One of the joys of running a web site is reading the stuff people send you. Every now and then, I get an email from an Australian-based ‘Arts Editor & Marketer’ called Pamela Faye, author of a book called Chétan.

Over to you, Pam:

From the Heart and Soul emerges the Power, lifting from within turning pages of the Native American Historic Fiction novel 'Chétan'. The eagle rests on the author's arm, as if it were the kindred spirit speaking from the voice within. It is clearly seen they are of the same strong heart.

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New Zealand literature's preoccupation with vineyards continues. Catherine Chidgey's third novel, Transformation, will be launched at Clearview Estate Winery in Hawkes Bay, on Thursday 6 November. The novel is set in the 1890s, when a wig-maker called Dubois flees Paris to escape his past. He settles in Tampa, Florida, and adopts a new identity to avoid being traced. The publisher, Victoria University Press, is hailing Transformation as "the most eagerly awaited New Zealand novel of 2003 ... an extraordinary historical adventure and mystery." Tickets to the Clearview launch are $12 and available from Napier booksellers Beattie & Forbes, on (06) 835 8968. Wine, no doubt, will be available.

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Monday 27 October is the closing date for entries to the Kiriyama Prize. It’s an international competition promoting books that contribute to a greater understanding of the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim. Cash awards totalling US$30,000 are up for grabs: that's around NZ$50,000 at today’s exchange rate. Half of the cash is given to the author of the winning fiction title, and half to the author of the winning non-fiction title.

Last year’s winners were announced in San Francisco. Indian-Canadian Rohinton Mistry took the fiction prize for Family Matters, and Padaung-Burmese Pascal Khoo Thwe took the non-fiction prize for From the Land of Green Ghosts. You can download the pdf entry form here.

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Chandler Burr’s Emperor of Scent gets the thumbs-up from the Herald. The book is the result of a chance meeting between US journalist Burr and Luca Turin, an Italian-French scientist: “By the time they arrived in London, Turin's home, Burr knew he had a story - a piece for The Atlantic, he thought. But after several years of tracking Turin, he knew he had much more: a book, and a terrific one at that, not only the story of a fascinating, bawdy, arrogant free-thinker, but a much broader tale of what happens when scientific discovery meets scientific orthodoxy.”

Also noted: Raja Shehadeh’s When the Bulbul Stopped Singing. According to reviewer Kapka Kassabova, “This slim book is well worth reading, not only as an infuriating document of a political and moral breakdown, but as an intelligent, intimate reflection on human resilience, Palestinian character, and hope against hope.”

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Pamela Stephenson will be visiting Auckland and Christchurch in November. It's to launch Bravemouth, her account of life with her husband Billy Connolly.

She'll be speaking with John Hawkesby at the Bruce Mason Centre in Takapuna on Sunday 16 November, and with Kerre Woodham at the Heritage Hotel in Auckland on Wednesday 19. On Monday 17 November she'll be at the Centra Hotel in Christchurch. Get your tickets from Ticketek.

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If you love using fountain pens, you’ll know that it’s hard to find quality ink in New Zealand. The solution is to use mail order over the Internet, from reputable sites such as Pendemonium. Right now, I’m using J Herbin’s subtly scented Rouge with Parfum Rose, which smells just like Turkish Delight. It’s at the softer end of the red scale, and makes correcting artwork a more fragrant task. J Herbin’s large range of inks is shown here: at around $14 a bottle excluding shipping, all come highly recommended.

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This week’s Listener features an interview with wrestler-turned-writer Mick Foley, author of Tietem Brown. Other reviews include House of the Talking Cat (J C Sturm); The Heart Sutra (Caren Wilton); If We Were Lebanese (Paddy Richardson); Sex Crimes (Paul Thomas) and The Clerkenwell Tales (Peter Ackroyd).

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