From childhood, I have always loved writing. I started writing in high school. I published my first book in 2011 when I was in college but it was not a successful one. There were many challenges at that time. In fact, I had to go on an involuntary hiatus of five years! I never wrote a thing! But I am thankful that I am a published author today.
Before I talk about my book, let me share with you about my journey to becoming a published author. After going on an involuntary hiatus from writing for five years; I picked up my pen to start writing again. We all know the story of J.K. Rowling and how she was rejected by 12 publishers. I had the same experience of J.K. Rowling because I was rejected by 13 publishers.
Worse yet, a leading Nigerian publisher whom I trusted and thought would be very happy to publish my book rejected my book and told me that my manuscript did not meet their standard. But, an American publisher (Christian Faith Publishing) told me that my manuscript was worthy of being published.
Here is the message I got from Christian Faith Publishing when my manuscript was accepted:
Dear Kingsley,
Christian Faith Publishing takes great pride in accepting your book, “Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird” for partnership in publication with us. The review board’s decision to represent your project is a reflection of the high standards we maintain for the kinds of books we represent. We feel yours is a very worthy project and we are excited to begin working with you. We congratulate you on the coming publication of your book.
It has not been an easy journey for me becoming a published author! I wrote Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird in 2013 when I was in College. It took me this long to have it published because of the challenges I had. But I am eternally grateful to my one in a million, amazing and noble mentor and dear friend: Suzanne who sponsored my writing and publishing project from start to finish.
After I got rejected by the Nigerian publisher; I was having a conversation with a friend of mine in Michigan; Kelly and we were talking about writing. When I told her that I am a writer; she exclaimed “Oh that is great! Have your books been published?” I told her no; because I have not found a publisher to accept my work for publication and that I have been rejected by publishers.
Kelly told me that she would make some research and write back to me. Three days later, she wrote back to me and sent me the contact information of Christian Faith Publishing and then encouraged me to write them.
At this point my book was just a manuscript and it had not yet been edited and proofread. I called my dear mentor in Florida; Suzanne and told her that a friend sent me an address of a publisher in USA. Suzanne called Christian Faith Publishing and had a very detailed conversation with them and out of compassion; she willingly used her personal resources to foot the bills of my publishing project.
Even from the beginning, it was Suzanne who paid for the editing of my book which was edited by a professional editor in USA. With the help of Suzanne, I manifested a publishing contract with a five star publishing company in USA and today I am a published author because of Suzanne.
Suzanne is not just a dear friend and mentor; she is a Mother, an Earth Angel, Emissary of Light, Healer and a Goddess on her own right. I honestly describe Suzanne as Kwan Yin personified because that is what she is. Suzanne embodies Compassion in its truest form and she has a heart of GOLD!
As I am typing this line of my story; I am filled with gratitude and goose bumps because without her help I would not have achieved this! Even my blog (www.kingsley-osajie.com) was made possible with the help of Suzanne. Here is what she told me some time ago:
“Kingsley, I see the potentials in you, and I am happy to help you succeed and live your dreams.”
When I told my mom about the publishing contract and the kind sponsorship of Suzanne on my publishing project; she marveled and decided to thank Suzanne.
“Kingsley is like a son to me and I am happy to see him succeed,” she told my mom.
Suzanne gave me a platform to be seen, heard, healed me, and set me on a positive life momentum. I truly cannot thank her enough!! Her type is rare! I believe that if every human has the heart of Suzanne, the world will be a better place.
About My Book (Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird)
My debut book is a children’s book titled Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird. But I write in all genres. I decided to write this book for the beautiful children out there. I love children; hence I purposely wrote this book for the children out there in the world! As a matter of fact, adult and parents can learn something too from Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird.
Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird is an exquisite book about Cindy and her loving moments with Amy, her pet bird. This is a story of the intimacy and challenges of a little girl called Cindy and her beautiful songbird, Amy.
Cindy’s bird, Amy, affected her positively. It shows how children can be attached with pets once a cordial relationship has been formed. In this story, Cindy showed us that children can have unwavering faith, even if it seemed goofy, unrealistic, and an illusion! Despite all odds about the whereabouts of Cindy’s bird, she kept believing and having faith.
I love children and I believe they are our hope for a better tomorrow, take good care of them and bring them up in the way they should go.
—Kingsley Osajie
Children are like wet floors, anything that falls on them leaves an imprint.
—Kingsley Osajie
Every child on earth will love to be a superstar, every boy and girl will love to make it big…hold on to your dreams.
—Brenda Fassie
I believe the children are our future, teach them well and let them lead the way; show them all the beauty they possess inside.
—Whitney Houston
“I created a girl child Cindy—who had a beautiful bird called Amy and a brother whose name is Quimby. Cindy, a tender jolly girl whose unquenchable faith in the loss of her bird is remarkable and the relationship between Cindy and her bird is truly refreshing. Cindy and Quimby are my brainchildren. Yes, I love children.”
–Kingsley Osajie, author of Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird
Nomination of Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird For 2020 Readers’ Choice Award
In 2020, Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird was officially “born.” It was no longer a manuscript; it became a published book. I felt happy seeing it published and holding it as a published book. Now, let me share with you how the nomination for the Readers’ Choice Awards began. Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird was nominated for the 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards by TCK Publishing.
When I began writing Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird I did not set the intention for it to be nominated for the Readers’ Choice Awards. But even as it is nominated it does not make me feel proud. After all, it is just a nomination.
In 2011; I published my first book. On my way home from my publishers’ house I was in the car; I picked a newspaper to read and the next thing I saw on the second page was the news of 25 years old Serbian girl who won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her name is Tea Obreht and the title of her book is Tiger’s Wife. I looked at Tea Obreht holding her Orange Prize Award and I marveled. On top of that, she was going home with £30,000! That was something illustrious, enviable, laudable and highly remarkable!!!!
The Universe and the Cosmic Forces are always listening to us. This life is really wonder-full…so on this very fateful day; I was reading about this American singer Chanté Moore. After reading through her Wikipedia I noticed that she had more nominations than ACTUAL Awards.
I was like, “Damn! Please! Don’t give me any nominations! To hell with nominations! In fact, I refuse to have nominations. What would I want with nominations? Give me the award. Not nominations.” This was how I said it sarcastically; I was just saying it after reading her Wikipedia. So I continued to make these comments sarcastically. I never knew that what I was refusing would come to me.
After making those sarcastic comments about the nominations of Chante Moore songs; I went about my day’s activities. About three weeks my book was nominated for Readers Choice Awards by TCK Publishing.
When I read the congratulatory message from TCK Publishing I was dumbfounded. I could not cry and I could not laugh. It was a total dumfounding! At that moment everything I said about Chante Moore nominations started resurfacing. If it was to be a movie; I would see the flashback…and I had a flashback in my own case. I felt so TIRED! Because I did not expect it and the nomination I rejected sarcastically came to me. So it is really a lesson for me!!!
There are lots of moral lessons for children to learn from in Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird. It can be used as a bedtime story for children and it is very ideal for a children’s cartoon movie. I can assure you that every child out there will certainly enjoy reading it.
Reviews for Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird
“My son and I read this book. As we read it, he really enjoyed the imagery. He tried to guess what was next, enjoying the surprise as well as how happy the bird made her. From my point of view, it was charming to read about her story. It’s refreshing to encompass the child’s nature so accurately. My son was just as charmed as I was at the cute story and the descriptions were vivid. Wonderful read! I look forward to reading more by this author!”
“This book is a really great book for children. Unlike other books which show us the children happy and playful. It showed that Cindy had an unwavering faith in the quest to find her little bird who went missing. It’s easy to read and short. It was a wonderful read.” Yinka Odufote, Nigeria
“The love for pets.”
“Cindy and her beautiful bird” is certainly a book to remember. It emulates and emphasizes the relationship and connection that can be established between children and pets.” Mariam Owoade, Nigeria
“This story is perfect for younger kids. I read this to my younger brother (6 years old), and he really enjoyed following the story of Cindy. From the perspective of an older reader, the book also had the magical feeling of childhood to it. Cindy’s love for the bird was really enjoyable to read about, and I felt like it taught a valuable lesson for kids. Cindy’s faith in the bird was also another lesson that could have been taken from this book. The images in the book were very engaging for my brother, and the colors kept him engaged throughout the story. The story is well worth a read with younger kids for a pastime, and it was written in a way that could it could have also helped children develop better reading capabilities. All in all, I think the story is perfect read for kids, and can teach them the lessons of faith and love.”
S.K. Way Authors, Oklahoma, USA
Nomination of Cindy And Her Beautiful Bird For 2020 Readers’ Choice Award
In 2020, Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird was officially “born.” It was no longer a manuscript; it became a published book. I felt happy seeing it published and holding it as a published book. Now, let me share with you how the nomination for the Readers’ Choice Awards began. Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird was nominated for the 2020 Readers’ Choice Awards by TCK Publishing.
When I began writing Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird I did not set the intention for it to be nominated for the Readers’ Choice Awards. But even as it is nominated it does not make me feel proud. After all, it is just a nomination.
In 2011; I published my first book. On my way home from my publishers’ house I was in the car; I picked a newspaper to read and the next thing I saw on the second page was the news of 25 years old Serbian girl who won the Orange Prize for Fiction. Her name is Tea Obreht and the title of her book is Tiger’s Wife. I looked at Tea Obreht holding her Orange Prize Award and I marveled. On top of that, she was going home with £30,000! That was something illustrious, enviable, laudable and highly remarkable!!!!
The Universe and the Cosmic Forces are always listening to us. This life is really wonder-full…so on this very fateful day; I was reading about this American singer Chanté Moore. After reading through her Wikipedia I noticed that she had more nominations than ACTUAL Awards.
I was like, “Damn! Please! Don’t give me any nominations! To hell with nominations! In fact, I refuse to have nominations. What would I want with nominations? Give me the award. Not nominations.” This was how I said it sarcastically; I was just saying it after reading her Wikipedia. So I continued to make these comments sarcastically. I never knew that what I was refusing would come to me.
After making those sarcastic comments about the nominations of Chante Moore songs; I went about my day’s activities. About three weeks my book was nominated for Readers Choice Awards by TCK Publishing.
When I read the congratulatory message from TCK Publishing I was dumbfounded. I could not cry and I could not laugh. It was a total dumbfounding! At that moment everything I said about Chante Moore nominations started resurfacing. If it was to be a movie; I would see the flashback…and I had a flashback in my own case. I felt so TIRED! Because I did not expect it and the nomination I rejected sarcastically came to me. So it is really a lesson for me!!!
Where to Buy Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird
Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird is available for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Watertones etc
https://www.waterstones.com/book/cindy-and-her-beautiful-bird/kingsley-osajie//9781098011222#reviews
My Story Published on a South African Platform
Of recent, my dear South African friend and mentor (Ryan) published my story on how I became a published author in his YouTube channel and Facebook Page. This is the YouTube link to watch my story.
https://m.youtube.com/channel/UCJqPso1d2VhFDwpFuMRBw4w?sub_confirmation=1
He also posted on his Podcast which you can listen to via this ink
Meet The Author
Kingsley Osajie is a children’s author based in Delta State, Nigeria. He teaches in a private school. His debut publication was Cindy and Her Beautiful Bird, which was nominated for a Readers’ Choice Award 2020 by TCK Publishing.
Kingsley graduated in Political Science and Social Studies from the Agbor College of Education, Delta State. He is the youngest of three children still living with his mom, his dad having passed in 2012. Kingsley is quirky, a maverick, witty, genial, positively rebellious, resilient, intuitive, and creative.
He LOVES Spirituality and believes strongly in compassion, considering himself well connected to Kwan Yin (the Goddess of Compassion). Kingsley thinks of himself as a child of Kwan Yin, which he wrote about in Developing the Eyes of Kwan Yin.
When he is not writing, Kingsley enjoys spending time in nature, especially along the river. He loves water and connecting with Water’s Healing Energies. His favorite sports are ping-pong, swimming, gymnastics, and the high jump. As an intrepid adventurer, he loves travelling. He dreams of touring countries in every continent.
Kingsley also likes dogs, parrots, picnics, music, action movies, wildlife documentaries, wrestling, and writing blogs on his website, Kingsley Osajie, where you can also read a longer-length biography.
Kingsley Osajie 
Recently I shared my story about me and my journey of becoming a published with a Platform called The Romance Bloke. Here is the link to read my story there https://theromancebloke.com/kingsley-osajies-writing-journey/
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