I'm Over at Wendy Noble's Place!!!

My good friend Wendy Noble has kindly hosted me at her blog as part of my effort to market my new Kate Gomolemo Mysteries now available as ebooks. I met Wendy when I just started writing about eight years ago over at Writers Weekly, a forum where I learned a lot about this writing business from people like her.

Here's a bit of my guest post about being a writer in Botswana:

Imagine if you will, a country with no trade publishers. A country the size of France with only three or four (if you stretch the definition) proper bookstores in the entire country, all located in the capital. A country with a population of 1.8 million where buying books is not a priority and when you ask, “Do you own a Kindle?” the most likely response would be silence and a face that defines the word confusion.

(To read the rest go HERE)

Thanks again, Wendy!!

Happy Short Story Day!!

Today is Short Story Day Africa (and I think Internationally too). I've been busy with various things trying to be part of the day.

1. I donated a story to the website
My story, The Colours of Love, which is in my collection In the Spirit of McPhineas Lata and Other Stories can be read at the Short Story Day Africa website.

2. I'm running a workshop
I'm running a workshop for junior secondary school children in my village at Parwe Junior Secondary School. The students will be writing stories around the theme "young in the city" for the writing competition HERE. The workshop will be this Friday at 10 AM.

3. I'm participating in YA Short Story Chain Gang
In celebration of the day, writers have grouped themselves into chain gangs. Each writer writes for an hour and then passes the story onto the next one (Rules HERE) . In the end, we hope, we have an exciting story. I'm in the YA group. Our story can be read and voted on HERE.

4. The Farafina Class of 2011, of which I'm a part, is Celebrating SSDay-Africa
Members of the group (people who attended last year's Farafina Workshop in Lagos) have written 100 word flash fiction and we've posted them at our blog- HERE.

5. I'm judging the SS Day- Africa Writing Competition for Under 12s
Kids are meant to write a story about an inanimate object. I'm looking forward to reading them! Learn more about the competition HERE

Also, Hope Road Publishing, in celebration of Short Story Day Africa, has posted another story from my collection, Funny Rich Man, read it HERE.

Hope you're celebrating Short Story Day wherever you are. Read, write, listen...enjoy!! Why not share your favourite stories?

Poem: A Fear of Drowning

A Fear of Drowning
By Lauri Kubuitsile

I skim on the surface
Like a boat, not a submarine.
I was never a submarine.
As you added more and more water,
I kept skimming.
I dip a toe in and feel it cool and enticing
But I won’t jump in;
I can’t.
You knew this.
I told you in words
Even if my actions lied.
I can’t get in.
I’m not made right.
I don’t have gills,
Or even a snorkel.
But I like water.
I watch you there
Your head bobbing on the surface
Diving deep
Time and again.
I’m jealous.
Of course I’m jealous.
But I know what I’m made of.
Paper.
Paper can’t stand up to water
Never could.
Don’t make me.
Don’t pull me in.
Keep your distance.
Let me skim here on the surface.
It’s enough for me.

Love in the Shadows- Get the Ebook at Barnes and Noble!

The ebook for Love in the Shadows is now available at Barnes and Noble! Get it here.

Songbird Kedi Taukobong is living her dream. Enormously successful as an Afro-pop musician, she travels the continent performing to adoring crowds. However, fame comes at a price – a sinister stalker is watching her, intent on making her his. Kedi’s management team is determined to hire the best private investigator in the business, her ex, Sefhemo Phaladi.

Face to face for the first time since they split, Kedi and Sefhemo can’t deny the attraction still sizzling between them. But the stalker is getting too close. He has to be in Kedi’s inner circle. Can she really trust Sefhemo, especially after he betrayed her nine years ago?

Also available at Kobo- here.

Get Murder for Profit for FREE!!

The second book in my Kate Gomolemo Mystery Series is on promotion at Amazon. If you have a Kindle, you can get Murder for Profit for FREE.

Click HERE!!

Short Story Day Africa

(from their press release)

On Wednesday 20 June revel in a celebration of fiction’s short- yet-perfectly-crafted form, the short story.

Last year on June 21st, the shortest day of the year, we invited you to participate in Short Story Day South, a southern-African celebration of short fiction.

This year on June 20th, Short Story Day goes global with the launch of International Short Story Day and Short Story Day Africa.

Short Story Day Africa aims to highlight the outstanding short fiction Africa has to offer. We encourage every one of all ages and all genders to do something in honour of the short story. This could be absolutely anything, from running a creative workshop or class, a competition, making a short film or film adaptation of a short story, organizing a spoken word night, a reading, an author appearance, a literary salon, or simply picking up a short story and enjoying it, for maybe the first or the hundredth time.

Whatever it is you're doing, we want to hear about it! Send us details of your event to info@shortstorydayafrica.org, a link to your website (if applicable), and any images you have, and we'll put it on the brand new Short Story Day Africa website, where you can also find short stories to read and enjoy, short story recommendations, competitions, giveaways and more.

Follow us on Twitter @shortstoryAFR or Facebook Short Story Day Africa

What’s it all about?
The concept, celebrating the short story on the shortest day of the year, is borrowed from the pilot project, National Short Story Day (www.nationalshortstoryday.co.uk), which launched in the UK in October 2010 and concluded on 21 December (their shortest day). The project grew organically using social networking tools (Facebook and Twitter) and was a great success. Short Story Day South followed on 21 June 2011, culminating in a series of events around the country, including the popular Chain Gang Challenge.

This year, the organizers of National Short Story Day and Short Story Day South, decided to collaborate to create an international celebration. International Short Story Day was born, with Short Story Day Africa focusing on African writing and writers.

Who can take part?
Readers and writers of all ages, teachers, students...YOU!

Competitions and Giveaways
As part of the International Short Story Day celebrations, The Book Lounge (South Africa) and Comma Press (United Kingdom) challenge you to a chain story competition. At 8.30am GMT* on Wednesday 20th June, the first literary legends will sit down around the globe and start writing. An hour later, the keyboard will be wrested from his/her hands and passed on.

As each segment of the story unravels, we’ll upload it to the Short Story Day Africa website. Readers will be able to watch the stories unfold online and, at 2.30pm GMT, when the last writer adds the final full stop, the polls will open and readers can begin voting for their favourite story. Prizes sponsored by Comma Press.

* 9.30am UK and 10.30am SA

This year also sees the return of the popular Fiction Flash and, during the week running up to Short Story Day, we will be giving away books and prizes. See the Short Story Day Africa website for details.

YA and KIDS
This year, the Short Story Africa has a new team member. Tiah Beautement will be spearheading an all new Short Story Day Africa children’s programme. See the website for details of kids’ workshops, competitions and giveaways.

Submissions
In the week surrounding short story day (18 – 24 June) we will publish short stories from some of Africa’s most talented. Previously published writers wish to take advantage of this opportunity for greater exposure of their work, should see the website for submission guidelines.

Who is behind Short Story Day Africa?

Rachel Zadok is the author of Gem Squash Tokoloshe (shortlisted for The Whitbread First Novel Award 2005 and The John Llewellyn Rhys Prize 2005). Her long-awaited second novel, The Gathering Station, is due out April 2013. She lives in Cape Town with her husband and her daughter.


Isla Haddow-Flood is a writer, editor and marketing specialist who works specifically on cultural fields in Africa. She currently works for the Africa Centre (www.africacentre.net), advising on and implementing marketing strategies across their 10 projects. She lives in Cape Town with her husband and son.

Colleen Higgs is a writer and a publisher. She launched Modjaji Books (http://modjaji.book.co.za/), an independent press for southern African women writers, in 2007. She has two published collections of poems, Halfborn Woman (2004) and Lava Lamp Poems (2011). In 2012, her first collection of short stories, Looking for Trouble was published. She lives in Cape Town with her daughter.

Tiah Marie Beautement is the author of the novel Moons Don’t Go to Venus. Shorter works have appeared in various publications, including two anthologies: The Edge of Things and Wisdom Has a Voice. She lives on the Garden Route with her husband, two children, Orwell the dog and five chickens all named Eva.
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Let's Get Involved!!!
I've jumped on the bandwagon and have my short story, The Colours of Love, up at their site. Stop by and give it a read. Let me know what you think.