Running from Life

Hi Shah,

The houses of both your father and then your uncle's which you described seemed to be opulent and otherwise nice abodes had it not been for the various factions fighting to take over your country. As you stated in your pitch, first there were the Russian soldiers, then the Mujahidin and then the Taliban. All the adult males seemed to be taken first, with the women and children after. I think after a few more years of living, you could incorporate these stories in an official memoir - they were very dramatic they way you described how then enemy soldiers infiltrated first your father's house, then your uncle's. Congratulations on living to tell the tale!

Cynthia
Sharing Short Stories/Alecner

Dear Shah,

You’ve written a touching account of the early years of your life.
Most of us who’ve never experienced the horrors of war can’t even come close to imagining the trials that you and so many others like you have gone through.

As our perceptions are always shaped by what is fed to us by the media, we are almost never exposed to the other side of the story. Stories such as yours bring us face to face with the eventual mortality of all human beings and make us see the futility of greed, hatred and mindless acts of aggression.

It will never be possible for you to banish these dark memories, my friend.
But I pray that you make your peace with them and live your life to the fullest, wherever you may be.

Your writing bears the flavour of your native land and seems to be a literal translation of a piece that was already written by you in your native language.
Please correct me if I’m wrong here.
Consider it a humble request that you seek the help of an editor to polish your manuscript and rectify whatever minor linguistic errors there may be.
Your remarkable story deserves to be perfected.

Limitations notwithstanding, my rating: 6 stars !!!

Best regards,
AGC

Running from Life.
by - Shah Wali Fazli.

Hi Shah,you have written a good account of the earlier years of your life.
You have also given a good description of the horrific torture suffered by your family as you moved around from place to place. Not a very nice time.
These sad memories will of course always be with you.
I hope that with the passing of time, they will be dimmed.
I wish you the very best with your book and I'm pleased to star rate it. high.

Kind regards,

Neville . The Secrets of the Forest - The Time Zone.

Hi Shah Wali and welcome to Flash Mob Friday.

What can I say about this? I think it's absolutely fascinating. There are obviously issues with your English but what makes this special is some of your imagery. You've written a fascinating, endearing tale which encapsulates both normal family life in an Afghan village and the sheer terror and confusion of the Russian invasion. It's nice, for me, to see a culture that we only experience on the news.

Your use of the English language took a little getting used to but after a while you notice a cadence and rhythm in your writing which is really, very pleasing and, as I said there are some great lines and images here. I think it would benefit from a really good edit, however, that shouldn't be allowed to take away from your voice which I think is quite unique.

There isn't much else for me to say except that I really enjoyed reading this and will be reading more. Thanks mate.

Paul Mackay

I think I saw this opening in the faux agent thread.

The first thing strikes me here is the detail you use when describing the soldiers. Things like Afghan-pro Russian communists. Since this is from the kids perspective, I'd be fine without the details. I can find out what kind of soldiers later.

Despite the awkwardness of some of your phrasing, I was often impressed by your thoughts and words and images. "They let me go away and meet death somewhere else." great line.

This whole chapter had little patches of beautiful inventive writing. In general, it might need some trimming to fit with the modern style and keep the pace moving. but that's style choice.

Hi, there – congratulations on being selected for the weekly Flash Mob crit.

I am intrigued by your pitches because my mother’s stories all start the same way. “When the Russians came…” She was a child in East Prussia during World War II.

For your short pitch, try not to say, “It’s about…” Just provide a statement that really hooks in the reader. Start with “Imagine being….” And see what comes up. “My earliest memory…”

Your long pitch reads too much like a synopsis of your book. Give us one dramatic incident to entice us to read the others.

I like how you begin your story with the visit from the Russian soldiers, then move to some background information in Chapter 2. I enjoyed the tales about your childhood and your family and its squabbles.

You will definitely need to work with an editor on your English. You have done a remarkable thing here, offering your story in an unfamiliar language, and it’s important that your voice remain at the forefront. But from time to time I had trouble following your narrative.

~AudreyB

I found this a very interesting read, showing me a society and place that I know only filtered through news reports. The glimpses of village life and family ties against the backdrop of the Russian occupation of Afghanistan were extremely evocative. It provided an insight into life and family structures I haven't otherwise experienced; explaining when men were considered strangers, for example, and the arguments between members of the extended family. I would have been interested in reading on into the Russian retreat and the rise of the Mujahadin and Taliban. It had a good balance between the personal and the political, and made clear the horrific events experienced by members of the narrator's family with a restrained understatement that was quite moving. Likewise, the revenge later taken by family members is told in a plain, matter of fact manner. I think from your pitch that the worst is yet to come. I was also interested to see that, whilst the Russians were an occupying force, the struggle was not depicted in black and white terms.


I also liked the language. It took me a little while to settle into it, perhaps because English is not your first language but there is a rhythm and a structure to the prose that is very pleasing. There's also a precision about the descriptions of places and activitiies: childhood games, the gardener. I like the extended simile of narrator's ruined home as a dead dragon. In fact, the whole description of that visit is quite beautiful, and then seguing into the tension and danger as he tries to get home. Very effective writing.

That said, I think it needs a jolly good edit, at a line reading level for sentence structure, punctuation, and spelling. Errors of the latter type are mostly of the misplaced word or near homophone variety (for example, 'taught' in place of 'thought' in discussion of his sisters' teacher (ch5), and you have'dragoon' instead of 'dragon', 'niece' for 'nephew', both ch7. Spell checks won't find these, so you must!). This matters, because such errors distract a reader from total immersion in the text. However, before you get down to line edits, I also think that a bit of editing as to structure would help. It's a complicated story set in a complicated place but, even so, as presented now reads very much as if everything has just been splurged down onto the page in the order that it came to you. For instance, the action moves from village to town within a paragraph, and back again, and also between the years, so we have the narrator in a school, at university, then back in a school again. I found the structure particularly confusing in the earlier chapters - as I said, perhaps I was still finding my way at this point - whereas the minor errors of vocabulary and punctuation mounted up later. But these are, on the whole, points of presentation. I must say that I read the whole thing with considerable interest and would read more if you posted it here.

Good luck, Harriet

Hullo again, Shah Wali. Just wanted to PING you that your awesome memoir of life in war-torn Afghanistan is now proudly on my shelf here, and also featured in the NonFiction section of my webbie this month. (IMHO, the work belongs on the Ed Desk...and on real bookshelves as well.)

CHEERS to you and very best of luck with 'Running From Life'--
E.R.

A moving and poetic testimony. Brutal and elegant.

Hi Shah, A fascinating narrative and you have written this with good texture between anecdote, narrative, scene and dialogue. Clear writing. It's moving to read. Katherine

Ch3
I've been reading about great battles between Germans and Russians in 1942. I don't understand how human beings can be as theyu are, how they can submit themselves to become drawn into such things. The love of power drives some and the fear of power drives others I suppose.
This chapter of yours in some way captures the story of millions and millions of village dwellers whose lives are uprooted and ruined by men from outsise pursuing their big power games. History tells us about the big battles of thousands of men and guns and the politics behind it all. It also often tells the stories of individual soldiers. But how often do we hear the stories of individual farmers, country children whose lives are ruined by war?
Your chapter here captures the intense sadness of the destruction of the village way. The paragraph beginning 'Burning the village, all the local customs ... hospitality, picnics, gardening ...' captures the tragedy of it all. A good way of life is replaced by nastiness, brutality, guns and death.
You admit that all was not always perfect in the villages before, with rivalries and difficulties. But the village tried to deal with its own in its own way. The communists sought to impose their will from outside. This has been the story of communism from beginning to end. They cannot tolerate those who disagree with them. This intolleration is seen also in some religions, which seek to destroy those who do not look through their eyes.
This paragraph is beautifully sad, 'The fruit trees around our house, in our beautiful gardens, were dying, day after day...'
The drift of people into cities all over the world is bad. City life, though appealing for many reasons, takes us away from nature and natural ways. Cities will collapse one day when there is one peasant left not in a city. Because cities consume without regard for nature and people become arrogant.
This line applies to every war there has ever been and goes to the core of our collective soul, 'Everything and every place was the target of the humans' rage...'
This line -- along with the earlier reference to a lost education -- is so, sad, 'There was no place for my childhood's plays...'
The image of pepole squabbling over water and such things has a timeless biblical feel about it. Is this how we will all become one day if the population carries on growing and growing until there are more people than trees on the planet?
This line shows how vile we can be, 'Now the gun ruled and the bullets did the talking'. The people of Mexico where they are killing each other in their thousands -- because people to the north of them crave drugs to make their city lives bearable -- would understand it only too well.
And the resistance to the russians? '...behaved like gangsters or mafias...'
This line screams out at me as the title of a poem, 'IT WAS THE TIME OF THE GUN'.
All I know about your country is what I have seen on western TV and a little from reading history. I know we British could not subdue Afghanistan in the 19th century and were beaten off. But no one learnt the lessons of history. The Russians didn't and now the Americans and their allies are discovering that Afghanistan will not be tamed. From reading your story I think we should all weep for your country which, as far as I can tell, probably just wanted to be left alone by all the various foreigners with their ideas of empire, communism and now democracy. The invaders come with guns, not with clippers to prune the fruit trees.

You have the potential for a bestseller here. But what you need is a ghostwriter. At the moment, maybe because you are too close to your story, it is apt to turn into a garble. There are too many errors, and events jump around in a thoroughly confused manner - much like Afghanistan itself.
I don't think you have the skills to render this yourself. If you can, hire somebody to do it for you. If you can't pay upfront, maybe you can do a deal on future profits. You have the story, but you need a writer.
Marj.

Hi,
Started reading your story as you asked that I might. I found it fascinating and I particularly liked that you start the book when the main character is a child. I will star your book. Please read my book: Speed Trap when you get a chance. If you would like to add a critique, I would appreciate your efforts.
Janell (tomewriter)

Dear Shah,

Thank you for exposing us to some of the difficulties with being in that kind of bad situation. I think that it is very important to know that hatred is a useless emotion and I admire your stance against agressiveness. I hope that you find hope in what you are writing, that writing is a great way to seek hope. Thanks again. If you like, I would suggest my experimental book "Powers" to read.

All the Best,

Billy McBride

Personally, I think the storyline line is good, but you seriously need to work on the grammar and word usage. It seems like it could use a few revisions. But like I said, the storyline itself seems promising.

--Shieldmaiden

Shah,
A very poignant tale which makes me think of THE KITE RUNNER, because it is told from a childs' POV. Very powerful and i agree with previous comments about structuring the narrative as at time it is confusing. Try reading the paragraphs out loud in between the dialogue to see if that helps.
Thanks for asking me to read it.
:)
Diane

A fascinating and often horrific story related with great originality of style. Your story is compelling and vividly described with an intriguing and sometimes almost poetic use of language. In the way that you write you manage to convey the terror and torment of years of the Russian invasion, and contrast this with the slower paced, more peaceful pre-invasion years of your earlier childhood. I agree with a couple of your previous comments: you could maybe work on the narrative (for me it is in places repetitive and just needs 'gathering together' a little), but more importantly there is a pleasing rawness about your writing which I hope you do not lose.

This is such a vast subject and despite the daily headlines I suddenly realise how ignorant I am. You describe most effectively the impact this has had on you and your family, thank you for sharing it with us.

I don't think I can add any more to the other comments. The story seen through the childs eyes is strong and well worth a read. It story feels more like a non-fiction book so the story doesn't flow and I feel as a reader that I am going from one scene to another without taking me with it.

As others have said the dialogue is good you just need to work on the narrative.

Good luck,

Red.

Have 6 starred this and added to our WL which means you WILL make our shelf in the next (+3) round of backings (its 11pm for us). Check our comments trail if u want to confirm this and do feel free to chase at ANY TIME to know exactly how long till ur going up...

There is a powerful story being told here and it represents an allegory for our times. There is a rawness and simplicity to the writing that works well as a first person POV.

As others have said, the narrative needs work to make it a compelling story from a 'mainstream commercial' point of view. The dialogue is good, but I think the story needs to be re-worked to set up a narrative arc with a strong hook (probably using a later, traumatic event). I also think the typical reader will need more scene-setting and more characterisation to help bring the story to life. But I also agree that if you make changes, you don't lose the rawness of voice that makes it different.

There's lots to like here and lots of potential.

I wish you all good luck with such an amazing, first-hand story.

Terry

Running For Life gives explicit details of communist oppression and collaboration in a conquered land. Seen through the eyes of an afghan child, the story is moving and poignant. The actual writing may struggle to reach the definition of great literature as far as picky western standards are concerned, but a story this important doesn't need to be rich in similes and metaphors.
I'll Keep Running For Life on my W/L and will back it when I have room.
Daniel Manning
No Compatibility.

This is the sort of book I might read, but the narrative needs work. The story doesn't really start until the first line of dialogue. Everything before that should just be deleted. Most of that history lesson can be shown throughout the story when it matters, versed told to the reader on the outset.

You dialogue is your strength, use that more to tell you story. Your narrative reads more like a history book than a story. The words and tone are a little too sterile. Evoke emotion with every line. This kind of story demands it.

Good luck to you.

In general this isn't my type of novel and I'm sorry I've only read one chapter. It's interesting but not enough so to catch my attention. You've gotten a lot of good constructive critique here, though, which is an accomplishments and there are obviously people who really do like this book. It's just not for me.

I like the slight distancing of the story by your use of past tense. I think if you made this more immediate using the 'show not tell' technique so many are mentioning - this story would become too painful both for you to tell it and for the reader who is aware that this is true and not some sensationalist fiction.

Finish the book before you make any changes to it. Get it all written and THEN start thinking about how to improve it. Do not get distracted by details now. FINISH your story. A jeweller does not start polishing a diamond while it is still half-embedded in the rock. Dig it all out, then when it is all there, you will be able to bring out the full beauty. First things first.

Most importantly - keep a copy of the original work as it is in the raw - BEFORE you made changes. There is a strong possibility that eventually you will find the way you had some of it in the first place was better than the result after a few 'alterations'. Don't remove all chances of returning to the original for a rethink.

Remember this is non-fiction and a true-life memoir. Many of the 'rules' of literature are not that hard and fast with this type of work as often if a publisher takes it on they will want to bring in a professional writer to put finishing touches and work with you to make it commercial.

Just get the book finished. Please - it is important that you do.

Nice start. I will definately come back to read more
Nick
The Stone of Madness

I have only begun to read this and yes, of course it needs editing, but there is a great deal of promise and a story that should be told. I am putting it on my watch list to come back to later. Good Luck.

Lorraine
Mannin Boy

Ch 1 (more)
Ach, we are in The Valley of Flowers. But now 'The grape and apple gardens had changed to a dangerous place that walking in them cld not bring fun anymore, but, could be deadly.' Damn those men who came to The Valley of Flowers and did this! Damn them!
There is astonishing drama as you, full of fear, look into the eyes of Russia, 'He let me go away and meet the death somewhere else. ... but the magic hands of Time...' Death, Time, Nature, the Universe stand behind the Russian soldier and the boy, pulling strings.
There is another beautiful clutch of paragraphs all of which start with, 'This day... This day... This day...' They contain this most moving line 'The noise of the bullets hitting against the woods' ........... The woods are part of the valley, they live there. You live there. You and the trees are part of the valley. The bullets are hitting something that you are part of when they hit the trees. This line is achingly beautiful, but sadly so, 'THE BIG TREES FELL TO THE GROUND, CHANGING INTO ASHES,' O the pride of man, the most destructive of animals! What other creature does these things?
And then this, 'My small brain cld not work out the whole thing.' No, nor can mine. I sometimes want to run from life as lived by men also because men are dangerous creature who have a rare intelligence that can make tanks and helicopter ... BUT DOES NOT UNDERSTAND HOW A VALLEY CAN BE KILLED, TOO. Damn those men in their tanks and helicopters and in their big fancy corporate headquarters of the companies that make such things and of the policians who send them to do their worst in pursuit of what? Progress? Profit? Justice? My small brain cannot work out the whole thing either, brother.
Ach, the cunning of man to stretch out that metal cord and all the other metal and metaphysical cords to catch out other men ... and children.
I will read more in the coming days.

As a historian, I understand what you are writing about.
Instead of saying “the first communist president,” give the name…Daoud Khan.
The first paragraph is a little confusing. Why not just give facts “Doud grabbed power, instituted a reign of terror and was deposed, assassinated with his whole family in the Saur Revolt, lead by Mohammad Taraki, who assumed power.”
Then, you state that “the first leader was suffocated by the second leader.” Must give names. After a year of communist ideology being forced upon the people of Afghanistan, infighting within the ruling class erupted and Taraki himself was killed by his trusted lieutenant, Hafizullah Amin. Amin’s reign was short lived, as he himself was assassinated three months later by Soviet Special Forces. Babrak Karmal was installed in power by the Russians and the indoctrination of the Afghan people, along Marxist ideologies, begun in earnest.

It’s hard to do this. Better e-mail me your first chapter and I’ll use tracking for you to see the suggested changes. pilot27407@hotmail.com
You are tackling a very subjective thematic. Facts wise it better be full-proved. Get off long narrative chunks and bring the reader in. Don’t tell us what it was like, show it to us.

I like the topic and I’ll be backing it as soon as I have room on my shelf…which should be later tonight ot tomorrow morning.

Ch 1 (more)
How old were you when your father was taken away, bound, on the top of the Russian tank? From what follows it seems you were very young. Seven maybe? I am guessing.
The running away 'to go and do something' is heartbreaking to read.The force of your descritions becomes stronger and more poetic as you capture and convey the powerful feelings you experienced in your flight: 'I withered in my place ... the trees had lost their tranquility ... I died and came back to life, died cand came back to life, many times... I was crossing a horrific flood ... after the moond wld go behind the clouds.' The use of this natural imagery is very strong, esp in light of how you describe Nature as character later on. Death and Universe are also players in your flight. There is superb beauty in the paragraphs which begin 'I continued on my way. I continued on my way. Every time I looked up I cld see the helicopters...' and then this '...I hid from the light of the day.'

Ch 1 (more)
The description of life in the valley before the communists turn up is one of timeless, rural certainties and order. But power and politics will not leave the valleys alone. They must work their evil everywhere, they must have everyone under their power, thinking like them, being like them, being as they want them to be. This was communism. They knew best, they wanted people to live their way and those who disagreed had to be broken, and were. They were not 'normal theives'. The shock of their arrival with tanks and helicopters comes over very strongly. This is a poignant line, 'It was a normal day...when the Russian troops, as part of their seach policy, came to our village.' The response to this invasion from the world with electricity is proud, poetic, heartbreaking. There is painful beauty in this phrasing, 'Life is two days.' We can hear the helicopers now as the mens' hands are tied and they are taken away. This line says a lot 'The rest of our family were terrified.' The word terror is used a lot now. But we in the west must remember that we are not the first to suffer if.

Hi
Well, the old expression for new writers I give is write from that which you know. It will give you the greatest connection and you can pull the visuals out of your head easily. I can say this, if this is your life, I really feel for you and I for one am glad I live here in CAnada where we enjoy peace and no wars. You have my sympathy, brother.
On to the writing. I found a few spelling mistakes and much passive writing. for example, Paragraph 12, which begins, Every time I looked up I could see the helicopters flying over my head, like the metal forms of death, when thousands of the bullets were lurking around me., ...., which could kill me any minute.
This is passive and telling. Show me his fear.
For example
The uncoming thump of helicopters approaching. the thud, thud, thud of their blades singing of leaden death. I stole glances overhead. My feet sweated as I walked in the land mines. One false step and I'd be blown into a million forgotten fragments.
Show us, what is going on. This is active voice. Another trick I learned long ago is try to engage all five senses.
If I can taste, smell, hear, see and feel in a scene. Then you'll have pulled me in. Also avoid passive words, could should would. In paragraph 20, show me his terror at tripping over the metal cord of a land mine. "I tripped, my heart hammered as I crashed to the ground. Dirt stabbed my lips as I prayed to Allah. Split seconds blew reality away into minutes and no click of a landmine detonating. I got up, my legs shook. I hadn't wet myself, but felt like it. A large gulp, my family pictured in my mind. I had to continue. Trembling, sweat rolled through the Afghanistan dirt crusting my face and haggard breathing returned to my soul. Was I the only one left and was this truly living?"
Again, this needs more work, but you've great potential here. the story is real and gripping. If this is from your life, my regrets.
Do continue writing.
Sincerely
Frank

Hey there, I'm really not sure how to go about commenting on your book because it's something I am definitely not familiar with.

I guess all I can say is that you might try to make things more "immediate"-seeming to the audience, especially if you are aiming this at young adults. I think they might get themselves lost in the descriptions and details.

But like I said, this isn't something I normally read so I'm not familiar with the style, but I can tell it's very powerful and you've gone through so much.
Best of luck with this!

Ch 1
This is a fantastic read.
I love history and this is history in the making, movingly written by an eyewitness to some terrible events that have changed the world.
Your second paragraph put me in mind of how the Romans went about their politics on occasion, 'mounted a mass murder of all his political opponents and anyone whom he felt threateend by.'
The 'Valley of Flowers' is an achingly beautiful name and the notion of being in the mountains gives your account a feel of more natural times which most in western Europe know nothing about. I also noted how you repeated family/villag/nation showing how important family is to your culture.
Your account also put me in mind of one of the very greatest classical historians, the Greek THUCYDIDES who described the wars that tore through ancient Greece with great beauty.
I am half way through Ch 1 now. I will finish the chapter on my train journey home this evening and comment more tmr morning. Above all I am enjoying your story, which is clearly and written with a strong air of humanity to it. Your world was torn apart, thieve came in large numbers and many new ghosts were made and still are being made. There is intense tragedy to it all, for decade after decade. But it is a tragedy we must understand. Pehaps your account will help us to understand.
Ron Askew

Hi Shah, I find it difficult to evaluate your book because, although it is current & almost in the news all the time, I don't know any thing of value to you about the lives of the ordinary people of Afghanistan. They are obviously oppressed as your brilliant description depicts and your account is powerful and frightening. Going back to the British in the north of India, there was talk of the Khyber pass and a terrible massacre of British troops, women and chidren. Then the Russians and now a mixture of western forces. It is obviously a difficult place to conquer because of the terrain and the Taliban are fierce opponents! I like 'the valley of the flowers' and I'm intrigued by the entity who lives as different animal and bird beings. I'd quite like to do that providing I could easily return to human form when I like. Good luck with your book. Backed & shelved. Walt.

You have a neat writing style, and the story compells the reader to go on, I will bakc this book when I have room on my shelf.
-Charmain

Backed Running from Life. People who live in a free and open country such as the United States can not grasp the horror of living in the turmoil that comes from unstable countries. Thanks for telling your story.
CC Brown

Running from Life - Very few people living in the western world have experienced the harrowing tale set out in the pitch.
I am assuming this is a first draft as there is quite a lot of repetition, which I found jarring. Edited and polished this could very well be one heading for booksellers shelves.

God bless you my friend, you've earned it. Good luck with your writing.
Maria

I can't add much more than to say I like your writing style and the way you handle the topic of your story. It is also very educational without being boring; both of which are important since you've marked it as Young Adult.

This book gets off to a good start; it is very factual, but that is its advantage; it's a dramatic subject, and Afghanistan is still topical. I like also how you show the human side of the Russians - that makes it more three-dimensional. Just by reading chapter one I've learned a lot about life in Afghanistan in those days, and can imagine how it must be now.

Michael

Sometime in Andalusia

www.ten-minute-stories.com

Fascinating story. I like the direct, vivid style that rings of truth.

I think the author introduction is whimsical and could be distancing, and the pitch fails to convey the strong story, gripping storytelling, very engaging, convincing voice of the narrator, and tight writing style where every word has weight.

very interesting true story, providing good understanding of Afgahn life and wars

Lynne Ellison

The Green Bronze Mirror

I think if you called this 'Remininscence of an Afghan Boy' it would be more accurate as your material is so real.
As a work of non-fiction aims for an even more particular market than fiction. I would say that your style of writing could be best moulded for the education market. I definitely see this (swear words curbed of course) on school shelves.

Usually it's not my type of reading material, but the writing was so vivid that I was hooked.
Added to my watchlist and good luck!

Samantha

I like your pitch, there is humanity in identifying with nature, in being other than human, especially as humans can be the most horrifyling creatures on this planet. I am also interested in your story as my own countrymen are fighting in your troubled country and perhaps your story would help me to understand what they are facing and why. Watchlisted with a view to coming back.

Really good not my usual type of reading material . Liked it and will ad to my watch list .
Helen

You transfer your fear and the horror of the Russian's arrival very effectively in the first chapter. Reading the pitch, I sense this story is a hard one to tell.
Your ability to describe vividly also adds strength to the narrative and the reader can only try to appreciate what these events must feel like in reality.
If we are ever to understand such things, then your story must be told. Backed. Margaret.

Dear Shah, Your book is a real insight into the recherche of forceful change, in an already challenging civilisation. Your passion and determination is a dedication to all your hard work. I think for any reader who doesn't understand; or even wish to learn of another's way of life, then it will only restrict your reasons for writing. This book is worth your backing for its individual inspiration alone. Good luck and best wishes with your book. And please look out for my future support. Take care. Cicuta, [ Carl. Arcane ].

Hi Shah, I found your work very thought-provoking as well as quite harrowing. It is a story that needs to be heard. It is beautifully told, but needs some work on the English. I'm backing it because of the story.
Gill

Shah,
I added you book to my WL. I'll get to it as time permits. I encourage you to take a look at either of my two novels.
Thank you,

Dwain-Thomas

DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS
MY GENTLEMAN FRIEND