iRead: Romance on the Bookshelf Part 2

This week we bring you a double dose of romance from Empi Baryeh...One for the month of February and the second is out in March.

Empi Baryeh’s debut novel titled Most Eligible Bachelor published by Evernight Publishing on February 3, 2012.

Most Eligible Bachelor
Blurb
Magazine columnist Chantelle Sah doesn’t celebrate Valentine’s Day—not since her fiancé’s betrayal three years ago—and after botching her first assignment as a feature writer, she’s more than willing to put in a hard day’s work this Valentine’s Day; even if it means going on a date with gorgeous construction Tycoon, Lord McKenzie, and opening herself to an onslaught of all things love.
When Lord—his given name, not a title—sets his sights on Chantelle, it isn’t just work he has on his mind. But even he couldn’t have predicted the magnetic attraction between them when they meet, nor the evening ending with more than an interview. Now he has to convince Chantelle that their one-night stand wasn’t a mistake. Can he win her love without revealing a secret from their night of passion, which could prove fatal for both their hearts?
Read an excerpt


She also has a second book out on 17 March 2012 titled Chancing Faith published by Black Opal Books.
Chancing Faith
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 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?
You can find out more about Empi’s books via her blog.

Book A Seat at The Emotion Book Party

The Emotion Book party is born out of the great need to marry intellectualism with entertainment, while at the happy end promote the reading culture in Nigeria. It is a brainchild of The Emotion book club, a literary organization strongly bent on building the leaders of tomorrow through books.We believe Nigeria is encountering problems socially, politically and economically because the Nigerian society is either
misinformed or rather not informed at all. The Emotion Book Party Takes Over is a great platform for the Nigerian public to be informed about books and its informative capability. That is why we are enjoining Nigerians local and abroad to join us in taking over streets and homes with the Good news of The Emotion Book Party.

The Emotion Book Party will be featuring the following speakers:
Muhtar Bakare [Farafina Books, Lagos] Publishing: A Nation Builder
Steve Shaba[Kraft Books] Publishing : A Nation Builder
Hyginus Ekwuazi [Author, I have Miles To walk Before I Sleep, Winner ANA/CADBURY PRIZE 2010] The Gatekeepers: Writing For The World
Ayodele Olofintuade [Author, Eno's Story; Best Three Shortlist NLNG PRIZE 2011] The Impact Of Children's Literature On Adults

Guest Reviewer: Babatunde Onikoyi [To Review I Do Not Come To You By Chance by Tricia Nwaubani, Winner Commonwealth Best Book 2010]

Entertainment: Comedy Sketch, Poetry Performance by Rhyme House, Solo Music Performances by our Guest Artistes, Refreshments, Special Gifts for the first twenty people to arrive event venue and so on and so
forth.

Date: February 17, 2012
Venue: Arts Theater, University of Ibadan, Ibadan.
Time: 1pm.
Gate Fee: FREE.

BOOK A SEAT
As we have limited seats for the expected large audience, we are making seats open to the interested public before hand. Mail your Name and your contact information to Emotionbookclub@gmail.com. We will confirm your seat within 48 hours of receipt.

iDebate: Thandie Newton as Olanna in Half of A Yellow Sun

We were so excited to hear that Half of A Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie was going to be made into a movie. The gist now is that Thandie Newton (who is African but not Nigerian) would be playing the lead role of Olanna. Some people have been saying that a Nollywood cast should be used rather than Hollywood big names. Is it more about local content or expertise or is it even a "business" decision? What do you think?

Screen Daily reports that producers Andrea Calderwood ("The Last King of Scotland," "Generation Kill") and Gail Egan ("Happy-Go-Lucky," "The Constant Gardener") have fully financed, thanks to help from both Nigerian private equity and the British Film Instute, their adaptation of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's bestselling novel "Half of a Yellow Sun." The novel, which won the Orange Prize for Fiction in 2007, is set during the Nigerian-Biafran War of 1967-1970, when the south of Nigeria attempted to secede and form their own country, the Republic of Biafra, and tracks a revolutionary university professor, his lover, her sister, a British ex-pat, and their houseboy, who are cought up in the conflict across the 1960s. Nigerian playwright Biyi Bandele, who's had a number of successes on the London stage, including his adaptation of seminal post-colonial novel "Things Fall Apart," is making his directorial debut with the project, and he's assembled quite an impressive cast, with Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dominic Cooper and Thandie Newton all locked into the film. The trade don't have a firm word on who each is playing, but our guess is that Ejiofor will play university professor Odenigbo, Newton his lover, Olanna, and Cooper will play Richard, a British ex-pat in Nigeria to study.

It's a pretty terrific cast, not least a rare lead role for Ejiofor, one of our favorite working actors, while the presence of Cooper hot off "The Devil's Double" and "Captain America: The First Avenger" will undoubtedly help the film internationally. Filming starts in March, before Ejiofor segues to Steve McQueen's "Twelve Years A Slave," so we're unlikely to see this before 2013, but it certainly seems to be a film to keep an eye on.

Source: Indiewire

iRead: Romance on the Bookshelf Part 1

In the spirit of love, here is a double helping of romance from Myne Whitman.

A LOVE REKINDLED.

When Efe Sagay receives a transfer to the branch of a prestigious hotel chain in the Nigerian capital, she accepts it, happy to return home to family after years in the United States. Also, Nigeria is a big place, right? There should be nothing about her new city, Abuja, to remind her of the heartbreak of her relationship with ex-fiancé, Kevwe Mukoro.

However, Efe is facing Kevwe across an office seven months later, swamped by emotions she’d thought were dead. When Kevwe claims he’s never stopped loving her, and asks why she abandoned him, Efe stomps off, incensed! Wasn’t it the other way around?

But they are unable to stay away from each other, and buried desire flares. Ultimately, passion is no match for the bitter memories of broken promises. Efe and Kevwe have to resolve the traumatic events of the past before love can be rekindled.

View all the free excerpts, click HERE.

A HEART TO MEND

SHE HAS AN OPEN FUTURE
Gladys moves to live with an estranged aunt in Lagos and to continue her search for a job. Before long she lands the job of her dreams with the foremost oil company in the city and makes several new friends. She also gradually resolves the mystery of why her aunt previously cut all ties with their family. But the best part about her new life is meeting Edward Bestman.

HE HAS A CLOSED PAST- AND HE WILL PAY…WITH HIS HEART
Edward is good-looking, super rich but emotionally scarred. Gladys gets him to see that she loves him and that together they can surmount all their differences. However, when they return from a romantic trip abroad, they find that some unnamed people are about to take over his business empire. Edward's past has come back to haunt both of them.

To read free excrepts on my blog, click HERE

Call for Submissions: Saraba Magazine - Sex and Sexuality

Saraba Magazine is accepting short fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction, and excerpts that reflect the diversity of sex and sexuality. Note that the publishers and editors have a bias for experimental writing. The magazine’s 11th Issue will explore the subject of sex and sexuality – sex as ‘being’ and sex as ‘doing.’ How does sex manifest itself as a question of personhood, difference, affection, rights, protest, etc.

Interested writers who are unsure about their work are advised to send queries to the Managing Editor of Saraba Magazine. Submissions can be made through their Submissions Portal.

Guidelines:

- Send your work in an attachment in any of our three major categories: Fiction, Poetry and Non-Fiction.

- Send no more than one work at a time, and wait for a response before you send another.

- Fictional works should have a maximum 5,000 words. Poets are allowed to send a maximum of 3 poems. Non-fiction submissions are expect to contain a broad range of new creative writing, including short memoirs, interviews, reviews, creative non-fiction, creative journalism, etc. Word count limit for this is 2,500 words.

- Submissions are also open to digital art including photographs, illustrations, paintings and so forth. Kindly send in high resolution jpeg files (not larger than 4 MB).

- Submissions should be accompanied by a bio of not more than 50 words.

To submit, use the Submission Manager . For more information, go to the SARABA MAGAZINE WEBSITE

    

Presentation of Nigeria Prize for Literature (2011) featuring winner Mai Nasara, Wole Soyinka and others

The 2011 winner for the Nigeria Prize for Literature Adeleke Adeyemi (pen name, Mai Nasara) returns to the country on Saturday February 3 after a brief sojourn in the United States. The now popular author won the prestigious Nigeria LNG-endowed award for his children's novel 'The Missing Clock' in August.

Mai Nasara returns as guest of honour at the public presentation of the winner of the prize, organised by the Nigeria LNG. The event holds at the Eko Hotel & Suites in Lagos - and will be attended by leading lights of Nigerian literature, including the "father" of modern-day Nigerian poetry Gabriel Okara and Nobel Laureate Prof Wole Soyinka.

"Obviously I am delighted to be coming back home to engage with the public and the literary community," Nasara said. "And I thank the Nigeria LNG for this honour and for this platform. I am looking forward to getting home on Saturday and discussing the prize and the book on Monday. This is a humbling experience for me."

Starting from 126 submissions from Nigerian authors of children's literature, 'The Missing Clock' made the shortlist, eventually beating an intimidating six of some of the best children's authors in Africa. This shortlist included Ayodele Olofintuade and Chinyere Obi Obasi, and Nasara won the coveted $100, 000 cash prize.

The novel explores the reversal of fortunes for a Nigerian family and how they grew to overcome their circumstances. In an earlier interview, the author explained that he was inspired by the concept of a conservative traditional family. The author admonished families to work on their personal and family histories as the first step towards changing the world.

The Nigeria Prize for Literature is rated the 22nd most valuable in the world. It is endowed by the Nigeria LNG, which also awards the Nigeria Prize for Science annually.

The event will be shown on Monday on NTA and AIT and will also be streamed online via www.nlnglive.com at 10am.

Yoruba Literature Competition

SOCIETY OF YOUNG NIGERIAN WRITERS in collaboration with AFRICAN HERITAGE RESEARCH LIBRARY AND CULTURAL CENTRE present the YORUBA LITERATURE WRITING COMPETITION

For Writers using Yoruba Language to write between the ages of 15 and 40. The competition is organized by the Society to rekindle the interest of Young Writers writing in Yoruba language in Nigeria. Also to motivate and encourage writing in indigenous languages among young Nigerian Writers. The competition promises to be an exciting display of Yoruba Culture, Traditions, Norms and Values.

Prizes to be won include

• Fagunwa Prize for Prose Writing – 20,000
• Prof. Akinwunmi Ishola Prize for Drama – 20,000
• Tunbosun Oladapo Prize Poetry – 10,000
• Dr. Adebayo Faleti Prize for Drama – 20,000
• Elder Supo Kosemani Prize for Poetry – 10,000

Conditions of entry
1. The competition is opened to anyone aged 15-40
2. Works should be in Yoruba Language, unpublished and not currently submitted
or accepted  for future  publication
3. They must not previously have been awarded a prize in any competition nor
may be simultaneously entered for any competition other than this one.
4. Works must be your own original work.
5. Works must be on a separate sheet of A4 size, which must not bear your name,
class, age and school.
6. No entry form is required but on a separate sheet of A4 you should show your
name, address, title of the work submitted  and please tell us where you heard
about the competition.
7. Entry should be sent to the following e-mail:     societyofyoungnigerianwriters@gmail.com. The
closing date is 1^st of March, 2011, as results will be sent out in April 1^st, 2012.
8. The Judge’s decision will be final; no correspondence can be entered into
10. Unfortunately, submitted works cannot be returned so remember to keep a copy.

Wole Adedoyin
National President
08072673852