Being a new writer is not easy, and when you live in one country and your publisher is in another country, shipping physical books overseas can be a pain.
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Dear Readers, Ndiritu Wahome will be launching his book,The Sad Artist and other Fairytales, at the Storymoja Hay Festival, but he needs your help to get his books there. Storymoja is an organization dedicated to promoting East African authors, and the Hay Festival is the annual showcase. This is a big opportunity for Ndiritu, but he needs to get at least 100 copies of his book to Kenya for the festival, and he needs capital to get started. The Sad Artist and Other Fairytales is collection of fables for all ages. From a story-telling weaver bird to a chief’s son who finds the real value of life, Wahome leads his readers on a captivating journey that defies time and reality yet remains relevant. In the tradition of Salmon Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Ben Okri, these engaging stories magical realism at its finest. We believe in Ndiritu and his book. Giving him this kind of head start could lead to opportunities that he deserves to become one of the most important writers in Africa. We’re doing everything we can to make sure that his book launch at the Hay Festival is successful. You can find out more about The Sad Artist and Other Fairytales and read an excerpt athttp://www.wordbranch.com/the-sad-artist-and-other-fairytales.html Or read a press release athttp://www.24-7pressrelease.com/press-release/word-branch-publishing-releases-the-sad-artist-and-other-fairytales-379925.php. The Storymoja Hay Festival is in its sixth year and brings together authors and readers to celebrate ideas, creativity and culture. The festival is attended by more than 5,000 people, many of them children. The writers represented are emerging authors like Ndiritu but also established writers like Ben Okri, Vikram Seth, Dinaw Mengistu, Lola Shoneyin, Benjamin Zephaniah, Yung Chang, and Ory Okolloh. Find out more about the Hay Festival at http://storymojahayfestival.com/ Word Branch is giving donors even more incentive. Pledge $30 or more, and you will receive a copy of The Sad Artist in paperback plus a handwritten thank you note from the author. Be the first to donate $100 or more and receive the original painting of the cover by noted artist Julian Norwood. Click here to go to the Kickstarter page. I hope you consider giving to this cause. If you have any querstions or comments, email me atcatherine@wordbranch.com. Or you can contact Ndiritu directly atndirituwahome@wordbranch.com. Sincerely, Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh |
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The Sad Artist and Other FairytalesIn Ndiritu Wahome’s first published book, he charms, tantalizes and engages his readers with a collection of fairytales for all ages. From a story-telling weaver bird to a chief’s son who finds the real value of life, Wahome leads his readers on a captivating journey that deifies time and reality yet remains relevant. Wahome says his “objective was to create fantasy stories, which were infused with realism in the hope of letting young children know that even though life is full of hardships, they can overcome and achieve anything they so deemed.” But peel back another layer, and The Sad Artist and Other Fairytales has a strong message that reveals “bad leadership, appalling politics, sloth and corruption” that Wahome says is too often found in contemporary African governments. “The Sad Artist is magical realism at its best. Wahome’s fairytales are in the tradition of Salmon Rushdie, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Ben Okri,” says publisher Catherine Rayburn-Trobaugh. “Ndiritu captures the innocence of the world through a child’s eyes to make strong statements about the modern condition.” Although the fairytales are set in a mystical version Wahome’s native Kenya, they transcend Africa for a global perspective on the realities of life in the 21st century at the crossroads of old and new. Although Wahome’s fairytales can sometimes be cautionary, he never loses hope for both humanity and its future. His world is one that “The wicked, who seem to live the good life, in the end, suffer in their demise. The good, even though exposed to a life of poverty, wretchedness, and solitude, end up living happily ever after.” http://www.wordbranch.com/the-sad-artist-and-other-fairytales.html |
stacybender 