Released in December 2009, the novel which started life as a series of excerpts shared on the author's blog has brought only accolades in its wake.
Since its release, A Heart to Mend has appeared in the top twenty West African Books on the Amazon Kindle Bestseller list. Reports from the publisher Authorhouse, confirm the great reception the book has got so far in terms of sales. The novel also was recently selected by The New African Woman July Issue as one of the Summer Must-reads alongside The Long Song by Andrea Levy and The Memory of Love by Aminatta Forna.
In June 2010, the author won four awards at the Nigerian Blog Awards including Nigerian Blog of the Year, Best Use of Social Media, Best Collaborative Blog and Best Writing and Book Blog. This was quickly followed by a nomination for their July selection, by the Next Best Book Club - the second largest book club on Goodreads.com.
Myne Whitman, who also writes features for BellaNaija, Femme Lounge, and the Canadian Womens Post, has received full page reviews in THISDAY and the National Daily Newspaper in Nigeria. There have also been several articles and interviews in the Guardian, African Loft, Reading Bridges Magazine, among many others. The author was the Personality of the month for LadyBrille Magazine in March and the Spotlight Profile for the AfrikanGoddess Online in July.
Onyeka Nwelue, author of The Abyssinian Boy, calls A Heart to Mend “Enthralling!” saying, “Truth is; Whitman has charmed me”. Prolific writer and reviewer, Sylva Nze Ifedigbo, admits that the novel “makes a bold statement to the contrary” about Nigerians and indeed Africans not being known for romance writing. The novel will bring tears to the eyes and cheers at the climax. Direct and action packed, the masterful use of emotion and suspense will keep one engrossed and guessing till the end.
Set in Lagos, Nigeria, A Heart to Mend narrates a love story and a journey of self-discovery. Gladys Eborah moves to Lagos from a deprived single-parent home in Enugu, to seek a job. She lives with a formerly estranged aunt who wants to be forgiven and so has the uneasy role of the bridge between both families. A new job and good friends gradually transition Gladys into an independent young woman and then she meets and begins to fall for handsome Edward Bestman. Edward is very wealthy, and believes money can buy everything. Though physically attracted to Gladys, he is not ready to give his heart. To make matters worse, Gladys is implicated in a plot to take over his business empire. Readers have to find out who these people are that want to betray him and destroy their happiness. And will Edward trust Gladys enough to give love a chance?
About the Author:
Myne Whitman is working on her next novel, which will be released in February 2011 to be followed by more contemporary Nigerian romances. She resides in Seattle with her husband and volunteers as an ESL tutor through Hopelink, a charity organization. Myne has worked as a banker, a teacher, and in the civil service before realizing her dream of writing full-time. For more info, visit her website at
www.mynewhitman.com; Join her at
http://www.facebook.com/Myne.Whitman or; Follow her at
http://www.twitter.com/Myne_Whitman.
November 23, 2009, 02:31:24 AM