Berita baek!!!

Ini ada satu pengumuman. Dua buah novel saya yang diterbitkan oleh Buku FIXI kini boleh dibeli dalam format eBook. Boleh baca dekat phone aje, kan senang? Kalau novel Hilang dah ada dalam format eBook, nanti saya kasi tau, orait? Sementara tu, bolehlah gi online shopping dua tajuk ni dulu. Yeay!


Beli JERAT di e-sentral.

Beli SAMAR di e-sentral.

Beli SAMAR di Google Play.

Beli SAMAR di Bachabooku.

P/s: saya jenis yang dah ada buku hard copy pun, still nak ada yang soft copy. Sebab apa, tau... Sebab syok baca kat screen iPad/Phone. Ngeeeeee...!

NaNoWriMo 2013 concluded

Yeay! Finally, on 29th Nov 2013 I passed the 50K word mark and became a NaNoWriMo winner for the second time. 

I am planning to put my NaNoWriMo novel (yes, the complete manuscript) on Lean Publishing Bookstore soon. Allow me to put the text in proper format before uploading, it's probably going to take at least two weeks, considering my *ehem* busy schedule in December. ;)

Watch out this space for the update, okay?

Mencari Cinta di Pulau Pinang - Love In Penang

Do you know that love and good food are inseparable? If you're going to impress a girl on a first date, bring her to a place that serves really good food, you can take my word for it. It doesn't have to be a five star restaurant. It can just be a simple mamak stall or a road side cendol, but the food have got to be really good. 

Now I think you understand why we associate love with Penang. ;)

To be frank, I've only been to Penang a few times in my whole life, and each time, it was on a business trip. So, when I received the invitation to contribute to this anthology, I was torn. I would love to come up with a love story but I couldn't remember exactly the places I've been to in the island. I have this tendency to describe real locations in my stories, so not knowing the places poses some difficulties to my writing process.

So, what I did was, I wrote a story about a girl who wanted to start a new life in Penang. She was not familiar with the island and a big part of her life, especially her heart was left in KL. 

Coincidently, the character names I used were from my earlier story published in KOPI Anthology. If you've read it, the story title is Bersaksi Kopi. If you haven't, then too bad because the book is a limited edition and will not be reprinted. 

But you can always read my short story titled 'Runaway' in this anthology without knowing what Bersaksi Kopi is all about. I don't want to make your life miserable. I'm a very considerate writer, like that....;)

So, Runaway is about running away. You have to read it to find out who's running away from what. 

It was a difficult story for me to write because romance is just not my forte. It took me a few days just to come up with the conflict. You see, in my novels, almost all conflict was solved by someone getting killed. It couldn't be so in a love story. Since I couldn't bring myself to kill any of the characters, I wrote a happy ending (at least it made me happy. Hehehe...)

The book is now available on Amazon.com as well as FIXI website.
Go! Go! Go! You know you want it!

Sweet September

Yeay! Alhamdulillah! Akhirnya berjaya juga untuk menghasilkan buah tangan untuk para pembaca, terutamanya para peminat fiksyen PULP.

Ramai yang tertanya-tanya PULP tu apa. Kalau tanya geng-geng peminat sastera berat, mereka akan ibaratkannya sebagai bahan bacaan ringan dan picisan. Tapi, kalau lagi senang nak faham, ia adalah bahan bacaan yang dicetak pada kertas yang sedap dihidu dan boleh dibaca pantas kerana menghiburkan. Bukanlah nak kata sastera berat tak menghiburkan, tapi kisah-kisah PULP ni biasanya jenis yang mudah dibaca dan dihadam. Tak perlu kerut-kerut kening nak fikirkan wacana dan segala mesej tersirat. Plot cerita-ceritanya selalunya bergerak pantas dan tidak memberikan ruang untuk pembaca berasa mengantuk.

Buah tangan saya yang pertama pada bulan September ini ialah sebuah cerpen berjudul KOMPLOT yang bakal dimuatkan dalam antologi FOBIA terbitan ROMAN buku. Kisah ini ada sisi gelap (seperti biasa) yang tidak keterlaluan. Jadi, tak perlu fobia sangat kalau ada depan mata. Heh, bukan senang nak galakkan anak-anak muda mengutip buku cerita dan membaca. Masih ramai yang memandang sepi buku-buku yang tersusun cantik di perpustakaan dan di rak-rak kedai buku. 

Kalau terjumpa buku antologi cerpen FOBIA ini nanti, mohon dapatkan, ya? Atau lebih senang, boleh lakukan pembelian atas talian di laman ini ---> http://roman.com.my/ Bukan cerpen saya saja yang ada terkandung dalam antologi ini. Ada beberapa belas lagi hasil nukilan penulis-penulis hebat kesayangan anda. 

Pelancaran akan diadakan di acara Art For Grabs, Annexe Gallery, Central Market, 29/9, 4.30 petang. Dengarnya ramai penulis bakal hadir. Jom pergi!

Cover FOBIA yang penuh misteri

Teaser cerpen KOMPLOT yang terkandung dalam antologi FOBIA

Cover SAMAR mengingatkan kita kepada The Shining dan Amityville Horror, kan?

Satu lagi buah tangan yang bakal menemui pembaca ialah novel FIXI saya yang ke 3 - tajuknya SAMAR. Kulit novel kali ini memang tampak garang. Salah satu wataknya pun agak garang. Tapi, ini bukanlah kisah perempuan-perempuan garang. Kali ini novel saya menghidang kisah konflik keluarga yang diserikan oleh kisah cinta tragis (tragis tapi berseri, boleh?). Tiada unsur-unsur syiah atau iluminati dalam cerita ini. Tapi, kalau tengok blurb pun ada yang akan terasa kisahnya bagaikan parodi kepada novel-novel cinta yang kerap menguasai pasaran. Ia bukan kisah cinta jiwang karat - percayalah. Ada banyak realiti yang disuntik ke dalam SAMAR. Ada banyak emosi yang jarang terokai ada di dalam SAMAR. Cara penceritaan juga sesuatu yang jarang-jarang anda temui dalam novel-novel berbahasa Melayu. 

Saya mengharapkan para pembaca akan mendapat satu pengalaman baru setiap kali membaca karya saya. Diharapkan SAMAR akan memuaskan hati dan memenuhi citarasa semua pembaca setia dan membuka mata para pembaca yang pertama kali menyelak helaian fiksyen PULP. 

Jangan bimbang, saya masih tidak menggunakan Bahasa Melayu Tinggi. Saya hanya menulis dengan Bahasa Melayu yang mudah difahami. Tak perlu semak kamus, tak perlu tanya guru. Perkataan mudah-mudah sahaja yang digunakan. Kebanyakan ayat adalah pendek-pendek dan ringkas. Gambaran keterlaluan sentiasa saya elakkan. 

Walaupun ada juga terkandung adegan yang 'agak dewasa', saya tetap menyasarkan karya saya mampu dibaca dan difahami oleh kanak-kanak berusia 10 tahun. Jika mereka minat membaca, Alhamdulillah. Yang saya risaukan, golongan muda yang langsung membenci buku. Buku-buku berbahasa Melayu mereka benci, buku-buku dalam Bahasa Inggeris, apatah lagi. 

Semoga warganegara Malaysia makin cintakan buku dan ilmu. Itulah harapan saya sebagai penulis yang baru nak bertapak. ;) Semua tu boleh dicapai, dengan syarat para penulis tak serik menghasilkan karya dan para penerbit tak takut-takut nak mempelbagaikan terbitan mereka.

Novel SAMAR bakal dilancarkan di acara Art for Grabs, Annexe Gallery, Central Market, 28/9 nanti. Datang, jangan tak datang! Siapa datang, kita boleh posing together-gether sambil buat muncung itik dan bagi isyarat peace.

KL NOIR: RED successfully launched!

It was raining heavily as I sped along KESAS highway on Wednesday afternoon. I had to wait for my children to come home from school before setting out to KLCC at about 6.15pm for the launch. I've attended a few launches but it was my first experience having it at Kinokuniya. Prior to the event, I've been getting messages like 'Fuiyyyoh, buat kat Kino tuuuu!' from my friends. My ex-schoolmates told me to wear something sexy but I couldn't anything 'that' sexy in my wardrobe. I finally chose a white modern kebaya that made me look like a pregnant woman (if you consider a pregnant woman - sexy). 

One of my ex-schoolmates - Ogy and an ex-housemate - Nonie made it to the event. It was the first time my friends attended such event. Both of them gave positive feedback, especially regarding the crowd we had that night. 

I have to admit that I enjoyed every FIXI launch event as there are usually sporting fans (and would-be fans). Getting to know the readers is one of things I value much, especially those who give honest feedbacks about my works. 

After having a quick dinner and maghrib prayers, I entered Kinokuniya about 10 minutes late, Kris was reading. My turn came about 20 minutes later. 

Undilah Parti Undi Rosak !

 My short story in this anthology is called The Machete and Me  and it is a ghost story; that's what I told the crowd, but none of them looked convinced. Those who have read my books, usually expect to have more blood, killings and mysteries. Perhaps some of the readers are quite disappointed that I decided to write a ghost story. Don't worry, wait for my next book (which I'm drafting right now and should have more blood than JERAT and HILANG combined).

Saya mau baca panjang lagi, tapi boss sudah jeling-jeling.

Before we conclude the night, a book signing session was held. I was so touched to have readers who came with JERAT, HILANG and Di Sebalik DINARA for signing. It made me realize where some of the strength and inspiration always come from -- the readers.
So, I wanna thank everyone who took all the trouble to come to the launch and purchased KL NOIR. It was a wonderful night and a successful event. Hope to see you again during the KLCC book launch in April.

Sitora!

Sitora! Sitora! Sitora!
Itulah jeritan yang terngiang-ngiang di telinga aku di saat terbaca catatan Amir Muhammad tentang buku Fixi Retro yang akan dilancarkan di Pesta Buku Antarabangsa Kolumpo, 27 April ini.
Sebenarnya, aku terasa macam pernah menonton filem Allahyarham Tan Sri P. Ramlee ni zaman-zaman aku kecik dulu (read: tahun 70an lettew). Mak & arwah ayah akupun kerap juga menyakat aku kalau aku pegi merayap petang-petang kat celah-celah belukar di belakang rumah.
'Ha! Jaga-jaga, jumpa Sitora kang!' kata mak aku, memberikan amaran (walaupun aku tak rasa takut langsung dengan amaran palsu sebegitu, hehe).

Ini le cover buku Fixi Retro - Sitora Harimau Jadian

Maka nama Sitora tu memang sangatlah kerap bermain-main di bibir ahli keluarga aku. Bahkan, salah seorang nyonya yang berkedai runcit di kampung akupun diberikan nama manja Sitora (aku rasa sebab dia jongang dan selalu marah anak-anak dia - garang macam rimau).
Memang sedih bila aku baca pasal filem tu dah hilang. Eh, hilang macam tu aje, ek? Kenapa takde kat arkib negara, ye? Walaupun mak aku kata filem tu seram dan suspen, rupa-rupanya filem tu flop, aku tak taupun. Iyelah, kan... zaman 60an kan pawagam ni jadi tumpuan muda mudi, tua bangka semua sebab itu ajelah pun sumber hiburan zaman tu. Bila filem P. Ramlee flop, adalah sangat menyedihkan.
Tapi, mungkin orang-orang kampung aku semua pergi tengok filem ni kat pawagam, sebab bila sebut Sitora je, pakcik-pakcik, makcik-makcik semua tahu pasal cerita rimau jadian ni.
Well, topik rimau jadian ni memang famous kat kampung aku sebab zaman dulu-dulu, memang ada orang yang memelihara rimau jenis ni - buat tunggangan katanya. Wallahualam, masa tu aku belum lahir ke dunia. Menurut cerita arwah nenek aku, rimau jadian yang dibela oleh orang-orang Melayu zaman dulu, saiznya memang besar, tersangat besar sampai boleh tunggang satu family. Cuba kau bayangkan sebesar mana tu, macam mini van kot.
Daripada cerita arwah ayah aku pulak, orang yang memelihara rimau jadian ni memang benarkan rimau tu duduk dalam rumah, tapi halimunan di mata orang luar. Pernah sekali tu ada sorang sedara arwah ayah aku pegi berkunjung ke rumah seorang lelaki yang ada bela rimau ni. Tengah syok-syok minum kopi dan bergebang-gebang, tiba-tiba rumah tu rasa bergegar. Pakcik tu tanyalah kat tuan rumah, apa yang telah berlaku? Maka tuan rumah tu pun cakap, rimau dia baru je terjun turun ke tanah. Amboi, power betul rimau tu.
Ok, kalau anda semua curious nak tau dengan lebih lanjut tentang Sitora Harimau Jadian, pastikan anda mendapatkannya sama ada secara online dari kedai Fixi ataupun datanglah beramai-ramai ke Pesta Buku Antarabangsa Kolumpo yang akan bermula 27 April ini. Tak lama kemudian, ia akan dijual di kedai-kedai buku kegemaran anda.

Amerika and books from Big Bad Wolf sale

I bought Amerika from the author himself, Ridhwan Saidi on 17th September 2011 (yup, on the same day Jerat was launched). And yeah, I managed to get his autograph. There are many reviews posted on blogs of this 2nd novel from Ridhwan. His first novel is Cekik, which I read in May 2011. 

A few readers managed to finish reading Amerika in just a few hours but it took me almost a month! It's been a busy month for me as I was doing a few projects simultaneously and at the same time I had to attend problem calls at customers' place. 

So, when did I have the time to read? One hour before retiring to bed. That is if the boys behaved. Otherwise, I'd end up playing games with them. 

So, what's so interesting about Amerika? If you are the type of reader who's only interested in plot, then you should pick this book up and start enjoying something quite different. I have been reading many Grisham's, Dan Brown's and Jeffrey Archer's books and it's only natural that I love stories with twists, colourful characters, thrilling scenes etc. But when I started reading Amerika, it was like having my first taste of chicken tikka masala after years of eating masak lemak cili api. 

The book, to me is not a heavy reading material. It allows me to drift. It's a great choice for unwinding after a tiring day. Sipping my hot Neslo while reading Amerika was enough to make me forget about bitchy Account Managers, demanding customers and Malaysian drivers' attitude. 

I took my time enjoying every paragraph as if it's my own journey along a kampung road with asam jawa trees lining each side. I could feel some heat from the sun but the shadow keeps me cool. 

I have to admit that I admire the main character: Murshid Merican. He takes charge of his life. He throws away his cell phone! (I wish I could do that). He cares a lot about his friends, his city, his people and his country. And he expresses himself well.

You don't have to guess the plot of this book, just go with the flow. Just have fun. Think freely. Or just don't think at all. 

You can buy it online at fixi.com.my

A few days after I was done reading Amerika, I needed new books so I headed to Big Bad Wolf sale held at MAEPS (yup, that huge place where MAHA is held anually). This was my first time going to this huge book warehouse sale, so I didn't know what to expect. But I managed to do a few homework before deciding to go. I checked the website and read Leen Bakar's blog entry that provided some tips and tricks on how to survive at BBW. 

I went there after having a meeting in Putrajaya (which is only 15 minutes drive from MAEPS). I skipped lunch as I had to be back at the customer's office by 3pm. 

When I parked my car it was already 1.30pm. The hall didn't seem that far from where I parked, so I decided to walk. After 2 minutes walking, I started to regret my decision because it was simmering hot, and I was wearing black long pants with black blouse. Bad choice of clothes. 

I guess I entered the hall with a red face but excitement made me ignored it. Since it was my first time at BBW sale, I was a bit 'jakun' and felt like a child who got the chance to play at a huge playground. 

I made an end to end quick browsing before stopping at tables with books that I thought were quite interesting. My friend/work colleague was also there so we had fun reading Chic Lit and horror synopsis. I lost interest in Chic Lit since I don't remember when. Perhaps I am getting older. 

After more than an hour, I only managed to grab 5 books, 4 novels and 1 novella. I'm starting with the novella first, because it's thin. Hehe. Hope I can finish it by this weekend. I'm going to find the time to clear my mind, sit on my favorite armchair and enjoy the novella. It's entitled First Love. Yeah, let's get romantic this weekend. Hope you'll have a nice one too! Peace y'all!!

These - for only RM37

Berjaya membaca Novel Melayu

Well, I haven't really read or finished any Malay novel since Cincin Permata Biru by Mior Shariman back in 1996. It's a 492 pages book filled with witty words and brilliant storyline that kept me awake for a few nights. I was still studying and stayed in a rented apartment back then with 5 other girls. The book was borrowed by my flatmate from her friend. We took turns to read. For those who had finished reading it, they're not allowed to discuss about it to avoid spoilers. It was good, but when I tried to read other Malay novels after that I stopped and lost interest half way.

I didn't want to stereotype Malay Novels but everytime I read those I borrowed from my friends the stories were all very disappointing because each one just repeated the same story but with different characters and backdrop. At one point, I could guess the whole story just by reading the synopsis at the back. And they're all about love-unrequited, revenge, betrayal, perfect men (which we know they don't exist), unhappy marriages while the main characters were mostly women. Since most of the writers were women, it's only natural to have a female protagonists, no?

Between 1996 - 2000 I used the LRT almost on a weekly basis and couldn't help but noticed how popular those books were. Well, most of the commuters who read were females. The guys would either be sleeping or pretending not to see the old lady or pregnant women standing near their seats. I managed to finish a few thick novels in the LRT but none of them were Malay love stories.

The four book racks I had at home were filled with English fictions. Whenever I ran out of space, I'd gave some of the books to friends, sold some and lost some. But you just don't find any Malay title on my shelves.
Everytime I went to MPH or Popular I would make a long stop at the Malay Novel aisles but none of the synopsis managed to convince me to part with my RM20 or 30 (Yes, Malay Novels are that cheap.)

Until two months ago, I have actually given up on Malay Novels. Then I saw Amir Muhammad's announcement on Twitter about the FIXI books. A few decades ago, they can be categorized as Novel Picisan but hey, the most read newspaper in this country happens to be Harian Metro anyway.

So, I went to KL International Book Fair and bought 3 FIXI books and read them all within a week. The books are not suitable for my kids, so I had to put them on the top shelf. Wazif was asking about them and I told him that he can read the books once he's 18 years old. He asked why, so I told him 'Ini cerita orang besar-besar.' Yeah, don't expect to read about gadis ayu, pemalu, bertudung litup menyimpan perasaan terhadap boss nya yang tidak berperibadi mulia tetapi kaya raya dan sungguh misteri yang kemudiannya berubah personaliti lantas menyedari cinta gadis pemalu itu lalu mengambilnya sebagai isteri.

I enjoyed all the books and bought the 4th title last week. I don't intend to put any spoiler here so I won't write any review. I'm just going to say that after 15 years, these books made me read Malay Novels again.

Something worth reading

I was about to doze off at my cubicle on a boring Tuesday afternoon when I received a phone call from Jade. A phone call, ok..... not a YM buzz. So, it was a nice surprise....

I thought she's about to ask me to join her for lunch. Rupa-rupanya she was at Kinokuniya and couldn't decide which book to buy.

Since the last novel I read was so disappointing, I couldn't decide which other title could suit her (complicated) taste. I was thinking of recommending Grisham's The Associate or The Appeal but both ending was too realistic, and Jade happens to love drama... (Kan.... kan... drama queen, kan?)

Then I remembered a religious book Mr. Hubby bought a few months ago which I found was very interesting. So, to Jade, in case you couldn't find it at Kinokuniya, here's the cover picture:



..... and here's how it looks inside:



Why is it interesting? Hey, just have a look at the page layout and you'll understand what I mean. Most religious books only have plain text with endless Dalil Naqli to support each paragraph. This book is more like a Primary School text book; it's colorful, easy to understand and have a lot of pictures. Different text colors and boxes are used to highlight important points. You can find so much info related to Islam as the way of life in this book. It's not an Encyclopedia but it's a really good quick guide for all of us.

Priced at RM55, now available at the major bookstores near you....