A WORD TO READERS. For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to write a novel. All through my Nursery, Primary, and Secondary school years, I had written lots of fictitious stories on notepads too numerous to recount. My first fans were my immediate family, especially my younger sister, who faithfully and voraciously read every story I wrote. A lot of my school mates and friends, who saw me with those notepads, read them too, and gave me lots of rave reviews, even though I did not rate my writings half that high. I finally felt that my stories must make sense, when my French teacher in primary 5, wanted to adapt one of my plays for a class drama, which encouraged me the more. However, I delved into the world of writing magazine articles, and my desire to write a novel went into abeyance for a while, until I began to see works by emerging, young African writers, which ignited the flame once more. The result of that ignition is, ‘Burning Hurt’ which you have in your hands today. This story, like a lot of yet to be published stories that I have in my archives, was inspired by a true life event. As I heard stories of heart break, caused by people who were simply said to be ‘sowing their wild oats,’ it made me wonder about cause and effect, which birth the idea for this novel. The consequences of some of our wrong or ill-advised decisions in life may not always play out the way it did in this story, but if all I succeed in doing, is make many people have a re-think, before embarking on an irrational course of action, I would be fulfilled. So, Thursday, June 06th 2012.BURNING HURT was officially Signed and Presented to the public. Unyime-Ivy King the author has this to say in her Thank You message.

1. There would be no me, without
you lord; I could not have done
this without your divine
enablement. I dedicate this first
effort to my peerless master
and king, my lord, Jesus
Christ, who loved me, when I
was unworthy of love. And…To
the Holy Spirit, my counsellor
and my guide, whose might I
rely on, each day of my life….
THANK YOU FOR HONOURING ME
Unyime-Ivy King
Author
BURNING HURT

2. As I write this tribute, to all who have helped me to get to
this point of fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an author,
I cannot help, but say, ‘a big thank you’ as I go down memory
lane…
There are just too many people to acknowledge, as different people
impact on one in different ways.
If I have not mentioned anyone directly, it is not deliberate. I am
grateful to everyone, who has played a big or small part in
encouraging my aspirations

3. iven an option between writing and speaking I would take
the former to express what I need say, but here am I,
standing all alone on this platform this beautiful Thursday
evening to speak about what I have written and
acknowledge a need, an outcry and a convention for
understanding in the issue of “sowing wild oats”
First of all, I want to thank everybody that has showed up
today to join me in making this history in our dear state. I strongly appreciate
your presence today, and duly observing all protocol, I say, may my God bless
you for me in a way that only He can. Everyone‟s presence here, is a strong
labour of love, which I do not take for granted. At this juncture, I want to
publicly thank my husband, my best friend, my confidant- Ubong King, whose
love and generosity has given me the wings with which to fly at my fullest
potential. I could never have asked for a better soul mate; his encouragement
for me to give full vent to my passion for writing, has caused this vision to
expand in ways which I never envisaged. He is truly God‟s man for me and I do
not take that for granted. Also, all the things we have witnessed this evening,
from the book trailer, to the theme song, the graphics-everything, is proudly
Akwa Ibom, and I want to thank God for giving me a great strategy team, under
the able Coordination of Miss. Mmanti Umoh, a formidable Social Media
Consultant and Strategist. Watch the screens for the closing credits- I have no
hesitation in recommending the team to anyone who needs their
services/consultancy. Mmanti and her team interpreted the vision excellently.
G

4. Many have asked me, „Why Akwa Ibom?‟ And today, I stand here to say, „why not
Akwa Ibom?‟ I am proudly Akwa Ibom, proudly Nigerian, and I have never
wished I was from any other place. I may travel to other climes, yes, but my
heart is here, in the land of my birth. This is rooted in my firm belief that God
does not make mistakes. He situated me in this state for a purpose, and I am
not ashamed of my roots. I went to some of the best schools in this state, and
Cross River State, beginning from Charles Walker International
Nursery/Primary School in Calabar, Union Secondary School Ibiaku, a
reputable/renown educational institute for girls in its time, and then, the
University of Uyo, where I graduated from the English department of the
Faculty of Arts. Yes, why not launch my first published work in a place that has
given me so much?
I want to emphasize that the greatest legacy
a parent can leave his or her child, is not a
house or car, the greatest legacy is that of a
godly heritage and strong, positive, moral
character. When you train up a child in the
way he or she should go, that child would
never depart from it. I thank God for giving
my siblings and I the privilege of being born
into a home where we were raised with a strength of character that no money
can buy. My parents, Elder& Deaconess Eno Ikpe, were not the world‟s
wealthiest parents, but they bequeathed a rich legacy of positive/strong moral
values, to us, which has helped in forming our moral character, thereby giving to
us the riches that truly matter in life. I do not remember my paternal
grandfather , the late Elder Benjamin Ikpe, too well as I was just a baby when
he passed, but I understand that he was an avid diarist and writer; I‟m told
The consequences of some of our
wrong or ill-advised decisions in
life may not always play out the
way it did in this story, but if all I
succeed in doing, is make many
people have a re-think, before
embarking on an irrational course
of action, I would be fulfilled.

5. that in his childhood days, when other homes boasted of the gramophone, Aladin
and Tilly lamps, which were elitist items in those days, theirs boasted
newspapers and magazines-Daily /Sunday Times, the Eastern outlook, and the
Eastern express. My maternal grandparents were officers of the Qua Iboe
church of Nigeria, and my maternal grand mum, Deaconess Olive Uko, was a
pioneer women‟s fellowship leader of the church, where she is still an active
member, well into her 80‟s. With such a strong heritage, I believe we got a
positive head start in life that surpasses money- which leads to the emphasis of
my book- the importance of the family unit, and the issue of sowing wild
oats.
I beg to lean on the shoulders of two great men that I may see further
from where I stand. My left foot leans on Martin Luther King Jr. who
said “a nation or civilization that continues to produce soft-minded
men purchases its own spiritual death on an instalment plan” and I
stand firm on my right with John F. Kennedy’s thought…. There are
risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than
the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.
To Sow Your Wild Oats is a phrase applied to the chase of rough, perhaps
unlawful and unquestionably decadent practices while in the full bloom of youth.
The expression has been in use for over four eras, originating from the concept
that thoughtless young men would disseminate only wild and uncultivated seed
here, there and everywhere. Wild oats (or wild seed) produce weeds that are
hard to get rid of and consequently cause many problems, but a man of
experience has learned how to avoid all of that. There are times when people
want fun, void of emotion, but isn't an emotional connection more fulfilling?
After you sow enough wild oats, you might reflect back and find that your
experiences haven't amounted to anything outside of temporary exhilaration.

6. As I heard stories of such heart break, caused by people who were simply said
to be „sowing their wild oats,‟ it made me wonder about cause and effect, which
birthed the idea for this novel. The consequences of some of our wrong, or ill-
advised decisions in life may not always play out the way it did in this story, but
if all I succeed in doing, is make many people have a re-think, before embarking
on an irrational course of action, I would be fulfilled.
We cannot continue to let our young men feel they will not be held responsible
for their irresponsibility as we would be purchasing the mortuary spaces for our
consciences by our actions therefore leading to the burial of this great nation;
neither can we sit in total abandon in view of the prevailing circumstances in our
present society. I stand here this evening and humbly plead that we all stand up
against incest, against child abuse, against child molestation, against teenage
rape against all the vices that make it hurtful to be a child. It shouldn‟t hurt to
be a child; these are the youths we see today fighting for a justice not from
the government, the families, the nation but the people that betrayed their
innocence, in schools, in offices, in homes, in classrooms all over the world
………………..(pause for effect) please I beg of us all let us take this book as the
first fight to stop this “Burning Hurt”.
Thank You.........