Joy Bassetti-Kruger

Biography

I began my library career at the Jhb. public library, and while I worked there part time, I also completed my Library Exams with the SALA. Then I was headhunted by Ekom, as I'd specialized in information retrieval and they needed someone to obtain current information on various projects for their engineers. Later I moved to Control Data, where I learned all about storing such information on their large computers.
All the while, I also taught ballet, modern and Spanish, dancing in my spare time, as I'd trained as a dance teacher while still at school. After I married I ran two dancing studios for adults, where I also began to teach yoga and passive exercises. In my youth I danced for PACT for a while, but as I was still studying at the time, -I decided to give this up, although I continued to dance in various productions at the Civic Theater in Johannesburg. -Showboat, The Merry Widow, Guys and Dolls, to name a few.
As I'd also joined two writing circles previously, I'd been writing all along, - mostly short stories. But then an opportunity came up for me to include English Literature and Creative Writing in my studies, so this is when my writing career really took off, even though I never published anything until recently, when I first uploaded stories on a local SA site,then Kindle, Kobo and now finally that I've cracked the 'meat-gringer," I've loaded some new stories on to Smashwords, which I think is a really wonderful site for writers, as it forces us to confront all the issues and make certain that everything is correct..

Smashwords Interview

Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
I grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa, so a number of my stories are set there. I also spent a lot of time in the Okavango Delta with its wealth of wildlife and one of my yet to be published novels is set in a game reserve there. I'm also busy working on a story about an elephant called Baby Huey, who was a particularly friendly elephant, whose claim to fame is that he has featured on the covers of both National Geographic and also Time magazine. I had a strong bond with this elephant, who appeared to recognize me after a time. A novella, which will be published shortly, called Firesticks, is about a Bushman, who taught a young white girl to make fire using fire sticks. This is based on a true story once told to me by Rae Graham, many years ago. A number of my longer short stories reflect my love of the bush and also the wild animals that reside there, so I think its fair to say that living in Africa has influenced what I write about to a large extent.
My family have always been big readers, so I was introduced to books at a young age. I was also one of those annoying kids that asked a lot of questions about why things happened in a certain way and as my great-grandfather was a big storyteller, I think I must have inherited my storytelling genes from him. He came to South Africa at age 14 with his parents and he told me vivid stories about his trip out here on an old Union Castle Liner. His family settled in Kimberley initially and his father worked for De Beers at the diamond mine there. He told a number of stories about the Siege of Kimberley, during which time the women and children were hidden down the mine shaft for safety, while the men prepared the food up top in a huge coco-pan and sent it down to them via the narrow gauge railway track. He also said that during the siege, the Boers were so close by, that as they rode their horses around and around the barrier around the mine, they could actually see their hat 'veld' hats bobbing up and down.
When I was around 12, I produced a play and recruited a number of local kids to act in it. I also won essay writing competitions at school and was fortunate enough to have a wonderful English teacher with a huge imagination, who encouraged me to put my imagination to good use.
Later, I became a librarian, so I have always spent a lot of time around books. I wrote my first full length young adult novel at 15 and after this I never really stopped writing. I never really did much with my stories up until recently, except for forcing my parents and grandparents and their friends to read them. After joining a writing circle I started writing short stories, but I think I prefer to write either novels or at least novellas, which are much more satisfying to write.
I studied English Literature and Creative Writing at University, -along with my Library Diploma, where I learned to plan my writing more carefully and also form the characters within the stories more fully, before actually sitting down to write a novel.
Apart from reading and writing, I enjoy walking with the Monday Walking Group at U3A, where we walk at several local golf courses,and botanical gardens. There are about 35 of us in the group presently, so we walk and talk and generally don't take life too seriously exercise wise. I also organize the Movie Group for U3A at Cedar Square.
At home, I have a gardener called Moses that helps me in our huge garden and presently we are trying to do our bit by growing our own vegetables and herbs, - a slow tedious process, which I hope will reward us in the end with some fresh goods to eat. My husband, Alan, indulges my passion for writing,-mostly, but he can be bothersome when he wants food and I need to write something down before I forget it. I also have a cat called Rosie, who is the love of my life and my constant, supportive, little writing companion.
Read more of this interview.

Where to find Joy Bassetti-Kruger online

Series

Pocket Surprise
Janey finds a French coin in her raincoat pocket. Then a man on the opposite bank of the river asks her if he can paint her into his picture that he will be entering into an international competition that will be held in France. Then later, a Frenchman asks her to call him, and when she does he tells her that Chris, the artist, was killed in an accident, but that he asked him to bring the painting to her and also pack up his cottage. The Frenchman then suggests she should go back to France with him, as he is falling in love with her. So where will all these French connections lead Janey, who recently broke up with the man she was going to marry because she wanted to spend their honeymoon in France, while he wanted to spend it on his family's farm in the Kalahari??
My Mother, the Spy
A mother and daughter are forced to come to terms with the fact that men from the old Russian mob are still coming after Paula, the mother, for what she did as a spy for MI6 during the Cold War. This story tells of the love between these two women, in spite of Paula being a distant mother when her daughter was growing up. Its about how they trust each other's judgement, rely on each other and make sacrifices when they flee to a Greek island.

Books

A Tower Of Giraffes
Price: Free! Words: 1,210. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 20, 2016 . Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Animals
Giraffes are beautiful animals that love to browse on thorn trees. The thorns do not bother them as their thick tongues can cope with almost anything they chew on. They have soulful eyes and very long eyelashes.
Elephants With Taking Ways
Price: Free! Words: 2,090. Language: English. Published: June 19, 2016 . Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Animals
In my mind, the Elephant suggested that giving them each a single green apple would not actually constitute feeding them. So I gave in.
Crocodile Death Roll
Price: Free! Words: 990. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: April 23, 2016 . Categories: Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Animals, Nonfiction » Science & Nature » Ecology & Environment
How crocodiles play with their food by tossing it around and also rolling over with it in the water until they are certain it is properly dead. This is when they show their white bellies in what is known as a death roll.
A Mid-Summer Spell
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 6,350. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: December 2, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Contemporary, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
Lulu longed for a child, so when the old Sangoma predicted that she would soon go on a journey where she would meet a man who would give her the child she desired, she sat up and took note. Then as they were leaving the drought of two years suddenly broke, so Lulu remained hopeful that the old woman's spell would work for her as well.
Looking Up Into The Light
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 5,600. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: November 21, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Holiday » Christmas, Fiction » Christian » Classical & allegory
When Catherine looked up into the light reflected in the stained glass church window above her, she always saw something amazing reflected there and this somehow managed to give her hope for a brighter future.
Call Of The Cuckoo
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 13,680. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: November 8, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » General, Fiction » Holiday » Christmas
-No, Gogo, the bird does not say Piet-my-vrou-Piet-my-vrou when it calls, but rather Christmas box-Christmas box. Lorna recalled this simple phrase that that Mary had once said as a child and later she packed a treasure box for her and got Alex to hide it in a cave on the farm, until such time as her will was read and Mary had inherited the farm.
Who Wrote The Book
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 5,190. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: October 17, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Amateur sleuth
(4.00 from 1 review)
After going through a terrible ordeal and being questioned and held in custody regarding some government secrets she had exposed and written about in her fictional book, Kerri later discovered that her book had since been published under another title by someone else. So who actually wrote that book?
Butterflies -Of The Usual Kind
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 3,100. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: September 30, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
After the final rehearsal of her talk, Libby realizes that Gemma has since shed her cocoon and has now emerged as a confident woman. She equates this to a butterfly that emerges only to spread its wings and fly. This makes her feel happy and she also knows that Gemma's talk will be a resounding success.
The Rose Petal Rosaries
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 4,390. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: September 11, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Women's fiction » General, Fiction » Inspirational
The grandmother's old diaries mentioned how the French Resistance workers had made rose petal rosaries with messages hidden within the beads for their followers to read.
Jack's Accidental Masterpiece
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 3,580. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: September 1, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Adventure » Action
Disaster struck towards the end of the art exam, when Jack spilled the entire contents of a bottle of black ink over his painting. He called out in anguish the moment this happened. But after taking a look at the ruined painting, the art teacher told Jack that it was still salvageable, as long as he put his mind to it and fixed the disaster during the next ten minutes...
A Child's Story
Price: $2.49 USD. Words: 10,640. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 28, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Women's fiction » General, Fiction » Inspirational
A Child's Story, is about a little girl called Elaine and her struggle to be recognised as a gifted child by her mother, who just wanted her to be an ordinary little girl that she could relate to on an everyday level.
Out Of The Book Experience
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 6,210. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 10, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Short Stories, Fiction » Science fiction » Adventure
Jason is a character in a book that has killed people within a story and gotten away with it. Then he goes on a killing spree in real life. He is then used as a character in a second book written by the author's daughter, with the same disastrous consequences. But will they manage to put an end to his killing spree? Or will he continue to get away with murder in real life as well?
I Know Your Secret, Carol
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 63,770. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 31, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Women's fiction » General, Fiction » Adventure » Action
Secrets have a habit of being let out of the bag, even when a child's future is at stake.So while Carol sat in the garden and read her book and a cat climbed into a nearby tree, the ventriloquist looked over the wall and noting his favourable proximity to them, -he threw his voice and made it appear that the cat spoke to Carol and said, -"I know your secret, Carol."
Okavango Magic
Price: Free! Words: 2,750. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 15, 2015 . Categories: Nonfiction » Travel » By region » Africa
A true story about the wonderful life-changing experience of floating in a mokoro through the reedbeds of the Okavango Delta.
Pocket Surprise -Series Part 2
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 15,980. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 5, 2015 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Clean & wholesome, Fiction » Holiday » Adventure
The surprise for Janie turns out to be the 'Diner en Blanc" that is held in Paris each June. This year the dinner takes place on the square outside of the Louvre Museum with the Eiffel tower as a backdrop. But before Janie gets there, she must first go through some rather dramatic experiences, and also make up her mind if she really does want to stay with Tomas in Paris.
Pocket Surprise -Series. Part 1
Series: Pocket Surprise. Price: Free! Words: 7,300. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: December 14, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Action/adventure, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
After Janey finds a French franc in her pocket, she tosses it into the river and makes two wishes. Several coincidences follow that all point to her desire to visit France. Then a charming Frenchman called Tomas enters her life and when she tells him about what has been going on, he says that she should come back to Paris with him. She is tempted, but first she needs to sort out her life at home.
My Mother, the Spy -Part 3 of the series
Series: My Mother, the Spy. Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 14,400. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: December 4, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » General, Fiction » Romance » General
A stranger who is wearing an unusual pair of glasses that come apart at the bridge of the nose, is seen asking around about two English women that he thinks are living on the Greek island. Who is this person and does he pose a threat to Roulla and Sofia's safety? Then later a shot rings out and everyone ducks for cover. Video at: https://studio.stupeflix.com/v/Bhi7bmDSj/?autoplay=1
Sandra's Christmas Memory Box
Price: Free! Words: 3,080. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: November 2, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Holiday » Christmas
What would you do if you payed mother a surprise visit at Christmas and discovered all the gifts the family had sent her over the last five years displayed on her dining room table, - all unused and with the wrapping paper close by. Hopefully you'd handle the situation with care the way Leanne did and not turn the situation into a screaming match that would get your mother's back up.
Get Behind Me, Shadow -An Artist's Story
Price: $3.99 USD. Words: 60,620. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: November 1, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Suspense, Fiction » Inspirational
The story is about Simon's struggle for recognition as an artist and also his desire to move away from his father's house and strike out on his own. He knows it will be difficult to leave home, mainly because he has never held down a real job and also because his father controls the purse strings. At twenty five he realizes that he aught to be independant, but ... This is also a love story.
The Dance Of The Words
Price: Free! Words: 240. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: October 29, 2014 . Categories: Essay » Author profile, Fiction » Inspirational
Words have power so use them wisely! An essay telling a little story about how words are left on the page by a writer for her readers to find and pass on to other readers, being similar in nature to the the manner in which bees distribute pollen, as they travel from flower to flower. Its also about how stories change slightly over time with each telling and yet remain basically the same.
My Mother, the Spy -Part 2 of the series
Series: My Mother, the Spy. Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 14,220. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: October 27, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Women Sleuths, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
While shopping in the village on the island Susan/Sofia sees a man duck behind a pillar to avoid being seen. This scares her terribly, as life has been idyllic and peaceful during the past eight years since their arrival on the island. She doesn't tell her husband, Jorge or her mother, but later when other incidents begin to happen around them, she is forced to tell them about what she saw.
Spider Lady
Price: Free! Words: 2,140. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: September 5, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
(3.00 from 1 review)
Scared of spiders? This short story will help you to overcome this fear and maybe you'll even begin to take an interest in the spiders in your garden and document your findings. Its all about how a little bit of knowledge can change our perceptions of the things we fear most.
Final Pas De Deux
Price: Free! Words: 3,270. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 29, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Short stories, Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
Nina begged Phillippe not to reveal her identity before she danced on stage for the people at the village. He agreed, providing they ended both of their dancing careers by performing one final pas de deux together. In the end this performance proved to be a fitting ending to both of their dancing careers, as they felt they could now move on with their lives, hopefully still as a couple.
Heidi's Bad Hair Day
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 2,260. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 27, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
Overnight Heidi lost everything that was familiar to her. She woke up in a strange place in an alien world where everyone lived in a bubble home in a bubble community, where they all partied hard by night and slept by day. When she complained, a woman called Zelda told her that she had got exactly what she'd asked for, because she had always been on the look out for a party to attend.
A Night of Fairy Lights
Price: Free! Words: 1,450. Language: English. Published: August 23, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Holiday » Adventure, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
A simple magical light show put on for them by nature, as the phosphorus gleamed on the waves in the moonlight that night, and the fireflies danced in the reeds, restored their friendship and made them all feel far happier than they had done in a while.
Time and Knitting
Price: Free! Words: 1,290. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 23, 2014 . Categories: Essay » Literature, Nonfiction » Relationships & Family » Friendship
Kairos time passes more slowly than tempus fugit, or time that flies and knitting circles that are now replacing yoga classes, are helping women to regain Kairos time. Knitting forces people to sit down and relax and concentrate on the work in hand, while the clickety-clack of knitting needles,the soft murmur of voices and the tinkling of tea cups, completes the happy scene.
No Strings Attached
Price: Free! Words: 2,450. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 17, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Action & Adventure / Survival Stories
Joe didn't actually realize that he was searching for his birthday gifts, as his grandfather asked him to help him find a key as well as a ball of string that he had misplaced, but in unraveling these clues and searching for these objects, he discovered a bicycle and some computer games as well.
The Hovering Elephant
Price: Free! Words: 1,690. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: August 13, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Children’s books » Fairy Tales & Folklore / Country & Ethnic
When the people in the game reserve saw the hovering elephant, they could hardly believe their eyes. But little did they realize that she was actually helping to get rid of an old broken walking stick, that had caused a lot of problems when it had become enchanted by the curse of an African witch-doctor. Little Johnny even said, -"But mom, I thought you said that elephants don't fly."
Saving His Words
Price: Free! Words: 1,930. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 30, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Romance » Short stories
Jonathan's book sold out in minutes, which was the last thing he'd wished for. He'd so wanted a photograph of himself surrounded by piles of his book and now all the evidence was gone. Then Janet came along and took over and convinced him that e-books were real books too and that all he had to do was to open the site were his book was listed and click on the cover to open it.
Point of a Pencil
Price: Free! Words: 2,100. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 29, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Inspirational, Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
(3.50 from 2 reviews)
Do we really need to buy twenty-four pencils? a student asked. -No, not just twenty-four pencils, but rather twenty-four sharpened pencils, the lecturer replied.
Jenny's Gardener
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 3,630. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 28, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Action/adventure, Fiction » Mystery & detective » Short Stories
Jenny is woken up by the sound of rap music and people talking loudly in her lounge. So she peeps through a crack in the door and immediately thinks, -Oh my goodness this is a home invasion. What on earth am I going to do? Feeling scared and not knowing what is going on, she phones around for help, but the only person that answers his cell is Winston, the man who owns the garden service she uses.
Bee Whisperer
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 3,600. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 27, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European, Fiction » Romance » Short stories
Bee whisperers remove bees without harming them and without a single person being stung during the entire operation. So as Beatrice believes that by saving the bees she will be helping to save the planet, she is aggressive in her approach to anyone that thinks differently. This is why she stormed into Harry's garden that day, when she saw a bee exterminator van parked outside his house.
Time Shift
Price: $1.49 USD. Words: 4,100. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 23, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories, Fiction » Romance » Time travel
The lights dim and flickering candles appear all around the marquee and as Cameron experiences a time shift, he finds himself attending an old fashioned wedding. He also sees a woman there called Darcy, who was once his lover in the distant past. This puzzles him, but it doesn't scare him, even though he realizes that something very strange is going on, that he is quite unable to explain.
Whispering Angels From A Distant Star At Blue Moon
Price: Free! Words: 2,040. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 19, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
At Blue Moon, the voices of the whispering angels from a distant star can be heard more clearly, so go outside and listen to their voices that will come to you on the breath of the wind.
Whodunit?
Price: Free! Words: 3,560. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 17, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Short Stories
Whodunit is an amusing detective story about how a parrot helps to solve the Barlow murder, as well as the stolen diamond necklace case. Cookie does this by learning to say, -Barlow did it, Barlow did it, Cookie wants a biscuit. And as you'll discover she is right up to a point, but not entirely right, as someone else also had a hand in the murder.
The Uncertainty Of Love
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 3,210. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 15, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Romance » Short stories, Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
When old Henry returned to the hotel everyone wanted to know where he'd been. So Henry explained that he'd seen a photo in the newspaper, of a woman he had once been madly in love with and that he'd gone off to look for her, as she was now living rough. He added that when he'd seen her he'd not felt the passion that he'd felt previously, so the detective told him to give love a second chance...
Scary Stuff
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 3,010. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 13, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Short stories
(3.00 from 1 review)
The smiling face that floated on the surface of the pond, was not a reflection of Annie's face, so she leant over to see who it was. Then as her face touched the water, she felt something like an electric shock run through her body and she passed out. A man found her floating face down in the water, so he hauled her out. Then he asked why she'd tried to drown herself, but she said she didn't know.
The Chocolate Effect
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 4,160. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 7, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » General, Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European
The old sepia photos led Edward to discover family secrets that he knew nothing about. While at the same time, he also found out that someone he have never met, had left him a small fortune, as well as a chocolate factory. And all of this because he had a puncture in a wheel and had also token the time to look carefully at some old sepia photos on the back wall of an old coffee shop.
Butterflies -but not the usual kind
Price: Free! Words: 3,180. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 6, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European, Fiction » Women's fiction » General
At first, Jemma put the feeling of having butterflies in her tummy down to nerves, as she was going in for a job interview later that morning. Then when the butterflies persisted right through the interview and even afterwards, she began to suspect that she might be pregnant. She hoped and prayed that this was not the case, as the job she was going after was the job of her dreams.
Every Second Friday
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 4,190. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: July 6, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » European, Fiction » Adventure » Action
-A girl, a stranger and two gay men were in town and ready for some romance.. -But now that Ted was back, Dianna tried to think of ways to edge him back into her life again. They had been lovers once, but things had not worked out between them. Now she wanted to see him again and hopefully make up for lost time. -But had too much changed? Or had they changed?
A Distant Flickering Light
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 6,610. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 28, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Adventure » General, Fiction » Plays & Screenplays » African
The flickering light drew Tracy towards it and also made her think about Johnny. But little did she realize that her impulse to discover where the light shone from, would later save her life from a raging veld fire and also lead her to discover some amazing facts about the family she had married into.
Saving Jacob
Price: $2.99 USD. Words: 11,960. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 20, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Fantasy » Epic, Fiction » Adventure » Action
While reading the story of Saving Jacob, you will need to keep a small sense of suspended reality in mind, at least as far as the monk and what he does is concerned. For the monk will lead you into his world, as well as Jacob's world, to a place where the two worlds collide and mingle without any difficulty, or any sense that something might be amiss.
The Courtyard
Price: $1.99 USD. Words: 4,530. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 17, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Women's fiction » General
Finding romance at local cafe. In meeting your beloved there,your own small courtyard becomes the universe to you. (Quote) This is exactly how Annie felt whenever she saw Jonathan at The Courtyard, a cafe they both visited frequently, for either lunch or just a coffee. She longed to meet him, but she felt far too shy to approach him or even smile at him, so this was where the waitress intervened.
My Mother, the Spy Part 1 of series
Series: My Mother, the Spy. Price: Free! Words: 6,870. Language: Commonwealth English. Published: June 7, 2014 . Categories: Fiction » Mystery & detective » Traditional British
Susan's mother tells her that she was once a spy for MI6 during the cold war and that she believes her life is now in danger, as she has recognized a man lurking around in the village. Susan finds this hard to believe, but after she realizes just how scared her mother really is, she decides to do whatever it takes to keep her mother safe.

Joy Bassetti-Kruger's tag cloud

a childs imagination    a gifted child    a grand mothers secret life as a spy    a grandfathers gift of a bursary    a happy family reunion    a mothers objections    a shot rings out in the market place    acceptance    accepting the prize as well as the praise    acting like children    african bushveld    animal behaviour    animal encounters    animal story    animal tracks    appearance of an old adversay    attending two different weddings    audience involvement    backstage    beautiful markings and soulful eyes    becoming alert again    bee charmer    bee removal    bee whisperer    being in a family    being shot by someone from the past    blackbacked jacal    blue hair    bookauthor story    breath of the wind    brighter future    bronvoel    bubble home    burned out farmhouse    burning the books    butterflies    calling for help    calming influence    celebrating the outcome    chance encounter    changing her will    changing jobs    changing ownership    changing perceptions    character in a book    chocolate addiction    chocolate and love    chocolate factory    christmas story    coffee fondant creams    country fair    creating a work of art    creative writing class    crocodile    crocodile death roll    dancing career    danger threatens    dealing with adversity    deciding to hide a gift    desiring a child    detective    detective crime fiction    detective work    difficult decisions    disappointment    disaster strikes    discovering the cave    discovering the truth    discovering this is not the case    distant star    distributing the rosaries    documenting the lifespan of spiders    doing something together that cements friendship    dont go near the water    dragonflies    drama    drama action romance suspense    drama and romance    drama and suspense    drama and tension    drifting downriver on a mokoro    drought is broken    drowning    eagle    elephant logic    escape to greek island    escaping from a terrible situation    every copy sold    exam anxeity    exam nerves    exceptional results    exposing the culprits    face floating on the surface    falling in love    falling into the pond    family activities    family activity    family boundaries    fantasy action and adventure    fear of spiders    feeding the elephants    feeling butterflies in the tummy    final performance    finding a french franc    finding a photo    finding a place to stay    finding dave    finding family name on headstones    finding friendship    finding his fortune    finding his mother after 20 years    finding love    finding mr right    finding old friends    finding out about his father    finding peace    finding the culprit    finding the owner of the face    finding the truth    finding the words    finding what he was searching for and more    fireflies    flickering light    focusing on the future    following a vision    following her instincts    following the leads    friendship    friendship restored    game reserve    getting away with it    getting inspired by a friends attitude    getting married    getting results    getting the courage to go it alone    giving a stranger her email no    giving someone youn an opportunity    going missing    going on a journey    going to paris    good detective    greek island marriage    growing up    halucinations    happiness at last    happy ending    having a good time    having children    having fun with words    having her books and laptop confiscated    hearing bad news    hearing good news    held for questioning    help from an unexpected source    helping themselves to food    hippos    holiday in paris    home invasion    hope after lost love    hovering elephant    how crocs catch and kill their food    husband leaving her    indigenous to africa    inspiring lecturer    interpreting a poem in picture form    is he a spy or just one of the russian mob    is he a threat to their safety or an old friend    island life    jacks ulterior motive    jenny contacting winston    justifying her ability to read and write and do sums    kairos time    keeping decision a secret    keeping secrets    keeping the ink spill a secret    killing spree    knitting    knitting circles    landing the job of her dreams    learning to wait and listen    leaving home    leaving prison    leaving the past behind    led to the right place    lies and betrayal    lies and consequences    listen in to the voices from a distant star    looking in drawers and cupboards    looking out for each other    losing love    love affair    love is in the air    love story    lover from the past    making a home    making decision    making friends    making your mother happy    meeting an artist    meeting his soul mate again    meeting several girlfriends    meeting the monk    meeting the right person    meeting tomas    messages passed on to soldiers during ww2    mi6 aprehends three men    misleading information    mistaken identity    mistaken impressions    mistaken perceptions    mother and daughter moving on    motherdaughter relationship    moving home    moving on    munching on thorn trees    mystery    nerviosness over a job interview    nervous reaction    new way of living    no swearing allowed    nobody works any longer    not seeing her reflection    not telling the family    old graveyard    old sepia photographs    older love    older romance    opportunity to shine    ownership transition    painting pictures    party every single night    partyland    peace loving animals    pencils    persuasion is intrinsic to communication    phosphorus dancing on the waves    planning an unexpected boat trip    playing in the shallows of the waves    police arrest culprits    police search    power of words    prediction    pretending to talk to teddy    protecting her family    questioned by the police    reading a book    rebuilding after the fire    receiving an email from him    reedbeds    reflections    relationships    relaxation response    returning the jewel    returning to france years later    romance    romance and desire    romance and drama    rose petal rosaries    sangomas prediction or spell    saving jacob    saying the right words    scary adventure    school for gifted children    search and rescue romance    searching for clues    searching for evidence    searching for family and love    secret messages hidden in the beads    secrets    secrets and lies    secrets exposed    seeing another reflection    sensing danger    setting himself up as an artist    settling in    sharing experiences by making a video    sitting for a painting    smelling smoke on the wind    solving the case    speaking at a conference    spell    spider webs    spiders in the garden    spy    spy action    spy adventure    spy drama    spy espionage    spy fiction    spy story    stainedglass window reflections    stealing the jewel    stopping jason    story 10 to 14 year olds    story about the interesting life of spiders    stranger is in the village asking questions    support of a friend    surprise visit at christmas    surprising discovery    surprising reasons revealed    suspecting she might be pregnant    suspense    swiping a loaf of bread    talking parrot    teaching at his old school    teaching students to think things through    teaching us compassion for all things    teaching us to love and not hate    telling a friend her story    telling a story    tempus fugit    the effect of chocolate    the magic of being out in the moonlight    theft and robbery    time changes everything    time shift    time that flies    time travel    travel in okavango delta    truth and consequences    trying to connect the dots    uncertainty of the future    uniting estranged family    unused christmas gifts    unusual idea    using only smoke and persuasion    using persuasion    veld fire    virtual book    visiting a butterfly enclosure    visiting the little stone church    wanting to go to paris    water lilies    what does this mean for roulla and will she finally find love    whispering angels    who is cameron    who is the man asking questions in the village    whodunit    why does he recall the pas so clearly    wish coming true    witchdoctor    woman overcoming the fear of spiders    women helping each other    words of wisdom    writing    writing a book    writing about fictitious government secrets    writing an ebook    wrong day    wrong relationships    zululand