THE EURASIANS by Don Peter: First Anniversary

Launching my book October 2016

This month is the first anniversary of my book, THE EURASIANS as this novel was first launched on October 5, 2016. The memories are both bitter-sweet; but mostly sweet. In 2006, when I first completed my manuscript on this title, I would never have thought that my novel would be successfully published and displayed by online retailers; but here it is on AMAZON, BARNES & NOBLE and others.

As I had always told people, there are two main themes for my novel. The first is the usual theme that is common among romance novel; the circle of life. We might fail initially, but as we persevered, success will come; whether in love, career or business. But the second theme is more important; the environmental theme. "I wanted to express what Sabah (North Borneo) is all about, how we have been blessed with an environment that is constantly under threat." That was what I said as reported in the STAR newspaper.

I have told WRSP Radio from USA, when they interviewed me that the best thing is to get published by the traditional publishers. However, every author knows that these publishers are overwhelmed by aspiring writers who wanted to get their attention. It takes an incredible amount of luck to be noticed by them. So I chose another path; the self-publishing road. Self-publishing isn’t easy either; because if I can get my work published, so can millions other authors who also struggles to get the attention of readers. But the beauty of self-publishing is that we can get our work publish; whether people buy our books or not, we worry later.

The most anxious moments within the one year for me were waiting for those reviews to come in. I really didn’t know what to expect. However, deep inside me, I believed my story is good; and thus the review would be positive. Finally, when I get those reviews, it was both joyful and sad because it was a MIXED REVIEW. Thank you very much to the reviewers.

I want to thank Partridge Publishing and Author Solutions for helping me successfully publish my novel notably Jazzie Reed, Mike Collins and Ronald Reese. I also want to thank The Sabah Society, including The Sabah Society Sandakan branch for helping me launch my book. Then there are those that gave me media coverage, and I am very grateful to them. They are Ruben Sario from Star newspaper, Shalina R from Borneo Post, Utusan Borneo (which is in Malay) and also Doug Huggins and Daniele from WRSP Radio. Not forgetting also WH Smith bookstore especially Nurul who tirelessly help to sell my novel. And finally, I also want to thank the Sabah State Library, Borneo Research Library, my family members, former schoolmates, friends including those from the social media and my book fans who had supported me by buying my books.

ONCE AGAIN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH TO ALL.

BETRAYAL, DECEPTION AND CORRUPTION DRIVE THE EURASIANS - Blueink Review
The first romance-thriller from Borneo
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WHILE READING THE BOOK, I FEEL DIFFERENT EMOTIONS LIKE ANGER, HATE AND LOVE. THE BOOK WAS VERY ENTERTAINING - Online Book Club
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KLIAS WETLAND: The Vanishing Frontier (Part 3)

Sunset over the horizon of the Klias Wetland

Our platform at dusk

By 6pm, the Klias Wetland is already dark. The boatman told us that we have to go back at the platform for dinner, and then, at 7pm, we will board the boat again; this time cruising in the dark! "The only light you will see will be the stars and the fireflies; IF the fireflies comes out. There is no guarantee we will see them because of the wet season; but so far sighting was never miss," the boatman tried to reassure us without promising.

A simple but splendid dinner was included in the tour package. The food was nice; kampong dishes with local fruits for dessert. I think most of us enjoyed the serving judging from the Japanese tourists laughing and giggling as they dined. However, everyone were anxious for the next outing. Will we see the fireflies?

I noticed there are a lot of abandoned and deteriorating boats and resort platforms along the river bank: it sure are eyesores. I was informed by one of the tour guides that this was due to the severe competition tour operators are facing. The newcomers don't bother about quality; they just want quantity. In the end, tour operators with passion and love for this industry also suffered because of these fly by night operators who slash prices just to get the business. The government should focus only on giving license to the few responsible operators and subsidize them for beautification and upgrading their premises. Besides, too many visitors also stressed the ecology of the wetland.

Sorry for digressing; but now back to the trip story. It was pitch dark only to be lighted by the sky. The funny thing was that there weren't many stars but we still can see the silhouette of the mangrove forests and the clouds above us. After thirty minutes or more cruising into the swarm, we still didn't see anything. We can see the boatman desperately trying to find any glimpse of the fireflies as he searched the banks with his spotlight. We saw many juvenile crocodiles as the light sparkled their emerging eyes slightly above the river!

We were about to give up when we suddenly saw the whole mangrove forests lighted up like a christmas trees! The whole banks on both side were lighted up and it was indeed a spectacular sight! Everybody tried in vain to take pictures; nothing came out. The boatman smiled at us. "The professional photographers with sophisticated cameras also tried to take pictures of these insects. Only a few of them succeeded," he told us. It was indeed a memorable moment!

The best picture in the dark but the fireflies behind her still eluded us

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The first English romance-thriller from Borneo
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