THE ESSENCE OF TEACHING

 

An old man meets a young man who asks:
“Do you remember me?”
And the old man says no. Then the young man tells him he was his student, And the teacher asks:

“What do you do, what do you do in life?”
The young man answers:
“Well, I became a teacher.”
“Ah, how good, like me?” asks the old man.
“Well, yes. In fact, I became a teacher because you inspired me to be like you.”

The old man, curious, asks the young man at what time he decided to become a teacher. And the young man tells him the following story:
“One day, a friend of mine, also a student, came in with a nice new watch, and I decided I wanted it.

I stole it, I took it out of his pocket.
Shortly after, my friend noticed the his watch was missing and immediately complained to our teacher, who was you.
Then you addressed the class saying, ‘This student's watch was stolen during classes today. Whoever stole it, please return it.’
I didn't give it back because I didn't want to.
You closed the door and told us all to stand up and form a circle.

You were going to search our pockets one by one until the watch was found.
However, you told us to close our eyes, because you would only look for his watch if we all had our eyes closed.
We did as instructed.

You went from pocket to pocket, and when you went through my pocket, you found the watch and took it. You kept searching everyone's pockets, and when you were done you said ‘Open your eyes. We have the watch.’
You didn't tell on me and you never mentioned the episode. You never said who stole the watch either. That day you saved my dignity forever. It was the most shameful day of my life.
But this is also the day I decided not to become a thief, a bad person. You never said anything, nor did you even scold me or take me aside to give me a moral lesson.

I received your message clearly.
Thanks to you, I understood what a real educator needs to do.
Do you remember this episode, professor?
The old professor answered, ‘Yes, I remember the situation with the stolen watch, which I was looking for in everyone’s pocket. I didn't remember you, because I also closed my eyes while looking.’

This is the essence of teaching:
If to correct you must humiliate; you don't know how to teach

NOW AVAILABLE

 

WE'RE LIVE!

Ladies and gentlemen,

I'm thrilled and excited to say Half a Legend is now published on Amazon. Profoundly glad to have you along for the ride once again as we accompany our reluctant hero on his adventures to discover his place in an ever-changing world. It has not been an easy journey. We've lost friends along the way, fought giant wolves, battled shamans, survived exile, and challenged for the beast throne.

Now, we must confront a curse in our family, outwit skinchangers, and avoid the enslavement of our people by a brutal kingdom - all while holding together a fragile coalition of distrusting tribes.

It would take nothing less of a Legend to pull this off.

Grab a copy HERE

HALF A LEGEND Book Giveaway

 

A legend is truth wrapped in layers of time. And those that endure, endure for a reason.

SAKHAN is born a third son, a half-blood, and an abomination. Nothing is expected of him. So, when a seer foretells his power and greatness, the people are mystified as to how it will come to pass.

Join the young chief on this epic adventure as he fights for the legend of his promised greatness.

Reviews:

"It explores African folklore in extremely intriguing new ways mixed really well with fantasy elements! It's epic, glorious, intense, and dramatic!" - Lia (Goodreads Review)

"An epic cover, an epic title, and an epic continuation to The Half Tales series that is a must-read for fans of fantasy, riveting character journeys, or African folklore." - Angela (Goodreads Review)

"This book is so amazing! It's got everything you need in a book. Good characters, suspense, beautiful writing, intrigue." - Fallingleave (Goodreads Review)

This is your chance to win a copy of Half a Legend. It is a sequel to Half a Lion, but can be read as a standalone. Click HERE to enter the free book giveaway (US only). It ends 03/14/23.

Or click HERE to pre-order for only $0.99.

Thanks and looking forward to what you think of this installment. 

HALF a LEGEND

 

On a riverbank in the sacred jungle known as Abu Maa, new Chief Sakhan and his tribesmen make a desperate last stand against the long-prophesied return of the slavers.
Unmatched in determination and savagery, this whirlpool of conquest and bloodlust will embroil their world in one of the bloodiest conflicts it has ever known, shaping destinies and giving birth to legends. And what is this brief mortal life, if not the writing of legend?

Coming 03/13/23

Half a Legend is already getting rave reviews HERE

HALF A LEGEND Blurb

 SAKHAN is born a third son, a half-blood, and an abomination. Nothing is expected of him. So, when a seer foretells his power and greatness, the people are mystified as to how it will come to pass.

Sixteen-year-old Sakhan is now the new chief of a weak tribe in a world of sworn enemies, cunning skinchangers, and devastating earth magic. Surrounded by those who would rather have his head than his friendship, Sakhan must face the impossible to evade the enslavement of his people as he confronts a curse that lurks in his family and a conquering army that invades his lands.

Join the young chief on this epic adventure as he fights for the legend of his promised greatness. 

Half a Lion

 

Life's so treacherous. One moment you're lost in a carnival of delights, with poignant childhood memories, the flashing wishes of puberty, all that sentimental candy-floss. The next, it leads you somewhere you don't want to go. Somewhere damp and cold, filled with the ambiguous shapes of wishes unfulfilled. So when you find yourself facing that incoming anxiety of a life barely lived, wondering where all the time went. Remember there's always books. Books are the emergency portal. You can just step in, and embrace all those beautiful things you wished to enjoy. You can experience a thousand lifetimes, one page at a time.

Experience a new world with HALF A LION for a thunderous adventure.

Dulce et decorum est

 

Bent double, like old beggars under sacks,

Knock-kneed, coughing like hags, we cursed through sludge,

Till on the haunting flares we turned our backs,

And towards our distant rest began to trudge.

Men marched asleep. Many had lost their boots,

But limped on, blood-shod. All went lame; all blind;

Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots

Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

Gas! GAS! Quick, boys!—An ecstasy of fumbling

Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,

But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime.—

Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,

As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.

In all my dreams before my helpless sight,

He plunges at me, guttering, choking, drowning.

If in some smothering dreams, you too could pace

Behind the wagon that we flung him in,

And watch the white eyes writhing in his face,

His hanging face, like a devil’s sick of sin;

If you could hear, at every jolt, the blood

Come gargling from the froth-corrupted lungs,

Obscene as cancer, bitter as the cud

Of vile, incurable sores on innocent tongues,

My friend, you would not tell with such high zest

To children ardent for some desperate glory,

The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est

Pro patria mori.

By Wilfred Owen

Half a Legend

Half a Legend, The Half Tales #2

A bigger, wilder blockbuster. The epic thrill ride continues. This book is the hardest I've written. As much as I was chosen by the story, I've been inspired by the characters. I can't wait for you to experience their growth. As the stars fade, the moon dips and the sun rises, the earth dries up and the seasons come anew, a warleader must break the bloody circle. 🐺

"Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage against the dying of the light." ⚔️

I'll rate it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
But don't take my word for it. I might be biased as I wrote it 😁

Take a look for yourself. Add on Goodreads for news on giveaways and publication. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/60581925-half-a-legend

Follow me on Twitter @pekoswald

Illustration by Nicole Cardiff

FULL OF PEACE

 

“Drink water from the spring where horses drink. The horse will never drink bad water.

Lay your bed where the cat sleeps. 

Eat the fruit that has been touched by a worm.

Boldly pick the mushroom on which the insects sit. 

Plant the tree where the mole digs. 

Build your house where the snake sits to warm itself. 

Dig your fountain where the birds hide from heat. 

Go to sleep and wake up at the same time with the birds — you will reap all of the day’s golden grains. 

Eat more green — you will have strong legs and a resistant heart, like the beings of the forest. 

Swim often and you will feel on earth like the fish in the water. 

Look at the sky as often as possible and your thoughts will become light and clear.

Be quiet a lot, speak little — and silence will come in your heart, and your spirit will be calm and full of peace.”

Saint Seraphim of Sarov

WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO WRITE?

"What inspired you to write this story?"

A very good question that I get often. However, the answer is not as simple as the question seems. I do not come from a reading culture. Not enough extra cash to spend on novels, and even less spare time to read them. Reading for pleasure was a luxury that a struggling family could not afford. Writing them is even more alien. So how did I get here?

I was a child in-between. The only child to a single mother, I grew up in a household of grandparents, uncles and aunts. So I was conscious enough to not be as childish as my age mates, but not "mature" enough to be considered in older circles. Smart enough to be in the same class as older children, but not "big" enough to truly belong. Luckily, my grandfather worked at a printing press, so there were always reading materials lying about. My imagination became my closest friend, and I drifted towards books as water to the desert of my bountiful curiosity. Between those pages, I could be anything. In the quiet spaces, I could be anyone. 

 Novels are often a reflection of the human condition - the struggle to overcome hardship. Hence, reading them is escapist. You can consider my writing as homage to that human condition. Writing took me out of a dark place. Not only could I experience a different life, I could create different world. So what better place to write about than a place I've heard fun tales about, and what better story to write about than a boy overcoming a tough time. 

Enter Half a Lion, a fantasy story of siblings fighting for a throne set in Africa. It is a world in which any number of wonderous things can happen, like employing animalistic magic for one's bidding, or manipulating nature to one's purpose. Africans would tell you there is nothing fantastically about such things. Witchcraft is real. Whether these elements are make-believe or not, the story carries a very human story at its core. For me, Half a Lion is a book that goes beyond the words used to describe it. I still aspire to be as loving, as loyal and as determined as its protagonist. For a reader, I hope the experience is the same. 

There is something about books that stirs the human spirit and puts fire in the heart. Hardship inspired me to write, and writing helped me. May our struggles spur us into action, and not into depression. Without adversity, success has no punchline. Keep the faith.

HALF A LION Excerpt

 

THE DISTANT MUSIC gradually faded as Adah walked into the Haunted Forest overran with ancient trees. The tribesmen believed the spirits of those who died fighting the Guth Honkai lingered here, hence the name. She had come to savor these private moments, away from the gossiping of the women. There were moments she truly felt like an outsider. She did not even look like one of them. Where they bore large bosoms and firm breasts, she had a tiny frame and small buds on her chest just enough to convince everyone she was a girl. After all these years, she would still see a few tribesmen staring at her with fear and suspicion.

Her only true friend was Sakhan, her bone brother and earliest memory. Adah had little recollection prior to the night the Lions found them wandering the outskirts of the village, tired and starving. She still remembered the chief pale with sickness. At six, Adah emptied her bladder when she saw the head of a lion staring down at her from the huge man's shoulders. It was a long time ago, but the memory was still fresh in her mind. Even though they were on the brink of exhaustion, there was no pity in the chief's eyes as the council debated, his hands lingering over a wound on his chest. If he had thrown them out, it would have meant certain death. The Lions were still agitated after their recent clash with the Abun raiders. But just when the chief was about to pronounce a verdict, a lanky boy sneaked from behind the throne and ran up to Adah.

''Who let him in here?'' the chief snapped.

Before the guards could grab the boy, he held out a small piece of meat to her. ''Are you hungry?'' Sakhan asked.

The men watched in a trance as she took the chunk of beef and shared it with her mother.

Before any of them recovered, Sakhan grabbed her arm and led her away. If the chief had truly wanted them to stay remained a secret between the chief and the skyfather.

The events of that night came back to Adah whenever her mother had her sudden fits of fever. The old woman was sick that night as well and every turn of the moon since. So Adah had to find spirit flowers for her healing tea. pa Wukhem had always allowed her in his farm to harvest some. But for some reason, the man denied this time.

Adah was still hopeful though. Her mother always said everything could be found in the Haunted Forest if one knew where to look. These woods were sacred to the Lions through the generations. There was even a popular story of how Sakhan's mother healed the chief by following a sick dog around the woods and taking note of the grasses it ate. One of them was  a spirit flower.

The grey orb was bright overhead as Adah cut through a small pine grove, itchy grasses brushing against her shin. She had a bow slung over her shoulder and a quiver strapped to her hip. If beasts prowled here, they would not make a meal of her. Adah was about to clear the grove when, out of nowhere, the woods began to whisper. She halted and listened. The Haunted Forest was not a place for night-time meetings. They must be runaway lovers, she thought. Giggling, Adah quietly tip-toed toward the voices.

''And the general wants me to bring it to him?'' a familiar voice asked.

''The ancestral blade will lift the curse, he is certain. When should we expect you?'' There was no reply, only the chirping of crickets.

''I will come as soon as I can. Tell him the boy and his mother are well.''

The voices came from behind an enormous pine tree. The ancestral blade? This meeting was a deliberate secret, she realized, and a dangerous one as well. Adah backed away, trying to slip into a nearby bush when she stumbled on a half-buried root and crashed into a pile of cones. The whispering stopped and a strained silence followed her fall. Then she heard movement behind  the  tree. Adah quickly stood up and sprinted into the darkness.

The tall grasses whipped and lashed at her, the moaning of the wind in her ears. She leaped and ran, stumbled and staggered, pine needles and cones pressing underfoot. Before long, Adah cleared the pine grove and was racing into the thicker woods. She heard the pounding of hooves gaining on her. Adah tried to remember the direction of old Charchar's cabin but her mind was blank. All it said was run. She sprinted blindly now and tripped over a fallen sapling, tumbling onto her chest just as something zoomed past inches from her head. Her face scrubbed the forest floor and pain blazed in her head.

The bow had jolted from her grasp, and when Adah struggled to her knees again, three horses encircled her, their riders cutting dark silhouettes in the moonlight. For a moment, she caressed her sprained wrist, moaning. None of the riders made to move. The drummers could barely be heard now. The chase had led them further away from the palace. Adah looked up at the faces and recognized they were not Lions. What was happening?

A fourth rider trotted up to the scene. ''Kill her,'' the familiar voice commanded and a bow began to creak, picking its mark.

  ***

Enjoyed this sample, you can continue reading Half a Lion HERE