Showing posts with label Dragonfly Moments. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dragonfly Moments. Show all posts

Monday, 12 May 2014

Anniversary #Giveaway: Dragonfly Moments by @KathyBosman #romance #booksale


I'm excited to be part of the one year celebration of Kathy Bosman's: Dragonfly Moments. I loved reading this book and am sure you will too. Pick up your copy now for just $0.99. 

Thank you to Nana Prah for hosting me on her blog. Nana is a fellow Ubuntu Line writer who has her gorgeous sweet romance published with Decadent Publishing.
It's the twelfth stop of my tour today. Don't forget there are still great prizes to be won. Enter by clicking the rafflecopter link below.

 Blurb:
Seven years earlier, a young and serious Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to free spirit Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed she forgot about that letter...but Ryan did not.

When he walks back into her life, Tessa is in a relationship and busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan throws her for a spin. He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability...or is he?
When everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things. But her compulsion for having marriage and children on her terms alone pushes Ryan away--until she falls in love with an orphaned baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?

Here's a trailer of the book for a foretaste: Dragonfly Moments Book Trailer

Excerpt:
The swish of the door opening wider and the squeak of rubber-soled shoes on the polished floor caught her attention. A customer. Precious gold—so rare and so needed. Turning to face her potential sale, she put on a bright smile…that turned to jelly. The breath froze in her lungs.

“Ryan. Is that you?” she said with a whisper.

The man who had filled her dreams and inspired her whole art career years ago stood before her, taller, broader, tanned, and smiling wide. She had somehow thought he’d disappeared off the globe. Not much had changed. That slight curl to his hair, the dark halo a perfect frame for his broad-jawed, rugged face. Thick, velvet locks, the color of dew-soaked mountains and earth. Piercing eyes, like planets orbiting her heart. The longing of years seemed to converge on this particular moment. She pulled back, frightened by the intensity of her feelings.

“I like your new gallery.”

She shivered and clasped her chiffon top close to her chest. His voice had deepened over the years. He had matured like she had grown up, changed, and moved on.

“Thanks. I’ve been open for three months already.”

Her voice came out like a squeak. Her palms were moist and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She couldn’t keep her eyes off him. He truly was the best artwork in the world—the way his body moved—the whole picture of him.

“May I?” He pointed to the art she’d spent days arranging perfectly on the walls.

“Of course.”

He paused before each painting as she held her breath, longing to read his mind on what he thought of them. Then he spent longer before her latest work. She moved up behind him and stared at the misty oil canvas in muted colors of a figure standing on a pier, overlooking a churning sea. The man appeared pensive and peaceful with the grey, choppy waves around him and the dark, billowing clouds above him. She followed the shape of the real man in front of her with her gaze. Who would have thought he would come here? All these years, she’d figured him gone forever. Buried under new dreams and desires. Little did she know her need for him could resurrect just with a brief encounter.

“How come they’re all landscapes?”

She shrugged. “Landscapes are my genre.”

Except for those crazy mother and child paintings stashed away at home that no-one’s ever seen. Days and days of her spare time were taken away painting a picture of an African mother with her newborn twins, a Chinese mother with a toddler in a pram, and the hippie mom with her baby in a pouch attached to her middle. The feeling bubbling inside her while she painted them had been unsurpassed by any other. What would Ryan think of them? It was safer that he didn’t know. Better he believe she was a landscape painter and nothing else.

He moved on to one of the other artists’ works. Did he hate her landscapes? Why did it matter to her so much what he thought of her art? Not like she still loved him. Not after all these years. But he had inspired her art in a way—got the ball rolling because she used to spend hours sketching him while he romanced her best friend and roommate, Annie. That felt like decades ago, yet was only seven years. Ryan had been the highlight of her waking hours then, her shy and aimless period when she worked in a mindless job for little pay, before she realized she could study her passion. Art.

“Where are your sketches?” he asked.

She frowned. “They’re at home. I stopped sketching my second year in college because that’s when I developed my best painting style. My sketches didn’t get me top marks.”

“But they’re so realistic.”

“You never looked at them.”

“I’ve studied the one. Constantly.”

She turned away, her face hot and the hairs rising on her arms in a wash of tingles. Had he come into the gallery on purpose? She strode to her desk, reaching it in a moment, relishing the distance between them. If Ryan could evoke such feelings in her now when she was with another man, would she ever be free from his grip? The heat of the room suffocated her, and she tried to take in several breaths. If only she had the power to block out the effect he had on her. So, he’d been thinking of the letter she sent him. The same one that disclosed her heart’s feelings toward him. Too late to come here now and talk about it. Stir up feelings she had no right feeling anymore. And why all the questions about her art? As if he really cared. Ryan didn’t care. If he did, he’d have come back to her years ago.


Buy Links:
Where to find me online:
If you click on the Rafflecopter link below, you could either win the grand prize of a $15 Amazon voucher or one of 5 dragonfly swag bags. I've made beautiful beaded necklaces in a variety of colours and designs - one for each bag.
Here's a pic of one of them:

Friday, 4 April 2014

D is for Dragonfly Moments #atozchallenge



Kathy Bosman's Dragonfly Moments is a sweet romance released by Decadent Publishing under the Ubuntu line (my publisher). A wonderful sweet novel set in South Africa. I highly recommend that you pick up a copy (read my review here).

Blurb:

A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?


Buy Links:

You can find Kathy at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KathleenBosman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenLBosman

This is a gigantic blog hop so click here to see what other bloggers are discussing for this letter. Have fun.

Saturday, 7 December 2013

Review of Dragonfly Moments by Kathy Bosman


 Blurb:
A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?


My Review
  
Ryan, the love of Tessa's youth walks back into her life with his long hair, mature good looks and cooking ways just when she's fulfilling her dream of being an art gallery owner and is in a relationship that she thinks may be leading to marriage. Needless to say that her world is thrown off balance. It doesn’t help that she falls in love with an HIV positive orphaned child who her heart calls out to adopt.

Ms. Bosman has told a story about a woman who is courageous and intelligent enough to take control of her artistic career, but is naive about love and allows her idealism and fear of being rejected get in the way of listening to her heart.

It was fantastic that the setting to this wonderful romance was Johannesburg, South Africa where the reader is able to visit suburbs, artistic hot spots and even a poverty ridden neighborhood. Through Ms. Bosman's descriptive words I was able to see these areas along with the art in my mind's eye. 

Ms. Bosman delivered an engaging sweet romance which I highly recommend

I give Dragonfly Moments four out of five Turtle shaped (you’ll understand when you read the book) chocolate bars.

I purchased this book from Amazon.com.


Happy reading everyone.

Thursday, 5 September 2013

The Good of #Ghana – A new weekly feature

My contemporary multicultural romance is being released with Decadent Publishing (pause to dance) yearly next year with their Ubuntu line. This line features romance novels that are based in Africa. It aims to expose the ‘real’ Africa to the world rather than the ‘misconceived’ version most people walk around with in their head (anybody think of nearly naked starving people tromping through a jungle?- eh hem).

While I am waiting for my book to be released I had the bright idea to share the good aspects of Ghana, leaving out the bad and the ugly.

Ghana is a wonderful country and I'm sure you'll enjoy your journey with me every Thursday for the next few months. 

In the meantime I’ll leave you with some of the fantastic books that have been published on the Ubuntu line. Buy one or two, heck buy all of them and enjoy Africa from a romantic perspective.

The Blurb
When Christy Inemi-Spiff discovers that the man she vowed to love and honor has no such feelings for her, she is determined to cut her losses and move on with her life. A quick, quiet divorce is all she wishes….

However, Joshua has other ideas. He’s not ready to walk away yet, especially when he doesn’t understand why Christy wants out of their marriage. So he demands she agree to spend a quiet Christmas on a remote African Island with him, hoping they can salvage their relationship. If she still wants a divorce after these two weeks, he will let her go. But not before he’s had his fill of her.

But with the sparking tension between them, and the secrets behind the disintegration of their marriage threatening to explode, will either of them get their wish? Or will this season of good will show them what really lies at the bottom of their hearts?


The Blurb
A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?



The Blurb
Divorce paints a scarlet letter on her back when she returns to the culture-driven society of Mauritius. This same spotlight shines as a beacon of hope for the man who never stopped loving her. Can the second time around be the right one for these former teenage sweethearts?

Indian-origin Lara Reddy left London after her husband dumps her for a more accommodating uterus—at least, that’s what his desertion feels like. Bumping into him and his pregnant new missus doesn’t help matters any, and she thus jumps on a prestigious job offer. The kicker? The job is in Mauritius, her parents' homeland, and a society she ran away from over a decade earlier.

But once here, Lara has no escape. Not from the gossip, the contempt, the harassing matchmaking...and certainly not from the man she hoped never to meet again. The boy she’d loved and lost—white Mauritian native, Eric Marivaux.

Back when they were teens, Eric left her, and Lara vowed she’d never let herself be hurt again.
Today, they are both adults, and facing the same crossroads they’d stood at so many years earlier.

Lara now stands on the other side of Mauritian society. Will this be the impetus she needs to take a chance on Eric and love again?


(Okay, this next  book isn't from Ubuntu, or even Decadent, but I had to add her, she's my Paddy from Black Opal Books, and it's set in Ghana)

The Blurb

HE DIDN’T DO SHORT TERM RELATIONSHIPS…

American ad exec, Thane Aleksander, doesn’t date co-workers either—until business takes him to Ghana, West Africa, and he meets Naaki. Now he’s at risk of breaking all the rules. Can he stop this headlong fall before it’s too late?

UNTIL HE MET HER!

Naaki Tabika has a burning need to prove, to herself and to others, that she’s more than wife and mother material. To do so, she’s prepared to give up everything for her job. Meeting Thane, however, makes her want to get personal. But falling for her boss could destroy her career. Will she be willing to risk it all for the one thing that can make her truly happy?

Two divergent cultures, two different races, two career-driven professionals, only one chance at true love—will they find the faith to take it, or will their hearts be sacrificed on the altar of financial success?


Tuesday, 4 June 2013

Interview with the fabulous Kathy Bosman author of Dragonfly Moments

Today I have author Kathy Bosman here. My first contact with Kathy occurred when I entered a trivia contest on her blog and won a copy of one of her books, Reminding Me of You. Who knew we would both become published with Decadent Publishing under their Ubuntu line, romance novels based in Africa? 


NP: Welcome to my blog Kathy. Tell us a little about yourself.

KB: Thank you so much for having me. It’s a privilege to be a guest on your blog. I’m thrilled that you signed a contract with Decadent Publishing and can’t wait to read your story.
I’m a busy person. I think that epitomizes me at the moment. I homeschool my three kids and try to find time while they’re quiet (not often) to write. Since I fell in love with my now hubby, I love romance. True love does that. I didn’t think I would write it though. I’d always wanted to be a writer but only pursued the desire about twelve years ago but thought then that I wanted to write children’s books. They didn’t get published. Then my husband suggested I write an adult book. Why not? The writing flowed much easier. The book turned out to be a romance. When I connected with the Romance Writers of South Africa group (ROSA,) I realized that romance was the genre for my writing. Since then I’ve tried several sub-genres and found that sweet contemporary is my natural flow.

NP: I’m getting right into your new release Dragonfly Moments. First of all what made you set the story in Johannesburg?

KB: I love setting my stories in my home country, mostly because I’m familiar with the culture. I’ve never lived in Johannesburg but have driven through and visited a couple of times. It did take some research as I’m not wonderfully familiar with the place but I wanted the book to be set there because it was a prime position for Tessa to put her gallery. Johannesburg is the commerce center of South Africa and speaks of success.

NP: You mention in the blurb that the heroine, Tessa, falls in love with an HIV orphan. What made you bring the HIV aspect into the story?

KB: I don’t plot the details of my books. The characters lead me. Tessa’s obsession with having her own family made her fall in love with Lilly, an HIV orphaned baby. I think the HIV part came into being because many orphans in South Africa have HIV. The numbers have dropped, which is great news. I heard on the news the other morning that in one HIV children’s home, the number of beds has dropped from seventy to about fifteen over the last five years or so. The numbers have dropped because of the antiretrovirals being given out by the government. South Africa had the highest incidence of AIDS in the world. It’s a serious problem here but things are getting better. I wanted my book to be relevant to what’s happening in our land.

NP: What is one challenge of being a writer in Africa?

KB: Initially getting published was the greatest challenge because South Africa doesn’t have many romance publishers and US publishers weren’t open to other settings. But they are becoming more open to stories with different cultures. I used to get so frustrated when reading through the submission guidelines of publishers to find that the story had to be set in North America. I didn’t feel ready to change the settings of my books just to get published. Maybe as my research abilities increased, I would have attempted it. Thanks to Decadent Publishing and Astraea Press who published my other two books, I could keep my setting intact.

NP: Where there are challenges, there are benefits. Tell us one benefit of being an African writer.

KB: The fellow writers are your best buddies. I belong to the Romance Writers of South Africa Group and I wouldn’t be here today if it weren’t for their help and encouragement. I think we need each other so much because finding success is harder when we don’t have many romance publishers in our domain. The African writers seem to stick together and support one another.

NP: Why should people buy and read your book?

KB: Dragonfly Moments will touch your heart. It will reveal a taste of South Africa from the point of view of the art and food world. Although the culture is so different from the usual romance e-book, the same elements of romance remain – attraction, conflict and a happily ever after. How the characters get there will take you on a journey you won’t forget.

NP: Please give an analogy of what writing is like for you.

KB: I like to jog once a week. Yes, I know it should be more. A few years back, I was more serious with my running and used to train for 10 km races. I think writing is similar to running. You get the runner’s high when you haven’t been on the road for a while. There’s a feeling of immense freedom and enjoyment in going out on the road, breathing the fresh air, and being alone for a few minutes (that’s rare for me.) When your legs are strong and your muscles warm, you’re thrilled at how well your body takes you forward and how easy it is. Then you get those days when you’re really not in the mood but you run anyway because you need to keep fit. Your legs aren’t strong and you feel light-headed or it’s just a pain. But after a while, the fresh air and the solitude take over and revive you. Not always, but most of the time.

Writing is a freedom. It’s a precious moment to savor but sometimes, it’s hard. When life gets busy and steals away your moments of inspiration, you sometimes have to start all over again. Sometimes you lose your fitness and need to begin serious training again. And sometimes, your mental muscles are exhausted and don’t want to come up with the right word or the right move for your character. You have to stick at it and keep on doing it, else you will never win that race.

But you mustn’t over train else you may get injuries. You need to take a break. I don’t write on a Friday night. That’s my night off. Lately I’ve had many nights off as busyness has taken over. Because it’s not my main job, I tend to write whenever I have a spare moment, but I also need to rest to function properly. A runner’s muscles will get built up on a day of rest too.

Thank you so much for being on my blog today.

Thanks for having me. It’s been great fun.


Blurb for Dragonfly Moments:

A young woman’s first love walks back into her life at the worst time possible—she is about to start a family with another man. But when her dreams begin to crumble, which one will be there to help her pick up the pieces?

Seven years earlier, at university, Tessa Calitz wrote a letter to Ryan le Roux promising her undying love. As time passed, she forgot about that letter...but not Ryan, who clung to the hope that she would wait for him.

Such is not the case when he walks back into her life. Tessa is in a serious relationship, and is busy setting up her art gallery in Johannesburg. She has plans to start a family, and the arrival of Ryan into her life throws her for a spin.

He is the worst thing that could happen to her dream of stability and starting a family...or is he?

Because when her relationship and everything she clung to starts to crumble, Ryan is right beside her to inspire her to greater things.

But her obsession for having her own child pushes Ryan away when she falls in love with an orphaned HIV-positive baby.

What can Ryan do to make Tessa realize that being with him is what her heart has longed for all along?


How can the readers get a copy of Dragonfly Moments?

You can find me at:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/KathleenBosman
Twitter: https://twitter.com/KathleenLBosman