She’s multicoloured
While he’s solid black and white
She’s a bright rainbow
He’s plainly comfortable
A perfect combination
By Roberta Eaton Cheadle
This poem is written for Mindlovemisery Menagerie’s photo challenge. You can join in here: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/12/22/photo-challenge-346/
‘What is one thing you would like to learn?’
This is an interesting question and one I had to reflect on today.
When I finished school, I did an aptitude test and studying accountancy was recommended. It was quite an irony as my biological father was a chartered accountant. I never knew him as he died when I was three months old, but his abilities were clearly passed down. I studied for years to qualify as a chartered accountant and that has been my day job for over twenty years.
In 2012, I decided I had an interest in economics. As mentioned previously on this blog, the firm I work for gave me the opportunity to research, write, and publish a series of publications about Investing in Africa. My research covered a myriad of topics including the ease of doing business in Africa, Corruption in Africa, the African stock exchanges, the African mining and mineral exploration environment, the African debt market and the fourth industrial revolution and Africa. I also researched and wrote articles about other stock exchanges and investment environments. This satisfied my interest in economics and enabled me to ‘study’ the parts that interested me without being bogged down in the stuff that doesn’t interest me which is what would have happened if I’d undertaken an economics degree.
History and literature have both always been interests of mine and I get to indulge both of these passions with my reading and writing hobbies. I read everything and anything including classics, children’s books, graphic novels, poetry, plays, non-fiction, and many other genres and types of books.
My writing allows me to dive into historical research as my books and stories nearly always have a historical thread. While the Bombs Fell is about World War II in the UK, Through the Nethergate explores a number of historical periods and some famous historical people too and A Ghost and His Gold [coming out in January 2021] is about the Second Anglo Boer War.
Many of my short stories are also based on real historical events. I have two South African frontier stories in Spirits of the West anthology, a story about the Inca child sacrifices in Spellbound anthology, three historical stories in Death Among Us, and a story about the destruction of the pink and white terraces in New Zealand in forthcoming anthology, Wings & Fire.
I am also interested in genetic engineering and the fourth industrial revolution and my writing has also enabled me to expand my interest and research in these two areas. One of the result short stories will appear in Wings & Fire and another may be in another forthcoming anthology.
My conclusion is that both my work and my hobbies have enabled me to dive deeply into all areas of study and research that interest me. As a result, I don’t feel there is any particular thing that I would like to have studied that I haven’t already investigated or won’t have the opportunity to look into in the future.
What would other blog hoppers like to learn. Follow the link below to find out.
Rules:
1. Link your blog to this hop.
2. Notify your following that you are participating in this blog hop.
3. Promise to visit/leave a comment on all participants’ blogs.
4. Tweet/or share each person’s blog post. Use #OpenBook when tweeting.
5. Put a banner on your blog that you are participating.
Thank you to author, Stevie Turner, for nominating me for this award. You can read her post here: https://steviet3.wordpress.com/2020/12/17/the-mystery-blogger-award/
I am a bit of fly by the seat of my pants blogger. On this blog, Roberta Writes, I participate fairly regularly in a couple of writing prompts, a photograph challenge, and a blog hop, I share extracts and news about my writing and latest books, I share book promotion posts and book reviews, and anything else that grabs my fancy. I am not a planner and very rarely schedule posts ahead of time.
As mentioned above, I am a pantster blogger. If I see a writing prompt and inspiration strikes, I write for it. If it doesn’t inspire me, I don’t write for it. I never try to force my creativity. I read a huge amount and I post one review a week on this blog and another on my children’s writing and baking blog. I also share photographs of my garden and my travels as and when I think of it or feel inspired. I am a very unplanned blogger which is why it is a total relaxation for me. My work and writing life is very structured so I deliberately keep my blogging hobby unstructured and fun.
In South Africa, Christmas falls during our hot summer. It is the time when we have our main holiday period for the year. The schools and universities close for approximately five weeks and businesses that are not involved in retail or entertainment, close for between three and four weeks. I love being on holiday at this time of year as my clients are also on holiday so it is peaceful and I can relax.
Christmas is a big family time for me. All three of my sisters and their families live close by and we all visit each other and host each other over this period. I usually host Christmas, Hayley hosts Christmas Eve and Catherine hosts New Year’s day. My sisters and their children drop by frequently over this period and the kids all swim and entertain each other.
I am a summer person so this time of year is my favourite and I love my beautiful and colourful garden.
Sure, mopane worms are a delicacy here in South Africa and a lot of people eat them. I have tried them once and they’re not that bad although I wouldn’t make them a regular feature on my menu.
Neither of these fits me. I have never eaten a TV dinner in my whole life. In my family, someone cooks every night unless we go out for a meal. We never go out for ‘take away’ meals, but always to a sit down restaurant which offers a wholesome menu. We cook a lot of stews, casseroles and pasta dishes as well as some roast meat meals which include roasted potatoes and vegetables. My dad is the king of roasting potatoes so that is his job. My mother is very good at stews and goulashes, my husband is great at curries, stir fry’s and risotto and I do all the baked dishes like pies, quiches, pizzas and such like. Michael is starting to cook now too, so everyone gets a break from cooking.
As for caviar and champagne, I don’t drink champagne, only the very odd glass of wine or a brandy and coke [plebey I know]. I don’t like fish very much either so caviar will never be on my menu. I don’t like fussy food, but prefer the wholesome home cooked meals I grew up with.
I am going to be lazy and not nominate any bloggers for this award. If you’d like to join in, please do so and link back to this post so that I can visit and comment.
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
Here are a few pictures of the doors at Hobbiton in New Zealand. I think they are so cute.
You can join in the Thursday Doors Challenge here: https://nofacilities.com/2020/12/17/2020-in-review-thursday-doors/
I am guest posting over at author, Jane Risdon’s, lovely blog with a post about the siege of Mafeking that took place during the Second South African war. You can read the post here: https://janerisdon.com/2020/12/15/the-versatile-and-prolific-robbie-cheadle-is-my-guest-author-with-something-for-kids-and-adults/
Thank you, Jane, for hosting me.
Jane Risdon began writing several years ago having had a successful career in the International Music Industry which has taken her all over the world working with everything from Rock, Thrash Metal, and R&B/Pop to Chinese Opera. Her work has taken her to North America, Europe, and Singapore: even to Taiwan.
She’s been involved in Music Production, Television, Radio, and Movies around the world.
Jane has published a collection of her short crime stories: Undercover: Crime Shorts available on Amazon and most digital platforms and from Waterstones and Blackwell’s stores in paperback.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Crime-Shorts-Jane-Risdon/dp/0359397832
In 2014 Jane signed a publishing contract with Headline Accent part of the Hachette group.
Her recent co-written novel with award-winning author Christina Jones is entitled ‘Only One Woman’ published by Headline Accent. Christina and Jane have a shared history of the 1960s and the music scene back then and have written a fictional story about two girls and a lead guitarist whose band is touring and recording in England when they meet. It is garnering rave 5* reviews from men and women.
Paperback: ISBN 9781783757312
Audio: ISBN 150037635
e-pub: ISBN 9781783757329
Jane has contributed to well over a dozen anthologies – some award-winning and others nominated for awards – as well as contributions to print and online magazines including The writing Magazine, and she has a regular series in The Writers and Readers’ Magazine. She is a regular blogger and guest author on blogs. She also appears regularly on internet radio online, such as The Authors Show, Brian Hammer Johnson Show, Chat and Spin Radio, and the virtual literary festival and library (video interview) on MYVLF.com
Jane’s Amazon Author Page: https://www.amazon.co.uk/-/e/B00I3GJ2Y8
Her main focus remains on crime writing, however, she is a multi-genre author. She is working on a series of novels called ‘Ms. Birdsong Investigates’ centered around a glamorous ex MI5 Officer forced into early retirement, who is trying to keep a low profile in a rural village in Oxfordshire. Her past experiences come to the fore when she finds herself investigating a murder. Soon she finds herself back on old territory with Russian Mafia, Ukrainian People Traffickers and an old flame to deal with.
Jane hopes that this series of novels will be published in 2021.
Drop by Jane’s website and blog where she writes about her writing, entertains guest authors, and blogs about her ‘jollies,’ when she visits lots of interesting places, and she shares her photos and thoughts about her visits – she is an avid photographer and her blog is filled with lots of her photos. Visit her Amazon Author Page to find out more about her and her Facebook Author Page.
Jane’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/JaneRisdon2/
Jane’s Author Blog: https://janerisdon.wordpress.com/
Thanks for reading this. Let me know you have and do please, leave a review. We authors need all the help we can get. Have a fab day. Jane xx
![Undercover: Crime Shorts by [Jane Risdon]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61BBBkk8YtL.jpg)
You can read my Amazon review of Jane Risdon’s collection of short stories, Undercover, Crime Shorts, here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R1D5K3YJUUDG6K
Winner of Readers’ Favorite Five Star Award
Cortés’ fleet wallows at the bottom of the ocean, and his army marches for Tenochtitlan. Aided by aggrieved vassals and rapacious soldiers, Cortés has assembled an army unlike any in all the One World. Even the Mexica, the undisputed overlords of the region, may not be able to best them on the field.
A shocking act of violence makes it clear, however, that conflict cannot be avoided. But is there an alternative to direct confrontation?
Motecuhzoma, leader of the Mexica Confederacy, thinks so. Ever one for creative solutions, he settles on a plan as devious as it is risky. If his approach succeeds, peace will prevail in the One World. If his approach fails, the Mexica will pay with blood. Filled with complex characters and soaring action, The Bend of the River returns readers to pre-Hispanic Mexico and offers gripping insight into one of the most famous military campaigns in all of history.
The Bend of the River is the second book in this series about the Spanish conquest of Mexico in the 16th-century. It is not imperative to have read the first book in this series in order to enjoy this book, however, I would recommend it as the first book sets the scene for the events that take place in this second book. The Bend of the River starts with the ruthless and cunning, Hernan Cortés, leader of the Spanish invaders, setting out on the long march to the valley of Mexico and its capital city, Tenochtitlan.
The route is arduous and the Spaniards have to scale mountains, face frigid temperatures, and navigate rough terrain to reach the valley. They also need to overcome other vicious tribes intent on defending their territory. Cortés knows he needs to form alliances with these tribes in order to have any chance of overthrowing the Aztecs and their leader, Motecuhzoma II. His methods are shameful and make you cringe as a reader.
My dislike for Cortés and a few of his other leaders was far greater in this book than in the previous one as they used the most underhanded and devious of methods in their strategies, including rape, kidnapping, mass murder of innocents, and treachery. This book certainly put the Spanish invaders in a very bad light. The Aztec’s had some awful religious practices such as the mass sacrifice of humans to their gods and the enslaving of girls from conquered tribes into a life of prostitution, but they also had a well functioning and sophisticated society. They are portrayed as having certain morals and ethics in war which the Spaniards did not.
The author has clearly done extensive research into this period of time and the Aztec Empire and culture as well as that of the Spanish invaders and this leads to a fantastic book from a historical story point of view.
My criticism of this book is that there was no relief from the endless battling, blood, and gore. I found it a bit tedious towards the end and had tired of endless bloody scenes of death and destruction. It would have been nice if there had been a little relief from all the gore with some other descriptive distractions or a sub-plot. The author did tie up all the lose ends nicely and the book was well finished in a stand alone capacity.
If you enjoy a good historical novel and don’t mind a lot of battle scenes, then this book is an excellent choice.
Drawn towards the flames
Mesmerized by the bright lights
Flits the social butterfly
Naïve and unsuspecting
Dancing towards fiery death
By Roberta Eaton Cheadle
This poem is written for Mindlovemisery Menagerie Photochallenge #344. You can join in here: https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/12/08/photo-challenge-344/
Murder comes in 7 different genres. By 7 different authors. Are you a fan of courtroom drama? In the anthology’s first story, Abraham Lincoln defends a friend’s son against a charge of murder. For lovers of speculative fiction, Jason Fogg dissolves into mist to sneak through open windows and snoop for clues. How about a cozy? Jazzi, Jerod, and Ansel discover a dead body while renovating a kitchen, dining room, and half bath. Have a craving for a Regency? Lord Peregrine and his wife, Elizabeth, use their sharp minds and quick wit to solve a murder at a garden party. Need a bit of literary fiction? A young, lonely widow must deal with the theft of a valuable butterfly collection. And what about a little psychological horror? Twin sisters discover that their attic is haunted by not one, but two ghosts. Last, but never least, the anthology concludes with a historical mystery. A young, newly married knight is accused of murdering his obnoxious host at a holiday gathering in his castle.
This anthology is a superb collection of seven short stories, all linked with a common murder mystery them, by seven excellent authors.
This collection was fun to read as all the stories approached the theme of murder mystery from a different angle including super hero fantasy, a variety of different historical eras, and some modern settings with an interesting and fresh twist.
Lincoln Uncovers the Real Story of How Preston Metzer Got Himself Kilt – a fascinating and well researched historical story involving a murder trial at which Lincoln defended the accused prior to his become president of the USA. The guilt or not of the accused is unknown throughout this intriguing story;
From the Files of Jason Fogg is an unusual take on a murder mystery story featuring a super hero of sorts as the main character. Jason Fogg has the ability to manifest himself as real fog and uses this ability to help him investigate difficult cases. I have read a few other books by C.S. Boyack and really enjoyed this character. I will be reading more books featuring Jason Fogg;
The Body in the Kitchen is an entertaining story about a trio of home renovators who are hired to renovate select rooms in a dilapidated mansion as part of a charity project. There are a number of other renovators and decorators involved in the project, all of whom have secrets, so when one of their number is discovered dead in a closet, there are plenty of suspects;
Murder at a Garden Party is a fun romp involving an Agatha Christie styled murder in the study of a mansion on the day of a garden party. All the well heeled and sophisticated guests have hidden agenda’s and any of them could be the murderer, which makes for an interesting investigation;
Swallowtail involves a woman from a disadvantaged background who has married well. Everything is fine in her life until her husband dies and some issues with his company come to light. How far would a person go to ensure the continuity of her lifestyle and position?
Within the Plum Attic is a captivating murder mystery story with paranormal and horror elements. Twin sisters move into an old and neglected mansion that their mother has had the good fortune to inherit. One sister is out-going and enjoys friends and socialising while the other is reserved and finds making friends difficult. The quiet one is dependent on the social sister. Unknow to them, a similar family scenario unfolded in the attic of the mansion with unfortunate consequences and the ghosts of these sisters from the past are stirring;
A Winter Reckoning is a well researched historical piece set in medieval times when Lords and Ladies lived in stone castles, women danced to the tune of the men, marriages were arranged for purposes of allegiances, and everyone complied with bidding of the king. Widowed Lady Lorraine is invited to a party by a powerful man who has designs on her. She is obligated to accept the invitation but, not wanting her hosts advances, she asks the son of one of her friends to accompany her as her protector. All of the guests have their own devious reasons for attending the party so when a murder takes place, all of them are suspects.
Murder They Wrote is an interesting and varied anthology including high quality and well written and researched stories.
![Murder They Wrote by [Judi Lynn, C.S. Boyack, Mae Clair, Kathleen Palm, Julia Donner, D.P. Reisig, Rachel Sherwood Roberts]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/512vQsU2jXL.jpg)
Thursday Doors is a weekly feature allowing door lovers to come together to admire and share their favorite door photos from around the world. Feel free to join in on the fun by creating your own Thursday Doors post each week and then sharing your link in the comments below, anytime between 12:01 am Thursday morning and Saturday noon (North American eastern time).
Dan has featured gingerbread houses for Thursday’s doors this week so I thought I would follow in his footsteps and share pictures of some of my gingerbread, cake and chocolate houses.
You can see Dan’s gingerbread house display here: https://nofacilities.com/2020/12/10/christmas-doors-thursday-doors/
WordCrafter is having a party today starting at 2pm MST.
Meet some of the contributing authors of three WordCrafter anthologies, who will be doing author takeovers, and will be available to engage and answer questions, including: Kaye Lynne Booth, Cynthia Vespia, Janet Garber, Margareth Stewart, Jeff Bowles, Jordan Elizabeth, Art Rosch and myself.
Come and join in the fun and learn more about the great new books offered by WordCrafter Press at the 2020 WordCrafter Holiday Book Party.
This is the line-up in MST:
2 p.m. – WordCrafter Press: Welcome
2:30 p.m. – Author Cynthia Vespia
3 p.m. – Author Jeff Bowles
3:30 p.m. – WordCrafter Press – Whispers of the Past
4 p.m. – Author Kaye Lynne Booth
4:30 p.m. – Author Jordan Elizabeth
5 p.m. – WordCrafter Press: Spirits of the West
6 p.m. – Author Margareth Stewart
6:30 p.m. – Author Arthur Rosch
7 p.m. – WordCrafter Quality Writing & Author Services
7:30 p.m. – Author Janet Garber
8 p.m. – Author Roberta Eaton Cheadle (5 a.m. Pretoria Central Time on 8 December)
8:30 p.m. – WordCrafter: Holiday Send Off
I have short stories in two of the WordCrafter anthologies, namely, Whispers of the Past and Spirits of the West. I am delighted to tell you that both of these books are now available as paperbacks:
Click the link to listen to a short reading from my short story, The Ghost in the Mound, included in the Spirits of the West, a Western anthology.
roberta-writes.com 