A to Z Blog Challenge: U

U is for Ululate - verb. To howl or wail.

Example: We have a dog that ululates at the smallest sign of movement in the street; she drives us crazy.

Ha, the word even sounds like a howl. 

Book Feature: A Piece of My Heart by Cindi Page

Do you believe in fate?
Sometimes, just sometimes, a series of unrelated events leads you to a particular place, out of your usual context, to meet a person that changes your life forever.

Do you believe in love?
When you meet the one, that person is more than just a lover, boyfriend or husband. They are your other. Time, place, age - these things are meaningless to two souls who call each other home.

Do you believe in happily ever after?
Is it possible? What if, when your path crosses with the one, the universe rolls out a red carpet and gives you your happy ending?

That’s how it is when Victoria, a young twenty-four year old teacher from South Africa meets the Turkish businessman, Alkan, who is thirteen years her senior. From the outside, these two should have nothing in common, but from the moment they lay eyes on each other, they both know that they have found their other.

Buy links:   Amazon     Goodreads

Here is an excerpt from Chapter 3:
"You gave me fright!" she blurted out, "Victoria. My name is Victoria."
Her eyes met his at the same time that their hands touched.
Sparks.
Butterflies.
Something resembling a somersault deep inside her.
Vicky knew at once that she was in trouble.
He was smiling at her now and she was sure his dark eyes could see right through her. He pulled his hand away but his eyes stayed fixed to hers. There was an intensity there and Victoria didn’t dare look away. The silence swirled between them, daring the one and then the other to break it with a word.
Eventually Alkan got a hold of himself and sat back, still his eyes refused to leave hers. He willed words from his mouth.
"…you arrived just this morning?" he tried again. An unfamiliar feeling of being out of his depth struck him.
"Yes. I came from Tokyo," Vicky rested her hands on her lap and crossed her ankles. It was the controlled body language she had taught herself when she didn’t want to be read like an open book.
"I will be translating for you this evening?"
Alkan dragged his eyes from hers and looked out of the window on his side of the car. He needed to focus again. Suddenly he was annoyed that Helen would send him this attractive girl of a woman. As if the night wasn't going to be complicated enough he now had to deal with her. He didn’t need a distraction. But, she was all he had, and she would have to get the job done for him. Simple as that.
"Actually no, I don't want a translator in the traditional sense," he looked at her now again, but his gaze was indifferent with none of the open admiration Vicky imagined she had seen before. In response to the change in him, she instinctively brushed off the electrified encounter of a few minutes before and sat a little more upright. She waited for him to continue.
"I need you to act as my date. I don't want you to openly translate at all. In fact, I don't want my clients to know you understand Japanese in the least. I simply want you to tell me what they are saying when they think I don't understand…"

About the Author
Cindi Page is a former law student, turned English teacher, turned editor, turned writer. When she isn't day dreaming about the next story she going to write, she visits the Cape Winelands so that she can blog about wine, food and tourism. "A piece of my heart" (April 2016) is her first full length novel.
You can also follow her:

Twitter: @1stTruLove

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cindipage.author/

website: http://cindipage.com

A to Z Blog Challenge: T

T is for Tautology - noun. The saying of the same thing twice in different words.

I am sure you have met the masters of tautology, they are the politicians of this world. 

And to ensure that everyone understands, the word also comes in the adjective flavour, tautologous, and the adjective colour, tautological. Got it?

A to Z Blog Challenge: S

www.a-to-zchallenge.com

S is for Soupçon - noun. A very small quantity of something.

I am on a special diet and a soupçon of sweets can send my blood sugar off the deep end.

A first glance it looks like a lot of sugar, babe. Better be careful, ya hear?

A to Z Blog Challenge: R

R is for Repine - verb. To be unhappy or anxious.

Sheesh, I must already know all the happy words that these depressing ones are popping up in my search for words that I didn't know. It is enough to make one repine until doomsday.

See what the other bloggers are writing about here.

A to Z Blog Challenge: Q

Q is for Quotidian - adjective. It means daily, and ordinary or everyday.

Nothing fancy, just your quotidian breakfast will suffice. Hmm...still think I should find a dress for that occasion.

The Friendship Affair

Not all long lasting marriages are happy. But what do you do if divorce is not an option?

University friends, Stephanie and Nick, meet again after twenty years. But life has not been easy or simple for either of them. Will this friendship affair stand a chance against reality? 

CHAPTER 15

Stephanie folded the towel and put it away. All done.

It was Saturday. The place was spotless, her closet was in perfect order, the groceries were bought and stored, and she was bored to tears.

Having finished the last book on her reading list, even there was no help forthcoming from that quarter.

She never did any work over the weekend, but right now she was tempted to dig out her computer to start working on one of her clients' accounts.

No. Then the week will be too long. Work was for getting through the week.

Her own little business was thriving enough that she could afford to hire help, but she was reluctant to do so. She didn't start the business to employ people, she did it for her own sanity and to generate enough money for her own expenses. She didn't want to touch the money from the sale of the business and the house for herself. All of that was only to look after him.

If he died before the money ran out, the trust was set up in such a way to help other families where the husband couldn't support them because he was suffering from Alzheimers.

She had met one such family and it was heartbreaking to know those children would never get to know their father.

She sighed. Still bored.

Her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Mrs. Jackson? It is nurse Stephens from St Agatha's. Mr. Jackson is asking if you have a chance to come and visit him today?”

She blinked. “Really? He did?”

The nurse laughed softly. “He did indeed.”

Her voice became serious. “Ma'am, if I may? It would really be a good time to come if you want to see your husband.”

“Of course. I understand. I am on my way.”

She rang off quickly and rushed to find her purse and car keys.

On the way, she wondered why he made the request. Even when he had good days before, he had never specifically asked her to come.

Catch the earlier chapters on Wattpad