Brickmaker At Rest

Taken while researching Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

Hear Congo's Angels

Women singers, songwriters, and poets are banding together to raise awareness about violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Grammy winner Irma Thomas, Americana singer Neko Case, and pop icon Susan Cowsill are among those donating tracks to a CD that will benefit rape victims in the DRC. The CD is titled Congo's Angels.

The effort is part of Congo Week, a worldwide outpouring of support for the many victims of the seemingly endless war in the Congo, where nearly six million people have died since 1998. As part of my contribution to the effort, I'll be holding readings from Heart of Diamonds at several venues that week.

Other contributors include Eliza Gilkyson, Caroline Aiken, Karen Protti-Bailey, Claire Holley, Kim Carson, Theresa Davis, Mary LaSang, Ruby Rendrag, Gospel Gossip, Sonia Tetlow, Herman Put Down the Gun, Karen Garrabrant, Dede Vogt, Caroline Herring, Janet Bean, and Leilani Rivera Bond. Earthshaking Records donated studio and production time for the mastering of Congo's Angels. A group of emergency room doctors in Brainerd, Minnesota donated toward the environmentally friendly packaging of Congo's Angels. CDBABY has waived their percentage of sales from Congo's Angels as a gesture of solidarity with Congo Week. The CD manufacturer, Oasis, has given a deep discount for the production of Congo's Angels.

You can purchase the CD at CDBaby. Carrie Crawford, Chairperson of Friends of the Congo pledges, "All proceeds from Congo's Angels will raise awareness, fund independent media, and support women and girls in the Democratic Republic of Congo."

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Congo Week Appearances

It is time to break the silence about the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, which is why I will be reading from Heart of Diamonds and discussing the current situation in the Congo at numerous venues as part of Congo Week, a slate of events October 19 – 25 held on over 1,000 campuses and other venues in 100 countries worldwide.

Nearly six million people have died in this war so far and the violence is increasing as we speak. The media ignores the devastation, which is why I am speaking out.

I will be appearing at the Harrison, NY, Public Library at 7:30 PM, Monday, October 20, and the Multicultural Living Learning Unit of Clara Dickson Hall at Cornell University, Ithaca, at 7 PM, Wednesday, October 22. I will also appear at Borders in the Pyramid Mall in Ithaca at 3 PM that day. I will make a presentation at Barnes & Noble, White Plains, NY, at 7 PM, Thursday, October 23.

Heart of Diamonds is a work of fiction, but it is based on actual events in the most deadly conflict since World War II. I drew heavily on news accounts of rape as a weapon of terror, child soldiers, widespread corruption at all levels of government, and the very sad plight of the hundreds of thousands of refugees from the violence that continues to wrack the nation.

In addition to these live events, I'll be blogging heavily during Congo Week. I have some special posts planned that will really dramatize the situation in the DRC.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds a romantic thriller about blood diamonds in the Congo.

Heart of Diamonds Called Fast, Modern Adventure

Amazon reviewer Harvey Karp of the Bronx says Heart of Diamonds will make a great screenplay. Among his comments was this observation:

Even with all the fights, raids, battles, chase scenes along crocodile-infested rivers and over refugee-clogged roads, the story is fast-paced with the romance allowing the reader to breathe as it unfolds.

As you might imagine, I'm hoping Harvey knows somebody in Hollywood.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

To Work

Taken while researching Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

Reviewer Sees High Adventure - High Romance

NoraG, an Amazon reviewer, wrote about how Heart of Diamonds crosses between two genres, thrillers and romance.

Between the high-concept suspense, steamy love triangle, and action-packed portrayal of the Congo, Heart of Diamonds makes a great read.

Just like it's readers, Heart of Diamonds can't be stereotyped!

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

Nationwide Rebellion Threatens Congo

Laurent Nkunda has announced his intentions to spread war throughout the nation. During the last month, the leader of the largest rebel army in the Democratic Republic of Congo has defied the UN and ignored the Goma peace accords he signed in January by clashing repeatedly with government troops. Apparently the dissident general now feels ready to mount a full-scale war.

In a recent BBC interview, dissident general Laurent Nkunda threw gasoline on the fire by calling on Congolese people to "stand up" to the national government, saying his rebel group would "fight until the people are liberated." Nkunda's National Congress for the Defence of the People (CNDP) has been openly fighting government troops for the past month in direct violation of the Goma peace accords he signed in January.

"We are going to liberate the people of Congo. Our army is well trained; well disciplined," he told the BBC. While supporters deny it, it appears his intentions are to spread the war throughout the Congo.

The CNDP is believed to be backed by the government of Rwanda. It claims to be protecting the Tsutis who live in the DRC, known as Banyamulenge, against the remnants of the Hutu Interhamwe militia who committed the 1994 Rwandan genocide and fled into Congo, but economic control of the region around Goma seems to be a more immediate goal. The move to widen the conflict may be a gamble to expand his empire or even to seize control of the entire country.

The DRC government issued an international arrest warrant against Nkunda in 2005 for alleged war crimes and Human Rights Watch says his troops have been implicated in widespread killings, torture, and rape.

As the always-fragile peace in the Eastern provinces of the DRC displays new cracks, hundreds of thousands of civilians are again fleeing their homes and farms in scenes reminiscent of my novel, Heart of Diamonds.

Both Nkunda's forces and government troops have been accused of terrorizing civilians, forcing some 100,000 to abandon their farms for refugee camps in recent weeks. They join some 837,000 displaced persons already on the UN roles. Starvation is the immediate problem facing them there, since many of the camps haven't received food supplies for two months due to the increase in violence. The UN's World Food Program has suspended operations outside Goma and even refugee camps that are reachable with supplies are only receiving half rations. Since the beginning of the year, humanitarian aid groups have been attacked at least 52 times.

Hungry, frustrated civilians in the region have rioted against UN forces recently, protesting the blue helmets' inability to stop the fighting. Nkunda may see this as a sign that the time it right to try for a complete overthrow of Joseph Kabila's government, the first chosen in democratic elections in Congo since the country's liberation.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

A Great Day For Congo Women

Today was a great day at Roosevelt Island in New York, where hundreds of people gathered to run, walk, and otherwise offer support for women in the Congo who have been victimized by the endless war that forms the setting for Heart of Diamonds. It was the NY Run for Congo Women, a fundraiser for Women For Women International.

This four-star charity helps women provide for their families by teaching them skills they need to end the cycle of poverty and suffering, providing funds to help them start businesses, and teaching them to protect themselves against the terror around them.


(from left: me, my son Jeremy, my wife Nora, and our friends Sacha, Art, and Connie)

I'd like to thank everyone who joined the Heart of Diamonds team and showed your solidarity with the women of the Congo. Six of us were able to appear, but dozens others supported us with generous donations and heart-felt good wishes. When all was said and done, we raised nearly $1,000 -- a nice portion of the $15,000 raised by the event.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Lisa Jackson, whose documentary film, The Greatest Silence: Rape In The Congo aired on HBO earlier this year and won a special prize at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. We chatted before the run, then in a nice bit of serendipity, the Outreach Coordinator for Jackson Films, Joseph Mbangu, won a copy of Heart of Diamonds in the raffle afterward!

Thanks again to all the donors and well-wishers who supported this great cause.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

Laundry Day

Taken while researching Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds

AfriCom Guns And Butter Hard To Swallow

The U.S. Department of Defense officially opened AfriCom, the U.S. Africa Command, this week in recognition of Africa's growing strategic importance to the world. Not to mention the continent's increasing importance as an oil producer. In a line that could have come directly from the double-dealing White House portrayed in my novel Heart of Diamonds, the new command says it will work with African nations to create a more stable environment for political and economic growth.

The delight with which this news was received by the countries involved is reflected in the location of AfriCom's headquarters--Stuttgart, Germany. It was reported earlier that none of the African nations approached was willing to have the American command on its soil.

Be that as it may, AfriCom is supposed to not just bolster the U.S. military presence, but to improve the delivery and effectivness of economic development aid as well. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said:

"The focus is on the three Ds: defense, diplomacy and development. On the defense side, AFRICOM's mission is not to wage war, but to prevent it; not to show United States military presence, but to enhance the security forces of our partners."

In fact, the non-military aspects of the command are supposed to be demonstrated by the assignment of a deputy from the State Department to the staff of the four-star Army general at the top of Africom. This "guns and butter" approach is rather hard to swallow, though, when USAID Administrator Henrietta Fore says,

"We expect AFRICOM to substantially contribute to African defense sector reform and to build African partner capabilities and capacities in peacekeeping, in coastal and border security and counterterrorism."

It sounds a lot more like the mission is building African armies than boosting African economies to me.

Dave Donelson, author of Heart of Diamonds

Tags: romantic thriller, Congo, blood diamonds