Tag: memoir
Voices From Trinidad To Australia
As the New Year settles in, I’m following through on my creative intentions for 2019, to reach out, to connect in a global publishing landscape to learn and share ideas.
Through this shared landscape, I met and was inspired by prolific, Trinidadian author, Brenda Mohammed. She is the author of twenty-one publications, including the non-fiction book, How to Write For Success, a valuable advice book on achieving your personal best as a writer.
Brenda is also an award-winning author of Zeeka Chronicles, a Young Adult Thriller, and I am Cancer Free , a memoir, in the category Health and Fitness.
As a cancer survivor, banker, and writer, Brenda heads the rapidly growing How to Write for Success Group on Facebook for new and aspiring writers.
Getting To Know Brenda Mohammed
Biography:
Trinidadian Brenda Mohammed is a renowned, multi-genre, award-winning author and poet who has written twenty-one books to date.
She is a former Bank Manager of a leading International Bank in Trinidad and Tobago, and holds a Diploma in Banking from the Institute of Bankers in London.
When she branched off into Insurance she obtained a Diploma in Life Underwriting from the American College, USA.
Achievements
In November 2018 she received two book awards from Readers Favourite International, at an Awards Ceremony at the Regency Hotel in Miami. The awards were for I am Cancer Free in the category Health and Fitness, and Zeeka Chronicles, in the category Young Adult Thriller.
Brenda is the Founder of the group How to Write for Success.
From the Author
Becoming an author was not on my agenda.
My plans changed drastically when in 2005 I was faced with a life-changing situation. Diagnosed with cancer and living to tell my story inspired me to help others afflicted with the disease to cope. I documented my heart-wrenching experience of being diagnosed with ovarian cancer and my long and painful journey to overcoming the death sentence. In time, the essays transitioned into a book, I am Cancer Free: A Memoir, that tells my true story as a cancer survivor.
The book was published on June 3rd, 2013, and was available on digital stores worldwide. It had been read by so many people that it won the McGrath House Indie Book Awards 2016 in the non-fiction category. It also earned a five-star review and five-star seal in February 2017 from Readers’ Favorite and won an award in the Readers’ Favorite International Book Awards 2018 in the Health and Fitness category.
Encouraged by the rave reviews, I went on to write six fascinating memoirs, a five-book science fiction series, two children’s books, four books of short stories, one self-help book, How to Write for Success, two crime fiction books, and one book of poetry.
The science-fiction futuristic thriller series Zeeka Chronicles: Revenge of Zeeka also won an award for Best Science Fiction in September 2017 from Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Book Awards, a five-star rating and five-star seal from Readers’ Favourite, the gold award in the category of science fiction in Emagazine Readers’ Choice Awards 2018 and placed in the top ten in the Author Academy Awards. It also won the Young Adult Thriller category in the Readers’ Favourite International Book Awards 2018.
Of my other books, My Life as a Banker was awarded for Best Bio/Memoir in Metamorph Publishing Summer Indie Awards 2016 and Your Time is Now, which contains a section of inspirational poems, received the IHIBRP 5 Star Recommended Read Award Badge.
Motivation
Words from my brother David V. Khan before he died:
‘Your book makes very pleasant reading, and your literary expression is superb and easy to follow. You have excellent talent, and you should follow up on a leisurely basis with perhaps publishing a book of short stories. With fiction, you will have a greater opportunity to use your imagination and your undoubted descriptive ability.
You used the word “fantasize” to create a situation. This is an outstanding quality, which you should continue to use because it is imagination, which disposes of everything, coming from within you. It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.’
It creates beauty, justice, and happiness, which are everything in this world.
Influencers
My Father, Dr Andrew M. Khan [ Deceased] – A great Educator in Trinidad and Tobago.
My Brother, Justice Addison M. Khan [Deceased] – Former President of the Industrial Court in Trinidad and Tobago. He wrote several law books which are being used in schools and Universities. He won a National Award from the Government of Trinidad and Tobago for meritorious service.
My Brother, David V. Khan [ Deceased]– Acting Comptroller of Customs and Excise in Trinidad and Tobago. He loved Literature and encouraged me to write.
My Husband Rashiff Mohammed, a former Bank Manager and Executive in a car firm – Although he has only read one book I wrote on my father’s memoirs, he has been very supportive of all my careers – Banking, Insurance, and Writing. He was my rock when Cancer struck.
Favourite books
- The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale
- Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins
Where to Next?
Wherever my writing takes me.
How to Write for Success has valuable nuggets of truth for new and aspiring authors.
Follow Brenda on her Amazon Universal Link and check out all 21 of her books.
Brenda is selfless in inspiring, aspiring, and new authors in that anything is possible with commitment and humility in accepting that as writers, we too, are a work in progress.
I offer my gratitude to Brenda Mohammed for sharing her amazing journey as a prolific multi-genre, multi-award-winning author.
Please start the conversation today by adding your thoughts in the comment box below on sharing, supporting and learning from a global community of writers.
Happy Reading! Happy Writing!
Do You Remember The Days?
Do you remember the things you did during your childhood that defines what you do as an adult?
I remember being passionate about drama, performance and the pleasure it elicited. When I say being passionate about plays, I mean reading them with great zeal.
Growing up in apartheid South Africa on the ‘wrong’ side of the colour line meant that going to the theatre was not an option. Additionally, television had not been introduced into the country. I make reference to this in an earlier post, To Kill a Mockingbird Moment Realised, here.
I remember going to the library, standing in a long queue to add my name on the waiting list for a particular playscript I was eager to read.
One such play that is vividly remembered is Toad of Toad Hall written by A.A Milne as the dramatisation of Kenneth Graham’s, The Wind in the Willows.
Growing up under the horrendous apartheid regime in South Africa makes the adult me smile at this choice. As much as the child enjoyed Rat’s, Badger’s, Mole’s and Toad’s car and caravan adventures, the deeper issues were lost in the euphoria of ‘putting this on stage’ in the apartment building of my childhood.
Actors were sourced from eager children who were hungry for entertainment during the school break. Parents were at work and no laws protected downtown children from being left at home alone with an occasional check in from an elderly neighbour- this was all an aspiring eight-year-old producer needed!
Parts were allocated and lines rehearsed over two days. Pitch, tone, movement and a haphazard choreography were based on the whim of the eight-year-old producer who ensured she donned a hat and a scarf for a theatrical edge that was akin to those seen in magazines and the Sunday newspaper.
What a time was had by all! An intermission was in place and red Kool-Aid duly served as the drink of choice in plastic wine glasses to an innocent audience ranging in years from five to ten. Mothers’ costume jewellery, ‘plastic pearls’ and hats with feathers were placed askew on little heads for attendance at this momentous production in the dining-room of my parent’s apartment.
Innocent children made their debut into the world of theatre, revelling in being transported to a magical world away from the tedium and boredom that sets in after playing all the games children could come up with during a six-week long school break.
Fast-forward decades later, in another country of choice, the itch takes hold, not as a theatrical producer, but one who has started to pen fictional tales of life and its challenges, thus Across Time and Space is born.
Such, such were the joys of childhood.
What do you remember of your childhood that lingers fondly as a defining moment? Share your thoughts below.
School BOOK TALK
It’s with gratitude that I write this post today in respect for the invitation to speak on reading and writing at a local school whose English Faculty and Librarian are tirelessly working to foster a love for reading to encourage students to expand their horizons and improve their speaking and writing skills.
Leading up to my talk, students were asked to send me their response to, ‘I enjoy reading because…’ – a simple question that elicited some thoughtful responses from teenagers.
Here are a few lines that suggest that young readers seek refuge between the pages of a book:
- I enjoy reading because it is a spectacular and intriguing ticket to a distinctive and captivating dimension which either creates a gulp of despair or a shiver down my spine.
- I enjoy reading because it allows me to be in two places at once.
- I enjoy reading because it allows me to escape reality without leaving the comfort of my home
- I enjoy reading because it allows me to broaden my horizons without having to get on a ship and sail halfway across the world…
- I love reading because my heart is satisfied- my heart learns more than my brain can ever know- I learn priceless lessons. It’s the portal to my heart.
Additionally to complement the study of Cry Freedom I was asked to share my apartheid, South African experience on a personal level to forge greater connections to students’ appreciation and understanding of the world through the study of their school selected text.
The sharing of a terrible history elicited compassion and questions from students on how one overcomes this decimation of one’s people and identity and yet remain simple and humble, free from anger. My response was, that drawing from family values, the people one associates with and careful selection of role models will ultimately work in sync to fortify and support the entrance into light from darkness. I cited Nelson Mandela’s ideology of tolerance, acceptance, and forgiveness as the selfless way forward. This attribute shapes the crafting of the character, Marcia Ntuli, in my novel Across Time and Space.
The final message was that reading expands understanding of diverse ways of thinking, promotes exposure to varied writing styles and elicits inspiration from the unique crafting of characters and their experiences.Ultimately it’s about allowing strength to grow from fear.
To Quote Jane Austen:
I declare after all there is no enjoyment like reading! How much sooner one tires of anything than of a book! – When I have a house of my own, I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.
Here’s to many hours of delightful and informative reading!
What are your views on the benefits of reading for teenagers today and into the future? Extend the conversation today.
You must be logged in to post a comment.