com
To register please go to this site.
*Here is a link to my first KK workshop 2011, second KK workshop 2011 and third KK workshop 2011. There are also blog links from participants.  And my previous workshop in Kuching,
**If you are interested to bring one of my writing workshops to your organizations or association in Sabah/Sarawak/West Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei please contact me at robert@borneoexpatwriter.com  Thank you.

***Here the link to my website, to MPH online for orders for all three of my books, including my latest, Spirit of Malaysia and for the French translation of Lovers and Strangers Revisited  Trois autres Malaisie.