Hear me speak in South Africa

Well, I'm back in Africa - South Africa to be specific, and before I venture off into the bush I'm spending a week touring about to promote my latest book, 'DARK HEART'.  You can catch me at the following venues:

Cape Town Monday 22nd April 2013 - 6.00pm Talk and Book Signing Wordsworth Willowbridge Shop 33 Willowbridge Lifestyle Centre Tygervalley RSVP: willowbridge@wordsworth.co.za or 021 914 1791 Tuesday 23rd April 2013 - 10.00am Talk and Book Signing Exclusive Books Somerset Mall Shop 327, Somerset Mall Somerset West RSVP: somersetmall@exclusivebooks.co.za or 021 851 0250 Johannesburg Tuesday 23rd April 2013 - 7.00pm Jenny Crwys-Williams - book club dinner The Local Grill Corner 7th & 3rd Avenue Parktown North RSVP: Jade 076 780 6383 Wednesday 24th April - 6.00pm Talk and Book Signing Exclusive Books, Clearwater Mall, Cnr Christian de Wet and Hendrik Potgieter Roads, Roodepoort RSVP: clearwater@exclusivebooks.co.za or 011 675 3971 Durban Thursday 25th April 2013 - 6.00pm Talk and Book Signing Book Boutique 26 Rock View Road Amamzintoti, Durban RSVP: thebookboutique@gmail.com or 031 903 6692

Hear me speak in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban

Well, it's that time of year again - I'm heading back to Africa.  Being an all work, no play kind of guy, I'm kicking off my trip with some touring to promote my latest book, 'DARK HEART'.  (OK, so it's not really like working, but please come and listen to my jokes, and remember to laugh).

I'll be speaking in Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban - see below for dates, times and places.

Here's a couple of nice reviews I found while shamlessly self-googling

http://www.australiantimes.co.uk/entertainment/arts-culture/book-review-african-dawn-by-tony-park.htm

http://www.leisurebooks.com/Dark-heart/Product.aspx/7686

Trapping animals in Africa

But only in a nice way... with my infrared and motion-sensor activation camera trap.

Check out some pics and videos I captured during my last trip to Africa, on the Getaway Magazine Blog, here.

Come hear me speak, please!

Phase two of my round Australia tour to promote my latest novel, 'DARK HEART' is about to kick off.  Please see below for dates and times, and do remember to book and/or check with the organisers and venue as I've been known to get the times wrong occasionally.

 New South Wales

   

Wednesday 20th February 7.00pm

Castle Hill Library

14 Pennant Street

Castle Hill 

Phone: 02 9761 4510

Email: ewort@thehills.nsw.gov.au

  

Wednesday 6th March 6.00pm

Rwandan Orphans Assistance Response Fundraiser
Sydney Hilton Marble Bar 

1/488 George St Sydney
For tickets, click Book here

Saturday 9th March 11.00am - 3.00pm

        Book Signing
        Sydney  Travel Show
        Fox Studios
        38 Driver Avenue
        Moore Park
        Swagman Tours Stand

Wednesday 13th March 6.00pm

Strathfield Library

65-67 Rochester Street

Homebush

Phone: 02 8762 0222

Email: sharon.krise@strathfeild.nsw.gov.au 

Saturday 23rd March 10.00am 

Port Macquarie Library

         1 Grant Street
         Port Macquarie
         Phone: 02 6581 8755
         Email: portlib@mnclibrary.org.au

  

Thursday 4th April 11.00am

         Top Ryde Library
         1 Pope Street

         Ryde

         Phone: 02 9952 8347

         Email: nsahni@ryde.nsw.gov.au

 

 Northern Territory

       Thursday 11th April 5.30pm

                Palmerston Library      

                The Boulevard  

                Palmerston City  

                Phone: 08 8935 9992

 Email: askus@palmerston.nt.gov.au   

Friday 12th April 12.00pm 

Casuarina Library

               17 Bradshaw Terrace

               Casuarina

               Phone: 8930 0200 

Email: dccl@darwin.nt.gov.au 

  

Friday 12th April 5.30pm 

Darwin City Library

Civic Centre,Harry Chan Avenue

Dawin

Phone: 8930 0230 

Email: dccl@darwin.nt.gov.au 

Saturday 13th April 11.00am

Alice Springs Library

93 Todd Street

Alice Springs

Phone: 8950 0555
Email: lwickham@astc.nt.gov.au

Western Australia

        Thursday 28th February 7.00pm

               Fundraiser for Painted Dog Conservation

Plaza Ballroom   

1 Hyatt Hotel

Contact: John lemon

Email: lemonj@ozemail.com.au 

Victoria

Wednesday 20th March 7.00pm 

Fundraiser for Heal Africa
Kew Golf Club    

120 Belford Rd

Kew East

Contact: Kate Munns

Email: katem@worldshare.org.au 

For tickets click Book here

Riding the rails

Happy New Year, Legion of Fans (LOF).  I'm kicking off 2013 with a bit of shameless self promotion in 'Escape' Magazine today (Escape is the travel supplement in various major Sunday newspapers around Australia).

Today's missive is about luxury train travel in South Africa which is something dear to my heart and, if you're read 'IVORY', you'll know a certain train is also very near and dear to Alex the pirate and his lady friend Jane.  Enough said.

The Blue Train will feature in my next novel, 'THE PREY', due for release in the UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand this November.

You can read my review of the country's premier trains, Rovos Rail's The Pride of Africa, and the Blue Train here.  Both offer a slightly different version of the same experience and there's not much between them, as far as I'm concerned.

Whether you choose Rovos or the Blue Train should probably just come down to time - the Pride of Africa takes two nights to journey from Pretoria to Cape Town (or vice versa), while the more modern Blue Train takes one.

To enhance your reading pleasure, here are a few snaps I took recently on The Blue Train.

My best friend on the Blue Train... they do a mean Bloody Mary

Table Mountain whizzing by, as we leave Cape Town

I see the train a comin', it's comin' round the bend...

Lounge carriage... always the best part.  And a mysterious lady in red.

Looxury, sheer looxury.

Leaping leopards, Batman!

As you blog followers may have guessed I have been favouring Facebook over the blog lately, but felt that I must also share the following video with y'all here (I just shared it on FB).

I'm not, as a rule, given to sharing stuff other people have posted, but this movie of a leopard in South Africa (the setting is not specified, but it looks like the Sabi Sand Game Reserve to me) by Martha van Rensburg is just breathtaking.

When you watch the video, look for the leopard lying in wait on the left hand side of the road.  It is facing towards the right hand side of the road, from whence a herd of spooked impala comes charging.

Hit the old freeze-frame a few times and you'll get some spectacular shots of the leaping, somersaulting leopard.



And, just because this blog is all about me, here are some more pics from my recent six-month stint in Africa:

Not roaring, but yawning - a lioness at Sabi Sabi game lodge in the Sabi Sand Game Reserve.

Pied kingfisher, Lake Kariba.

Their kids are cute when they're little - juvenile hyena in Kruger.

Fish Eagle, near Letaba Camp, in Kruger

Cheetah with a late impala, Doispane Road, Kruger.

Lioness, Masuma Dam, Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe.

Also, for you non Facebookers, here's a link to the online version of a story I wrote for the 'Escape' travel magazine, which features in Sunday newspapers around Australia, about house-boating on Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe.

Enjoy!