In 2012, I created this blog to allow anyone to comment or review my books, and, if necessary, to allow me to respond and provide additional insight into their historical background, or simply to explain why I wrote what I wrote.
In 2012 I self-published my first book, Village Teacher on Amazon. Since early 2018, I began working on a second book, The Siege of An Lộc. It is now completed and is available on Amazon.
My name is Nguyễn Trọng Hiền in Vietnamese. Living in the United States, I am known as Hien Nguyen, or Hien T. Nguyen. neihtn is the name of my email account on Yahoo mail. It is my Vietnamese first name (Hien) and initials, spelled backward. Why backward? One reason is to indicate that I now live on the opposite side of the world from where I was born and spent over two decades of my life.
Do I write for a living? No, writing is something that I have wanted to do for almost all my life, but I used to have a “regular” job. It took me almost four years to write Village Teacher at night and on weekends. I am now retired and intend to spend much of my time writing.
I am also an amateur photographer. I like to take pictures of birds, wildlife, flowers and landscapes. I now blog and post photos at least once a week. I hope you will enjoy my photos.
T. W. Dittmer said:
I’m glad I came across your blog, sir. I spent some time in the An Loc area when I was stationed in Vietnam with 1st Infantry Division. Your book is on my list. Thanks for writing it.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting here! I hope you will read “The Siege of An Lộc” especially since you were stationed in that area during the war. Please let me know what you think of it! In the meantime, I visited your Amazon page and as a result will definitely be reading “Five-Toed Tigress” in the very near future.
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T. W. Dittmer said:
I would be honored, sir. My first book, “The Valley Walker,” mentions An Loc. The scene is based on an experience I had while stationed over there. I will definitely read both of your books.
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neihtn2012 said:
I just posted my review of “Five-Toed Tigress” on Amazon. I enjoyed reading your book very much!
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T. W. Dittmer said:
Thank you so much, sir. Brings a smile to my face. 🙂
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Pingback: The Siege of An Loc – Bonnie Reads and Writes
Kingsley Uchechukwu said:
Nice blog
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much!
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Sadashiv Atmaram Sawant said:
Hello Hien ,I used your photographs for doing hyperrealistic pencil drawing. Want your email address so that I can send you the images of my drawings.Waiting for the reply.
Thank you.
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Gunta said:
Hi Hien, I’ve been seeing your comments at posts we mutually follow. I’m so glad I finally took the time to see what you were up to and I’m glad I did! Seems as though we have similar likes or hobbies! I’m off to scroll through some more of your photos if I don’t get interrupted. 😀
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you, and happy blogging!
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photographyartplus said:
Hien, your photos are incredible, you have a lot of sensitivity to nature, I congratulate you for such beautiful captures, your Blog is captivating.
Greetings Marcela, from Colombia 🙂
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neihtn2012 said:
Marcela, thank you for stopping by and commenting so kindly!
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photographyartplus said:
Your welcome Hien!
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kliekens said:
Dear Hien,
you are a wonderful colleague to work with, and I now know that you are a very talented writer too!
I just read your book and I enjoyed reading every single page of it!
I usually don’t read historical books, but “The Village Teacher” has such a fine combination of history and romance, and I truly loved it.
I already look forward to reading your second book!
Warm regards, Katleen
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neihtn2012 said:
Katleen, I am happy you enjoyed reading Village Teacher and came away with a very encouraging appreciation of the story and its historical background. Thank you for taking the time to stop by here and commenting!
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Geena Watkins said:
Dear Hien,
I LOVE YOU ! You are so amazing!!!!!!
I wish I can do just only half of what you do.👍🏻
(Now USA from Bangkok, Thailand)
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for your very kind comments!
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kitestream said:
I always appreciate your kind comments on my photos, even though I don’t publish comments, thanks!
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Robyn G said:
Thanks for visiting my site Hien – I’m so glad to have found you and yours 😃
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for visiting and commenting!
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Cheryl said:
Hello – I love your photographs! I am compiling my essays on Buddhism into a book that I am self-publishing through Amazon (I have a Master’s in Buddhist Doctrine and am nearly finished with my Master’s in Divinity focusing on Buddhist Studies) and would love to use one of your white lotus with bee pictures (July 13, 2015 titled White Lotus with bee) for the cover. I will properly credit your picture, of course. The photo really touched me since my mother loved bees and collected bee pins and things, so it would be a nice touch to include the bee with the lotus. Thank you for considering my request! Cheryl (Tam Bi Khai)
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neihtn2012 said:
You are welcome to use that picture in your book. If you need a higher resolution image, let me know by sending an email to me at neihtn@yahoo.com, and I will send it to you.
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anhots said:
Thank you so much, I’ll let you know when it’s available so you can see the results. I love looking at your photos – you’re very talented.
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revengestar said:
Very inspirational, thanks for sharing
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for visiting and commenting!
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lorigreer said:
Hello, I just found your blog. I look forward to reading your posts and enjoying the photographs.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much! I hope you will enjoy the photos that I will post on this blog.
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Wendell A. Brown said:
I love what you share, and your photographs inspire me to write poetry with their radiant spirit! One day I might write a poem to one of your pictures if you permit! You are awesome my brother…the beauty, and peace alive in your spirit shines through radiantly in all you share! It is always a delight to visit you!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for your kind comment, Wendell! I am glad that you enjoy viewing my photos, and if some of them can be a source of inspiration for you, I will be very honored.
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arv! said:
the picture clicked by you are amazing! loved them…
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you!
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arv! said:
🙂
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Ruta Travels said:
Hi Hien – your blog looks very interesting. Tempting to scroll and scroll, because all the pictures look great. In which state do you live now (I assume in US)?
– Ruta
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Ruta for visiting my blog. I am living in New Jersey, and I see that you have been in our state. Happy traveling and blogging!
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loisajay said:
Hello, Hien–it is so very wonderful to meet you! I have seen your photo before, as we follow many of the same blogs. I feel like I am meeting an old friend.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for visiting my blog, and I hope you will be back from time to time.
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Mun Sun said:
Hi, thanks for dropping by and liking my blog, The Whimsical Trekker. You have some great pictures here and I especially like the canyon photos, really magnificent works of nature!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks. You have a great blog and I enjoy reading it and viewing your photos.
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Garrulous Gwendoline said:
Hello Hien, I dropped by to thank you for the like on my post on the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum. It was great to get the feedback, regards GG
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bogdanem said:
I’m glad I found this interesting blog. I hope I’ll find your book in Poland as it includes both history and geography, things that make time spent on reading really precious.
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neihtn2012 said:
I think Amazon in Germany serves Poland: http://www.amazon.de/Village-Teacher-neihtn/dp/1475101635/ref=tmm_pap_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1423512844&sr=8-4
If not, let me know and I will send you an electronic version. Thanks for visiting and commenting!
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senK said:
Hi Hien,
Thanks a lot for liking my posts and following my blog too!! I hope I ll be able to keep post things good enough that you ll like in the future too 🙂
Kaustav
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Jane Lurie said:
Hello Hein- Thank you for following my photography blog, Jane’s Lens. I hope you are inspired. I am enjoying reading your blog and congratulations on the publication of your book.
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darwinontherocks said:
Thank you for visiting my blog. It will allow me to discover and explore yours !
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neihtn2012 said:
You have a very interesting blog with beautiful photos! Happy blogging!
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katelon said:
I just nominated you for The One Lovely Blog award:
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you, Katelon!
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Helen C said:
Great photos. I am so impressed that I decided to follow. Looking forward to seeing more.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks for the follow, Helen!
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Joanne said:
Thank you so much for the visit and follow – I look forward to reading more of yours!
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wisemonkeysabroad said:
What a splendid blog you have 🙂 We love your photography and what you have to share!
Look forward to more and keen to read your book too!!
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neihtn2012 said:
If you would like to read my book, please email me at neihtn@yahoo.com. Then I can email back with a copy in either PDF or Kindle format.
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Diana Barratt said:
I loved village teacher!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you very much for commenting about Village Teacher!
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Pingback: Best Travel Moment : Standing at the Wave | Travel Moments
Travel Moments said:
Hi Hien!
You know I love your blog and your book! 🙂 I am starting a feature about the best travel moment a person encountered or experienced while traveling. I will feature you and your blog on a post. Here’s a sample of a post that I made for this feature. http://travelmoments.net/2014/04/09/the-gift-of-myanmar/
If you would like to join, please send a picture together with a short paragraph explaining where the photo was taken and why this was your best travel moment to angeibarra@travelmoments.net Kindly send your name and blog link site too.
Cheers to happy and memorable travels!
Angie
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neihtn2012 said:
Angie, sounds like a good idea. I will send you something later on today.
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Travel Moments said:
Great! Thanks and look forward to that 🙂
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Nguyên-Kan said:
Hi Mr. Hien,
Thank you for visiting my blog and liking my posts.
Just a small question, you might not answer it if you don’t like. Do you speak Vietnamese, as you liked one of my posts written in Vietnamese : )
Best,
Nguyen-Kan
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for visiting my blog, and your likes. I am Vietnamese. Your post in Vietnamese was very nice to read. Are you interested in reading the book I wrote?
https://neihtn.wordpress.com/
If you are I can send you a PDF or Kindle file. Just let me know.
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Nguyên-Kan said:
oh, yes please! Thank you for your kindness. I’d love to receive a pdf version of your book to my email: phuongle.ngo at gmail.com.
It’s my pleasure to follow your blog.
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Sreejith Nair said:
Hello Hien, Great to find your blog here. Superb images .
Loved the variety in your posts and enjoyed browsing through.
Have a great time 🙂
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lilmisspoutine said:
Hien,
I’ve nominated you for the Seven-Awards-in-One Award. Full details may be found here: http://lilmisspoutinessegues.wordpress.com/2014/03/02/the-seven-awards-in-one-award/
Congratulations and thank you for sharing your amazing stories and photos!
lilmisspoutine
While due diligence has been done to make sure that yours is not an award-free blog, please accept my apologies (if I have missed the obvious), and in the spirit in which the nomination is given. Thank you!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for your nomination!
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kcinaz said:
Thanks to you for the follow. You visited me earlier this month and I’m now just catching up. I’ve put your book “Village Teacher: Genesis” on my Amazon wish list so I don’t forget to check it out. 😀 You’ve gotten great reviews there.
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neihtn2012 said:
That’s great and I appreciate It very much. When you have read the book, please be sure to comment on it, either on your blog, on Amazon, or on this blog.
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babso2you said:
Good luck with the book! They say “do what you love and the money will follow!” I wish this for you!
Thank you for signing up to follow my blog! I hope that you will enjoy my posts! ^..^ B
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you! You have a refreshing and delightful blog, and I enjoy following it, viewing your photos, reading the posts, and learning a little bit about life in the Sierra Foothills.
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Pieter Navis said:
Hi Hien, mr Hien
First of all thank you for dropping by on my weblog. You’ve got some stunning photography, so time to follow your every move 🙂
And may i congratulate you on finishing and publishing your book?! I hope one day i’ll be able to publish something myself, so i know what i have to do in the evenings and weekends the upcoming 4 years lol
All the best!
Cheers
Pieter
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neihtn2012 said:
Hi Pieter,
Thanks for following my blog. I may be publishing less frequently from here on as I need to devote more time on a second book. I do enjoy visiting your blog with such nice photos and interesting stories.
Hien
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Jaye said:
I had a look at some of your photographs, they’re stunning!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you. You have great travel photos on your site!
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Pingback: But I Digress – Village Teacher; A book review | Journeys with Johnbo
meticulousmick said:
Thanks for the like Hien, really appreciated. Hope you will come back to have a further look around. Congratulations on the published book, a great achievement, MM 🍀
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you so much!
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aliewsMuses said:
Thank you Hien for following my blog and liking my takes on the photo challenges. Your blog is great, love your photo work, I’m following and looking forward to viewing your posts!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you and happy blogging!
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gabbartrip said:
Hello! You have some really good photographs – glad to have stumbled on here! Wishing you a happy new year! 🙂 Regards.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you for stopping by, and for your good wishes! Happy New Year to you and yours.
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gpcox said:
It is wonderful to meet you, especially at this time of year when so much magic is in the air.
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neihtn2012 said:
That’s very kind of you. Thank you for stopping by.
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Judy said:
Hi Hein!!
Here is Very Inspiring Blogger Award for you should you wish to have it. You definitiely inspire me with the quality of your work, both written and photographic!! Reading Village Teacher when I was feeling poorly was an absolute pleasure and mentally travelling along with your characters transported me to another time and place where I enjoyed being.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Judy. This is a great honor, and I am especially moved that my book was of any help at all to you.
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Jennifer's Journal said:
Thank you so much for following my blog. I will be checking out your book. Keep writing and blogging!
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neihtn2012 said:
Thanks Jennifer!
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Pat said:
Thanks so much for checking out my little photo blog. I’ve been scrolling through your beautiful photographs.
I love historical fiction and I’m looking forward to reading your book which I just ordered for my Kindle.
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neihtn2012 said:
Pat, thank you so much. I hope you will enjoy reading Village Teacher. Please let me know your impressions (or write a review on Amazon) once you have finished it.
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Diogo pereira said:
Hello Hein, thank you very much for all the likes and for following my blog, i really appreciate it! 😀 Hope you have a great week!! 🙂
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photobyjohnbo said:
Thanks for stopping by and following my blog. I have already enjoyed exploring some of your posts, especially the Red Rock series. Very nice photo work.
Congratulations on your new book, I wish you much success with your writing endeavor.
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you John for visiting this blog and for your good wishes. Do you have time and would you like to read my book, Village Teacher? If so I can email you a PDF or Kindle file. Just email me at neihtn@yahoo.com and I will sent it to you.
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ozsge said:
Hi Hien,
Thank you for following my blog. This was my journey cycling through Vietnam: https://vimeo.com/77878273 I absolutely loved Vietnam and we met some great people! 😀 Hope you like the video
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neihtn2012 said:
Hi Ozge,
I have a very bad internet connection at home and could not watch your video beyond the first 30 seconds. I will try again at work .
Thank you for stopping by my blog!
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Uncle Spike said:
So you decided to join the small clan of Uncle Spike followers Hein…. That makes me a happy blogger now – I really appreciate you making that special mouse click.
Hope you like my upcoming posts and if you get bored one day, maybe you’ll enjoy trawling through some of my older stuff too.
If you have any likes, dislikes or suggestions about my blog, just let me know, either through ‘comments’ or via email. Always welcome reader input 🙂
Have a great old day…
UNCLE SPIKE
uncle.spikes.adventures1@gmail.com
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you. I look forward to reading and viewing your posts.
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Uncle Spike said:
🙂
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ken and agnes photoworks said:
hi hien,
many thanks for dropping by and liking my recent post.
hanoi is a fab place to visit, the mid-autumn festivity in the old quarter is truly an astounding event to experience. a sea of people all round and the lion/dragon dance troupes vying with each other to do their best was amazing to watch.
best regards,
kap
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neihtn2012 said:
Thank you Ken and Agnes. I am looking forward to reading your posts and viewing your photos.
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Audrey Chin said:
Dear Mr. Hien
Thank you for visiting my site “Sometimes Words Help.”
I’m certainly going to try to read Village Teacher and will let you know what I think when I’m done.
Marshall Cavendish will be releasing my novel about 60 years of a Vietnamese man’s life in November. The title is “As the Heart Bones Break”. If you’d like a free copy in return for your review on Goodreads or Amazon, do let me know and I’ll be happy to send you the PDF.
Do keep in touch. It will be nice to follow each other’s writing lives.
Regards
Audrey Chin
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PN Ravindran said:
Great photos of lotuses. I am writing a book Lotus-The Cosmic Flower. I wish to get some lotus photos for including in this book. The book will be published by a UK publisher. Kindly grant me permission and also send me high resolution photographs of the lotuses . Your help will be properly acknowledged.
Regards
Dr PN Ravindran
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neihtn2012 said:
No problem. Just let me know which ones you want by telling me the date on which the pictures were posted, and the ones you want.
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