I actually have a couple of Jan's book on my TBR list, Milele Safari and a compilation she put together called Dreamless Roads. I'm working in that direction, but you guys know how TBR lists get.
Jan is here today to tell us about Milele Safari.
Milele Safari – An Eternal Journey …twines around a single day, in an unremarkable border village that snuffs out the lives of four people and shatters many others, only to draw the survivors back to a different time and, perhaps, a hope of atonement and peace. Step out on the journey and discover an Africa that could have been, is and might one day come to be.
Sophie’s choices
My pivotal protagonist in Milele Safari is Sophie Taylor, whose fiancé Tom, dies in tragic circumstances during the central incident that all the other main character storylines revolve around.
I didn’t know everything about Sophie at first and, believe me, it took a while to find out what her backstory was. If I’d had the chance to interview her, this is probably how it would have gone…
JH – Victoria Falls… sorry, Mosi-Oa-Tunya, holds a lot of significance for you. When did you first go there?
ST – It was for my sister’s wedding. I was fourteen and Claire and Grant were living in Zimbabwe, so they booked The Victoria Falls Hotel for the ceremony and reception (Grant was earning mega-bucks working in the Tobacco Exchange back then). The hotel’s a gorgeous place, like stepping back into the Edwardian colonial era. My parents loved it there, so we always started or finished our visits to Claire at the hotel, and flew via Vic Falls International.
JH – And the time you went there with Tom?
ST – (colouring slightly) That was almost 5 years later. I’ve got so many lovely memories of the southern side of the falls in Zimbabwe. That’s why I couldn’t go there in 2007 – I didn’t want to see the hotel again, in case it tarnished my memories. The Zambian side is more interesting anyway, for me. Like walking out to the edge of the cascades – you can’t do that from the Zimbabwe shore.
JH – It certainly is one of the most impressive sights in the world. Going back to your time working in Zambia, was this a gap year thing?
ST – It was, but also a lead-in to my university courses, so it seemed like a good idea to do some teaching assistant work with Voluntary Services Overseas. That all changed of course, after Tom was murdered.
JH – That must have been terrible for you. But why the switch from wanting to be a teacher to going to medical school instead?
ST – It wasn’t a snap decision exactly… I was all over the place after I got back from Zambia, first recovering from the miscarriage and malaria, and then I just fell apart basically – wouldn’t admit I was severely depressed until I broke down completely. Going to uni just wasn’t on the agenda for nearly a year. When I had got my head together a little, I decided that I was interested in learning more about psychiatric conditions and tropical diseases.
JH – Still a bit of a leap though?
ST – Not so much, really. I’d been seeing a lot of Youssef (Jettou, Sophie’s surgeon mentor) as he’d been coming to see me during his sabbatical and we’d been talking about PTSD (1) after I started the EMDR (2) therapy. Plus, both my parents were in the Forces in surgical teams, and Claire was a nurse with CAMEO (3). I was the black sheep of the family for not wanting to go into a medical profession!
JH – Youssef was a big influence on you, I think?
ST – A huge one, yes. When I first met him he was still recovering from a massive burnout that prevented him from carrying on as a mobile-unit surgeon with CAMEO. In fact, he came back to England with me to go into re-hab for alcohol abuse. He could see the signs of what I was going through and how it would lead into that downward spiral. I had no place to hide from him, because he’d been through something similar. He’s a world expert in malaria and yellow fever, and he really helped me get things in perspective over what caused me to miscarry Tom’s baby.
JH – Why was that, Sophie?
ST – (another blush) At the time I was blaming everything that happened on Teresa. She’d suspected I had a dose of malaria and had wanted to test me, but… Well let’s put it this way – I was so antagonistic towards her, I completely ignored her attempts to discuss why I was having so many abdominal problems, before she left for Tanzania. If I’d listened to her, even a little, then there might have been a chance that malaria would have been diagnosed sooner, and the pregnancy might have stabilised.
JH – You blamed Dr. Olatunde for Tom’s death too?
ST – Initially, yes. And if she hadn’t reacted to the situation in the way she did, then perhaps Tom wouldn’t have tried to intervene on her behalf so catastrophically. I couldn’t forgive her for a long, long time afterwards, as she was the catalyst for her own and Tom’s murders. It wasn’t until I met Henry and Helga Zimmerman in London 10 years later, that I began to understand Teresa’s background better, and how that influenced her actions that day.
JH – You were never close to her while you were in Zambia then?
ST – Lord, no! I barely tolerated her because she and Tom were thick as thieves. He used to get really mad with me because I was so rude to her – told me over and over that she was like his big sister. I saw her as a threat because I was jealous of how close she was to Tom.
JH – Even though she was a nun?
ST – I’m not proud of it! I was a stupid kid – what can I say… Plain old green-eyed monster.
JH – Well, thanks for being so honest about it, Sophie – that’s explained a lot!
ST – We can’t like everyone we meet at work. I don’t think she thought much of me either, but then she had more provocation. Can we have a break for a bit, please – I think I need a beer!
JH – Me too! Very thirsty work these interviews…
1 PTSD – post-traumatic stress disorder
2 EMDR therapy – eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing. Developed in the late 1980’s, this type of therapy is commonly offered to people recovering from a violent experience and PTSD, particularly for war veterans, or victims of serious assault.
3 CAMEO – Co-ordinated Aid, Medicine and Education Organisation. An entirely fictional logistical umbrella group for several humanitarian organisations working all over the world.
***
Milele Safari – An Eternal Journey
Available on Amazon
Follow Jan Hawke on Social Media
Website: janhawke.me/
Twitter handle: @JanHawke
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/Jan-Hawke-386239624841750/
Craig here. Jan is the Spotlight author at the Rave Reviews Book Club. This blog tour is one of her benefits. As a member, I get the benefit of hosting her and we both gain exposure. If this sounds like a club for you, please check them out at this link RRBC. Tell them I sent you.
Reblogged this on Jan Hawke INKorporated and commented:
Thanks so much for putting me up today Craig – much appreciated! 😀 Thanks too for buying my books 🙂 Just to make sure people know, Dreamless Roads isn’t on the RRBC catalog, but it does have lots of quirky short fantasy stories written by myself and several good friends and was the first official title put out by my publishing concern, DreamWorlds Publishing
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Glad you could stop by. My bunch is usually good for quite a few comments, and I see some folks that don’t regularly stop over. Glad your book is doing so well. I promise to read both of them after I get out from under some reading commitments.
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I know all about the scourge of the TBR schedule Craig – I’m thankful that I’m on yours 😉
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Reblogged this on Skorn and commented:
More insight into Jan Hawke’s wonderful novel, ‘Milele Safari’ – don’t miss this!
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Cheers m’dear! 😀
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Yeah!… This interview brought it all back Jan. Going by how much time you spent in Kenya and thereabout, your insight into the beauty that is Africa is phenomenal. :). What great love! Congratulations Jan. Thank you ColdHand for supporting her.
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It’s real Beauty and the Beast stuff isn’t Joy! 😉 Africa is so full of contrasts – you can never be bored there! 🙂
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A most interesting setting for a story! The characters seem well-developed with a lot of history between them. Wishing you much success with the book, Jan!
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Thank you for the lovely comment, Mae. 😀 I’m really happy with the attention Milele Safari is getting and the great responses to it 🙂
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A terrific backstory on Sophie Jan. I love character interviews and enjoyed this one. Thanks Craig for hosting.
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Cheers John – thanks so much for coming along and all the support 😀
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🙂
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I love your character interview, Jan. I look forward to reading Milele Safari! Have a great Tour!!
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So glad you liked it Gwen 😀 I took to Sophie straight off as she’s a little gruff until you get to know her – the need for a cool beer was a crucial bonding device I must admit… 😛
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Great job, Jan! Sophie had it tough, but she persevered! I’ll say it again–I highly recommend Milele Safari!
Thank you for hosting, Craig!
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Thanks for everything Rebecca – your support for Milele is so kind. Awesome in fact! 😀
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I really enjoyed the interview. Milele Safari sounds really, really good. Best of luck to you, Jan!
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Thank you for coming in today, Sue. 🙂 Coming from you, that’s high praise indeed 😀
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Reblogged this on Kim's Author Support Blog.
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Thanks bunches for the re-blog Kim! 😀
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Pingback: Spotlight Author, Jan Hawke – Words Can Inspire the World
My 5* review of MILELE SAFARI: AN ETERNAL JOURNEY is at http://bit.ly/1Ogb5my It’s a really strong book, and I have the greatest respect for its author.
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❤ Robin – thanks you so much for all your support and for 'getting' why my book is an eternal journey 😀
The link to Robin's generous review was giving my PC some hiccups so here's another which may work better for people – http://amzn.to/1TQNeR0
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Congratulations, Jan! I wish you lavish reviews and much success!
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Thank you very much for coming in and saying good things Robin 😀
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A very deep and insightful book. I recommend it to anyone who hasn’t read it yet. 🙂
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(((Rebecca))) I’m so glad that people think the book’s well worth the effort as it’s so dark in places I thought it really was going to be a ‘marmite’ book (love it or hate it). So far most people seem to think it’s worth taking up the challenge – I’m so glad you were one of the first to to find your way Rebecca 😀
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I’m really beginning to appreciate what it takes to put together a character interview. Nice job, Jan.
Thanks for your support in hosting, Craig!
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This is the first time I’ve done a character interview Beem – it was a pretty good ride, but then Sophie likes a cold beer too lol 😉
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They get easier. I thought it was great.
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Jan, you may have given me a really interesting idea. I need to talk to a friend about it. Add muse to your list of accomplishments today.
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Woo-hoo that’s another first for me then! lol Thanks for making this such a smashing day Craig 😀
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You’re always welcome here. We had pretty good turnout.
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Jan I’m in the process of reading Milele Safari right now and I know that colonialism had a lot to do with the atrocities visited upon that country. I learned this years ago at the height of the genocide. You can’t inject a foreign culture onto a country and pit one tribe against another by showing favoritism. This builds us resentment and you get a Rwandan massacre. Now you are building your story as a backdrop on similar genocides. Nice Job!
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Colonialism has a lot to answer for Shirley, but it wasn’t just European or Middle Eastern Imperialism at fault. I took Rwanda as my model for the and the tension between Hutu and Tutsi was ingrained long before before ‘white men’ got to Central Africa, and even before, there was a gradual invasion of traditional Bantu territory by the Nilotic tribes from north and east Africa in the 1500s. The Tutsi (Watusi) were more war-like herdspeople who seized control and land from the Bantu farmers 500 years before that.
In more modern times, the colonising Europeans simply opted for the least line of resistance in letting the Tutsi keep their higher status, thus fostering continued resentment amongst the Hutu majority, even though most differences, including physical ones, between the two tribal factions were neglible, since there’d been so much intermarriage…
I just switched the dynamics around so the Matu warrior cattleherders became the rampaging underdogs looking for vengeance on the peaceful, favoured Lutse farmers! 😦
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Jan the history lesson just shows me that there is a lot more to learn about this tragedy. I think the only way American’s learn anything is through higher learning and most of us can’t afford that. I learned so much about MLK just from attending a community college. Letters from a Birmingham Jail was a fascinating look into his life – information that should be at the elementary level. I appreciate you my friend.
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Hi Jan! I loved this deep probing into Sophie’s character. A writer knows these characters so much better than the reader ever will. It is a joy to get the rare glimpse into what motivates and drives Sophie’s actions. I spend time writing pages of character development too. I’m glad to see that I’m mimicking my favorite RRBC mentors.
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We’re all of us standing on our heroes shoulders Linda! 😉 There are so many good writing habits to use as blueprints out there that we’re spoiled for choice! 😉 I’d never seen character interviews until I joined RRBC and in fact MY mentor was John Fioravanti who hijacked Nonnie into coming along on his tour of his future world of Genesis a while back. 😀
Can’t wait to find out more about your new dystopian characters in The Neon Houses… 🙂
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Pleased to meet you here, Jan. Good luck with your book.
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Lovely to meet you as well! Thank YOU so much for dropping in today, Ali 😀
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Reblogged this on Linda Mims and commented:
This is reblogged from author C. S. Boyack’s website where my good friend Jan Hawke is on tour with her exciting book Milele Safari!
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Thank you Linda.
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Cheers Linda! 😀
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A great way to get to know the character, Jan! I honestly think when I’m writing fiction I need to sit some of my characters down and do this! Mine tend to run off and do their own thing. Maybe you could interview them for me? 😉 Great job!
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I have that problem too Sherilyn! 😀 The worst was Luey, Sophie’s new bloke – he popped up out of nowhere and just lurked there, smouldering as only only a handsome guy with Italian AND Scottish ancestry can, daring me to figure him out! lol 😉
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