Thailand Footprint: The People, Things, Literature, and Music of Thailand and the Region

Posts from the ‘Writing’ category

Writing the Truth vs. writing Fiction … TONE DEAF IN BANGKOK by Janet Brown … a book review

Henry Miller has been quoted as saying, “No one can write the absolute truth …”. And I do feel it is a lot harder than most people might think. That would explain the abundance of fiction writers in the world today. The irony is, I get a lot of my truth from fiction, which is mostly what I read.

tonedeaf

Deviating from my norm, recently,  I read TONE DEAF IN BANGKOK (and other places) by Janet Brown. Publisher: Global Directions/Things Asian Press (April 1, 2009) . It is a collection of short stories, real, lived by Ms. Brown. There are stories of humor; stories of courage; stories of friendships made; travel stories and most of all stories of an expat female living in Bangkok, Thailand during the years 1995-2001. The operative word being, living. In these essays Janet Brown does her absolute best to tell her absolute truth. And she succeeds. It is quite an accomplishment. What makes it unique, for me, is the adventuresome, middle aged female perspective, which she brings to the table. It was a fun read. It reinforced many truths of my own about the land of smiles. There were even some shared experiences.

If you bring an open mind to Thailand, as Janet Brown did, Thailand is sure to leave a lasting impression. The story about ghosts I particularly liked. Twelve years ago, when I first came to Thailand, I took a western, scientific view of ghosts. I didn’t believe in them. Now, after being around so many people that do, I am open to alternative theories. It’s one of many transformations that can take place in a person that chooses to live in Thailand long enough. I’ve concluded that alternative theories about ghosts are, if nothing else, just more fun. Had I read Janet Brown’s story, GHOSTS IN THE CITY OF ANGELS , 12 years ago I would have been shaking my head thinking, “Who is she kidding?” Over a decade later with six-plus years of accumulated time spent in the Kingdom, I just smile and nod my head up and down.

One of my favorite stories was, TODAY, WHERE DO YOU GO? about Janet’s trip to the disputed temple of Khao Phah Viharn on the Thai / Cambodia border. It told me a lot about the author. It is short and sweet and sour all in one. Just like a good day, lived.

Her concluding story, FIREWEED AND JASMINE about the lasting effects and affects of growing up in Alaska as a young girl and getting an early lesson in impermanence is worth having this book in your travel collection, for those words alone. I read the story aloud. I recommend it. I also recommend reading TONE DEAF IN BANGKOK (and other places) for anyone with an interest in Thailand, adventure, travel or living. That about covers it.

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The Psychology of Abandoning a Book … according to GoodReads.com …

The Psychology of Abandonment

I like GoodReads.com and I liked this chart from GoodReads.com.  I thought a few of you might as well. You can click the chart to go to their site, if you’ve never been it’s worth a visit.

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Nobody Loves Goliath … Amazon.com is coming to town … Recommendations by the Giant: THAI KISS

Amazon.com. Hate them or love them they changed the way people purchased books, read books and published books. It’s safe to say, for good or bad, there are a lot more books and people that claim the title of author now, because of Amazon.com.

They also have a Big Brother element to them. They are kind of like the lyrics to Santa Claus is Coming to Town: they see you when you’re sleeping; they know when you’re awake; they know if you’ve been bad or good … but, unlike Santa, they don’t really care about your behavior because they have books for every category.

They periodically send book recommendations via email. And it’s pretty clear that they are making a list and they are checking it twice and they are checking it against information you and I are either knowingly or unknowingly providing them.

Here are some that they recommended for me:

Jim Thompson - the killer inside me bis

THE KILLER INSIDE ME by Jim Thompson. First published in 1952. I’ve never read any Jim Thompson but I know a lot of people that have. Not a bad recommendation but I couldn’t help noticing that they tended to recommend some of the highest priced Kindle books, mostly $9.00 and up. No $2.99 bargain books to be recommended. I must be worth it according to Amazon, eh? In the 1950s it could be had for 75 cents.

530 Brett Battles ecover Exit Nine

EXIT 9 by Brett Battles was an interesting recommendation. Exit 9 is a Project Eden Thriller. #2 in the series. #1 in the series is SICK, which I downloaded for free on Amazon.com awhile back. So that’s a clever marketing device. Of course, they wouldn’t know that, like a lot of freebies I downloaded, I never got around to reading it. I’d like to read a Brett Battles novel. He comes highly recommended by authors whom I like. That’s often how I find a new author, through the recommendation of an author I like and trust. As an example, THE GUARDS by Ken Bruen, which is a great read, was recommended by two authors I know wouldn’t steer me wrong.

StickElmoreLeonardSTICK by Elmore Leonard. I’ve read some Elmore, but his passing recently made me realize, not enough. This is a possibility. I looked at the free sample and brilliant writing is evident right off the bat.

Narrows

THE NARROWS by Michael Connelly. I’ve read my fair share of Connelly. He’s always good but probably time for me to try a new author.

One of the nice things about this blog is hearing from authors that have taken the time to look at Thailand Footprint. It’s happened a lot more often than I would have thought. Bernard Trink, I am not. But it’s always been a good experience when it happens. One such author was Matt Carrell.

Matt Carrell

Author of THAI KISS, Matt Carrell

Matt was complimentary of my site and we have chatted via email a bit. At first blush I thought his book, THAI KISS might be just another Pattaya based fly by night author and I wasn’t sure I would be interested in reading it. I tend to go overboard for Thailand based fiction as it is. But then I noticed his book, THAI KISS was recommended by Amazon along with the other books cited above. It caused me to take another look at it. It has six reviews so far on Amazon USA, all legit it seems, four 5 Star reviews and two 4 Star reviews. And 8 positive reviews on Amazon UK. Here’s the cover and book description from Amazon:

Thai Kiss

Paul Murphy desperately wants to be a big shot but the pursuit of fortune often comes with a heavy price. For Paul, it was the life of his best friend and partner, Tommy, apparently murdered for encroaching on a local drug gang’s turf. Paul, a lowly hospital porter, fearful that he’ll be next, flees to Thailand to lay low while reconnecting with Tommy’s supplier in Pattaya. He meets the enchanting Yim and, veering from his intended plan, starts to rebuild his life running a chain of bars. Sonthi, a local heavy, offers protection for a price and the corrupt Mongkut ensures that the police will always turn a blind eye. So many want a share of Paul’s success, but when greed prevails and they get tired of sharing, it’s Paul’s liberty and life itself that are on the line.

I have not read the book. I don’t know if it is good or not? But what I do know is that it is good for Matt Carrell that Amazon.com recommends it in their mass emails. Whether it was tailored exactly for me, I am unclear? It’s not a coincidence it was sent to me, just as the others were not a coincidence. Do I care that Amazon.com sends me book recommendations based on data they have gathered from me? Not really. Should I care more. No doubt, I should. But when you are reading ebooks on a Kindle, a device that is pre-set with a built in GPS device set to “on”, you kind of know what you’ve signed on for. I still prefer book recomendations by friends or authors, as evidenced by THE GUARDS, which is brilliant.

The_Guards,_Ken_Bruen

I also prefer reading paperbacks over Kindle if and when I have a choice. And I have made fewer Kindle purchases in the last three months than in the past. One thing to keep in mind, if you do like a Kindle recommendation made by Amazon.com there is nothing that prevents you from buying that book at your favorite independent bookstore in paperback format. Like I said, nobody loves Goliath.

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Tweet me … Like me … Make me write bad checks …

The results are in after 48 hours re the frog on the blog balloting. An independent accounting firm was not necessary. I’ve got ample fingers to do the job:

9 votes were cast in favor of Gop being a frog of color:

GopColor

5 voters, including 1 by my wife, pulled the lever for black and white Gop.

Gop

Gop

2 voters had other stuff to do and didn’t care. One of those was me.

I gotta tell you, I am pretty pleased with the turnout. Because, have you noticed, it all comes down to the numbers nowadays.

Did you know you can buy Twitter Followers for $12.00 per 1,000 followers and $64.00 per 10,000 Followers? I didn’t, until I Googled the subject yesterday.

Did you know you can buy Facebook LIKES? They say on their site it makes you look more professional. $47.00 per thousand or $217.00 for 5,000. Amazing social media.

Facebook

Here’s some text from a Buy TWITTER FOLLOWERS SITE: Buying Twitter Followers is a shortcut. It’s a way to increase your Twitter Account’s social credibility and can give your business, career a great kick-start, or even an ego boost. While it’s not really socially acceptable, it’s well known that millions of people around the world have bought them.

Wow. I knew people bought Book Reviews. That was in the news awhile back when the New York Times wrote a good piece called, THE BEST BOOK REVIEWS MONEY CAN BUY  in August 2012.

So, I suppose I could have found a site that would have voted on my blog and charged me? But where is the fun in that?

The Gop Makeover post got five WordPress LIKES. Two of the people I actually know. Another is called Fiction Fan. Imagine the money FICTION FAN could make as an independent, freelance LIKER with a name like that? Fiction Fan, if you are ever in Bangkok stop in at the CheckInn99 on a Sunday and I’ll buy you a drink. Not because you left a LIKE. Just because, I like your name.

It seems to me that buying Facebook Likes and buying Twitter Followers doesn’t make you look professional; it makes you look like someone who buys Twitter Followers and Facebook LIKES.

Blogs and social media have their up-side and their down-side. What I think we have lost is, authenticity. On this blog I try and be authentic. I know I fail often but I’ll always strive to be authentic. Henry Miller, the American author whom inspired this blog, like him or not, was authentic. Malcolm Gault-Williams, the first author I ever interviewed at Thailand Footprint, whom has a lifelong project of penning the Legendary Surfer series, is authentic.

Malcolm with his three sons

Melissa Ray, the three time Muay Ying Champion, whom (not coincidentally) also holds the single day record of 240 views at Thailand Footprint and the all time views record of 500+ for her post A SENSE OF WHERE YOU ARE  is authentic. I’d bet the farm she doesn’t buy Followers. She has followers. She doesn’t buy LIKES, Champions are LIKED.

Professional Muay Ying, Melissa Ray in a 5 Round Match

Professional Muay Ying, Melissa Ray in a 5 Round Match

And Colin Cotterill the creative author of the Dr. Siri series and Jimm Juree Crime Reporter series and the cartoonist that drew, Gop the frog in the coconut shell, is authentic. Colin doesn’t even have a Facebook or Twitter account. He may not even have a phone. Well, he has a phone. He’s just smart enough not to give out his number to me.

450px-ColinCotterill

Colin Cotterill, the author of AGING DISGRACEFULLY, among many others, must figure out alternative creative ways of looking professional and getting his ego boosts down in Maprao.

Aging Discracefully

But back to Gop and the polls. For the fourteen people (besides my wife and me) whom took the time to cast a vote. Thank-you. Especially my old artist friend, Doug, whom I may have asked to vote. He did. Hey, I’m not perfect. To the five people that left a WordPress LIKE on the blog, thanks also.

We’re going to put the colored Gop on the right sidebar and leave the black & white one in upper left corner. Everybody wins.

I’ll end this post with a quote by another authentic individual, before the days of blogging and social media. He was one of my favorite comedians when I was a kid and also a pretty good artist:

Live by this credo: have a little laugh at life and look around you for happiness instead of sadness. – Red Skelton

RedSkelton

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The Frog on the Blog gets a makeover … Votes are in … Polls are closed …

CCC1Head Recently I had a most unusual experience. It involved a virtual trip to to the south of Thailand and going inside the head of award winning crime author, Colin Cotterill. Colin had in the early days of Thailand Footprint (and to this day) been very accommodating in providing me with the Gop the frog image that makes this site fun for me and hopefully for you the reader, too. And the best part is, if you want a Colin Cotterill original cartoon drawing for your very own, to tack next to your bookshelf with your Dr. Siri and Jimm Juree series books, it is now within your reach. CCCcbayad But with the rapid success of Thailand Footprint in order to keep the massive audience glued here, as opposed to the other thousands of blogs out there or at time wasting sites like CNN.com, the management felt an upgrade was necessary. Of course nothing is ever simple in this connect me – connect-me-not, dot com, social media, big data blogosphere.  A second trip was made above to CBAY, also known as, Colin Cotterill Original Art (you can click it and go there after you read this post, of course); it is an on-line mega store with an eastern philosophy. Naturally,  that meant I had to get my lawyer involved:

NYCLAWYERChrisColes

My lawyer by Bangkok artist, Chris Coles (Click to go to Chris Coles Noir Blog)

And once my lawyer contacted CBAY again, he went down to the south to begin negotiations with Colin’s “people”. My lawyer took longer than expected to close the deal down in Pak Nam. Details on the expense account are sketchy but he seems to like pina coladas. Eventually, though, an agreement was reached and Gop, the literature loving frog in the huge coconut shell is now in living color. Or at least in as living a color as you will get from a cartoonist known for writing novels about an old coroner in Laos. Drum roll, please …

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GopColorAnd now, you, the valued reader, get a say. You get to vote. Do we keep the black and white version of Gop in the upper left hand corner logo or do we replace him with the living color one from the coroner writing cartoonist? It’s up to you, massive audience. We’ll give this poll 48 hours. The numerical results will be released upon conclusion. In the interim you can view percentage results by clicking, View Results. Let the corruption begin:

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The Official FBI File of Henry Miller … back to The Air Conditioned Nightmare in 1939 … the book is published in 1945

fbi

http://vault.fbi.gov/Henry Miller/Henry Miller Part 1 of 1/view.

There are some interesting lines about Miller’s character in the report. “The Subject is strictly an artist type and could very easily be called ‘screwball’ by people who didn’t understand or appreciate his writing,” reads one passage. It continues: “The Subject apparently has no substantial source of income, his chief income being obtained from gifts from several of his followers who have considerable wealth.” The investigation began based on a speech Miller gave to a group of students at Dartmouth University, in which it was alleged he made comments sympathetic to Nazis.

Click the above link if you are interested in the official FBI File of American writer, Henry Miller, fully redacted of course and eventually closed in 1945. 10 pages in length thanks to J. Edgar Hoover and company. More evidence of our tax dollars at work. The Air Conditioned Nightmare is a book by Henry, which I must read one day. The investigation was still going on as Henry wrote that book, published in 1945 the same year the FBI finally closed his file.

The_Air-Conditioned_Nightmare_300_458Henry Miller, ahead of his time once again. Here is a quote from the preface to Air Conditioned Nightmare as Henry returns to New York in 1939 for the first time after having spent 10 years living as an expat in Paris:

Back in the rat trap. I try to hide away from old friends; I don’t want to relive the past with them because the past is full of wretched, sordid memories.  — Henry Miller

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ANGRY BIRDS … a book review of a brand spanking new novel by Chiang Mai author James Austin Farrell

Angry Birds

I know what I like about reading crime fiction. There are tense, unfamiliar, dangerous places I want to go and safe, cozy places that don’t interest me. ANGRY BIRDS, a short 165 page crime novel written by newcomer, James Austin Farrell, a Chiang Mai expat, takes me to all the right places.

They include a status conscious British society of haves and increasing have-nots; the pub and class cultures of a decaying West Yorkshire; inside a bottom rung school for the kids of the old working class, now mixed in with the sons and daughters of the new immigrants and a large counsel estate, what we would call a welfare housing project. The characters include psychologically troubled school boys, one violent ex-con with short odds of going back to his comfort zone and a drowning idealist teacher, dealing with depression and prescription drug dependencies.

What does James Austin Farrell give the reader? He gives us dysfunction but it functions perfectly on the written page. He shows us inequity and everything bad that goes with it: resentment; envy; anger and hatred. He breaks down violence and we understand how it escalates. And in case you’re wondering, yes, the computer game Angry Birds does feature prominently, but only brilliantly. The commentary on social media alone is worth the price of this book, which has the potential to break out of an ever increasing pack and be a surprise hit in 2013 and beyond if it gets the proper publicity. Old school publicity, for literary talent, not new school tweeting for anyone with a smart phone.

The book is a thriller. There is a kidnapping. It is beautifully constructed. Even the long passages of narrative held my interest. I didn’t skip a word. Some I read twice. Even when the words were dark. James Austin Farrell’s dark world and dark words made me smile, often. Not because they were funny; they weren’t. I smiled because the words were so damn good. If you really want to forget yourself for awhile and immerse yourself into a very different world, while learning some important things about society, any society, because our problems are universal, read ANGRY BIRDS. You may learn a few things about yourself too.

Chiang Mai author, James Austin Farrell

Chiang Mai author, James Austin Farrell

For USA Amazon account holders, click the ANGRY BIRDS cover picture for more information about the book. To go to the publishers web site: Spanking Pulp Press, click the picture of author, James Austin Farrell, above for information on how to purchase the book in the United Kingdom and South East Asia.

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Colors of the Heart charity event … benefiting children in Thailand living with disabilities

COTH_Event_Flyer

This coming Sunday, September 8th, 2013 there will be an all day charity event benefiting the Camillian Home.  You can find out more information about them by clicking the poster, above. It is located on the outskirts of Bangkok, Thailand. There will be food and drinks, musical performances and plenty of activities for children. A silent auction will also be run to raise money for the children. It is an encore performance and sounds like a good day for a family or for people looking for something outside the normal box to do.

Doc Penquino

Among the performers will be magician extraordinaire, Doc Penguino. Also known as, the Penguin. Few people can truly lay claim to starring in stage, screen and television but Penguin is the real deal. He was in Michael Jackson’s inner circle for a short time and even taught him a card trick or two. The above picture shows Penquin at Camillian Home for last year’s benefit. He is a first class Footprint Maker and has been making tracks not just in Thailand but throughout South East Asia and really, the world for quite a long time now. Doc is a graduate of University of California at Santa Cruz and grew up in Southern California in the 60s and 70s. His hair style is a little longer than most and his sartorial tastes lean toward the outlandish. Doc seems to love life and everything he chooses to do in life. All of which makes perfect sense to me. His magic show should be part of a fun day. If it wasn’t going to be fun, I doubt seriously that Penguin would participate. Think about putting Colors of the Heart on your calendar for the whole family if you are in the area or just go to their web site for more information about a good organization.

Magic Show

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Henry Miller Quote of the Month … for September 2013

henry-miller-bike-470

It does me good to write a letter which is not a response to a demand, a gratuitous letter, so to speak, which has accumulated in me like the waters of a reservoir.  — Henry Miller

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A Publisher, a Book and 15 Authors with Heart … Phnom Penh Noir …

We will end the month with a good news post here at Thailand Footprint. Below is a current picture of the 12 up-country Thai students being sponsored through the leadership and generosity of Heaven Lake Press and their readers. Following the picture is a Press Release from Heaven Lake Press about the anthology, Phnom Penh Noir, edited by Christopher G. Moore and written by 15 authors, which has benefited some of Cambodia’s poorest. There are also links for anyone who would be so inclined to seek out more information about two organizations doing some good: Blood Foundation and FLOW.

‘A Dark Book With a Heart’
Phnom Penh Noir publisher and authors
support street children’s education

Phnom Penh Noir Bangkok (25 July 2013) – At the heart of noir literature may be wretchedness and misery, but even a very dark fiction is not devoid of hope and has a heart.

Heaven Lake Press (HLP) and the 15 authors of Phnom Penh Noir join in helping disadvantaged children’s education in Cambodia. A USD 1,500 donation has been made to two organizations helping poor street children and orphans. The fund comes from 20 per cent of the publisher’s net proceeds and 20 per cent of the authors’ royalties from the first six months of the book sales, since the book was launched in Phnom Penh in November 2012.

A $750 donation to Friends-International will help 25 young street children (aged 6-12 years) in their reintegration to public school in Cambodia. The $30 per child will go toward the children’s school fees, school uniforms, school bags, shoes, books and stationery.

• Friends-International is a non-governmental organization that works primarily with street children. It runs vocational training, day care centers, residential centers; provides educational, medical, and everyday life services, and other specialized programs to help street children and marginalized urban youth to reintegrate into society, while also supporting their families and communities. Friends-International has received multiple awards and named among the Top 100 NGOs in the World in 2012 and 2013. For more information about the organization or to make a donation, visit its website or Wikipedia.
(Official receipt of donation from Friends-International)

The other $750 portion of the donation goes to Future Light Orphanage of Worldmate (FLOW) as a scholarship for Miss Yim Malida, a 19-year-old student. Miss Yim Malida comes from an impoverished family in Lovea Em district, Kandal province of Cambodia. She is the eldest of four children in her family. Her parents, a farmer and a primary school teacher, were unable to support all their children’s education. Seven years ago Yim Malida came to live at the FLOW where she has received education and nurturing. Her goal is to obtain higher education and a good job to support her family. She has worked towards that goal and is now a first-year student at Vanda Institute of Accounting. The $750 scholarship will cover her tuition and annual allowance for one year.

• FLOW is a non-government organization that aims to provide a home, well-rounded education and skills to orphaned and poor children in Cambodia. Established in 1993, FLOW is now a home of 287 such children and youth. For more information about FLOW or to make a donation, visit its website.

Phnom Penh Noir is Cambodia’s first English-language anthology of 15 dark short fiction stories by well-known international and Cambodia authors. Heaven Lake Press is a small Bangkok-based independent publisher, which publishes English-language literature focusing on Southeast Asia. The 15 authors of Phnom Penh Noirinclude film director Roland Joffé best known for his Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields, famous international crime authors John Burdett, James Grady and Christopher G. Moore (editor of the anthology), Thai SEA Write author Prabda Yoon, young Cambodian novelist Suong Mak, journalist Bopha Phorn, poet Kosal Khiev, Phnom Penh-based musician, song writer and KROM band leader Christopher Minko, and other international authors Andrew Nette, Bob Bergin, Richard Rubenstein, Giancarlo Narciso, Christopher West, and Neil Wilford. More than half of the authors have given 100 per cent of their first-period royalties to fund our first donation.

For more information about the book, visitwww.phnompenhnoir.com.

Phnom Penh Noir

 

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