Hey everyone,

I recently did an interview with Morgen Bailey which you can find by following this link here.

It’s probably my longest interview to date, and I found it fun to chat about ‘Vagabond’ and the publishing industry as a whole. In other exciting news, I’m going to try to complete my second novel before June and while I can’t promise anything, I’m most definitely going to try!

Random mention of the day: I just discovered two hubs of fans checking me out, from the Philippines and Tunisia. Lately, ‘Vagabond’ seems to be creeping in and throughout Africa which is quite revealing and unexpected. I hope they enjoy it over there, I’m trying to work out, since watching KONY 2012, if there is anything more we can do aside from donate. I’ve always been a hands-on person and while I’m not saying I can arm myself and trek through a jungle (although I’d give it a shot), it seems crazy that this stuff just continues to rage on endlessly. Africa seems either forgotten or ignored when it comes to the hostility, genocide, extreme poverty and HIV epidemic sweeping the continent. KONY 2012 was a film I was reluctant to watch at first, as I thought ‘How will Liking a Facebook status impact a war lord in Africa?’ but I do see the premise, and my initial reluctance has been quashed. KONY 2012, if nothing else, showed that some where out there, people care enough to devote their lives to the real issue. The people with the decision making powers don’t stand up until the threat is on their doorstep, but it’s the wrong approach.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of Joseph Kony’s out there. There is recent criticism about the delegation of raised funds by The Invisible Children, but I believe what they are doing is correct. The money that is raised is partially put back into advertising, ensuring that the problem doesn’t fade away in an era where yesterday’s news barely survives the week. At any rate, $20,000,000 USD will hardly make an impact in military investing. If that money were to go that fast, there would be no backup funds to keep the issue in the media.

I recently had a close friend of mine who had to return to the hardships of Zimbabwe after living for many years in, and thoroughly enjoying Melbourne. This guy is one of the most intelligent, creative, well-thought, caring, and optimistic peoples I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. The disparity between the opportunities of Australia and Zimbabwe is painfully explicit. When the government turned down his visa, I couldn’t believe that they’d let such an intelligent and hardworking person slip through the grid, and into the troubles of Zimbabwe. I know you know it too. You see some people in your own country who don’t give a damn, who never bother looking for work and who do nothing more than cause trouble in their communities. Then you witness first hand, as a close friend, somebody with so much potential get deported. If only they could trade places with the people we see who really don’t care about contributing to their society in a positive way. It saddens me to see a bright light burn out, and a massive potential fade away. In a country such as Australia, where the economy was built by immigrants who gave so much, you’d hope the trend would continue so that other people, just like ourselves, our parents and our grandparents who were given that shot, could also have a chance. But I won’t dabble into politics, economics, foreign policy and the like.

There’s a struggle going on in Africa and KONY 2012 has put light on the issue we all knew was there, but somehow ignored. I was so reluctant at first about the agenda of the film, but in the media you will always find detractors and reactors. I support what they are trying to do, and that is to spread a message in order to gain power in numbers, so that other people, just like us, can have a fair shot at life.

Since the beginning of this website in early 2011, I’ve forever had a link to UNICEF, where you can find out more information about helping those in troubled regions. Just click the Golden Heart to the right of this post, to show you have a heart of gold! Maybe you will find something you can get involved in, or know of somebody who would like to contribute in some way.