Back On The Track, Back To My Nest!

Reading time: 4 – 7 minutes

I am back with good news, which you might have heard from my tweets (uh huh, blame Twitter for any kind of procrastination :p). Yep, yep, I have published my second book! *solo salsa*

There it is, Vice Versa!

Vice Versa is a compilation of 18 short stories that I have written in the past 5 years. After I published Mint Chocolate Chips, I already had several more lengthy pieces that could be a novel, but I did not have much time to revise or even “remaster” them. That’s why, I am stuck with writing shorter ones, including articles, short stories, and… hmmm, yes, tweets.

The themes vary. Most of them are still about love, seen from a variety of perspectives and angles. I think love can be interpreted in too many ways, therefore sometimes I call this book as “the book of love stories”. Unlike Mint Chocolate Chips, the stories here are a bit “heavier”, in a way. On the other hand, unlike Bunuh Diri Massal 2008, the stories have more “positivity” and “optimism” rather than sarcasm.

The title Vice Versa came from the title of one of the stories. I wanted to emphasise that anything can be seen through any kind of perspective. Vice Versa is not only about love, it is also about everything else.

The book was launched on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at Warung Pasta Kemang - one of my favourite restaurants ever! I love the atmosphere, and the location is very strategic. Here are some pictures from the event – in case you could not come:

Some very honest words from my mother. She said that nobody can stop me from doing something that I want, but now she’s happy about it. Thank you so much, Mum. I love you, a million times, I love you. ?

Even Pak Dino and Ibu Rosa came later in the afternoon. I was very surprised and felt very honoured. Thank you for the unconditional support, Pak & Ibu Dino!

I hope those pictures told more than I could ever said in words.

So, that day we had plenty of fun. Loads of iced tea, pasta, book signing, shaking hands, and everything else. I felt happy, although at first was a bit upset because none of my extended family members were present – but I bet they sent prayers and support from their hearts!  I still believe that family is the most valuable asset that we all can have, missing them was not in my dictionary. But, well, I still had tons of fun!

Now the launching is done, I can confidently tell you that you can get my book in the nearest bookstore! If you don’t want to go anywhere, you can place your order to terrantbooks(at)yahoo(dot)com. The retail price is Rp37.000,-; but if you buy from Terrant Books, you’ll get 35% discount! Yeay, who does not like cheap books? If you have read my book and own a blog, please review it on your blog (read the full details here). You can get a package of Terrant Books’ best selling books. If you are too lazy to write a lengthy review, #tweetreview it! Write your #ViceVersa experience in less than 140 characters for each story, post it on Twitter (and mention me –> @AlandaKariza), I’ll give another story for you, for free (know more about it here).

That’s it for now, I guess. It’s 12.25 AM in the morning *yawn*, got a class this morning! You can read more about my book on http://viceversa.alandakariza.com.

Anyway, tonight I am going to speak at Binus International for the event “ASEAN: Challenges and Opportunities for Future Leaders”. It’s a kick-off event for the upcoming Regional Youth Leader Conference 2010, which is going to be held in June 2010. My uni works together with FreSh! for this event. You can RSVP by clicking here.

Okay, I should see you guys sometimes soon then… I really appreciate your patience. Greetings from Jakarta to everyone in the world ;)