Announcing the release of my new book on Mongolia

My new book on Mongolia, The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament, has been released. My work in Mongolia in 2010 inspired the writing of the novel.

THE SHORTNESS OF LIFE: A MONGOLIAN LAMENT is about the longest, bleakest winter on record. It is 2010 and a flu epidemic affects the capital, Ulaanbaatar, and most of the country. Hospitals are overcrowded, vaccine supplies are depleted, and healthcare workers are pushed to their limits. Crops, cattle, children, and the elderly are dying.

Amid accusations of sabotage, corruption, and misappropriation, health expert, Jorja Himmermann, finds peace from her apartment window, watching Brik the dog, the unmoving mastiff, and Bruce the naked man, the graceful wrestler. She finds advice in the prophecies of her colleague’s message cards and ancient Mongolian proverbs.

Published by Archway Publishing, the novel is available through the publisher or at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Hardcover, 6x9 in, 310 pages, ISBN 9781480821071

Softcover, 6x9 in, 310 pages, ISBN 9781480821064

E-book, 310 pages, ISBN 9781480821088

For review copies or interviews, contact Marketing Services, Archway Publishing on 1-888-242-5904 or pressrelease@archwaypublishing.com

DISTRIBUTOR: Lightening Source UK Ltd. Chapter House, Pitfield, Kiln Farm, MK11 3LW, Milton Keynes, UNITED KINGDOM

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- 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 Sudan Curse (2009).

Comments

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Apes go to the movies - and remember the scenes

Apes remember major events in movies, even after a single viewing. That’s the findings of primate research in Japan (New Scientist, September 17, 2015). Researchers at the Kyoto University in Japan conducted experiments with two species of apes – chimpanzees and bonobo primates – to test their memory and recall. Instead of using food to test memory, they used films. The researchers made two short movies to show to the apes. Fumihiro Kano and his colleague, Satoshi Hirata, starred in the films with another person dressed as an ape. They wanted to have strong dramatic scenes to see if the apes remembered them. In the first 30-second movie the character ape bursts through a door on the right hand side (there is also a door on the left hand side) and attacks the two researchers (characters) 18 seconds after the start. After 24 seconds a human character choses one of two weapons next to each other and launched a revenge attack on the ape. In the second 30-second movie t...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

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...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog