Zhana's Blog, page 5

Review of Of Water and the Spirit

I read this powerful memoir by Burkina Faso’s Malidoma Patrice Somé many years ago. I recommend it to anyone who wants to know more about the effect of colonisation on the African psyche.

In the first half of the book, Malidoma lives a peaceful life in a village in which his grandfather is a highly talented shaman. After his grandfather dies, Malidoma’s father gives the six-year-old child to the Catholic priest. The father had given his children by his first wife to the priest, and the children had all died, as had his wife.

Malidoma and the other children are brutalised for many years. As we now know, Catholic priests have been accused of abusing children physically and sexually. As this book makes clear, this was happening in Africa as well.

When Malidoma eventually manages to escape from the seminary, he cannot speak his own language and has never seen a map of his own country. So how will he find his way back home to his village?

Perhaps the most important part of the book is the Introduction, in which Malidoma states that African leaders all went through the same education he did. This indoctrination programme was designed to separate leaders from their own people. The effect of this supposedly elite education is to encourage leaders to look down on their own.

The second half of the book describes Malidoma’s initiation, which he undertakes in order to be considered truly a part of his own village community. It is made clear to him to that the initiation is dangerous and he is risking his life by taking it on.

Anyone who wants to glimpse the strength and power of African traditions needs to read this book.

10 Free Things You Can Do to Promote Your Books

Check out this great article by John Kremer, 10 Free Things You Can Do to Promote Your Books.

Want to build a team who can help you promote your books with reviews and more? My FREE ebook, Book Marketing Genius, contains great tips from book marketing geniuses John Kremer and Alinka Rutkowska.

Want to become a U.S.A. Today bestselling author? Alinka has done so over and over again, and can help you to do it too! She has been featured in Forbes. Download my FREE ebook, Book Marketing Genius, for some of her top tips.

For more information on how to hit the U.S.A. Today bestseller list, pm me.

How to Make the Most of Your Book Reviews, by Ingram Spark

Book reviews can be essential in promoting your self-published books. I have lots of resources for getting your books reviewed, plus suggestions from Ingram Spark on how to use the reviews you have received to promote your books.

Check it out: . How to Make the Most of Your Book Reviews.

Plus I also have lots of tips about how to get book reviews here.

How to Get Tons of Amazon Reviews Without Breaking Amazon's Terms of Service

Check out my blog post: How to Get Tons of Amazon Reviews Without Breaking Amazon's Terms of Service .

See also: How to Get 1000+ Book Reviews.

What is your best method of getting book reviews? Please post on my blog. Thanks.

Derek Murphy on How to “Write to Market” (Plotting and Tropes)

In this blog post, Derek Murphy talks about the importance of "writing to market". He argues most writers don't really understand what that means.

Meanwhile, Hilary Mantel discusses How to Learn to Trust Yourself as a Writer.

What do you think? Should you write for your audience or for yourself? Please share/comment. Thanks!

Hilary Mantel on How to Learn to Trust Yourself as a Writer

Go here for a recent post by Hilary Mantel, author of Wolf Hall and Wolf Hall / Bring Up the Bodies, on How to Learn to Trust Yourself as a Writer.

Should you write for your audience or for yourself? Please comment/share. Thanks.

Have You Experienced Empathy?

Have you ever given or received empathy? Have you ever stood in someone else's shoes? If so, I would like to hear from you. Have you written or read about empathy? Please pm me for details.

Go here for The Blogging Carnival for Nonvilence.

Go here for more Nonviolent Communication/Empathy Resources.

100 Years Since the Destruction of Black Wall Street

100 years ago, Black Wall Street in Greenwood, Tulsa, OK featured Black/African American doctors, lawyers, millionaires, entrepreneurs and more. This film by the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) concentrates on Tulsa BEFORE the destruction of Black Wall Street in 1921.

Many other Black towns were also destroyed by white supremacists. Could this hapen again? And, if so, what can we do to prevent it?

Does Publishing Short Stories Matter?

This article asks whether short stories matter from a financial/commercial point of view, and from an artistic/creative perspective. Go here for my blog post: Does Publishing Short Stories Matter?.

Plus this post lists more than 30 places to submit your short stories.

My writing group is compiling an anthology of short stories on the theme of "Summer". If you would like to submit your story, or want more information, please pm me.

15 Tips for Writing Better Short Stories

In case you have not seen my previous posts, I have recently discovered this author and blogger, ShaelinWrites. I am really enjoying her blogs on short story writing and I'll be posting more.

I recommend you check out How to Write a Short Story.

Plus go here for 15 Tips for Writing Short Stories. I find her approach refreshing and unique.

And go here for Where to Submit Short Stories. This lists more than 30 places to submit your short stories.

My writing group is compiling an anthology of short stories on the theme of "Summer". If you would like more information and/or to submit your story, please pm me.

We look forward to hearing from you!