UK Amazon Kindle Forum discussion
This topic is about
Child Witch Kinshasa
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Mike Ormsby
Welcome to the group, Mike - and Spag Bol yourself! Hmmmm.
LOL. How did you get that one pasta censor?
I could track your shelf but every time I press a button, I end up somewhere new, which is both interesting but somewhat spaghetti-esque.
Must confess I've never read his work, although my brother-in-law loves his books, swears by 'em, devours the latest in no time at all.
Just tried to get a Kindle sample of 'Raising Steam', but it's not out until March 18.
It was on offer for 99p a few weeks ago - which is when I bought it!
Hey Mike!I'm so pleased you've started your author thread!
Yep, this is the author I mentioned in the Morning! thread days back.
I hope you enjoy the group, Mike! Get stuck in!
I've already welcomed, puzzled and confounded him, Patti! :)
As you do so well, Kath! :D
Patti (baconater) wrote: "As you do so well, Kath! :D"Play to your strengths, eh?
I am working on a Fiendish Puzzle ; ) Thank you Patti.
Mike wrote: "I am working on a Fiendish Puzzle ; ) Thank you Patti."Hello Claire, thank you for responding, see you on the forums. Might take me a few days to get the hang of where, and how! Mike
What do you know! I've just done an author search for you on amazon and find that I downloaded Never Mind the Balkans, Here's Romania last year! Will now bump it up the queue of my TBR list!
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "Hello!:o)"
Hello to you, Jud, thank you for your welcome. Nice to be part of a troll-free forum. Speak soon...
Well a few of us are trolls, but in looks only.
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "Well a few of us are trolls, but in looks only."I'm sorry, I TOTALLY disagree. And another thing ....
We really need to refrain from spinning until our hair stands on end.
My hair has not stood on end since the last time I had any.
Patti (baconater) wrote: "We really need to refrain from spinning until our hair stands on end."That would take some doing for you Patti!
will post a Serious Comment soon, pwomiss
Who needs serious comments? Darren's author thread has got to over 10,000 post without any...
Cool!Let's debate the merits of bacon.
How about the bad things about bacon?
At the risk of Expulsion For Being a Troll, I have not eaten meat for 32 years. More than willing discuss the benefits of that. This Little Piggy
Lets debate the merits of bacon as a vegetable
Oh cripes.We've got a Will clone.
Never mind Mike. More bacon for meeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Gingerlily - Smiter of idiots. wrote: "How about the bad things about bacon?"There are no bad things about bacon. Silly girl.
Patti (baconater) wrote: "Gingerlily - Smiter of idiots. wrote: "How about the bad things about bacon?"There are no bad things about bacon. Silly girl."
Just trying to stir controversy... :P
So they cure the bacon and kill us??
Kath wrote: "Carcinogens? From the curing process."Cardigans?
I've heard of pigs in blankets, but cardigans?
Gingerlily - Smiter of idiots. wrote: "http://cdn.abclocal.go.com/images/wab..."Cute. Presumably an early attempt at a precursor of hot meals on wheels.
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "I like bacon wrapped around cheese"Well, cheese and bacon are both yummy, so that would be yummy squared.
Meals on legs... it'll never catch on.
Gingerlily - Smiter of idiots. wrote: "Meals on legs... it'll never catch on."Whereas some similar vital services go from strength to strength:
http://littlefrigginginthewold.blogsp...
You're really blowing your own trumpet there.... er...
Gingerlily - Smiter of idiots. wrote: "You're really blowing your own trumpet there.... er..."If you've got it, flaunt it.
And now for something completely different, which may interest you, since it connects to my novel (see top of this thread). A few days ago the BBC spotted my blog post (http://bit.ly/1ek907d) about a controversial and violent ‘possession' case in Baku. They called me for a quick Q&A then hyperlinked it in their online review of global Twitter #trends (http://bbc.in/1d9QY6K)
The BBC coverage generated almost 2,000 hits for my blog over two days, and significant sales for my book (the Twitter effect, eh?). The post they liked draws parallels between media coverage of ‘sorcery’ in Azerbaijan and Congo, and the legal loopholes that allow abuse of ‘witches’. As you may (not) know, that's also the 'engine' of
my novel 'Child Witch Kinshasa' ('#1 best seller' on Amazon UK/African Lit/Kindle, last month), storyline as follows:
Congolese street kid seeks home.
Foreign journalist wants to help.
The devil is in the detail.
What has this to do with bacon? Look at this kid's back, in a film that I co-made in 2002. His name is Kilanda. Someone 'exorcised' him:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRLVOZ...
Meeting Kilanda inspired me to slog for 10 years to finish my novel. (a secondary character is based on him), which is getting a good response from readers: http://www.childwitch.com/reviews.html
I hope you'll peep. It's a brisk and easy ride, tragicomic, told from three perspectives (including a loyal-but-impatient wife's). She and hubby help a Kinshasa street kid... and soon wish they hadn't.
Is it any good? Please try 50 pages, free! http://amzn.to/1bAPtOZ
Now it's time to peel my baked beetroot; our Baku flat smells like fried bat (and trust me, I know, having spent 5 months in Congo!)
Mike
That's harrowing and frightening and certainly the only Christians in that video are the nuns who are taking in outcast children and looking after them.Father Frank needs prayers more than those poor kids.
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "That's harrowing and frightening and certainly the only Christians in that video are the nuns who are taking in outcast children and looking after them.Father Frank needs prayers more than those ..."
Thank you for watching, Jud.
Father Frank told me the abscess on his leg was "caused by too much contact with Satan", and has since passed away, it seems.
I wrote a magazine column in 2010, about our meeting (800 words): http://mikeormsby.net/2010/01/14/fric...
He's also in the novel. Too good a character to miss, really. Poor fellow meant well but he was bonkers. Needed a decent meal, too.
Jud (Disney Diva) wrote: "That's harrowing and frightening and certainly the only Christians in that video are the nuns who are taking in outcast children and looking after them.Father Frank needs prayers more than those ..."
Oh, and to be fair, the white fellow in the T-shirt, Zibi? He's a Polish priest who has saved more street kids than he can remember. Now based in Montreal. My character 'Yom' is based on him. I sent him the book recently and he loves it. I was a bit worried he might not!
UK Amazon Kindle Forum
Books mentioned in this topic
Never Mind the Balkans, Here's Romania (other topics)Never Mind the Balkans, Here's Romania (other topics)
Raising Steam (other topics)
I'm a British author, this is my first post in your group.
My first novel 'Child Witch Kinshasa' was published last month, and was '#1 best seller' on Amazon UK/African Lit/Kindle for a few days afterwards. Don't be too impressed, we all know how stats work, but if you could peep at www.childwitch.com, I'd be very grateful. Here's the story:
Congolese street kid seeks home.
Foreign journalist wants to help.
The devil is in the detail
It’s a brisk and easy read, tragicomic in tone, all reviews 5-star so far.
The book took me ten years to finish, is based on my time in Congo, and written from three perspectives: boy/journalist/wife. You'll learn a lot about Congo, about journalism training, and about why vulnerable African kids are frequently accused of ‘sorcery'. In my story, a middle-class white European couple intervene to help one and rather wish they hadn't. 'Harry Potter' it ain't, although it is generating interest from younger readers - something I never expected.
For sample chapters, two short videos, and more, see www.childwitch.com.
The novel is in two parts and the second volume, 'Child Witch London', will be out in March.
For information about my other titles, including 'Spinner the Winner' (Eco-tainment for children), please see www.nicoarobooks.com.
Thank you Patti ('baconater'), for taking the time to explain the do's-and-don'ts of this forum! If I do anything wrong, I trust you'll intervene. I enjoyed our recent meeting in Baku during my 'author visit' - great school, smart kids! See u soon.
Best wishes, one and all, and thank you for your time.
Or, as they say here in Azerbaijan, sağ ol!
Mike