Happy Birthday Mom!

This week my Mother is celebrating her 72nd birthday! She is one amazing lady, having survived cancer last year, it is my absolute pleasure to have her on my blog today.

In honour of her, I am offering my scifi romance short story, PERFECT, for free this week.

You can use the coupon code, NA54E, from 19 to 24 August 2013. The free ebook download is only available here on Smashwords.

I hope you will enjoy the story and give your Mom a hug too!

Follow Me @ Mabula Private Game Reserve

For the past few days I had been to Mabula, just a couple of hours north of Pretoria, with the absolute intention of writing and finishing my current work-in-progress, Michael's Mystery (excerpt here).
What I did do was take a few photographs of birds and animals that visited me at the  bungalow where I was staying.
While my word count was a pathetic 2600 words in four days (head hanging in shame), I have come to the realisation how hypocritical humans have become.
 
The photographs you see here are of animals that approached me!
What?
Exactly.
They should have been running or flying their little legs off to get away from the highest predator in the food chain!
Instead they approached me, because people who come to the reserve (that focuses on conservation I have to stress here) feed the animals because they are cute.
I beg to differ.

While a small antelope might not be a predator, it is still dangerous. I had a run in with a male impala when I was younger and almost got run through by it horns.
The birds and animals are fed things that could potentially be poisonous to them. Or their babies. But no, we feed them because they are cute!

Tell that to the next woman whose child is bitten by a baboon, or gored by a sharp horn. And it is always the animals that get put down because people never think about the consequences of their actions.

The warnings are there for a reason, don't ignore them.

Blog Tour: Embrace Me by Rebecca Turley

What will happen to the girl who has everything?

After a rough start to life, Shannon Downing finally has it all. She has her Mr. Notice Me, she has reconnected with her long-lost mother, and she is the sole heiress to a multi-billion dollar company. The only problem is going public with that information.

Hidden away at a ranch in Texas at her mother’s insistence, Shannon’s world starts to crumble. Not only does she learn of Maisy Field’s kidnapping, but she hears a secret that could destroy everything and everyone she loves.

What will happen when news comes out that she is the missing heiress to Downing International? Will she become the next target for the elusive kidnappers? And what about the secret she overheard? Will the love that she and Mr. Notice me share be enough to hold them together?

Excerpt:

Some parts of my New York life were the same. The main thing being that my dear friends Lorna and Bradley were still a big part of my life. Charlie and I now lived in his stunning penthouse flat together in Brooklyn. By far, the best part about living there was waking up every morning in Charlie arms with the New York skyline surrounding us. I always felt as if I was home.

Luckily, I had seen nothing of the Field family; my mother made sure of that. I could only imagine what she must have said to them in their board meeting once we left our island. A few months later, I noticed the Fields lost a lot of stock in some unstable deal, which would have cost them dearly. I had a feeling my mother was making her point.

The only major change in New York was my high powered job and how much I loved it.

Charlie had been right, and I threw myself into making Headcom the best marketing front line company New York had ever seen. Contracts were coming in from all over the world. As the workload began to double, I took Lorna on as my Assistant Director. She almost squashed me to death in celebration.

“No way! Are you being serious?” she screeched as her long red hair danced frantically behind her back.

“Yes. I couldn’t think of anyone else I’d rather work with.”

“You do realise you don’t have to do this? I mean, I know you are grateful that I helped save you from the evil William Field and find your mother, but I did it because you are my friend. You don’t owe me anything.”

“I know that, silly,” I laughed. “I am doing this because you are the best. You have had input in every major contract we have gained. Lorna, you deserve this.”

Author Bio
Rebecca Turley lives in the captivating town of Malvern in Worcestershire with her husband Jon and cat Millie. With a view of the Malvern Hills from her writing desk, all she needs for inspiration is to look out of her window. A hopeless romantic like most women, she enjoys becoming lost in a love story almost as much as writing one. 

Embrace Me is the sequel to her debut novel Notice Me.

Links
http://www.rebeccaturley.com/
https://twitter.com/@RebeccaTurley1
https://www.facebook.com/RebeccaTurley82

Links to buy
Notice Me: http://www.amazon.com/Notice-Me-ebook...
Embrace Me: http://www.amazon.com/Embrace-Me-ebook/dp/B00E9J3N9I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375514394&sr=8-1&keywords=embrace+me+rebecca+turley

Coffee, Trains and Statues

We needed more coffee at home, so Francois (alias Hubby) and I hopped onto the Gautrain this morning to Sandton as it is our closest mall to get hold of the brew we prefer.
But first we had to get breakfast! As always the restaurants on the Nelson Mandela Square were quickly filling up with locals and tourists (heard quite a few foreign accents this morning) in search of something to fill the stomach.
It was not our first visit to Sandton, and it never seizes to amaze me how many people take photographs of their friends or family members next to the statue of Nelson Mandela.
This morning I dug out my Samsung S3 (having recently discovered its panoramic setting) and took this 180 degree view of the Square from left to right with the statue in the middle. I was even impressed with the way the camera handled the light changing from sunlight to shade.
We got our breakfast, bought the coffee and made our way home just as the lunch crowds were pouring into Sandton. It was a lovely outing, and one we will do again soon!

Blog Hop: 7 Sinful Secrets Anthology by Various Authors

Publisher: Evernight Publishing

Genre: Erotic romance, Anthology, Short stories

Heat level: 3/4

Available to buy now from: Evernight Publishing | Amazon US | Amazon UK and other eBook retailers.
Blurbs for 7 Sinful Secrets

Overall Blurb:
Seven marriages—seven sinful secrets.
Marriages shouldn't have secrets, should they? Follow our seven couples, as they come to terms with the fact that their partner has been holding something back from them. Will it make or break their relationship? Read on to find out, and have your fan at the ready, because these secrets are hot!

The Knickers by Doris O'Connor
Discovering frilly French Knickers in your husband's dry cleaning can only mean one thing, right? They're certainly not Mareijke's! Devastated at this find, she returns home early and walks in on the unmistakable sounds of Stefano in the throes of passion… but things are not what they seem…

http://www.thenuthousescribblers.blogspot.com

Behind The Mask by Raven McAllan
When Daisy went on holiday she did not expect to return with a drop dead gorgeous husband. Life is great until she meets a masked stripper at her belated hen night. She knows the eyes behind that mask, doesn't she?

Bit on the Side by Jorja Lovett
Helen thought she'd lost her husband to depression after he lost his job. Now he's back, happy, horny and ready to play. But Carl's spending so much time on his computer she's worried he's got something to hide. Will his secret tear them apart, or bring them closer than ever?
 
Domination Dreams by Michaela Rhua
Nicholas Cole has been married to Marissa for twenty years, and he dreams of being dominated by his vanilla wife. When he returns from a business trip, he is in for one heck of a birthday surprise.

Anniversary Gift by Cherie Nicholls
Cleo knows her wife is up to something, and she is determined to find out what it is. When she walks in on Marie and some bloke at a hotel room, she thinks all is lost. And then Marie orders her to stay… And when your Domme gives you an order…

Sex Tape by Kiru Taye
Juan Roberto's unexpected arrival home turns on its head when he discovers his wife Noni has a mind-blowing surprise she's been hiding from him. Discovering secrets and sex tapes have never been hotter or more pleasurable…
Contains: a naughty video and an even naughtier married couple rediscovering each other.

Tassels by Alannah Harte
Harrington loves his new wife Penny. So much so that he puts his own desires for a more exciting sex life to one side. Their lovemaking may be vanilla, but it's all he needs, or so he thinks, until the suitcase breaks and he discovers her secret.