Hey, expats and Khmers:

I lived in Cambodia from 1994 through 2001, with Ken Cramer (aka LTO), my husband. We worked hard to launch our publishing company Canby Publications (named for my hometown in Oregon, where I am now) and ironically had our first magazine at press when the "factional fighting" occurred, July 5th through 7th in 1997.

Determined not to "stick it to" the many great people who supported us to launch our company, we did not flee Cambodia on a "rescue flight." Oh, no! We stuck around and continued with our company, distributing our travel guides within two weeks of that "factional fighting," to the astonishment of many of the companies we worked with.

After establishing a client base of over 200 companies and individuals, I left Cambodia in early 2001, and my marriage. Ken and I maintained a strong friendship throughout the years, and he and I were always in touch. Even in the week before his death, we talked.

Following his tragic accident on December 7th, 2016 I began writing about our lives in Cambodia. Dancing in Circles: An Expatriate in Cambodia, is my story. I have heard from three potential publishers so far, and I'd like to invite any of you to join me on my FB platform, as follows:

Dancing in Circles: An Expatriate in Cambodia, @DebraGrovesHarman

Those who may be interested perhaps remember me from the good 'ol days, or be interested in the factional fighting, Cambodia 1994 - 2001, Ken's life, our publication, ACE school, adventure travel, yada yada!

Thanks.

I look forward to reading it.

I'm not on faecesbook, but I'd be very interested in buying and reading your book.. I'm a big history fan (especially recent Cambodian history).

Be sure to post an update on here when it's published.

Thanks, all, for your interest! I'm working on finding a publisher. A very good editor has advised me to try to "go big," but if I can't get a literary agent on board to peddle the book, I may self-publish.

I can't keep my head in the book for too long. Writing a memoir is digging up the bones, and not always the easiest. I began writing it after Ken died in December of 2016. He and I always guarded our memories and history, and would confer, correct each other, et cetera. I didn't want to lose the memories, but also needed to grieve. How? Write a book. Dig deep and be honest.

To be clear, doktor, it's "my" story. I would not try to peddle it as Cambodian history, but I did live here from 1994 through early 2001 with my late ex-husband. I have been back four or five times since then, most recently to help with Ken's very beautiful done funeral service and cremation. It was a hard visit, but I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

We had an interesting history, both on the road and then during our time in Cambodia. My memoir is my story, with Cambodian politics and culture, and my relationship events playing out too. While I am neither a politician nor a historian, I am intelligent enough to make sure that readers know that.

It will probably be of interest!

Of course.. it's your story more than Cambodian history, but it was in Cambodia.. and at a very interesting time. There aren't many books covering anything Cambodia related from mid 80s to late 90s.. even if it's a memoir it gives the reader a window into the place at a specific time.

I guess that's the kind of "history" I like the most. Books about peoples experiences in places that fascinate me during interesting times.. like books from war reporters or just travellers in Indochina during the Vietnam war. It's not so much the war itself that interest me in those books, it's everything but the war.. it's the people, their experiences and the places. Cambodia in the mid 90s seems to have been pretty interesting and except for news articles and a couple of news clips or short documentaries there's not much else out there..

I look forward to reading this too, good luck with a publisher. I like the title too.

I'm also not on facebook, but would be very interested in reading your book. I corresponded with Ken quite frequently on another forum, he was a great guy.

I disagree. Hold out for a big publishing house

As a writer, English teacher at high school level, and Ken's proofreader for the first several years, I've worked hard to put something "real" together. I really hope you all like it. I think there's a real lack of literature by and for people who live in Cambodia, and for Khmer Americans, Khmer Brits, etc.


Here's a brief excerpt:

While Ken was unable to persuade me to commandeer a motorcycle then, a year later in Sihanoukville, Cambodia, I owned my own motorcycle and drove it fast and without a helmet. I loved opening up the throttle driving into town, coming up the hill. Since then, I’ve read plenty of articles in Cambodia Expats Online about expats dying from motorcycle accidents in Sihanoukville.

I wouldn’t be able to count all the night excursions I took back then, riding double with Ken or on my own motorcycle. One starry night, riding a little beach path near Sokha Beach, we came around a corner on Ken’s motorcycle and nearly plowed into a mama dog with a litter of fat puppies. I shifted my weight without thinking, and we went down hard in the sand, Ken swearing. Neither of us was hurt. The puppies scampered after the mama dog.

In Chiang Saen, I was still my parents’ child. They were doing better now, fifteen years after losing my brother. I was not going to create more misery by riding a 100cc motorcycle around the Golden Triangle area of Northern Thailand and cracking my head open.

In fact, three times in Cambodia, I prayed not to die as I’d seen the grief my brother’s death had caused my parents. I didn’t want to cause them pain.

***~~~***

Just a brief little bit.