I was very pleased to have applied for this course. It was just the thing I needed – the luxury of writing. I am not interested in posh hotel breaks or spa treats. What attracted me was the quality of the teaching staff. Zoe Gilbert and Lily Dunn are not only published writers, they are also lecturers. The venue …
CRY OF THE FLYING RHINO Sneak Preview: Doing my Bit for Postcolonial Literature:
Heart of Glass: Front cover done. Back blurb in progress. Some delays in August because I was torn between two cover options both of which I liked. Now we’re done being torn. Very exciting. Clue: 1980s! Yes! In sports news, Cry of the Flying Rhino: Hong Kong – the prize giving ceremony and launch is now only 4 weeks away! …
REVIEW: “Monte Carlo” by Peter Terrin (hardback)
Just finished this #beautiful book #montecarlo by #peterterrin #monaco set in the #grandprix #1968. It goes well with my #vintage #things. I only picked it for the #bookcover and the inside text #font #typeface which is #goudyoldstyle #review coming. Good story, touching, short, strong characters #midcenturymodern #interiordesign #writer #writing #writersofinstagram A post shared by Satsuma …
SNEAK PREVIEW: Cry of the Flying Rhino book cover draft designs
Because I am a control freak, I decided to have a stab at cover design myself. The first one, the black and red one is inspired by Iban tattoo pattern and Alfred Hitchcock film posters by illustrator/artist Saul Bass. But I think it might be deemed too London, too retro. The second and the third are …
EXCLUSIVE: L@@k inside Heart of Glass cutting room!
“Do not enter when light is on!” Structural edit: that means blasting, incision, internal tissue re-organisation and cosmetic surgery. But of course, I am not talking metaphorically at all. I am talking about the body of work. Words. I’ve created strict exam conditions in the attic AKA the cutting room. There’s no furniture. I sit …
Proverse Spring Reception 2017 ‘Live’ in Hong Kong
This is the Proverse Spring Reception on 27 April 2017. The film is 53:09 minutes long. The section where they announce the prize winners is from 4:32 to 9:10. However, you may wish to watch to the end. It is actually very entertaining, especially as new books are being launched, and there are readings by writers …
STOP PRESS: Ivy Ngeow wins 2016 International Proverse Prize (FIRST PRIZE)
I am thrilled my first novel Cry of the Flying Rhino has won this prestigious international literary prize for an unpublished full-length work of prose fiction. Winning the 2016 Proverse Prize is important in promoting excellence in literature and the love of and for books, across all boundaries of race, country, creed. International writing is still at the heart of postcolonial literature, …
What is the Flying Rhino and Why does it Cry?
The Flying Rhino is not a prehistoric dinosaur but it does look like one, with its large, mad staring eyes. The rhinoceros hornbill is the largest hornbill, aka the flying rhino. It has one of the largest and most impressive casques — a feature they share with hadrosaurids from more than 60 million years ago. The …
100% in 100 days: Crowdfunding my book “Heart of Glass”
Crowdfunding. Is. Over. The three big little words. 100% in 100 days. And the last 3%? Was the longest, shortest journey in the world (I used to say that about giving birth: new person travelling down 62mm birth canal takes what? Anything from about 2 to 20 hours.) But what a push. What a journey. Made …
I was a punk even then
You can’t get more post-colonial, vintage and ironic than this! This photo was taken on my fifth birthday in Segamat, a little railway town in Johor, where we lived for a couple of years. It is on the line from Singapore to Bangkok via KL. We lived in a colonial bungalow which was the staff …