MR ROMANTIC

A man and his wife traveled to the zoo. They found a monkey who was passionately playing with his female. His wife said to him, "What a romantic couple."

Then, they found a lion and his lioness separated from each other; the silent lion sat alone in his corner as if the lioness did not exist. His wife said to him, "What a sad scene without love."

Her husband then said to her, “Throw that stone at the lioness and watch.” When she threw the stone at her, the lion roared to defend his lioness. Then they saw the monkeys again and she did the same by throwing a stone; the monkey then jumped up and abandoned his female to save his own skin. 

Her husband then told her, “Do not be deceived by what you see as romance in some, often it is a deceiving appearance that hides an empty heart; there are others on the contrary who show nothing, but their hearts are full of sincere love."

"Sadly  we have so many monkeys, and so few lions nowadays."

AUTHOR INTERVIEW

 

What is the name of the book and when was it published?

HALF A LION by PALLE E.K. OSWALD published on January 27, 2022.

What’s the book’s first line?

Dying is easy, dying well is hard.

What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.

Apocalypto meets Game of Thrones in this blockbuster debut about a land trapped in eternal warfare and a young warrior who must rise above the clash of princes to bring a new age.

What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?

The stories that I am. I have always been an avid reader. As a kid growing up in a small town and a lowly neighborhood, I never knew we were poor, even though my mother constantly reminded me of it. How could I be poor when I had magical powers going to a boarding school for the gifted (Harry Potter), or a mysterious man who recently came into some fortune and seeks revenge (The Count of Monte Cristo)? I sought refuge in those stories. Even more, I would listen to my grandfather tell stories of our tribe and family, of personal legends (like an ancestor who fought off a tiger with bare hands and earned the moniker HAND OF A TIGER, a name I inherited), and gruesome battles (like magically burying the raiders of a rival army and allowing one survivor to return with the demoralizing news that stopped further incursions). The stories never left me. It was my name after all. Half A Lion is inspired by, and taps into, that rich vein of legends and folklore.

What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?

To those looking for a refreshing setting and culture, a mythical tale of conflicted heroes, intricate plotting, and blockbuster action. The story will show you the power of unconditional love and only break your heart when it matters. You will bathe in a storm and find warmth in a blazing bushfire. You will taste betrayal and wash it down with a sip of vengeance. You will ride wildebeests through haunted jungles and live a dozen lives. You will dance with giant wolves under a red sun, and rest on the beast throne. If that is your kind of adventure, you have found a LION to run with.

What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character?

Love. Not the romantic love that is a staple of the genre. My main character has immense loyalty and is ready to die a hundred thousand times if only to protect those he loves. He abandons all safety and comfort to journey into a brutal, unforgiving world for a chance to prove his love.

And he speaks to the dead.

Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?

Karsa Orlong (Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson). Uncompromising loyalty and ragged determination. A character naïve and pure in spirit, and whose justice might be savage, but it is just.

When did you first decide to become an author?

When I traveled to Sweden for Undergraduate Studies. At seventeen, being alone in a foreign country, studying and working full-time was hard. It was difficult balancing all of that and having time for any social life. I struggled with an emotional storm. For me, reading had been an escape. I began writing as a release, and it helped me ride the storm.

Is this the first book you’ve written?

Yes, this is my first novel. I have written short stories. But HALF A LION is my debut novel.

What’s the best and the hardest part of being an indie?

It is great to see characters come alive just as I imagined them, and the creative freedom of telling their story. To create pages laced with magic and dreams trapped in ink. Though the input from beta readers and editors are important, the indie author dictates. Also, the control over the publication process (book design, cover, release date, etc.). In a way, the book is my Horcrux, and it feels nice to have shaped it as I wish.

However, as a relative unknown, it is hard to break out as an indie author. I lack the established machinery (budget and tried-and-trusted processes) and relationships enjoyed by traditional publishers or well-known indie authors. Nonetheless, it is sweet pain.

What’s a great piece of advice that you can share with fellow indie authors?

Writing can be a lonely road, relatable only to those who have walked it. The writing community is littered with both great authors (traditional and indie) and fine individuals. The bond between authors has been beautiful to experience. For whatever it’s worth, I’ll tell fellow indie authors to support and celebrate each other’s success as frequently and proudly as if it’s theirs. When your neighbor receives gifts, it means Santa is in your neighborhood.

Is there something in particular that motivates you?

Immortality. I know that sounds pretentious. I fancy the idea though. Long when I’m gone, on chilly November night, I wish somebody will close a book and as they set it down beside a cup of tea, they would wonder, “Who is this PALLE E.K. OSWALD fellow? Good author.”

Paying the bills would be nice too.

 

Which book do you wish you could have written?

None. All the books that I love are so because they were well-done. But someday, I wish to write a canon that exports African gods and legends to the world. Something to entertain and educate, like an African Iliad.

***

Interested in reading HALF A LION? Here is an excerpt| Excerpt 2

OR

Buy HALF A LION

 

HALF A LION Cover

 

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a COVER. Before you ask, no lions were burnt in the making of this beauty. The journey enters a new horizon. Now you must make a choice. This story will show you the face of unconditional love and only break your heart when it matters. You will bathe in a storm and find warmth in a blazing bushfire. You will taste betrayal and wash it off with a sip of vengeance. You will ride through haunting jungles and live a dozen lives. You will dance with wolves under a red sun. The adventure might not be for everyone, but if you are half as curious as I think you are, you have found a LION to run with.

“Destiny is a choice.”

Follow on Facebook and Goodreads| Palle E.K. Oswald, and Twitter| @pekoswald

An Excerpt from HALF A LION

 

Below is an excerpt from my upcoming debut novel HALF A LION. Stories and songs have been favored staples of the oral African traditions passed down the generations. In this book, I combine two of my great loves; history and poetry. Happy reading and watch this space.

***

Mansah loosened his sword in its scabbard and checked the arrows in his quiver. Then he wrapped his robe tighter around himself and settled down to listen to a group of warriors chant A Song of Blood and Feathers.

“Long ago, lived a warrior with dreams untold

With hair of glowing coal, eyes of a fiery gold

His blade was fine and bow of pine

Into the darkness, he braved the cold

 

The White Garden held a fate unknown

 For what was beyond, he longed to own

A haunted boy ached for honor's sake

 And in the jungle, you wish you take

 

Blood on stones, pinch of scathing daggers

The warrior climbed, each step on weak boulders

The Garden fought back with flashes in the dark

Yet willing hearts triumph where strength staggers

 

Under the moonlit shower, the injured bird lay

Words unhurried, to beg and pray

For a chance to see the eagle dance

And the moon blinded in a feathery trance

 

 

Far away, a dozen winged beasts soared

And in the twilight, the great warrior roared

They came swooping to answer a master's call

Where no one dares, there you will find your all.”

 

“Feels good to hear the words of our forefathers,” someone said behind him.

Mansah looked over his shoulder to see the chief frowning. He had not even heard the man approach. He sighed. “The songs always talk of glorious victories, but never of untimely deaths, my chief,” he said, thinking of the tribesmen who had screamed for help as the bushfires seized them.

Kheng sat down beside him, his armor creaking. “The songs are not meant to remind us of death, but to celebrate a great life,” the chief said. “The skyfather makes some people faster, some louder, some stronger. But in death, one skeleton is the same as the other. It is the gift of life that matters, the hearts given to each of us, and what we do with it. When it is all done, the skyfather will ask you what you did with that strong heart he gave to you, that keen nose, that sharp eye. The songs of the tribe will answer for you.”

Debut novel: HALF A LION

 

I hear only good things from my beta readers 📚 It is quite humbling. To think the young black kid who would split open his toes playing soccer barefoot on the stony streets of a ghetto now leaves footprints in the minds of readers all over the world. We rise only as high as our dreams. Dream big dreams 🧠
It is an honor to add to the plethora of African literature. It might be a drop in the river, but I believe without it, the river would be missing something. I always had a fascination with the origin and meaning behind our African culture and legends. I created a world from it.
Fun fact: At the risk of sounding like a misogynist, with all the gore and dark themes in this manuscript, I had a secret worry it was going to put off women. I'm glad I was so wrong. The most lavish praises have been from you 🙈

See the summary:

The jungle simmers with discontent, inhabited by desperate people in an insufficient land. In the middle of the unrest is the Lion tribe, ruled by a family as brutal and ruthless as the land they inherited. However, the Lion chief is dead. Across barren wastelands and sweeping forests, the tribes stake their claim.

It is a tale of shamans and warriors, chiefs and wanderers, shapeshifters and bleak omens. A disinherited Prince wants the loyalty of sworn enemies; a young woman seeks conquest; a tribe of wildebeest riders smell a price; a fourteen-year-old boy undertakes a perilous journey to find his way back home.

As folklore comes alive and old spirits walk the mountains, amid tragedy and victory, honor and betrayal, everyone must gamble for the most elusive fate of all – survival.

For more updates, watch this space.