Guest Post: Celestine Nudanu - Haiku Rhapsodies

I'm thrilled to introduce you to my friend, Celestine Nudanu, who is a haiku genius and has recently published a book of her work. I'm looking forward to reading my copy.

Guest Post - Why I Write Haiku

I'm so thrilled to be on my dear friend Nana's blog today to talk about why I write haiku. Actually when Nana asked me to do this I had no idea what to write. I knew I had to pen down something in order to promote my new poetry publication, Haiku Rhapsodies. But then why do I write haiku? My first thought was well... I don't know. I just love the art.

But seriously, I fell in love with Haiku, way into my third year of blogging or so. I was a novice then, (I'm still a work-in-progress, as I love to say for the umpteenth time). The simplicity, brevity and inherent beauty of whatever aspects of nature I want to project, appeal to me so much. For me, the three lines are enough to capture all I want to say in a seventeen or less syllabic structure.  I do love to talk and I talk a lot when in the mood, but despite the fact that I love to play with words, sometimes, writing this short Japanese-origin poem is truly a wonder to me myself.

As Nana will attest, in Ghana, and indeed most of Africa south of the Sahara, we have only two seasons, dry and wet. So very much unlike the four seasons of the West and Europe!  So, writing haiku, which is mostly inspired by nature, is a challenge that I find most rewarding, especially when I blend in the peculiar sights, sounds and rich heritage of Africa.

I lose myself in haiku, both the reading and writing of it. When I see my words on paper or on screen, they tug at my heart; I feel a sense of wholeness. And I mean that. I'm not complete until I write and read haiku.

Blurb

Celestine Nudanu's Haiku Collection is what I choose to call 'minimalist expressionism' with an African flavour. Not only does the poet in true haiku tradition express so much in cryptic, compact and concise language, but she also vests each piece with subliminal artistry. As the eyes navigate the pages, each poem tells its own story in micro seconds, lingering in the mind as it connects with the next poem. At the end of Haiku Rhapsodies, one is nourished by a corpus that evokes pleasure beyond the printed page.

I must emphasise that it is not easy to take a foreign art form, domesticate it and turn it around into a thing of beauty the way Celestine has done. 

For those who like to enjoy poetry with a dose of the exotic, and indeed for all who enjoy micro poetry, Haiku Rhapsodies is just the right tonic.

Author Bio

Celestine Nudanu is a product of the University of Ghana, Legon. She graduated with a BA in English and Theatre Arts, and MA degree in International Affairs.

As well as being a passionate reader and book reviewer, Celestine is also a poet, with a talent for haiku, the short Japanese poetry form. Although she says she is a work-in-progress, her works have been included in two anthologies: Western Haiku: A Collection, and Ballads, both produced by Dagda Publishing UK. Her haiku have also been featured in renowned online haiku journals including Cattails, (Collected Works of UHTS), The Mamba, Journal of African Haiku Network, (of which she is a Supporting Editor) Akita International Haiku Network, Japan, Flamingo Clouds, Netherlands and Failed Haiku, a Journal of English Senryu.

She is a member of the Ghana Association of Writers, (GAW) and the United Haiku and Tanka Society (UHTS), USA.

You can find Celestine at:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/haikurhapsodies/

Facebook: http://facebook.com/cnudanu

Blog: http://readinpleasure.wordpress.com/

Email: cestone40@hotmail.com

Buy Links:

Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/HAIKU-RHAPSODIES-Verses-Celestine-Nudanu-ebook/dp/B01LEZ39YS#nav-subnav
https://www.amazon.com/HAIKU-RHAPSODIES-Verses-Celestine-Nudanu/dp/9988232861/

A Touch of Ghanaian Pidgin English - All about Chale #Ghana #Romance #MedicalRomance

In both Midwife to Destiny and Destiny Mine I use the word Chale. In Ghana this is the Pidgin English way of saying ‘friend’. Similar to the word ‘buddy’ or ‘pal’. It can be spelled many different ways such as Charlie, Charley, or the way I chose, Chale.

Either way, when someone calls you this, it’s a good thing because it’s a term of familiarity and camaraderie. Its a sexless term, but I’ve found that men use the term more often. Although I do have a couple of friends who call me Chale, I rarely use it, but love the term.

One of the beer companies in Ghana picked up on it and uses it as part of their advertisement. They aren’t the only ones, but the ad sticks out in my mind because their branding is everywhere- plus I love their beer.

Chale, get your copy of Destiny Mine while it's still 99 cents at Amazon. Or get your print copy if you're so inclined.

Extraordinary midwife, Esi Darfour, is looking to get married. She’s a master matchmaker but has no luck when it comes to her love life and has yet to find a man worthy of her. Until she has to deal with gorgeous Dr. Adam Quarshie outside of work.

Adam is a player who refuses to get married—ever. His interest lies more in getting her into bed than in having any kind of committed relationship. Esi’s matchmaker instincts warn her to run in the other direction as quickly as possible, but her heart insists she stay…get closer…and see if what they feel for each other can change his mind.

Buy Links

Amazon | Decadent |ARe | Barnes & Noble| Smashwords  |  Itunes   | Kobo | Googleplay|

Destiny Mine Release Day! #ContemporaryRomance #Africa #Ubuntu

This is a great day! My second book in the Destiny Series through Decadent Publishing, Destiny Mine, is released today.

Even better news is that it's got an introductory price of 99 cents at Amazon, but only for a limited time. (I should do an infomercial.)

I'm so excited about this book. The characters, the setting of Ghana, and even the elevated 3 on the spiciness scale. 

And it's a medical romance, with the heroine being a kick ass midwife and the hero a playboy doctor. 

Blurb

Extraordinary midwife, Esi Darfour, is looking to get married.  She’s a master matchmaker but has no luck when it comes to her love life and has yet to find a man worthy of her. Until she has to deal with gorgeous Dr. Adam Quarshie outside of work.

Adam is a player who refuses to get married—ever. His interest lies more in getting her into bed than in having any kind of committed relationship. Esi’s matchmaker instincts warn her to run in the other direction as quickly as possible, but her heart insists she stay…get closer…and see if what they feel for each other can change his mind.

Buy Links

Amazon | Decadent |ARe | Barnes & Noble| Smashwords  |  Itunes   | Kobo | Googleplay|

Excerpt

Her gaze travelled down his muscular body. Unlike many of the other doctors who tended to gain a belly as they grew older and settled into the comforts of married life, Adam Quarshie could overshadow any man in his late twenties. His stomach had remained flat and his muscles strained against his yellow button-down shirt when he moved.

She took her time raking her gaze up his body and to his face. Her gasp of embarrassment stuck in her throat as her eyes met his.

Why did he have to have such an adorable grin? God could’ve at least rotted his teeth to save the hearts of women all over Ghana.

“See something you like, Esi?”

She cleared her throat. “Yes, I do. Your shoes are nice. Where can I get a pair for my brother?”

He chuckled. “My shoes. Hmm. I got them on Oxford Street in Osu.”

“Thanks.”

He moved towards her, and she refused to step back as he crowded her. He smelled amazing, like he was fresh from a shower. She struggled not to move closer or inhale deeper.

“Or I could take you.” His voice came out soft yet had a distinct rumble.

Did the man not know how to be anything but seductive?

If she checked her pulse, she knew it would be way above the normal range. She snorted as she stepped around him and went to the patient’s bedside. “I’m going home. You did a great job.” She tilted her head to view the child’s face cradled in the new mother’s arms then smiled at the newborn’s mother. “You were able to gather the strength to push the baby out. You are a strong woman, Ama.”

The woman ducked her head. “Thank you.”

Esi turned to Adam, not bothering to hide her annoyance. “Are there any other patients you want to see?”

“I’ll come back to do ward rounds later. How about going to Osu?”

“I’d rather…rather….” Fatigue had blocked her brain. Later on in the day, long after it was too late, she’d think of any number of things she could have said to put him in his place.

He raised an eyebrow. Their perfect arch sat over slanted dark brown eyes.

“You’d rather what?”

“Eat a live snail.”

He scrunched his face. “Disgusting. No Osu for you, then. Next time, I’ll ask to take you somewhere that won’t make you prefer eating something raw and slimy over hanging out with me.”

“No such place exists, Quarshie.” They walked, rather, she stalked while he strutted, down the hallway towards the nurse’s station.

“I’m sure there is somewhere, and one day I’m going to take you there.”

She didn’t bother to look at him. “In your dreams.”

He winked. “Always in my dreams.”

Her heart skipped a beat as Sade’s classic song “Smooth Operator” came to mind. She regarded him through narrowed eyes as he headed towards the door. His heartbreaking ways didn’t appeal to her at all. Everyone knew relationships weren’t his thing. She’d never even consider going out on a date with him. She knew too many casualties of his charm. The type of guy who would go to all sorts of lengths to get a woman on his radar. Once he caught and used her, he moved to the next one…or two. After having once dated a womanizer, she wouldn’t subject herself to that kind of man again.

No way. Not her. Never

H is for Happy - #atozchallenge

One if the many things I noticed when I first came to Ghana was how happy the people are. No we are not rich, we don’t have continuous electricity, yes we have bouts of violence, yes our educational system could be better, and no we are not perfect by any definition of the word. But we are happy, not because of the circumstances we find ourselves in, but because of who we are.

It’s the truth as I see it.

Since I can't show you all of the people of Ghana, here are a couple of personal pictures.

She can brighten anyone's day.

Joy

This is a gigantic blog hop so click here to see what other bloggers are discussing for this letter. Have fun.

G is for Ghana #atozchallenge

This one is obvious for those of you who know my blog. This is the best country in all of Africa just because I came from here. My new book Midwife To Destiny released by Decadent Publishing is set in Ghana (and a little in South Africa). Here is a picture of one of the beaches I went to visit a few years ago. It’s not the same one that Ora and her cousin Esi hold their party at, but it would have been a nice place to boogie down. I had a lot of fun looking through my old pics. 

I'm standing in front of the National Theatre in downtown Accra

Paragliding event during Easter in Kwahu

I'm pointing to Elmina Castle

Me looking good at the paragliding event, but not actually paragliding- the ground is too far below.

A beautiful sunset in Accra

 So many pictures I've taken (mostly of me), so little time to share.

My latest release is set in Ghana and South Africa.

Blurb

Ghanaian nurse Aurora ‘Ora’ Aikins never expected to find the love of her life while on vacation in South Africa. Engaged to another and believing that love has no place in her life, she returns to Ghana, and puts duty and honor first.

Three years later, Dr. Jason Lartey still can’t get Ora out of his mind or his heart. After learning she never married, he takes a risk and moves to Ghana hoping to rekindle what they started. His sudden appearance in Ora’s Emergency Department sends sparks flying all over again.

They’re in the same country, working in the same hospital, and together but distance creeps between them. Can they make their destined love one for the ages? 

Buy Links

Amazon | Decadent |ARe | Barnes & Noble| Smashwords  

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This is a gigantic blog hop so click here to see what other bloggers are discussing for this letter. Have fun.

The Good of #Ghana - The music

I’m a music lover. Even when I was in the US I listened to world music, but I’ll admit that I didn’t readily listen to music from Ghana unless one of my mother’s friends was throwing a party and I was encouraged forced to dance.  

There is all sorts of music here to enjoy. 

• Western music - of which I was already familiar
• High life - the old timers Ghanaian music which is smooth
• Hip life - Ghanaian music with a beat. Modern music I like to dance and exercise to
• Traditional and modern gospel music - sung in English and the local dialects  
• Many ethnic groups have their own local songs 

I’ll leave you with one of my favorite Ghanaian artists, Kwabena Kwabena. A very popular song called Aso. Don't worry if you don't understand the lyrics, he's singing in one of the local dialects called Twi. Basically his girl cheats on him. Stupid girl.

The Good of #Ghana -The weather (don't be jealous)

I’m in paradise. The weather in Ghana is glorious. I grew up in Upstate New York (Albany) where school was not cancelled even if the snow reached your knees. If they can plow it before the morning then there was no snow day. I’m shivering just thinking about it. My FB friends should forgive me for not ‘liking’ any of their winter wonderland pictures. On principle, I refuse.

The weather in Ghana is not consistently hot all year round, there are seasons. Harmattan (I equate this to winter) is the dry season, where you have to get out blankets and sweaters at night and early morning because it’s cool. Then there's the rainy season. The regular scorching sun season (my favorite) lasts for most of the year.

You will never hear me saying that it is too hot. No not me. After twenty seven winters, my mouth is shut when it comes to the heat. Like the McDonald’s saying used to go, “I’m loving it.”

Short sleeves all year long! Woo hoo!

Barbecue in October. That's the way to live.
I only took over the grill for a Kodak moment.
I was too busy enjoying eating.

Ghana is hot. Okay, so I was climbing a mountain when this picture was taken,
 but you get the jist. The weather in Ghana is warm (most of the time)

The Good of #Ghana - Kente Cloth

Some of the Beauty of Ghana lies in its traditions. One such tradition is the highly respected kente cloth. Kente is a rich thick cloth woven by skilled kente weavers. It is unique to Ghana and originated with the Ashanti kingdom. 

Each design has a meaning, with a beaty all on it's own. There is not much I will say because the cloth speaks for itself (even though you can't get the true richness of the cloth from the pictures, sorry). All photos taken from Google.com

Enjoy.

Three different kente

Which cloth is your favorite?

The Good of #Ghana – The cocoa

It’s no secret that I love chocolate. When I learned that Ghana was the second largest producer of cocoa in the world, I asked who the first was. It's our neighbor, Cote d’ Ivorrie. I told the informer that we had better start producing more to make us number one.

Cocoa

More than likely the chocolate you are eating or the cocoa butter you are slathering your bodies with to gain a soft, smooth texture came from the wonderful cocoa pods that were grown in Ghana (I’m ignoring the number one producer).

Ghana produces its own chocolate. It’s called Kingsbite by Golden Tree(I think they could be more varied in their production, I have yet to talk to the head of the company, but I’ll be booking my appointment one day). 

If you ever get the chance to come to Ghana, try the chocolate. Be warned that the milk chocolate is not soft and yielding, this is because it's packed with cocoa rather than diluted with milk, but when that piece of chocolate hits your tongue, you will know why Ghana cocoa is so sought after. If you want something soft and creamy, go for the chocolate spread. Rich, creamy and eat off the spoon delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about the yummy goodness.

Cocoa powder and chocolate spread

For those health nuts out there who think I'm going overboard with the chocolate loving, cocoa powder is very healthy drink. 

I could talk about chocolate all day, but I’ll spare you. Do you like chocolate? What is your favorite type?

The Good of #Ghana – Gorgeous rich diverse land

Second to the people, it’s the land that makes the country beautiful. Ghana is a rich country, literally. Full of fertile land, gold, oil, and more. When my plane was coming into Accra with my face wedged up against the window, my first thought at seeing my homeland was “Ghana is flat.” I’m laughing now because I was so wrong. Ghana is varying.

In our little country we have:

                          Beaches that dance with the ocean

Giggling along the beach in the Western Region

Mountains 

My tortuous climb up Mt. Afajatu

 Gorgeous lakes and rivers

A boat ride on the Volta Lake

Forests

Kakum National Park

Savannah (This is where some of our elephants live, gorgeous creatures). Did you know that they're fast runners?

Mole National Park (I'd rather show the land and the elephants than myself)

Did I tell you Ghana was beautiful or what?

The Good of #Ghana – The Technology

I was born in Ghana and raised in the US. When it was time for me to come back I’ll admit that I was SCARED. What I was expecting and what I got were two different things. 

I was shocked to learn that everything I could get in the US I was able to obtain in Ghana, even if it was at a higher cost.  Everyone had their own cell phones. Traffic was here too (cars good, traffic not so good).

Osu is one of my favorite hangouts (Frankie's has great pizza)

Accra Mall at night 

Riding in my cousin's car, my eyes  were open wide to the sites she was pointing out as the latest song by Rhianna played on the radio. Joy abounded. 

My phenomenal cousin introduced me to an internet cafe and I almost fell out. Computers, in Ghana for everyone to use? Imagine? Boy was I backward thinking about the country.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that all of Ghana is technologically advanced, but the country has all of the creature comforts that I had gotten accustomed to in the US. A person only needs to know how and where to access them, since I am a fast learner, I had no difficulty finding what I needed. And it’s getting easier by the day. 

I hope I have shown you a little piece of modern Ghana. There is more to learn. Did you know Ghana was like this?

The Good of #Ghana – The people

Akwaaba (welcome in Twi). 

I might be a little bit biased, but the people of Ghana rock! Okay, not all of them, but I did promise not to mention the bad or the ugly of Ghana, right?

Ghana boasts of the most hospitable people that exist in the world. This is no lie. We are a super friendly people (for the most part).

My little friend Bea, leading me into my room
(notice the cell phone she's holding for me at her back)

Need directions, no problem, ask and they will direct you if they know where the place is, some people will even go out of their way to take you to your destination.

Need company, no issues there, get up and head over to a friend's house and you will be received, even without a prior phone call (don't try this with me though, I'll pretend I'm not home). 

Most Ghanaians will take the time out of their day to chat. Not just with foreigners but with other Ghanaians too. Loneliness is not really an issue in this country, and I think that's wonderful. 

If you decide to come to Ghana, know that you will be thoroughly welcomed and treated with graciousness and hospitality.

The Good of #Ghana – A new weekly feature

My contemporary multicultural romance is being released with Decadent Publishing (pause to dance) yearly next year with their Ubuntu line. This line features romance novels that are based in Africa. It aims to expose the ‘real’ Africa to the world rather than the ‘misconceived’ version most people walk around with in their head (anybody think of nearly naked starving people tromping through a jungle?- eh hem).

While I am waiting for my book to be released I had the bright idea to share the good aspects of Ghana, leaving out the bad and the ugly.

Ghana is a wonderful country and I'm sure you'll enjoy your journey with me every Thursday for the next few months. 

In the meantime I’ll leave you with some of the fantastic books that have been published on the Ubuntu line. Buy one or two, heck buy all of them and enjoy Africa from a romantic perspective.

The Blurb

When Christy Inemi-Spiff discovers that the man she vowed to love and honor has no such feelings for her, she is determined to cut her losses and move on with her life. A quick, quiet divorce is all she wishes….

However, Joshua has other ideas. He’s not ready to walk away yet, especially when he doesn’t understand why Christy wants out of their marriage. So he demands she agree to spend a quiet Christmas on a remote African Island with him, hoping they can salvage their relationship. If she still wants a divorce after these two weeks, he will let her go. But not before he’s had his fill of her.

But with the sparking tension between them, and the secrets behind the disintegration of their marriage threatening to explode, will either of them get their wish? Or will this season of good will show them what really lies at the bottom of their hearts?

The Blurb

A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?

The Blurb

Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, her parents' homeland, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once here, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again.
Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?

(Okay, this next  book isn't from Ubuntu, or even Decadent, but I had to add her, she's my Paddy from Black Opal Books, and it's set in Ghana)

The Blurb

HE DIDN’T DO SHORT TERM RELATIONSHIPS…

American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn’t date co-workers either—until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he’s at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it’s too late?

UNTIL HE MET HER!

Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and to others, that she’s more than wife and mother material. To do so, she’s prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy?

Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love—will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?

Interview with Alba Kunadu Sumprim author of The Imported Ghanaian

Hi everyone, we are back on the shores of Ghana with my friend and creative diva Alba Kunadu Sumprim author of The Imported Ghanaian and APlace of Beautiful Nonsense. I absolutely love her books, they are hilarious.

First of all please tell us a little about yourself.

Yikes! In a nutshell, I was raised in several countries. UK, Ghana, Cuba and Brazil.  I love adventure and discovering new things, especially through travel – I was in Afghanistan four years ago and had an amazing time. I love using all forms of transport, the weirdest being a ‘goat taxi’ in Camaguey, Cuba, and I love watching TV, the crappier the better. I wish someone would pay me to watch TV, my dream job. I like giraffes and tortoises too. Oh, and many Ghanaians find me strange.

Wow. You’re life sounds fascinating. Now tell us about your books.

The books are my therapy to keep me as far away from the psychiatric hospital as possible. The Imported Ghanaian is about a complete culture clash, you think something but it’s the complete opposite, it’s like running into a brick wall and walking, well, staggering around dazed and confused. I just wanted to say, ‘It’s not you alone o! The vast majority of us are in the same boat at some point in time.’  

       A Place of Beautiful Nonsense, is just what it says. There’s a lot of ‘nonsense’ but if you look for the beauty in it, you’ll be okay (She says with hindsight). It’s years down the line since returning home and having to accept that not much is going to change, so if you plan to stay then you have to choose the battles, if not, you’ll go gaga tearing your hair out and babbling incoherently. If that carpenter says the chair will take two weeks, smile, but plan for eight weeks and go about your business. You’ll get your chair in about three months with crappy finish, but then you knew that already. Stress free life.

                                                                                                                          

When I read the Imported Ghanaian I thought you had taken the experiences from right out of my head. How did you come up with the idea to write a book?

In my first few months back home, I used to tell a friend about my cultural clashes and one day, he said, ‘If you write the way you tell it, it would make a great newspaper column. Try it.’ I’m a film-maker by profession, I only wrote a diary, but, ‘hey, why not’ I thought, and started writing down my observations. In the space of three days, I wrote eight stories, I mean, the stuff was just pouring out. He howled with laughter when he read them and immediately, I kid you not,  took me to the Daily Dispatch to see Ben Ephson, and the Imported Ghanaian column was birthed. It’s been going for about twelve years now – it’s my space to rant.

     A few years after the column started, I received a call from the then Nigerian High Commissioner in Ghana who said I should write a book because he was fed up of the huge pile of newspapers growing by his bed. “Put it in a book,” he said, “then I can read my favourites whenever I feel like it instead of fighting through the newspapers.” That was it, a spark was lit, I decided to add cartoons which I spent months learning how to create and the rest is . . . .maybe, not history, but you know what I mean.

I definitely know what you mean, the rest is two fantastic books. How have Ghanaians received your books?

The vast majority with good humour with many telling me of things I forgot to put in the books. Several say they laughed and saw themselves in a lot of the situations I described but ‘why was I exposing us to foreigners?’ Question asked lightheartedly.  Others didn’t agree with some of what I’d written but still enjoyed it. One man didn’t see anything funny about the book, not one thing, which surprised me as I believe the humour – a lot of it with tongue wedged firmly in cheek, I might add – was a strong way of talking about serious issues. He said I was arrogant, rude and a host of other negative attributes. He took sentences out of context using that as the basis of his long rant – not the foaming at the mouth type, he was very eloquent in his writing. I’m sure if I’d been Caucasian, he would have accused me of racism. It felt as if he was angry at me personally . . . I don’t know. Maybe … he wants to be me.

If you could give one piece of advice to newcomers to Ghana what would it be?

I wish they would read my books. I think the most important thing is to take most things with a huge pinch of salt and look for the humour in most situations. Too many of us take ourselves too seriously though Ghanaians are really funny people.

Now I have to ask, if you could give one piece of advice to Ghanaians what would it be?

Ei Ewurade, where do I start? You said one, but I have two pet peeves. One, I wish we’d be a lot more honest and two, diminish the time wasting. People, there are only 24 hours in the day but most Ghanaians behave as if God has given us some special dispensation to stretch it to 36 hours. It’s only 24 and when it’s wasted, it’s gone.

Amen to that! Are you working on writing anything new at the moment?

Yes I am, in fact I’m writing two books at the moment, very slowly. The first is a fictional story of a day in the life of a group of people who meet on a hijacked trotro. It is going really slowly in reality but doing pretty well in my head. The second is a novel, not fiction, about a personal journey I’ve been on for a number of years now, it hasn’t reached its conclusion so it’s still cooking but I think it’s going to be a powerful book when it’s done. Remember this when you see me sitting on the sofa with Oprah.

2013 has dawned upon us and a new year means new resolutions? What was one of the resolutions that you made for this year?

I made very few this year. My resolutions were making more comebacks than Frank Sinatra, so I made just one. To live in the moment.

That sounds like a wonderful resolution. Thank you for taking the time to stop by and chat with me Alba.

Thank you for having me and thank you for enjoying my work. I really appreciate you encouragement and motivation. Good stuff.

Where can people find your books?

From me, my website, Legon Bookstore, EPP Book Services, Sytris

How can people get in contact with you?

www.theimportedghanaian.com

When you see Alba doing an Oprah interview remember that I interviewed her first. Go out and buy her books, I promise you will be highly entertained. And for those who are new to Ghana, it’s like school in a book.