It Begins…EYES

Today marks history for Mich Olorunfemi fiction with the release of Eyes across various platforms as a free ebook. With the little hype I was able to generate on my own, I’m sure a few of us are eager to get a copy, but first, a little history about the book:

Eyes (the captivating and enthralling story of a detective named Ricky Platt) is actually the first story I came up with, but was not the first I released. Three years ago when I decided to try my hands on this craft called writing, this was the only story concept in my head. I began penning it down, and hit the sixth chapter. However, not being satisfied with it (it was my first, after all), I scrapped it totally and began working on another title Feral (which will make a comeback this year), and others that can be seen in the “Free Books” section of this blog. The book, though short it might seem, took me a whole year to rewrite. Now, I’m more than delighted to share this thrilling story with you.

Where to download a copy:

You can download various formats (including KINDLE and PDF) on Smashwords:

Smashwords: http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/401992

You can also snag a free copy off of the Apple iBookstore (not available in the Nigerian store, sadly):

• Canada: https://itunes.apple.com/ca/book/eyes/id791368797?mt=11
• UK: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/book/eyes/id791368797?mt=11
• US: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/eyes/id791368797?mt=11

(Available in 48 other countries)

If you have the Barnes and Noble nook, or nook app, you can get it at Barnes and Noble:

Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/eyes-mich-olorunfemi/1118114506?ean=9781304763709

Sign in, or Sign up to Lulu to get it from the Lulu Bookstore:

Lulu: http://www.lulu.com/content/e-book/eyes/14345104

The wait is over! Click, download, take the plunge, be thrilled. And be redeemed!

Ricky Platt has never lost case, now he’s about to lose his life.

Merry Christmas (yeah, not Xmas)

Today, I want to take time out and thank you all for supporting me through the 12 months of the thirteenth yeah of the new millennium (that’s 2013 by the way). Y’all have been really fantastic; I got likes, comments, and follows like never before in this year, despite my irregular posting. Here’s hoping 2014 will be a more disciplined year for me (smiling).

It’s that time of the year again where we say Merry Christmas. For some we are walking in winter wonderlands, while some others (like me) are walking in harmattan wonderlands. Whatever wonderland thou walkest in, here’s wishing you a very merry Christmas (whether you believe in Christmas or not), and a happy 2014.

2014 is a big year for me. I’m looking forward to sharing some new things with you. This is my final post in 2013. Nothing fancy. Just wishing you all seasons greeting, and thanking you for making it worthwhile year for me. I’ll be kicking 2014 with a writing tip sure to get you thinking, hoping 2014 will be the year I inspire someone to write.

But we aren’t there yet. For now, my message is:

 

 

 

@chosenmich

Hello, Apathy!

Notice how the quality of everything (except probably smartphones) is steadily dropping? While we are all modern and ‘21^st Century’, hence dissociating ourselves from anything worthy to be referred to as “Old School”, the humble among us will admit, though very reluctantly (some blatantly), that there seems to be more quality in the works of old. We say things like, “Horror movies just aren’t what they used to be”, or “You just can’t get good music these days”. And this plagues mostly the intellectual and creative world. Ever wonder why people just aren’t doing what Michael Jackson used to do back in the day?

Here’s the real question: Who’s to say no one is doing what MJ did? Who’s to say no one is even making better music? What if the problem isn’t outside, but with us?

Hello, Apathy!

I dare say, the word apathy was probably created with this generation in mind. It isn’t that things aren’t of the same (or even higher) standards than before; we’ve only just evolved (or devolved) into the era of indifference. Perhaps the most used expression in the 21^st century isn’t, “What’s up?”, but “It was just ok”. Hmmm…said that lately?

We are all incessantly searching for ‘the next big thing’.

The next big thing will never come, for when it does, ‘next’ is ‘now’, and ‘now’ is irrelevant—my definition of apathy.

So, while we can’t peek into the future and get a glimpse of the next big thing, we might as well step back into the past and relearn how to appreciate the little things.

#GoodbyeApathy

@chosenmich

COZA: What you don’t know about the Setup

 

Founded on February 14th 1999 in the city of Ilorin, Kwara State, the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly is called to raise a takeover generation. The church is founded on the scripture Isaiah 2 v 2, and believes strongly in Proverbs 4 v 18, that the path of the just shines ever brighter. The church currently has three branches. With head quarters in the city of Abuja and two other prolific branches in the cities Ilorin and Lagos.
Where friends meet friends and all meet with Jesus…that’s probably the line everyone who attends COZA will never forget. Trooping out after each service, the chances of running into an old friend or school mate are so high; it’s always refreshing to know that Jesus is still at the centre of everyone’s life.
COZA has a simple mission, to disciple the un-churched. It creates an atmosphere which is not spiritually intimidating for anyone just trying to find their feet in Christ. “Don’t play church” the Pastor resounds often. “Minister to the Holy Spirit” he admonishes. Somehow these few instructions have made serving God not as complicated as it may have once appeared to some.
The church started in the city of Ilorin and was led to the capital city, Abuja, by the Lord in the year 2008. From the onset, it was evident that God was in the move, confirming his word about the path of the just shining brighter as it has currently been from one level of grace to another. The Ilorin church grow with every passing week under Pastor Wole Soetan’s charge. In January of 2012, the Lagos branch kicked off with a bang, under the leadership of Pastor Folarin Ogunsola. In less than a year their numbers have grown to the extent that they had to move into a larger capacity space to accommodate the influx of a great multitude.
At COZA, we celebrate you. Even the tiniest of babies, can probably echo that phrase. It’s not just a phrase. Perhaps in other words, it can be described as ‘no matter what you’ve been through all day and all week, welcome to the Potter’s house, where you are a vessel unto honor. Come, bring your burden and cast all your cares upon God.” Come to me all ye who are weak and heavy laden and I will give you rest. Have you been rejected elsewhere? At COZA, we celebrate you no matter who you are.
Everyone has a right of entry into the house of the King no matter how you look, or where you are from. At Coza, we believe that the church is similar to an hospital where there are a lot of emergency cases as well as routine cases that need attention- people in need of urgent salvation& those that need to grow stronger in their Christian walk. Nonetheless, the atmosphere allows you to come as you are but not to remain in sin. “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” the Pastor teaches. Each man will answer for himself on the last day. So pray with your own mouth and declare over your life. Be the prophet over your own life. Speak the Word. Simply because the Grace that saves can also prosper you in health and wealth, which is a full salvation package-accessed through Faith and Bible backed confessions.
Testimonies abound over what God has done through the Ministry of the Commonwealth of Zion Assembly. People testify to how the word which they have spoken into their lives have manifested. The bible is so rich, who wouldn’t want its content manifested in their lives.
So this is COZA where friends meet friends and all meet with Jesus, where everybody is somebody. This is the Potters house where everyone is celebrated. This is the Temple of the King where the sincere milk of the word is shared.
This is the COZA you’ve heard so much about and we celebrate you.
An exceptional gift to the entire body of Christ, Rev. Biodun Fatoyinbo, Senior Pastor, is a preacher with uncommon prophetic insight into the word. His ministry has touched lives across various divides. Delivering the word with exactitude and undeniable impact, his messages fuse a unique blend of the factual, personal revelations, convictions with time-tested facts unearthed by years of study and fellowshipping with the Lord. He pushes the vision of reaching the un-churched with the help of his delectable wife, Pastor ‘Modele Fatoyinbo.

The Traffic Light and the Toilet

I know, weird title. Someone’s looking at a screen now, reading this and going, “Mich’s gone nuts! What the heck does a traffic light have to do with a toilet?” I’ll get there. Lemme just take some time out to explain how I came about this title.

My dad and I were heading into town one slow and sleepy morning. Much to our surprise, the town was light, traffic scanty. We came to halt at this intersection, being given the red of the traffic light, only to discover that the green was on a stark naked side of the intersection. My dad made a statement, “Traffic lights,” he said, “they could stop a road packed with cars to pass one with none at all.”

So we got talking. So many decades after the traffic light was invented, it still operates in the exact manner – very much like your toilet. These are a coule of inventions that have refused to change.

Now after we got talking, I got thinking…what happens when we as people refuse change…as we normally do.

My answer: Much like the traffic light, we keep those around us on a spot unnecessarily (And oh the loo does a good job at that also). People need to wait for us to get things, to catch things, even to do things before they can move on.

What if the traffic light had a vehicle sensor-type thing inbuilt, and could sense when a road is bare so as to recalculate it’s processes? That’ll be cool.

I think the Operating System for many of us needs an update.

Many of us are getting old…and I don’t mean in age.

Virtual Reality

Maybe it’s the fact that I am really immersing myself, these days, in the Sci-fi genre that makes me write this blog post on virtual reality, I don’t know. Or maybe for once it’s really donning on me the ‘reality’ of virtual reality. Virtual Reality, simply put is a, simulated reality—in other words, a fake world.

Call me “The One”, but I have discovered that this world we live in is nothing but a simulated reality. Very much like the fiction tales we read in novels, this world isn’t real. Although, when you’ve lived long enough in it, you grow up thinking it is.

Truth is, we aren’t from earth. We aren’t even from this galaxy. If we were, Chapter 1 our story would have begun the second we were conceived in the womb of our mothers.

But it didn’t, did it? God said he knew us before we were formed—means we existed elsewhere before we were plugged in to the simulation that is earth.

The strange thing about this particular simulation is, the law of cause and effect. Contrary to how many think it works, I choose to believe that while the cause might take place in the Virtual world (earth), the effect might tarry until the day of awakening, when we find ourselves in the Real world (the after life). I didn’t choose to call the real world “heaven” ‘cause there is a “hell”. Every move we make and step we take in the virtual world shapes what reality we end up in.

Life’s Paradox

Hi guys. Took a little hiatus from blogging. Still not sure if I’m back yet…you all know how life can get, you live it, too. I’m not alone. Like I always say, Life is the only story where everyone is the protagonist—at least in their own eyes. At the same time, looking at it through the lens before my brother’s eyes, this story called life has no protagonist. The way I see it, no one deserves to be casted for that role anyway. No one has what it takes. But enough of my ramblings. I’ll ramble on this much later. You bet I will.

For a couple of days, I’ve been studying the behavior of the people around me, watching what makes them tick, what makes them bubble, what makes them take totally impulsive and irrational decisions, what makes them cry, and what makes them breakdown, crawl back into a shell they had hatched out of in the past, and painstakingly rebuild their covering—the very same covering they broke out of. I was also a test subject in this impromptu experiment of mine, and here’s what I discovered: We all do what we do 1.) to be different and 2.) for attention.

Gone are the days when we did things to be accepted. We don’t want to be accepted. We want to stand out. We want to be unique. We want to dye our punk Mohawk hairdos fuchsia pink and get a tattoo that says “No one in this city has swagger like me” for the simple fact that we want to be noticed. Not accepted, noticed. We do it to be different.

At the same time, I find, while we are trying to be different and not “accepted”, we can’t handle being snubbed. I find this strange. I’ve seen traits in me. I used to think I hated attention, and believe me I do (I’d love to change my birth date on Facebook on my birthday just to ward off the myriad of posts, and return it to normal thereafter, but I won’t ‘cause that’s downright childish and immature), but truth be told I appreciate attention. Let’s face it, whether we like it or not, humanity’s basic need is to be loved. We all want someone who would check up on us when we’ve got the blues. We all want someone who would feel genuine concern for us when we are down with even the slightest flu. If we all had people like that in our lives, then Miss World’s dream of “World Peace” is as good as a reality. But truth be told, most of us don’t. This is why I cherish the handful of friends I’m blessed with, not to mention family.

I think it all boils down to the fact that we secretly do want to be accepted. And while we fight “acceptance” by making irrational decisions that’ll make us “different”, we secretly need acceptance. We secretly crave it.

We just don’t know it.

Mich

@chosenmich

Festive Love

I welcome you all to the year 2013. This is my first post in this New Year, and no, it isn’t about writing. One of the things I told myself this year is that I wouldn’t draw up a list of resolutions that I have for 2013 coz, like it or not, I always fail at keeping every one of them. Funny enough, if you look at it another way, this year my resolution was not to make any resolutions, and for the first time ever, I’ve been able to keep my resolution ‘coz I didn’t draw any up.

What I do have for 2013 is a list of goals I would love to achieve. There is nothing wrong with setting goals, I just don’t like resolutions. I’m already working towards my goals for this year, and I hope to share my progress with you in future posts.

This post however tackles the dark side of the festive periods. It’s been one long time of celebration; Christmas and New Year. These periods wear a mask. A mask of love, caring, and sharing. In truth, that’s what it is all about. But under it all, I find, it is probably the easiest time of the year to harbor grief.

I’ll give you an example. Say you know someone who’s supposed to be a friend. The 25^th of December comes. You send a “Merry Christmas” text. But get no reply. You know your pal got the message, so why didn’t he/she reply? This is why January is the month for pointing accusing fingers. “You didn’t send me a text,” or “you didn’t reply mine,” or “you didn’t call me.”

Perhaps it boils down to the fact that we all just want a little loving. It goes back to the gist of what these periods of celebration are about: love. Maybe we should all just learn to give each other the benefit of the doubt. I’m fantastic at doing that, giving people the benefit of the doubt. Some of us are just forgetful, and some of us are going through too much to remember such things. But either way don’t allow one person put you in a mood this New Year.

Love yourself, love others.

Again, Happy New Year from MiCH.

@chosenmich

‘Tis the Season

It’s that time of the year again when the streets are decorated, and regardless of your location the temperature is lower than usual.
For me, it’s the ultimate relaxation time. So have a break, take a chill pill, hang with family and friends, and eat till you drop! (I didn’t say that).
But in all your eating, don’t forget we’re only celebrating because God gave us His best gift-His son.
Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year in advance. The next time I post it’ll be 2013… Isn’t that cool.

See you next year!
MiCH

Belief

Everything, it seems, excites kids. I could list a billion and one things we did as kids that “never got old.” Amongst all, there is this phenomenon we discovered. Read about it below:

I grew up in the northern parts of Nigeria. If there is anything to be noticed about the north, it’s the scorching and prickly heat. Heat so strong it feels like the rays of the sun are actually needles to the skin. On such days, demand for water goes up so as to curb dehydration (which always feels to be right around the corner.)

Now here’s the phenomenon. Whenever you see a bottle of water standing on the table and pick it up, you find it to be empty. But for a split second, it didn’t feel so. For a moment in time, the bottle actually feels heavy. It actually feels like there is water in it! For a very brief moment, your hand’s upward movement is challenged by the “weight” of the “water” in the bottle, and then suddenly, the bottle feels light, sending your hand way over your head.

So what am I saying?

Belief has the power to bring into existence, stuff that doesn’t naturally exist, and stuff that isn’t naturally possible. Belief is the acceptance by the mind that something is true—even if it currently isn’t. Belief has the power to make an empty bottle temporarily full. It has the power to make men walk on water. There is nothing, I believe, that belief can’t do. Unlike Newton, however, we didn’t explore why this apple fell on our heads. Perhaps if we did, we would have discovered the Law of Materialization, or something. How you can form substances by just believing in their existence.

So believe in yourself, and believe in your dream. Even if that dream doesn’t seem feasible now, belief can bring it into existence.