Alice Count Down Deal Promo on Amazon
Winner of the “NYC Big Book Award – Distinguished Favorite”
I am so thrilled!!
So … to celebrate this award I’m running a special Count Down deal on Amazon this week.
Get your copy at http://Dukebox.life/Alice_Promo!
The publication date for “Alice”, my new psychological drama set in Cape Town, South Africa, really could not be any more fitting. I couldn’t have planned this better if I’d tried, and believe me I did try! I had great ideas about how I was going to publish “Alice” towards the end of 2017. But, no matter how much effort and sheer will and determination I mustered, I could not, for some reason, get “Alice” to progress any faster than it has. And that has been a good thing too, because now publishing “Alice” can coincide with and mark the momentous occasion of my 20 year anniversary of leaving South Africa – to go backpacking in Europe and get a bar job in London!
I never intended to leave South Africa permanently on that day, all those years ago. I was just going on a round-the-world trip abroad, to see what the world outside SA was like. So my reason for not having returned yet…? Well, I’m still looking for that bar job and unless I find an agent or a publisher soon, I will have to redouble my efforts in that regard!
Despite having been away for two decades, my heart has never really left South Africa. It is a beautiful country with so much to offer despite its troubles and challenges of the past, present and near future. Every few years I return gladly, to visit my friends and family and relish in the familiar landscape, sunshine, and fresh sea breeze – a pet hate from when I was young and living in the path of the brisk South Easter.
And when I now have the pleasure of meeting a fellow South African abroad, regardless of how long they have been out of the country, there is an instant, unbreakable, visceral bond because they know, they feel and understand in their bones what it means to be South African — something impossible to explain.
The one thing that saddens me when I return to the UK is that I’m unable to share my beautiful country and all that is has given me with my foreign friends. If I won the lottery, that is what I would do: take all my friends on an extended trip to Cape Town, Camps Bay, up the garden route, through game parks, to Victoria Falls, peep in at Kimberly, stop off at Bloemfontein, and venture up to Namaqualand….
In many ways, writing and publishing “Alice” is an attempt to do just that in the smallest, humblest of ways. By telling a story set in Cape Town, Camps Bay and the Cape Flats I hope to give my friends and readers a tantalising glimpse of my beautiful and complex country and what it’s like to live there.
Although the characters, businesses, organisations and legal entities in my book are entirely fictional, most of the locations are based on and inspired by existing places. Later, I aim to write a post giving a little insight into my research trip to Cape Town last year, with some photographs and images that inspired the fiction.
So, until then, be sure to get your copy of “Alice” here: >> http://Dukebox.life/Alice
Great news… From the 23rd of September 2018 I will be running a COUNTDOWN promo on Amazon for “Alice: A Woman’s Flight for Freedom”.
So diarise that date and get over 70% off on your ebook copy.
I am very pleased to say I finally managed to get a sample sorted of Simulation!!
You can get the details of how to download it below.
Happy reading!!
Sam can manage the grueling physical trials, but will her heart survive? Captain America meets a lesbian twist in this gripping sci-fi adventure.
Set in a dystopian future when, after a decade of war, the United Kingdom is on its knees, ruled by strict martial law and where any ‘deviant’ behaviour is punishable in a manner worse than death–the perpetrators are forcefully ‘reset’. Samantha Fielding, an emotionally scarred war hero, struggles to adapt to ‘normal’ life so she enlists in a top secret scientific research programme. Here, not only is she pushed way beyond her physical and emotional limits in order to unleash powerful and potentially lethal dormant human abilities, she also finds herself dangerously falling for the principal scientist, Dr Victoria Henderson – risking everything.
Note: If you too enjoyed the book, please let me know!! And join my VIP mailing list to be notified about any new releases.
“Wow just finished your novel-brilliant. Never read anything like it… Really got drawn into the characters and intrigue of the plot – can’t wait to read the next installment. I’m off to Cornwall soon too! A lighthouse will never look the same again.” – A Reader
Although I found the start a little slow and I wasn’t quite sure where it was going, it soon took off and ripped along at a good pace. I warmed to Sam once she and Victoria met and the real crux of the story came through, and I thought the ending was really good, especially as it hinted at more to come from these characters. A good debut. – Angela
This is a great read – a real page turner with believable and engaging characters and a gripping storyline, set in an all too possible uncomfortable future. I loved it and can’t wait for the next book in the trilogy. Sam’s my kind of hero! A great debut. I’ll definitely be looking out for more from this author. – Amazon Customer.
A gripping futuristic story.. Sam is my new hero. She’s hot, kick-ass and definitely someone I’d like to meet. Can’t wait for the next instalement! – Alice.
I loved this, couldn’t put it down once I started it. Beautifully written, intriguing plot and very real characters. Looking forward to finding out what happens next! – Lily.
Superbly well written, a real page turner… I vow you’ll not be able to put it down until finished. Truly believable characters and ones you warm too. Don’t let its category of Lesbian Fiction, put you off, its all subtle and tastefully executed. Hopefully like me you’ll end up wanting more… Definitely a sequel waiting to be written….. Even better a film. – Gerry Bell.
I read this book from start to finish in one sitting – I couldn’t put it down! The plot is truly original, particularly in the genre of lesbian fiction, and is full of unexpected twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end. The characters are well drawn and compelling and the relationships are very believable. A really great read! – Ms E Mumford.
This is a very atmospheric and compelling read with a wide range of characters from the very loveable to the very scary indeed. The very graphic prologue sets up the backstory brilliantly, and the contrast of locations from rural Cornwall to the intimidating futuristic research laboratory creates a world that is simultaneously now and not now, here and not here. The narrative whips along at a furious pace and keeps you guessing, the characters are complex, and when the book ends I was wondering what happens next? I’m really looking forward to reading the next part of the trilogy. – Anny.
The character of Sam is very well written and at times I felt like I was right there with Sam, seeing what she was seeing, hearing what she was hearing and feeling what she was feeling. I loved the little twist at the end, I really wasn’t expecting it but I was glad that it happened.
Overall a very well written story with two fantastic characters that I thoroughly enjoyed reading about. If you’re a fan of sci-fi, superheroes, science or lesbian novels then you should go read this book, even if you’re not you should read it. – Planet Nation.
Whether or not we are living in a simulation right now .who knows..but this was an exciting read with an easy ability to identify with and warm to the main characters.I hope this will be followed with another story extending the futuristic journey of Sam and Victoria 🙂 For I believe the basis of this book may well run parallel with our true world. – Amazon Customer.
I decided in 2018 that Simulation: The Dawn of a Superhero needed a bit of a cover refresh. So here are two propositions. Which do you prefer?
What do you think? Get your new copy here: Simulation: The Dawn of a Superhero
If you have read it, please leave me a review on Amazon (Reviews are our reward!) and tell your friends about it. 😉
So…
I have written a short little fic distantly related to the Toni Mendez (RISK) universe called “Stakeout”.
It’s a steamy little dream Toni had about her long term friend and occasional colleague, Lizbeth, one night on a stakeout and what happened afterwards during the early days of her realising her own feelings…. There is no hiding from one’s own unconscious!
Not only because it’s Christmas… but it is a small token of my gratitude to you all for your kindness and support.
Thank you!
As so often happens with holiday romance stories… sometimes one can get carried away. 🙄 “He”/”she”, who seemed like “Prince/ss Charming” at the time, turns out to be a real toad as time goes by and they forget to text or write or message….
So, just to prove that I was not making it up, I thought I’d post two lovely holiday snaps of my tall dark handsome stranger.
Needless to say he has not texted or written or messaged .. 😔 .. but with climate change he has promised to come visit.
If you’d like to receive notification 📧 of my new posts or book/film releases and promotions 💫🎉 , please add your details here to my private mailing list >>
Check out the right side 👉🏻 column for some of my novels 📚.
I am running a special promo for “Simulation”, “Cat Sitting” and “Saying Sorry” during the next two weeks on Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk. Find out more here >>
It is a true story, even though the telling of it is creative…
Sometimes reality is better than fiction. That is me in the picture!
He was a tall (2.5 meter long) dark stranger. We met one morning in late September just off the shore of a beautiful tropical island. I can honestly say, for me, it was love at first sight.
As often happens in these situations, when they sneak up on you, I was not looking at my best. I was wearing an ill-fitting bikini which was clinging a little too snugly across the bulges that had come to rest on my midriff during the recent over indulgent summer holiday. To add to the ensemble, I had a red over sized life-jacket tightly strapped over the top making me look like a beached baby whale in a corset. I had patiently waited my turn to take the plunge off of the twelve foot luxury yacht that had brought us out for our morning snorkel excursion. When it came to it I tried, but I suspect failed, not to plop too inelegantly into the azure water.
I was still catching my breath from the shock of submerging my small rotund self in the chilled salt water, bobbing uncontrollably like a buoy, when he glided up next to me, catching me by surprise. In contrast to my frenetic splutters and splashes, his large, lithe form was confidently languid, moving with effortless grace. His wise but little eyes gave me the once-over and then with an imperceptible nod he invited me on a tour of his world. Yes, he invited me, or so it felt, even though there was a whole gaggle of snorkelers clambering over each other (literally swimming over one another, fighting, flapping fins in faces) to get closer to him.
Very, very calmly and considerately he took the lead, gently guiding our path. Like a true gentleman, he’d slow down when I could not keep up, or I got water in the spout, or I steamed up my goggles. Once I’d caught my breath or he thought I might be getting bored, he’d speed up again, alternating in just the right proportions between diving down, swimming deeper to show me interesting things on the ocean floor, and surfacing to snuggle in closer for a more intimate exchange. Together we danced an intoxicating dance through the cobalt blue of the Indian Ocean and for three short hours I felt like the queen at the prom and he was my king.
Then, when it was over and my ride was ready to leave, I thanked him and blew him a kiss. Like the mysterious tall dark stranger he is, he nodded, bid me farewell “until we meet again” and disappeared off into the deep blue distance.
And we, Hooky and I, will meet again. I’m sure of it.
It was a brief but awesome encounter – the type that will feed fantasies for a lifetime.
If you’d like to receive notification of my new posts or new book/film releases and promotions, please add your details here to my private mailing list.>>
Hot new crime thriller – A gripping, racy page-turner, starring three strong, sexy female protagonists on the hunt for a psychotic killer.
“In the dark domains of crime, lust and love – innocence and guilt mix like blood and water. Will Toni RISK it all to catch the psychotic killer?”
Toni Mendez, an ex-cop turned private investigator in London, takes on a case to find the truth behind the violent murder of the young wife of a successful entrepreneur, Lucille Ransom-Evans. Little did she know that this case would bring to her door Maxine Bennett, a feisty, opinionated, American detective, on the hunt for a serial killer.
Maxine not only infiltrates Toni’s working life presenting a sore reminder of a profession she once loved, she also invades her private life by seducing her best friend, Lizbeth Du Cannon. As the investigation continues, Toni is immersed more and more, both professionally and privately, into a subculture she knew only from a distance – the LGBTQ+ world. She is forced to reassess everything she thought she knew about herself and the foundations of her long-term friendship with Lizbeth.
Note: If you too enjoyed the book, please let me know!! And join my VIP mailing list to be notified about any new releases.
“It is 2am. I’ve just finished this book. I picked it up last night at 9 thinking I’d read a few pages. Now I am buzzing! 😉 Loved it. Loved the fact that it was sexy and also engaged my brain in a good story.” – Jacky
“I really enjoyed everything about this book. The characters are excellent & you really feel you get to know them and can relate to them. There are lots of twists & turns along the way which you don’t see coming & which keep you turning pages. RISK cleverly combines crime, romance, and some brilliantly written sex-scenes, and is a great read from start to finish. I really appreciate the fact this book has a real story line and plot, and that the additional romance within its pages just happens to be between women. Definitely recommended.” – Lily
“Risk is a fast – paced, exciting book with a host of interesting and relatable characters and a lot of hot intimate scenes! I read the whole book in one sitting and was kept guessing right up until the end. I would thoroughly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates good crime writing and strong female characters!” – Elly
“Not your usual detective novel, yes it has a crime, intrigue but this book offers more, much more.
The sexual tension between the detectives is well,…. Very tense.
This is a gripping page turner in every sense of the word, both for plot and characterisation.
Yes it deals with lesbian relationships which are often fraught. But it is not your usual shallow lesbian novel, this spreads it’s wings further, it captures your imagination and draws you in.
This book is definitely a Risk worth taking” – Gery
“Bought this from the author at #LFest and I couldn’t put it down!!! It’s a brilliant read – I’ve been waiting for another story from Sam Skyborne and RISK doesn’t disappoint. It’s a real page-turner: a great story, fast moving with lots to it as well as three strong – and sexy – female leads. Now all we need is a follow up, please!” – Ally
“I really enjoyed this book. I hate to sound cliche but….I had a hard time putting it down. The crime aspect is well thought out and kept me engrossed and to be blunt…it is sexy as hell (and that really kept me engrossed). The squirming sexual “awakening” of Toni was fun to follow. I don’t like reviews that give away the entire plot so suffice to say….I really enjoyed it, it was a fun read, and I recommend it!” – Musiclover