A Small Balance of Favors

Willard Thrasher Card III, from Cardston, Alberta, Canada embarks on an African adventure as a freshly-minted development expert. His assignment to Malawi dissolves just as he makes the disastrous decision to start a business and move his young family to Africa with him. With the help of new-found African friends, his family moves to Zambia and stumbles their way through several business failures. Eventually they find some success and recognize that Africa runs on a small balance of favors. This humorous fictional account is based on some real-life experiences and insights into modern Africa by an author who has worked in Africa for nearly thirty years.

Willard Thrasher Card III, from Cardston, Alberta, Canada is about to lose his new job as a development consultant in Malawi. Although he is confident he could be a great consultant and Africa hand, he decides he would be even more successful as an entrepreneur. A bizarre series of events convinces him to start a business in Zambia as he connects with Anil and Lucky, two local characters who become his partners and friends. His confidence waxes strong and he is so sure of success "anytime from now" that he brings his wife and children from Canada to join him. A comedy of failures ensues as he learns to navigate his African environment by churning through several half-baked businesses. Eventually, he comes to trust his wife's instincts and they find success in an unexpected enterprise. Crooks, Chinese investors, government ministers, market boys and villagers all play their part in helping the family learn that in Africa, we all live on a small balance of favors. A fast-moving humorous tale of entrepreneurship and compassion in the developing world.

Lincoln Dahl grew up on a cattle ranch in rural northern Nevada in a setting that may have been similar to Willards. He joined the US diplomatic corps in 1993 and an assignment to Zambia ignited an enduring love for Africa. He is the founder of African Energy, a company that distributes solar electric equipment to entrepreneurs across Africa. When he is not travelling, he and his family live in St. David, Arizona, USA. A Small Balance of Favors is his first novel and is based on many of his actual experiences.