Kwei Quartey's Blog, page 19

Darko Dawson Drinks Malta

Several readers, including those I've met at various book club discussions, have been curious about a beverage that Darko Dawson can't get enough of in WIFE OF THE GODS and the upcoming CHILDREN OF THE STREET. It's a carbonated malt soft drink called Malta Guinness. Much like beer, it's brewed from barley and hops. Its rich dark brown color is similar to stout, but Malta is very sweet with molasses overtones. If you generally don't drink soda, you might find Malta too syrupy for your taste...

Sisters with Books (Spikes??)

I had a super book club meeting with Sisters with Books in Inglewood on June 27, 2010 – good food and wildly animated and often hilarious conversation. I learned even more about my characters than I knew before! I don't need to tell you that women are exceptionally perceptive, but what's even better is that they may perceive completely different aspects of the same person and his or her behavior, leading to very stimulating debate.

[image error]

With my visit, Sisters with Books became unofficially known...

LEIMERT PARK – oh, and soccer

So while Ghana's Black Stars were annihilating the USA soccer team on June 26 (okay, they didn't quite annihilate them, but GO GHANA ALL THE WAY!) a couple days ago, I was at the annual Leimert Park Book Fair. Attendance was good, peaking between 3PM and 5PM

[image error]
[image error]

Authors signing, and a curious young reader

Paperback WOTG

The trade paperback (TPB) version of WIFE OF THE GODS goes on sale August 3, 2010 ahead of its originally anticipated release date. It has a brand new jacket design, and a couple of small corrections and additions to the hardcover version. But wait, there's more! It's priced at only $15.00. Of course, ordering from Amazon.com decreases the price even further, but be kind to your local independent booksellers and give a thought to ordering it from them.

A TPB is exactly the same format as the h...

On schedule

CHILDREN OF THE STREET is right on schedule for release next summer, barring anything unforeseen. My Random House super-editor Jen Smith and I are working diligently "on the case," so to speak, and things are moving forward nicely. We are fine-tuning the novel so we can have you, my faithful readers, glued to the pages and maybe even a few of you up till 2 AM because you can't put it down!

Panel Discussion

Sisters in Crime/LA is pleased to present "Murder Abroad " on Saturday, May 1st at the Buena Vista branch of the Burbank Library, 300 N. Buena Vista Street, Burbank, from 2 pm – 4 pm featuring authors Edward Arno, Aileen Barron , Kwei Quartey and moderator Eric Stone.

A good turnout is always appreciated, so come on down!

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books

On Saturday April 24, I was at LATFOB at the Sisters in Crime-LA booth signing books in the morning. In the afternoon, I participated in a panel discussion called "African Landscapes" with Lisa Fugard (author of "Skinner's Drift") and Ngugi wa Thiong'o (author of "Dreams in a Time of War and other books). Great discussion and audience.

[image error]

After that we had a book signing. In the photo, Ngugi is on my left busily signing. He has quite a following and his writing is eloquent and distinguished.

Sunda...

Back in the USA

It's 3:15 PM EST and I'm in NY waiting for my connection to LA at 4:30 PM. I went through Frankfurt and contrary to mental images of widespread chaos and wildly disrupted schedules as a result of the recent volcanic eruption, everything went smoothly without a hitch or delay. So barring anything unforeseen, I should be back in LA by 8 PM or so.

This is a good thing because I'm scheduled to appear at the LA Times Book Festival this weekend:

Saturday April 24: Sisters in Crime, LA tent: signing 1...

Farewell, for now

Farewell to Ghana for now. Bye to Accra with its sweltering heat and impossible traffic jams with razor thin margins, so long to the friendliness and smiles in the midst of terrible hardship, to the kids who love their photos taken, to the agonizing inefficiency of banks and post offices, to the slums of Agbogbloshie, and to the mansions and high-rise hotels.

Farewell to the "truck-pushers" toiling doggedly on the streets as air-conditioned 4×4's race past, the homeless thousands who sleep on ...

LFG – wrap-up of the week, Part 2

Thursday April 15: lots of running around during the day, but the highlight came later. I had dinner with a friend, Antwi Boasiako, at the Novotel Hotel. He's a steely-eyed, sharp-minded young Lance Corporal in the Criminal Investigations Department who offered to take me out to the streets of Accra in the dead of night, acting as both my guide and bodyguard.

Hint:Nighttime in Accra is a key aspect of the upcoming Darko Dawson novel, CHILDREN OF THE STREET. Rows of hundreds of homeless adults ...