Message from Kiev

[Thirties Child]

This was sent from a former UPI newsman to a website for people who were in UPI's Southern Division. Mr. Thirties is a former Unipresser in Dallas, D.C., New Orleans and Atlanta.

Dear all,

A note from revolutionary Ukraine:

Many of you know me. Some of you don't. For nearly two decades I have lived either in Kyiv or Moscow, mostly Kyiv. I was a Duren Cheek staffer in the late 60s and early 70s and bureau manager in Louisville, Frankfurt and Charleston, WV.

I would like your help. Not to sound to crass or commercial, I would like for you to buy my latest novel, "Urainia: A Fable", and to recommend it to others.

All author proceeds from the Kindle or soft cover editions will go to EuroMaidan, the brave protesters in the center of Kyiv who are standing up to one of the most corrupt administrations on the planet. I am down there most nights, and it is truly a sight to behold.

Yesterday, five protesters (that we know about) were killed, four by authorities and one in a fall. Dozens are in the hospital, and many have been kidnapped from the hospitals, beaten and held.

"Urainia: A Fable" is a book I guarantee you will find interesting. It's about a marketer (a tobacco guy) who comes to the fictional land of Urainia and changes a country for the better. The story is told by a newsman. It mirrors as satire many of the characters in Ukraine today.

As for me, after advising Putin's arch enemy, Alexei Navalny, in Moscow mayor election last year and after what activism a 68-year-old guy can muster in Ukraine, I feel my Ukraine days could be numbered. There is no way I will live, raise a family, and have a business in "Putin's Ukraine".

Note on the book: In Urainia: A Fable, "Willard has constructed a high-spirited, highly desirable tale of what life could be if the leaders of newly independent kleptocracies thought less of building personal wealth and more of crafting an honorable legacy."

It's on sale in Ukrainian in Kyiv bookstores and from Amazon in English. http://www.amazon.com/Urainia-Fable-J-Michael-Willard-ebook/dp/B00DWWD2OY

From reviewer Kyle Andreas (I don't know him)

"My take: The parallels and send-ups to real-life are worth the read alone, but the irony of Craven's actions and wonderfully woven prose make this a real winner. I've read two of Mr. Willard's non-fiction efforts and this is by far the winner. Mr. Willard is a gifted and natural storyteller - and this fable is the book that proves it! The characters are just quirky enough to be believable and people who you genuinely root for... and the archetypes and foibles of the Urainians are well-known (to people familiar with the setting) and played up to just the right degree and off of like springboards. I wholeheartedly recommend this fable, a quick read, but a fun and thoughtful one! This is an under-appreciated, but triumphant accomplishment."

So, all, hope you can buy and recommend to others in your circles. I would like to think this little book is a ground-breaker for emerging countries with problems like Ukraine--but then, I am in the PR business and I often romance the product.

I thank you in advance. Every kopek due the me will go to EuroMaidan for food, clothing, and just supporting the effort. My UPI days were the most exciting and interesting in a rather exciting career in journalism, politics and now struggling in Eastern Europe. I remember them and you fondly.

Best, Mike

Michael Willard
Chairman, Willard
Kyiv.Moscow.Istanbul
Mobile: [phone]