Sudan and Kashmir make finalists in 2012 Indie Excellence Book Awards

Two of my novels received recognition this week – The Sudan Curse and Kashmir on a Knife-Edge.

My first novel, The Sudan Curse, published by Strategic Book Publishing in New York in 2009 was a finalist in the 2012 National Indie Excellence Book Awards under the Faction category. The ‘Faction’ category (fiction based on fact) was introduced for the first time in 2012. My second novel, Kashmir on a Knife-Edge, published in 2010, was a finalist under the Regional Fiction category.

On May 29, 2012, the National Indie Excellence Book Awards were announced in California, USA. Indie Excellence is open to all English language books including those from small presses, mid-sized independent publishers, university presses, and self-published works. Works published in 2009, 2010 and 2011 were accepted for award consideration.

The National Indie Excellence Awards were first established six years ago in 2006, with a few categories, and are now a leading book competition for independent artists and publishers. As the indie publishing industry mushroomed, the number of categories also expanded. The NIEA celebrates overall excellence, including design. The award announcements receive extensive media coverage in the United States which partners the publicity campaigns of my publisher, Strategic Book Publishing.

http://sbpra.com/martinanicolls/

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2016 update on Rike Park, Tbilisi: from construction to busy park

From a flat patch of uninteresting dirt, Rike Park in Tbilisi, Georgia, has transformed in four years (from 2014-2016) into a busy park full of trees, flower beds, sculptures, fountains, and events. Rike (Rikhe) Park is on the left bank of the Mt’k’vari River (the Kura River) near the Old City of Tbilisi. The Peace Bridge links the right bank to Rike Park. Rike Park is below the hillside Presidential Palace and, via cable car, it is the starting point for the ride to Sololaki Ridge (with the Narikala Fortress and the Mother of Georgia statue). The glass box-shaped cable car terminus was opened on 23 June 2012, and since then the park has continually developed into a ‘people’s park’ where people can walk around, eat at the nearby restaurants, sit next to the statue of American president Ronald Reagan, climb the steps to Avlabari district, and access the sights of Meidan Square, the Peace Bridge, the Metekhi Church, the Old City, the waterfall, the sulphur baths, and t...

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There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

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