The Merdeka Miracle, a look a year later...

Recently I was at a conference when a woman stopped by to pick up an autographed copy of Tropical Affairs. She introduced herself by telling me how much she had enjoyed reading the short story "The Merkeka Miracle" that I wrote with Lydia Teh and Tunku Halim for the August 2009 issue of Going Places. With Merdeka coming up on the 31 August, I though I would repost "The Merkeka Miracle" for those who had missed it and as a timely reminder for all of us not to take our lives for granted.

Someday, I would like to revisit this story with the other two writers, perhaps expand upon it and make it a fuller story, something we were unable to do with tight word limit (and the even tighter time restraint!) that we had to work with. Originally we were given about three weeks and 1200 words, but I pleaded for at least 600 more! Based on what was cut out in the early drafts, we could've easily doubled that. Perhaps the story can even be taught in schools...





HAPPY MERDEKA MALAYSIA!

*Update, the 20^th anniversary of Lovers and Strangers Revisited 

Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day. 

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Five part Maugham and Me series

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I