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Michael Allan Charles

Stories

4/12/2016

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I was in Kampot last week and had lunch in a hotel right on the river. There was a young British couple with a small child playing on the swings and we got to talking. When I asked them if they were on vacation they said no, we live here, and pointed to their house down the river a bit.. It turns out they had come on vacation a few years ago, lived in a rented house right beside the hotel and got to know the owners and fell in love with Cambodia. 

He was an electrician and she a teacher and they simply got up and left London, built their own house on the river and enjoy bringing up their child full time. When they lived in London, they told me, they spent all day working, putting their baby in child care and spent an hour or two talking to each other at night until they fell into bed exhausted. The man told me that he decided that was not the way he wanted to live with the woman he wanted to spend his whole life with so they packed up everything and left.

What is interesting he said, was that his parents, who had left Iran and Italy respectively, had a hard time with him leaving, although they had done the same thing to their parents one generation before. 

I wonder how many of you, dear readers, feel the same way as this young couple and feel like packing up and building a house in the middle of a wilderness on a river in the middle of Cambodia with no neighbours within miles? How many of you would have the courage to actually do it?
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Then there was the French middle aged couple I met making their way through Cambodia. They lived in Alsace but worked in Switzerland of all places. When I asked why, they said Switzerland hires the French because they work for less money than the Swiss and have a greater pool of skills because France is so large compared to Switzerland. They were very knowledgeable about the French in Cambodia. There are still signs of the French occupation, by the way,  like bakeries and going to sleep at lunch. Let's just hope you have no emergency at lunch time!

Unfortunately, I discovered a great bakery near my home. The bad news is that I will put on lots of weight, but the good news is I can get my old clothes altered very cheaply or even more cheaply get new clothes made,  so no problem. The French loaf is out of this world. 

Anyway, I had a long talk with the French couple who had toured Phnom Penh and asked if the pollution was bothering me and I had to embarrassingly say I never even noticed i,t but now that they did mention it to me it is started to bother me. Kampot is great with the river running to the sea ( or is that away from the sea?) but they were really looking forward to travelling to Siam Reap and planned to spend a week there which is probably a good idea since there is so much to see. 
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I am sure you will read these and other stories in my next novel, so you have something to look forward to read how I changed things but if you have not read my first novel yet, It All Started in Mandalay, what are you waiting for?
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Serendipity

3/1/2016

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What are the chances of someone in the chaise lounge next to mine reading my book It All Started in Mandalay?. If it was a mega best seller the chances would be pretty good, but I have a "selective" audience. This beautiful women, as it turned out, was actually reading my book, the book I wrote, the book . Unbelievable!!!!

​I was just fascinated watching her eye movements and wondering what chapter she was reading and what she thought of what she was reading.

Finally I had to break down and ask her where she was at in the book. She told me Rosa had just escaped from India and was on her way back to the Philippines. I asked her if she cried at this stage and she said she hardly ever cries. Wait till she gets to Paul's demise near the end of the book. If she does not cry at his death she never will. I cry every time I read it, and I wrote the story. It is an amazing experience to cry about some fiction that you know is totally made up but you cry anyway. Why? I understand that as a reader you may get caught up and identify with the character but I guess as a writer the same thing happens. What do they call that...a suspension of reality?

Needless to say, I autographed her ( my) book and she was thrilled to bits. Obviously I was even more thrilled but does she really have to know?

I can't wait for the day when I sit down at a beach somewhere again and two people are reading my book, one on either side of me!

Please buy the book here and in the blink of an eye it will be on your phone or computer. Buy it now It All started in Mandalay 
I can't remember whether I told you the story of a a new friend I made in my apartment in Phnom Penh. By chance he was from Kuala Lumpur and we started to talk about the book. Shockingly, he simply opened his phone and bought the book. That was almost as shocking as the woman reading my book right beside me. 

​The next thing you know, someone will be buying the movie rights!!!!
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Getting to Asia

1/2/2016

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Most of you will take an airplane, hopefully a little more modern than this, unless you live awfully close to Asia. I live in Canada and just accepted a job in Cambodia, so I have a long way to go and I do not think this plane would make it. 

A few things other than cost is important choosing the carrier you want to fly.One criteria is the route you want to take., if you are flying from Canada  To Asia , for example, avoid going through the United States because you will have to take you luggage off the plane to have the Americans inspect it. It is really a pain in the "shoulder." Try to only make one stop and it should be in Asia.

Another criteria is how much total time it will take. You should be able to do it within 24 hours if you choose your route carefully even though it can take 30 or more hours with layovers and so on and time is of the essence, ( unless you like airport food!

​Another thing to consider is which alliance you want to use because you can accumulate points quickly and you may as well use one alliance for all of your flights so you get get lunge privileges and ultimately a free trip to Asia if you want to go home for the winter break , for example.

 I choose a company like Eva Air out of Taiwan because they accept two bags for free which most airlines do not. They also, by chance, upgraded me for free on my flight and I got to sleep in first class. What an unbelievable experience. The toilets were cleaned after each use, you were served your meals whenever you requested them and there seemed to be one steward for each passenger and they knew your name!

I have also been upgraded on Air Canada and had a similar experience but certainly not the same, just similar. Asians know how to pamper. So pick your airline based on cost sure, but also on service, route, number of flying hours to Asia and type of plane. You simply cannot go wrong with an Asian carrier and it will be a great way to start your adventure in teaching in Asia. 
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And, of course, as I always remind you, don't forget to buy my book It All Started in Mandalay directly from the publisher or your favourite online source or bookstore ( Asia Books). Although it is a novel, it will give you pretty good insight into the characters you will meet overseas and for a few online dollars it will be an enjoyable and insightful read for you.
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Finding your Voice

11/26/2015

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I had a great story to tell which became It All Started in Mandalay, a love story about an expat teacher in Myanmar who was very happily married in her home country but came to Burma to make enough money to enable her children to go to school. Like most expats living and working in a foreign country, she discovered so much more than money. She found a beautiful Myanmar man and they had a baby together which led to so many complications. She could not marry the man because she was already married and in love with her husband. She could not have an abortion for a variety of reasons and the child could not stay in Myanmar. To find out what happened you have to read the book and I hope you will to find out the answer to all of the unanswered questions you may have. 
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I knew I had a great story that is repeated throughout the world more times than you can imagine and I was passionate about telling it. It had great characters, a wonderful plot and many powerful themes, but i was left with a rather important question. Who was going to tell this story?

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In the first draft,  I wrote from the point the point of view of the expat teacher,  the new mother. It was complicated because I had so many characters and it was hard to bring out their character in her  talking voice. When I gave the first draft to a few people like my brother, he said the book sounded like a North American male writing. Since the first person was an Asian and a woman, I figured I needed a major rewrite.

What next? I used the third person throughout except the end which I put it in italics and used the voice of the grown up daughter telling her side of the story which brought all of the lose ends together.

Since the book was written, I have learned that there was another way of doing this. I just put down JodiPicoult's new book, " Leaving Time" which is quite insightful, by the way, especially if you like elephants. 

She has about four main characters and she simply labels the chapters with their names and talks in their voice, first person. This works amazingly well and  I  wish I had done it. I think my book would be more powerful and "real"  

I know by looking at the sales records, I have sold my book in Europe, India, all over Canada and United States. If you are one of the readers, can you write me please and let me know if you think what I did works and if you think it would be more powerful to use the first person for each of the characters so that they could tell their own story.

If you have not read the book yet, please do so and keep sending me feedback. It is a great benefit for what I am writing now which I cannot wait to tell you about by it will have to wait for another blog article. 

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Second Edition of It All Started in Mandalay

7/7/2015

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I was in Asia Books at the Terminal 21 Mall in Bangkok last week holding my book.This is the biggest and newest mall in Bangkok and this is the biggest book store in Bangkok so it was quite a thrill.  Too bad there was no one there to take a picture and since I just have a stupid phone the picture I cold have taken will just remain in my head. I got quite a charge of holding the hardback edition of something I actually wrote.  If you read this blog regularly  you will know that a second edition of It all Started in Mandalay is now out . It is much better because I added thirty pages of dialogue which gives more insight into the characters.


I really appreciate all of the wonderful comments you have made which makes me feel so rewarded.  I am now back in Canada on holiday and  If there are Torontonians reading this, I just ordered some books I will keep in the trunk of my car to be delivered to your home, especially if you live near a golf course. I would also love to come and talk to your book club or reading group. Teachers seem to love the book the best because of my references to international teaching and education but I have received lots of kind notes from other who are not teachers.
There is no country in the world that is like Myanmar as you can see from all of these pictures. . The people, the sounds, the culture, the scenes. If you have not traveled to Myanmar yet you owe it to yourself to go there and see for yourself. But if you can't go there for whatever reason, at least read my book and get a little flavour of what you might see, hear and feel. 
You can buy the book at Asia books in you live in Asia but if you live elsewhere you can certainly order on line with any of your favourite book sellers or go directly to Friesen Press by pressing the button on the right. 


Happy reading
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Having stories to tell

3/13/2015

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There is a novel in you for sure. I have only been here for about one month and I have so many stories to tell about sexuality and sex, theft and intrigue and professional conduct. Just add a sprinkling of imagination and you have a story! 
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One of the teachers at the school used to come to Thailand to have his teeth fixed at the same time he was having a vacation. He told me he saw the most beautiful women in the world in the dentist's office and kept asking her out on a date. She refused repeatedly but he finally wore her down and now she is his wife. I love that storybook ending, although it probably would not sell....too perfect. 

Talking about wives, one teacher left teaching altogether and returned to her home country. We later found out that her husband was having a transgender operation and will come back to the school as a women after the summer. Now that has got to be a great story.


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View from my apartment
Another story was the robbery in my apartment last week. I could write a murder mystery about that. Only one guy had a key to get into my safe through the back door and he is an older British gentleman who manages the apartment. Because of his age and accent you would not think it was him. The maid is always talking and laughing and appears too jovial for the theft and then there is an immigrant who changes light bulbs and was the only one in my room alone. Of course they all deny it, so you could write a book setting one of them up and then in the last chapter have a surprise character come in and steal the money.

As a friend of mine told me who taught computers, no matter what happens you always have a story to tell. Why not read my book, It All Started in Mandalay and tell me what you thought of my old stories I turned into a novel. If you are in Asia you can buy it from Asia books and if you are elsewhere just go to your favourite site where you buy books. I would love to get feedback BEFORE I write the next one
Buy Book Here
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Book Review

2/17/2015

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Book Review
It All Started in Mandalay

I just wish I had read it before I spent several ex-patriate years in West Africa!


In addition to recommending it to members of the teaching profession working abroad, I would like to say that  Michael Allan Charles' book, "It All Started in Mandalay," should be  read by anyone  about to lead an ex-pat existence.

This book shows, in a delightful way, how  navigating the intricacies of a foreign culture as a temporary or long-term resident is a major factor in ensuring subsequent happiness/minimising misfortune. 

Michael's observational skills are matched only by his ability to recount what he has seen and understood so well.


You can read this review and others on Amazon and I thank you Gideon for writing this. Hey, why not read the book for yourself and tell me and other readers what you think! You can get the book at Amazon, Kobo, Friesen Press etc. so you have no excuse  not to read it and by reading it you will make my day and hopefully yours!

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If you live in Asia you can buy the book at Asiabooks.
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AsiaBooks is carrying my book!

2/15/2015

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I know I am getting about 100 "hits" a day on this blog,  but I have no idea where you are located. If you are living in Asia, I am thrilled to tell you that AsiaBooks is now carrying the soft cover version of my book It All Started in Mandalay and I would love you to go out and buy it right now! Luckily they are carrying the second edition where I have added about thirty pages of dialogue so I am sure it is a more interesting read than the first edition, or so my readers have told me.
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If you are one of the North American readers of this blog, slide over the right column and buy the book from Freisen Press or any other of your favourite retailers. It gives me a lot of satisfaction when you write and let me know how you enjoyed the book. In fact, it makes my day. If the book sales on any particular day are slow I simply go for a walk and usually see something like this.

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If you want to be here, just check out some of my blogs to find out how to get a teaching job in Asia!
Good luck.
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    Michael Allan Charles is the first time author of It All Started In Mandalay

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