Winter Feel Good Blog

Hi, all. Winter is my least favorite time of year. That's why last year I enjoyed skipping the whole thing by staying in a place where the temperature doesn't go below fifty degrees (most of the time). That being said, I am here and it's cold as all hell but it's okay. First of all, I wanted to mention that my publisher has a brand spanking new website. They haven't put up all the books yet but a couple of mine are up there. They are all still available on Amazon and Barnes&Noble as usual. Here's the link. http://www.books-by-wings-epress.com/#!blood-brothers/ebf2h

I thought it might be fun to post some pictures that just take you straight to summer. (Photo taken in South Africa last year)

Ah, can you feel it?

Just imagine all that green! (Photo taken in Charlottesville Virginia)

Ah, yellow flowers. Does it get more Summery than that? (Photo taken in South Africa last year)

If squash growing doesn't make you think of summer, nothing will! (Photo taken in South Africa last year)

Hollyhocks in Santa Fe. (Taken this last summer)

So, I hope you are all getting through Winter the best you can. I know some people actually like winter. I can't help those people...

If you haven't been here for awhile, you might enjoy the articles I've been writing for Aneis de Vida magazine. It's a fantastic free on-line magazine. Here's a link to my latest article called Breakfast Sisters. http://issuu.com/aneisdevida/docs/january_issue2016?e=13670524/32433901

Have a great week and dream of summer!

Fall is in the air

Hi all. I hope you are having a glorious fall. I love this time of year. Who doesn't? The leaves are falling slowly off the trees as they turn exquisite shades of orange,red and yellow. I always love writing at this time of year and many of my books take place around this time. I thought it would be fun to have a giveaway. One thing I've noticed is how often people tell me they've enjoyed one of my books but they haven't reviewed it on Amazon. I know it's a busy world out there but those reviews help attract new readers. Also, Amazon is more likely to feature my books the more reviews they have. With that in mind, I am having a contest for the fall season. To enter simply click the link at the bottom of this blog and choose any of my five books to leave a review. If you review more than one, you will be entered for every book you review one time. The winner will be chosen at random and will be announced on this blog. If you win, you can choose one of any of my five e-books. I hope you'll join in the fun and also help your friendly neighborhood indie author get some review action happening. I hope you all have a wonderful fall!



https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=shari+rood

Wyatt

So glad that Wyatt is finished and published. If you haven't read the series, start with Behind the Closet Door. The second is called Blood Brothers and the third is Wyatt. All are available on Amazon.com

Here is an excerpt from Wyatt.

Wyatt sat by the edge of the creek on a large boulder
watching the trout. They were just out of reach, their
spotty sides shimmering in the afternoon sunlight. He was
distracted and a bit disappointed that his work had
followed him out here, and on such a beautiful day.
Wyatt was thinking about his name at the moment. He
realized that he didn’t hate it the way he used to. A leaf
fell into the water and circled around like a little boat
caught in a storm. He cast his line and the fish scattered.
He chuckled and went back to his thoughts.
His name had been difficult for him to accept because
of where it came from. When he was a boy, he’d gone on
a search for the truth about his past. It seemed strange to
dislike something that was such an integral part of who he
was. “What’s in a name?” he said and looked thoughtfully
at the water. If not for his past, he probably wouldn’t have
given it a second thought. It defined him, even though
most new age gospel would have said you shouldn’t let it.
Wyatt figured anyone who ate tofu couldn’t be trusted
anyway.
He was working on a new case and it wasn’t going
well. He’d had three recent successes and at twenty-three,
he had been gearing up for a promotion. Instead he got a
transfer. He learned a hard life lesson. Sometimes, if you
rise up too quickly, someone will beat you back down. He
never saw it coming. He hadn’t meant to be a threat to
anyone’s position, but Rob Harrison seemed to feel
otherwise. The transfer was hard and the new case was
proving to be slow and unrewarding. An unsolved murder
that was now classified as a cold case. He watched the
spinning leaf, wondering if that would be his career.
He tried to shake it off and he pulled in his line and set
down the pole. He took out an energy bar and ate it,
although it tasted like sawdust and peanut butter. The sky
was completely clear, not a wisp of cloud and Wyatt
sighed. It was a shame to waste this beautiful day
worrying.

Long way gone. New book out in September!

Well I was gone for quite a long time. We enjoyed the rest of our year in South Africa and we then took off to New Mexico. Specifically Santa Fe. It was stark and beautiful and quite the contrast to the lush tropical Indian Ocean. I had a hard time adjusting but the upside is that I left South Africa feeling like I could go back out there again. My home sickness subsided and I made a lot of wonderful friends. Santa Fe is beautiful but very expensive and we quickly realized that we'd not likely be able to afford an adobe house for half a million dollars. As lovely as the architecture is, it's overpriced. So, after seventeen different stops from South Africa back to Virginia we are at last back in my old stomping ground.

In other news, I have a new book coming out. If you haven't read the Closet Door series, what are you waiting for? Books one and two have been available on Amazon for a while now. Check them out and look for the third installment in September.

Well, now that monkeys aren't always trying to steal my bananas I'll have to find something new to write about. Squirrels in the back yard? Nope, doesn't have the same exotic appeal.

Searching for animals in Zululand

As I sit here trying to write while workers in the downstairs apartment drill into the concrete ceiling making noises that sound like two elephants mating, I am trying to think of something positive to say about South Africa. God knows I've whined enough about what I don't like. The head splitting noise at present is not helping.

So, I'm going to talk about four glorious days that made this trip worthwhile. A couple of months ago we decided to take a road trip to Zululand and stay at one of the parks board places. A huge game reserve where you can see the big five if you're lucky. We spent two nights at Hluhluwe which was my idea of heaven. We saw a herd of elephants (not mating) but they were eating leaves. You'd be surprised how enthralling that is to see in real life. One large female used her tusks to push down a whole tree and her family gathered around to eat the green leaves. Sigh... It was beautiful.

We also saw giraffe, all types of buck, Rhino, the list goes on. Zululand is such a magical place and it's really not that far from where we are living. Three hours and you are surrounded by wilderness and wild animals. What could be better?

Plus there were BABY animals. It's spring here so all the animals have babies now and I'm telling you, if that doesn't warm your heart, you are a robot.

So I came back from that trip filled with goodwill toward everyone and that lasted a day or two. As soon as I saw the trash piled up on the beach where we live I started hating again but I'm trying to be philosophical about it and do what I can and not worry about the rest. So about a month ago we went back to Zululand. This time we drove farther into the wilderness to a place called mkuze.

As you can see from the picture it's a glorious dirt road to nowhere and that is a good thing. We spent two nights in a tent that was kind of permanent in the sense that there was a wood floor and a shower and bathroom which was awesome. We even had an outdoor kitchen.

Our routine was to get up around five am and have a nice hot cup of tea and go out driving looking for animals to gaze at. There are thousands of acres of wilderness so it's not always so easy to see the animals which are sometimes hidden in the bush. Sometimes you drive for hours before you see anything interesting. On our second day my husband and I saw something that I've never seen on any of my trips to Zululand, a wild cheetah.

As you can see, he is exquisite. We were so excited and watched him for about half an hour stalking through the bush, scaring birds and swishing his tail. It was a moment I'll never forget and one that reminds me to be thankful that I'm here in a place where it's still possible to see a cheetah in the wild.

He crossed the road in front of us twice. We were snapping pictures like crazy people and then finally I just put the camera down and enjoyed watching him. He really was a true thing of beauty.

So, I just have to remind myself that there is much to be thankful for still in this world and that I'm blessed to have this unique experience.

My new book just came out today and I want to talk about that as well but I might put it in another post. It's called The Secret Lives of the Harvested and is a drama. It's on Amazon. Okay, cheers from South Africa!

You Always Take the Weather With You

So part of this trip is learning how to accept things as they are. I posted a photo album on facebook the other day and to look at it, you’d think my trip was this magical fairyland of beautiful sunrises, sunsets, walks on the beach and loving life.

If I were someone else that might be my experience but as I am me, I carry all my baggage along with me. There are moments I’ve enjoyed, don’t get me wrong. I’m not ungrateful. There are also many moments that I’ve been homesick, missing my sister, missing my dog, missing my house and all my stuff. I’ve been wishing for a long time now that I could get back to work. Start another shop and do something rewarding and useful.
For a long time my identity was tied up with being sick. I was diagnosed with an auto-immune disease eight years ago and my world imploded. I lost my business and bounced between anxiety and depression. I discovered Reiki and it changed my life in ways that are still unfolding. I have been fortunate to find a Reiki teacher here who can give me the rest of my training and it has given me a sense of purpose, a feeling that this year isn’t for nothing.

As I’ve gotten older, I have gotten better at accepting things but sometimes it seems harder than usual. I was doing alright in Charlottesville. I enjoyed my home and my books and my office. When you’re married, it can’t be all about what you want and for the last few years my husband has been feeling pulled to spend more time in South Africa with his family.

The upside of that is getting to see beautiful places and travelling. The downside is the upheaval of everything that I find comfortable and safe. I’ve decided that this is the last trip for awhile. I want to work on getting my life back and playing to my strengths instead of hurling myself into these situations where I feel like I’m being thrashed about by a washing machine (which matches today’s weather by the way. I walked out on the beach and it’s blowing a gale and the sea is churning and the sand is blowing across the beach pelting anyone who dares to walk near with tiny grains of sand.)

My experience in South Africa is always mixed. On the one hand you have incredible beauty. The plants alone make my heart sing. I’ve never seen such variety of flowers and palms and indigenous plants as I see here on a daily basis. There is also the open friendliness of the people and the beautiful climate and the ocean.

On the other hand this is a place with a lot of suffering. The crime rate is high, the poverty rate equally high. Some days the beach is filled with trash and it’s hard not to hate people for behaving like pigs. Other days, people gather to pick up trash or maybe I do and then I feel better about the way things are.

Another example of the way things are here is the slowly failing infrastructure. As the years go on and funds get scarce you see things starting to fall apart. The life guard tower has been shedding glass windows and parts of its roof since we’ve lived here and with the high wind, there is always a sense that it’s going to fall on someone. The inside of this huge building is held up by makeshift beams. The lifeguards are probably taking a chance with their lives by staying in this building. There is also the regular practice of illegal dumping of sewage into the rivers that join the sea. The air quality is poor due to the lack of simple things like catalytic converters on cars. It’s a third world country and I guess these things are to be expected.

To be fair, looking at the other side, I have probably seen more happy people here than I see back home. Almost everyone seems to get exercise and enjoy the outdoors. There is less complaining here than in the States. People make the most of what’s here and I admire that. When there is a holiday, people have fun.

There is also a thriving artist community here. Many creative people know each other and there is a love of art and craft here that I used to see back home before the recession and the wars made everyone more cautious and less likely and able to spend money. Hopefully that’s changing because I want to go back to my art and jewelry making and all the things I love to do.

I know there are lessons for me to learn here and I am trying. I’m sitting here looking out to sea. It’s wild but beautiful. I’d never be able to afford to have a view like this back home. I’m trying not to make missing home a reason not to enjoy what this place has to offer. Today I’ve made fresh juice with carrot, celery, cucumber, apple and lemon. It’s delicious and just that is something to be grateful for.



I also just found out that my latest manuscript has been accepted by my publisher which is also a big reason to celebrate. It gives me something to work on and I feel a sense of accomplishment that helps when I feel overwhelmed by anxiety and depression. I’m trying to practice acceptance. That’s really all I can do since all I have is this moment right here.

Cheers from South Africa

Blood Brothers

If you read Behind the Closet Door and enjoyed it, check out Blood Brothers, the sequel.

http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Brothers-Shari-Rood-ebook/dp/B00KVQZNDM/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411647099&sr=8-1&keywords=shari+rood