Virginia de Vos (nee Swan) has published a book.
I was delighted to receive the news from Srianee (Bunter) and Rohini Ana that our batchmate Virginia, who emigrated to Melbourne, Australia, has published a book, the details of which are below. I have not communicated directly with her, and I am unaware of any other literary achievements she has made. Well done, Virginia, I hope we will see more books from you.
This is what she sent Srianee.
I’m happy to inform my friends
that I have just released a shortish
novel on Amazon. Titled Crime and Terror in the Jungle. The print version
is now available & the e-pub comes out next week. It is set in SL and Gippsland, Victoria, Australia. If anyone is not registered on Amazon I’m told
it is easy to do by googling amazon.com.au in Aus & amazon .co.uk & amazon.com in other countries. & follow the prompts.
The prices are in US dollars.
Love & Best regards
Virginia
https://www.amazon.com/Crime-Terror-Jungle-Virginia-Vos/dp/1763516008
Crime And Terror In The Jungle Paperback – June 16, 2024
by Virginia de Vos
Digby Trott has a deep-seated hatred of poachers.
When he was a child visiting his grandparents on their tea estate in Sri Lanka,
he was cared for a baby elephant. Until one day poachers stole it.
Years later he took up a position to lead a team of conservationists into the
jungles of Sri Lanka to apprehend poachers killing elephants. In one game park
he was attacked along with his team, causing brain trauma and a changed
personality.
Now mentally and physically damaged, he needs help
from his doctors, family, friends and loyal girlfriend, with her own demons to
overcome. Advised to return to scene of his injury, he finds himself once again
in danger. only surviving in the nick of time. The trauma provides him with the
path he needs to recover. And finally he can set his sights on the poachers and
masterminds.
Crime and Terror in the Jungle is a tale of
survival in an exotic land, with descriptive skyscapes, and culture shocks
vividly described. Buy your copy today.
Congratulations Virginia on this major accomplishment! As I said in my email to you, writing a book and getting it published requires discipline and dedication. From reading this brief description I suspect that you had to do do some research as well. I wish you great success with this book and any future literary ventures. I am looking forward to reading the e-book, recently purchased on my Kindle app, and will write another comment later. All the best.
ReplyDeleteFantastic achievement as I noted. Srianee, can you please send the link to Virginia?
ReplyDeleteThank you Mahen and Srianee for your positive feed back .
ReplyDeleteThis was my occupational therapy during the long lockdown we had in Melbourne in 20/21. My mother being a writer ( Annette Swan ) in SL and Australia I took her reference books on how to write a novel. This took a few re-writes and I sent off my manuscript to Bloomsbury in London for a full manuscript review and re -wrote the whole book!
After some rejections, I eventually found ( with Rohini Ana's help ) a company that helped me get the book into print.
I have had a small true story on birds published in the Australasian Reader's Digest in Dec 21 where I described swallows forming a nest in my letter box when I lived in rural Gippsland Victoria.
Hope people enjoy reading my venture into novel writing in a highly competitive market
Virginia
Dear Virginia,
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading the final sentence of your novel and am ready to ‘pop the cork ‘ with you !
Your novel was an eye-opener for me.
Though I was aware of poaching in the wilds of Africa and India I had
no idea that it happened to any extent in the jungles of Sri Lanka.
I enjoyed your vivid descriptions of the terrain Digby travelled on his way to the National parks and the unique behaviors of the animals he encountered.
The snapshot of the birdlife as well as the chaotic, horn blaring traffic, so typical of SL was also interesting .
Without giving too much away so that others can appreciate the novel, Digby’s management left no doubt as to your professional background .
Well done Virginia and my best wishes for your future endeavors. Good Luck !
Hi Virginia, Gosh you are a dark horse. We all knew about your swimming skills but not your gift in creative writing. I do remember your lovely mother and have read several of her articles in the way distant past.
ReplyDeleteWill make the effort to access your book. Congratulations and all the best for the future. Remember how I draped a sari in the Coorg style with a spiral drape and a cold shoulder...If I recall correctly it was at that dance that John formally proposed to you. !
Your erstwhile study buddy for the 2 Nd MB ! Love Suri
Good to see your comment Virginia and Suri, I know what you meant but Virginia a dark horse! I hope I am not making an "unfair" comment Suri! Virginia, thanks for explaining how you got into the writing business. I have ordered your book from Amazon and looking forward to reading it when I get it on Tuesday. I wish you many more successes.
ReplyDeleteDear Suri
ReplyDeleteThank you for your lovely e mail and good wishes. Yes I do remember you draping that sari on me .....I could hardly walk leave alone dance. Those were the days!!!
I need to do something to keep my sanity & the only thing in my old age seems to be trial & error writing.
Hope all goes well with you and your family
Love V
Virginia, is the famous Sri Lankan Marine biologist Asha De Vos related to you? I know her father is the well known architect Ashley de Vos. Ashley appeared in our Sri Lankan Literary Society Zoom series on Jan 10th 2020 and he spoke on ""The Great Library Tradition as a Repository of Knowledge".
ReplyDeleteMahen
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately I ( or rather John ) can't lay claim to being related to Asha de Vos. John didn't ever mention her as a relative. John's family were all from Galle as far as I know.
Thanks for your reply Virginia. I wondered because I thought the name de Vos is not like Perera or Silva (there are millions of them!) and may be you ate connected. I haven't lost the Sri Lankan habit of seeking connections which I am sure you are familiar with such as "Are you related to John Saparamadu who used to play cricket with my uncle Joseph at St Peter's college and who is related by marriage to Susie Cockroach who married our mutual friend Dennis?"
DeleteI remember a De Vos in Galle who was a member of gymkhana club, played tennis he was Fred Devos
DeleteGreat to see you on the blog. You are always welcome to send a contribution for posting Nithya
DeleteVirginia, news of your book has certainly livened up the discussions on the blog. It is so refreshing! I just started reading the book last night and I will be back with my feedback later. The exciting men's final at Wimbledon is keeping me completely glued to the TV at this very moment!
ReplyDeleteYou also may have inspired some of our friends to try something new in their retirement years.
Nithya, Fred de Vos was my late father in law i didn't know he played tennis. John did mention that they attended the gymkhana club.
ReplyDeleteVirginia, I remember you very well as a National swimming champion.
ReplyDeleteWhat did you achieve in Australia?
Hello Sanath
Deletein 1993 John and I travelled to St Malo France for the World Medical Games held annually . I had seen it advertised in a medical journal a few years prior and decided when my younger child turned 18 I would compete. It is like a mini Olympics with opening and closing ceremonies and our national flags flying... very moving to see the Aus flag there. The competition is not fierce and I managed to bag 3 gold medals.( hope I'm not bragging!)
After that I joined a swim club in Melbourne and swam in Masters Swimming. It is for swimmers over 25 years and they travel overseas & around Australia in swim competitions. My favourite stroke is back stroke and for a while I held the club record in my age group We swim in age groups of 5 years 70-74 etc. I now swim just for relaxation the training is too strenuous . Just joined a couple of table tennis clubs but I am hopeless! need some coaching.
Thank you very much Virginia for your very prompt response and please accept my heartiest congratulations on your splendid achievements. Barclay (Buddy) Reid who was two years senior to us in Medical School also has also won many titles in international veteran's events in table tennis .In the 1960s he was the National TT champion and represented Ceylon in cricket and TT. Are you in touch with him?
ReplyDeleteSanath, thank you for injecting Virginia's swimming achievements into the conversation. She was a star! I remember that at a very young age (11 years?) she swam in the ocean for two miles, competing with many older swimmers, which was a major feat. It was between the Kinross Swimming Club and Mt Lavinia, if I remember correctly. (I'm probably wrong.) Virginia, please share your memories of this event.
ReplyDeleteI am so happy also to hear of your achievements at the World Medical Games. I didn't know such an event existed! Congratulations! You have just demonstrated to all of us the there is life after retirement, and beyond our medical careers.
Virginia, did you realize that your last name "Swan," before you got married is an aptonym (or aptronym) because it suited your swimming prowess. You are in the company of Usain (lightening) Bolt, Russell Brain and others!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sanath and Srianee for your congratulations. I remember the 2 mile swim race when I was 11 and a few attempts after that .It takes off from the Mt Lavinia Hotel bay and goes up to a buoy in line with the Dehiwela Railway Station ( I think ) and we swim back .I used to get such butterflies in my stomach before all the races when I was young, and was very fortunate to have had my father ( Frank Swan ) as my coach as he was the first swimmer to represent Ceylon at the 1938 Empire Games ( now Commonwealth Games) in Sydney. The sea has currents and some swimmers are able to gauge the sea currents and use it to their advantage, but I can't do that.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes meet up with Buddy Reid the last time was at Thomian Denis Ferdinands 's funeral in March this year. Buddy also has a good singing voice and has composed and cut a CD or two mainly on cricket. He's a nice chap...very humble
I suppose my maiden name is a suitable one!!! Don't think I am in the same class as Usain Bolt though.
Virginia and Srianee, thank you very much for your inputs. Few people have asked me whether I chose to specialise in Paediatrics because of my name (Lama); nothing of the sorts!. When I worked in Karapitiya (1980-1991), we lived in one of about 11 houses, adjacent to the hospital. When I visited my ward with my classmate and friend Sandy Para (Parameshwaran), few years ago, I noticed that all those houses were being demolished. A huge building was being constructed in the same premises and it was going to be named after me. I thought it was a fitting tribute in recognition of my services at Ruhuna for well over a decade. It is to be called " Lama Rohala"!
ReplyDeleteDear Virginia
ReplyDeleteHeartiest congratulations on your debut novel. A splendid achievement. Best wishes also from a would be writer who is struggling to put his thoughts and ideas on paper. Not in a novel but in isolated essays of memories of a lifetime, hopefully well lived. Some of these have been published in the Blog and also in the Island newspapers in SL.
No doubt the discipline that you acquired for becoming a champion swimmer, determination, dedication, commitment to excellence and a robust work ethic were pivotal for your writing too.
At medical school we admired you also for your modesty and humility. The other National champion in our year Kunesingham and many other sporting heroes were equally self effacing .
One of my favourite authors Somerset Maugham, said there are three rules for writing a novel, but no one knows what they are. Importantly he also said, the hallmarks of a good novel are lucidity, simplicity and euphony. I will no doubt discover these when I get down to reading your book.
On another issue Ashley De Vos was a class mate and a fellow cricketer
at STC. The de Voses were a well known family from Galle.
Best wishes once again and more strength for your elbow or more aptly your wrist.
Kumar Gunawardane
Thank you Kumar for your congratulations and kind words. Hope all goes well with your writing. I wish you the best .It isn't easy.
ReplyDelete