Thanks, Gratitude And A Zebra
Thanksgiving Day has come and gone but I’ve promised myself to at least strive to be thankful 365 days a year.
We forget sometimes – when our dog’s under the weather and our clients’ roof leaks before closing and our sister’s on our case and our crown (as in tooth not tiara) popped off eating a brownie…WAIT! I can say “Thank you for rescuing my expensive crown before it disappeared down my gullet.” And how about “Thank you for sparing me the extra calories by doing the crown thing and making me forget how good the chewy brownies were.”
I reckon as long as we’re saying “Thank you” somebody up there will know they’re appreciated: God, The Universe, our Angels, our Spirit Guide…whoever’s got the time to listen. It’s nearly Christmas, after all. Busy time. Everybody wants something.
But who doesn’t want to be genuinely appreciated?
Speaking of which, I found something special at the checkout of the pharmacy the other day. Take a peek at the red bag and “coins” above:
3 x “Kindness Tokens” (I’ve already given one away to a huge-deserver) each with its own identity: a dove, a heart and a pair of wings. On the back? “I give you this token for your kindness to me. Now give it away and you will see how one act of kindness can change the world.”
Great, hey?
Sure, somebody’s coining it (ahem) at $4.99 a pop but not only does their ingenuity deserve my investment, but just imagine receiving one of these coins…then passing it on! It would surely make my day. So simple but so effective!
My news is I’m working hard on (working title) ZEBRA the new book which will hit the shelves in 2020.
It’s currently – and unedited – at 48,652 words – about as many, you’ll hear my husband say, as I manage on the phone on a slow day. I’ve got at least another 30,000 words that have to be said!
As old friends know, my Athol’s story – like War Serenade – started out as a screenplay and was a finalist in a renowned script competition thirteen years ago.
Working on this book with my husband started as a battle but has beautifully mellowed into a happy collaboration. I hope his articulate facts and my whimsical wanderings will titillate your senses. Incidentally, if my honey was in charge of the writing of this story, you’d get a page of bullet point. OH, how opposites attract!
Here’s a sneak peek at the back cover blurb:
ZEBRA
Drakensburg Mountains, South Africa, 1950’s
Papin, the teenage son of a Zulu herdsman, is delegated to care for Jock, four-year old son of the remote mountain’s new hotelier. Teaching him safety in the treacherous, wild terrain leads the unlikely duo to forge a special bond.
They share extraordinary adventures, and become blood brothers in an elaborate Zulu ceremony. A decade later, separated by circumstance, they mourn the loss of their friendship.
High-ranked and well-respected in their fields, they’re forced – one by passion, the other by duty – to meet on opposite sides of a politically charged battlefield. Both men are acutely aware their skill and success is due to what they learned from the other’s culture.
Their shock of recognition is overcome by their new roles, and as arch enemies they MUST fight because in war, only one can survive.
Based on true events and inspired by the life of Athol Wallace.
Let me know what you think.
A H-U-G-E Thank You from the bottom of my heart for those of you who’ve invested time reading or listening to War Serenade. It’s YOU who gives me the fortitude to make time in life’s madness and a full time career to write. I am deeply grateful to you for allowing me to indulge in my late-in-life-found passion.
Wishing you the safest and happiest of holiday seasons, the merriest of Christmases and all you wish yourself for in 2020.