Monday 31 August 2015

RRBC 'Back-to-School' Blog & Book Block Party

 Link to Block Party listings page

Today the MILELE SAFARI BLOG is tickled pink to be one of the first hosting venues for RAVE REVIEWS BOOK CLUB'S 'Back to School' Block Party People!


You are currently somewhere near  LAUNCESTON in NORTH CORNWALL, UK! 


BUT FIRST here are my...

GRRRRR-eat GIVEAWAYS!

(I'm happy to ship outside the UK!)

For SEPTEMBER 1st only I have some 

BRILLIANT PRIZES FOR 4 LUCKY VISITORS...

(Here's some jungley music while you're browsing!)




 LATE ENTRY - BONUS GIVEAWAY! 


Because we had so much fun yesterday, I decided to put in a bonus prize which will give visitors after September 1st a chance to win one of my Giveaways too...

So ~ the first person to answer this question IN ACCURATE DETAIL correctly wins!

 WHAT EXACTLY GIVES THE DISTINCTIVE FLAVOUR OF AMARULA LIQUEUR? 

(for those of you who've got the book - the answer's in there somewhere!)


AND THE LUCKY 1ST OF SEPTEMBER WINNERS WERE...

 1ST PRIZE - goes to BRUCE BORDERS! 


A basic white or black T-shirt from my ZAZZLE shop
with a choice of 3 designs inspired by some of my favourite African National Parks
(email me back with your size: small - 4XL and your snail mail address)


Mosi-oa-Tunya (Victoria Falls)


Etosha & Namib-Naukluft (Namibia)


 2ND PRIZE - goes to NONNIE JULES! 


A signed paperback of Milele Safari
(email me back with your snail mail address and preferred dedication!)


 3RD PRIZE - goes to C.S. BOYACK! 


An eBook edition of Milele Safari
(email me back with your preferred eReader platform (Kindle, Nook, Kobo etc) I will email you the ePub or PDF version)



 4TH PRIZE - goes to S.M. SPENCER! 


An exclusive 2016 printed desk calendar from Vistaprint 
with the same photo stock from my personal collection as used on the Milele Freebies page
(email me back with your snail mail address)



And now a bit more about my first novel and how it came to be...


 link to Amazon page

CLICK COVER TO GO TO AMAZON
Paperback also available at all good online stores, or by ISBN in your local high street

This follows the programme for my first ever Blog Tour (courtesy of 4Wills Publishing) back in June 2015 -


 If you want to skip ahead here's the links to the other Milele Blog Safari destinations 


Zambia Tanzania Biafra Zimbabwe Uganda Zyanda Kenya



The childhood ordeal of tragic Biafran war orphan, Teresa Olatunde, is the fateful catalyst for the savage events at the heart of Milele Safari
Deciding where to start a story is not always clear cut and, because I came at this book with a story plan that was loosely based on The Canterbury Tales, that followed several people's experiences, there's a fair amount of flashbacks and jumping ahead, whilst following along the main timeline of the safari. I hope I succeeded in making sense of the flow in the novel, but when I began to look ahead to marketing issues and found a need for a book blog, I quickly realised that I needed to streamline things more, so people could get a flavour of what goes on, and where, in the story more clearly.

We first meet main character, Sophie Taylor and her safari companions on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, and the story roughly follows their itinerary from there into Zimbabwe and then Uganda and finally, after it's over, into Tanzania where Sophie starts her new job. A magazine treatment, based on their journey (with the odd deviation when the backstory dictated) gradually presented itself as a useful solution for the blog, as it gave me an opportunity to include some of my own personal background, influences and research information on the countries in which Milele Safari are set, and to including short synopses on each of the Tales that 'happen' in that region.

What's good for my own blog should surely work for a blog tour too! So, this is your personal invitation to join me on a 'blog safari' that tells the true-life inside story behind Milele Safari, through the real and almost real lands depicted in the book...


... the Tales play out through the auspices of several point of view characters and their narratives, some through flashbacks into the past, or through a journal device that joins the various strands of their Tales together.


CLICK ON A COUNTRY ON THE TOP MENU 
TO CONTINUE ON THE MILELE BLOG SAFARI TRAIL!




BOOK LINKS

NOW AVAILABLE in PAPERBACK and KINDLE formats on AMAZON





SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS



LinkedIn  

Author blog - Jan Hawke INKorporated    



 HAD FUN HERE? 

This party is still going on today September 12th - boogie on over to 


and CLICK HERE

FOR OUR PARTY VENUES ALL THROUGH SEPTEMBER


AND FINALLY
as that Sleepy Lion slinks off into the dawn...

 HAKUNA MATATA! 


(check out the utterly brilliant Jimmy Cliff's version of Elton John's classic)

95 comments:

  1. Jan, this is absolutely, FANTABULOUS !!!! (as I turn my nose up at Kim Cox for stealing my word...LOL). I love your theme, I DIED LAUGHING WHEN I HEARD THE MUSIC...how perfect was that?!!!! And the themed travel...you did such a great job here today! Who can top this stop? I can't wait to see!!! I know your stop will be a hit! Enjoy the day!

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    1. Cheers Nonnie - that one hit wonder (not the original version) was almost a no-brainer! ;-)

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  2. What an incredible journey, Jan 😊

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    1. Thanks for coming aboard SM - yes, it certainly was a unique experience writing it as well! :-D

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  3. I love this post about Milele Safari, Jan! Awesome! Great music too :) A Milele calendar! What a brilliant idea :) Very best of luck with everything, Jan :)

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    1. Thanks for dropping in Harmz! :-D
      I love making PC desktop calendars and so I had the artwork handy still for a print version as well - Vistaprint have such a good range as well ;-)

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  4. Jan, nice post, and so original!! Hope you have a great day with what I'm sure will be many happy visitors!

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    1. Hi, Bruce! Thanks for visiting - this Block Party idea is so fantastic I had great fun putting it all together :-D

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  5. Awesome prizes, Jan. I love the music, I haven't heard that song in years :-)

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    1. It was 'tight' - but it fit Michelle! ;-) (Actually I think it was in the 2nd Ace Ventura movie too - the bit with the gorilla?)
      Thanks for dropping in - I'll be round at yours soon!

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  6. Liking the layout of your blog, Jan. It has inspired me to download the sample of you book and give it a go. Also the whole merchandising thing looks great: is it your artwork? (I actually like it better than your book cover - thought about changing it? - hope that's not too "ouch" - meant to be constructive) Does this stuff generate much interest?

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    1. Thanks for coming and making such nice comments Steven - you can come again! ;-)
      Yes, it's all my artwork and/or my late husband's photostock. The T-shirt design are based on the Bushmen (San) cave paintings in Zimbabwe and the Kalahari, but as that aspect of African culture didn't feature in the book I decided to go with imagery that did so the coverart (front and back) are linked into the storyline in some way.
      As for interest... even with RRBC supporters, it's a hard book to 'sell' as it deals with tough subject matter, and it's a kind of a 'tapestry' approach with the writing. I'm hoping today will help get it some more attention! :-)

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  7. I've never given much thought to visiting Africa - after reading this post, it might end up on my itinerary some day.

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    1. The book only scratches the surface - it's a big and extremely diverse continent in every sense! :-D
      Thanks for stopping by :-)

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  8. Go, Jan !!!!! I couldn't help but dance along with the music!

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    1. LOL! That's the idea Marc - that's a criminally catchy song! ;-)

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  9. Fabulous blog, Jan! And awesome prizes :) Have a great day of promotion for your blog!

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    1. Thanks for the compliment and for stopping by Traci :-)

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  10. Congratulations on being selected for RRBC Member of The Week. Intriguing I wonder what the rings signify on the back cover?

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    1. Hi Gordon - they're there as a symbol of lasting love and commitment (whether for a person or a country). If you want more then look at the Kenya tab! ;-)

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  11. Love your prizes and I've been wanting to read your book for awhile now, it's on my list! Congrats on being Member of the Week!

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    1. Thanks so much for coming over and commenting Tara - I think you'll like the wildlife conservation aspects in the book if nothing else! ;-)

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  12. Great post Jan. Perfect way to kick off the event.

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    1. Thanks, John! :-D I'll see you on the dance floor (or by the white rum) soon... ;-)

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  13. What fun! This is just like we are on a dance floor hitting it off. You know what I mean? As I visit the stops, I am humming a happy tune. :) This is great Jan. Have fun.

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    1. Hiya, Joy! :-D That Lion's woken up and wants to dance now! Thanks for coming and I'll see you at another 'room' at the party real soon - in fact, all this month ;-)

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  14. What great promotional stuff. I like the way etsy is tied to the book. Do you get much traffic back and forth between the two? - Craig

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    1. Oh Lord, Craig - you got me there with etsy! Must be one of those wicked clever Google+ widgety things as I'm just linking to the online marketplaces - or did you mean the image link? I just highlighted the image in post and put the link on, so I've been super-smart by accident! lol
      The traffic - hmmm! No I don't - but I think today might be a first! ;-) Thanks for calling in and commenting :-D

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  15. Super T-shirts! Hope I win one.

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    1. Well, you're half way there just by looking in and leaving a comment, JB! :-D
      Good luck to you and have a great time visiting the other partay blogs ;-)

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  16. You had me at, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - one of my favourite hits from my youth!! This is such an imaginative depiction of the journey your book traces! BRAVA, Jan!! And I get to boogie as I write this too! Wow!

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    1. Lol - The Lion just called to me, John!
      As for the Safari - well that's been a time in the making, as there's so many layers to the book to get across, so by going a-wandering the flavour comes out more :-D
      It's a bit like a gumbo really (which has some African origins of course) and somehow fits, as in Africa, even the nasty bits can be breathtaking...
      I feel like a bit of Hakuna Matata now! ;-)

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  17. Nice job with your post today, Jan! Enjoy all the fun and excitement.

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    1. Thanks for stopping by, PH - it certainly has been fun and I can't wait to see what's in store for us tomorrow! :-D

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  18. Jan you've just outdone yourself. I always loved that music "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." I'm rocking in my chair right now. You have touched on a sensitive and sad topic. I still think about the Rwanda genocide which never should have happened had outside influences stayed outside. Are you basing your story on that? I think I have my copy but if not I will go get it. HAPPY BOOK & BLOG BLOCK PARTY!

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    1. That old lion certainly gets the feet tapping doesn't it, Shirley?! :-D

      When I started out writing the book I didn't know where Sophie, the main character would take me, but it led me back to the Biafran Famine, and then to Rwanda, as both periods impacted on me personally in different ways. It's certainly based on the Rwandan genocide, but, as the aftershocks from that time are still being felt all over Central and Southern African, I needed to alter it in certain details so I could explore a different approach to the outcome so that's how the idea of Zyanda and the tribal rivals Matu and Lutse began and took shape.

      If memory serves I think you did get a copy after the recent blog tour - enjoy the rest of the day's festivities and we get to do it all again tomorrow and every day this month! :-D

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  19. Jan--It sounds like an intriguing work. Great post!

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    1. Thanks so much for calling in, Rebecca - have a great time at the other partay venues today too! :-D

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  20. Jan, I've visited your blog before and each time I've found something new to love. The way you give us a background on each region and then weave the story into the locale pulls us deeper into the story. Good writing here! I also enjoyed the music. Enjoy your book and blog tour!

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    1. Hi there, Linda :-) This party gets better and better as the day goes on & I get to put 'voices' to name! Have a great time dancing around the other Block Party venues and discovering the other brilliant books :-D

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  21. HI Jan - very cool book cover and Great Prizes! (I take a size medium BTW and my favorite color is black) - :-)

    I just stopped by from the RRBC link - really like the color scheme of your blog as well and thanks for being a host for the RRBC Back to School Blog Party!
    Good luck with your book! - ML

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    1. Lol! Thanks so much for dropping in and making such lovely comments Michael - if you don't win you can always visit my Zazzle shop yourself (link by the top T-shirt) and get a better choice of colours... ;-)

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    2. Well, Jan...what if I don't win? LOL

      -_____________________-

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    3. ROFL - well, Nonnie... I've got another date at the end of the month, so if you luck out this time on a prize and come to my Dreamless Roads party stop we'll see if we can cut a deal. :-P If you win there I'll let you have a choice of all the designs! ;-)

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    4. SEE, John F...none of what you say about Jan is true! She IS nice! LOL

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    5. Nonnie - shush! ;-) I worked hard to earn that 'bad grrrl' rep... :-D

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  22. Love the new look of your site--green is my favorite color. Have great fun day with the blog. You have so many comments already. Wow! at the prizes. Hope I win. :)

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    1. Hi, Kim - thanks for dropping in! It's been a great day and this whole month now looks like it's going to be truly memorable :-D

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  23. You really know how to party! Great books! I hosted your tour a couple of months ago and so enjoyed reading your book! Have a fabulous book stop!
    Ernestine Rose@familyaffairbooks.com

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    1. Hi there, Ernestine! :-D It's been a blast, especially as I've been able to reprise the blog tour - you hosted one of my favourite parts of the book too with Teresa Olatunde's story in Biafra (very sad but so touching) as well, so thanks again for doing such a great job back then :-) Enjoy the other party stops today and all month as well ;-)

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  24. You've started the Blog Block Party off really strong, Jan. This will make the rest of us have to work even harder to keep up the quality! My hope is that you have a successful day today!

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    1. Hi there, Beem - lovely to see you in here! :-D It's been a great day and it's been so busy my head is positively spinning! ;-) Can't wait to see what's happening tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after, and the day after...!

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  25. It's a party and I'm dancing! Love the music. Everyone in the house has come to see what all the noise is about! Great post as usual Jan. I hope you have a wonderful party. Enjoy!

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    1. Cheers, Lizzie! Glad to know the party's spilling out all over ;-) It's been a wonderful day and isn't over yet - catch you at another venue soon! :-D

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  26. Jan, Beem's right, you people on this first day have raised the bar too high! I JUST HAVE TO TOP YOU ALL! Let's see, what can I bring truly amazing to my blog: tigers and bears, bears and tigers...well, I guess you will all just have to wait and see, now won't you?!

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    1. Not that I'm counting, Nonnie - but you do know that I'm only giving away 4 prizes today! ;-)
      Lovely to see you in here again though :-) and you know what I think about bars...? There's only 2 things you can do with 'em - raise 'em higher, or drink 'em dry! lol :-D (now where's my Amarula liqueur?)

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  27. Love the post. I can totally relate to the where to begin conundrum and dealing with flashbacks.My latest release played the same games with me and took it one step further...the main character didn't "tell"me a big chunk of his own story until a year and a half into the process and a few scant months before it went to final editing/proofing

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    1. Hi, Janelle - thanks for coming along today! :-)
      Those characters can be soooo annoying, the way they keep kicking over the traces and going off in a totally unexpected direction - but I love it when they do! Hope you're having lots of fun blog hopping today ;-)

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  28. Wow!! What somebody who knows computers can produce. I'm off to hide my head in shame. Brilliant, Milele

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    1. Hi there, Brian :-D The only way you get to know computers properly is to make tons of mistakes! ;-)
      Now no more talk of shame - did you notice my other offer in the last weekly update - if you want some images tarted up for your giveaways, or for these party posts, then I can help you whip 'em into shape. Just email me and I'll see what I can do ;-)

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  29. Hey Jan! I can wear a size 1XL. So get it ready because I'm going to win and if not I will order. lol

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    1. As it's you Shirley I'll repeat what I said to Nonnie somewhere... I've got another date at the end of the month, so if you luck out this time on a prize and come to my Dreamless Roads party stop we'll see if we can cut a deal. :-P If you win there I'll let you have a choice of all the designs! ;-)

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  30. Hi Jan - what a great post. I liked that you cross linked to everyone.

    I think I am going back to mine to do the same and where and when I can, I'll update it for each day.

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    1. You are right Jason. Good thing I am not on first, so I can see how it is done. Come on, who can beat this? :)

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    2. Joy, do you really have to ask? ME, OF COURSE!!!! LOL

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    3. Yay! Hi there, Jason! I had to edit those links in this morning (well actually it was this afternoon but we won't dwell on that...) as they weren't live until after I went to bed last night! Curse of the time zones! lol
      Nonnie and Joy - that's the spirit! :-P

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  31. I thought I commented earlier...but I don't see it and I can't remember with certainty! So forgive me if I am on here twice! :-) I just think this is a wonderful blog post from a brilliant author and a fantastic person...and you just happen to be giving away AMAZING prizes. Wow! So...I had to make sure... Way to go, Jan!

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    1. ((((Bethany!!!)))) I know you've been really busy as well so I'm feeling a bit dizzy and don't know exactly where I've been either! :-D SOME PEOPLE have been here more than twice (*coughs* Joy, Shirley and NONNIE...), so no need for apologies! ;-)
      Have a total blast for the rest of your day - I'm off to bed for a rest soon! :-)

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    2. Who's here just for the giveaways? {{{{coughs}}}} Bethany...LOL

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  32. OK, Guys - you've worn me out! :-D My eyes are crossing and I'm going to have to go and wind down, just so's I can be up bright an' early tomorrow for day 2...

    So - have fun looking around, turn the music up if you like (I don't sleep in the same room so what do I care! ;-) ) and good luck if you can find any nibbles.

    Now - this will be staying up all month as I don't blog too regularly on here so I've decided that as the Giveaways are only for today I'm going to be kind to those who weren't quick enough off the mark today and

    (TA-DAH!) give an ADDITIONAL SPOT PRIZE

    for the first past the post to correctly guess the answer to a chance remark I've made in my comments today... Look in tomorrow (in the main post) to get a chance at another T-shirt (or your choice of any of the 4 giveaways).

    Thanks so much to everyone who's been in today (which is not over for another 7 hours yet of course) - you've been super guests and I love you all!

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  33. Hi Jan! It's an absolute joy learning about your travels and inspiration behind your work. Truly amazing. Have a lovely evening! :)

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    1. Thanks for coming along and making such kind comments, Natalie! :-D

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  34. Hi, Jan. Great post & awesome prizes. Let's party! :) Bette

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    1. Lovely to see you Bette! This has to be THE best online block party on the planet - and we have another 29th days of it - how cool is that! ;-)

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  35. Hey Jan - such an awesome post. It is on my "bucket list" to visit Africa (with time running out haha!!) and the premise of your book looks so interesting. Nice job in launching the Book & Blog Party tour.

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    1. Hi there, Maurice & thanks for the support :-D Africa's amazing, so make it soon! ;-)

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  36. Great page, Jan! You have wonderful, insightful stories. I so enjoyed your blog tour earlier this year. keep up tha great writing!

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    1. Hi again, Ernestine! ;-) Thanks for all your support - especially when I was on tour :-)

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    1. Thanks for coming, Christa - glad you enjoyed yourself! :-D

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  38. It is very obvious that writing is not your only talent. You truly have a way with combining music and art and heart into your work! Congratulations! :-)

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    1. Why thank you, Yvette! :-D Hope you're enjoying this first round of happiness - it's all happening again tomorrow! :-)

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  39. Loved visiting your site, & really loved the video clip. I hope you had a great time today.

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    1. Hiya, Rhani! :-D I did indeed have an excellent time as did my other partay co-hosts today - tomorrow it starts all over again (just someplace else) and I can't wait! ;-)

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  40. First, once again my thanks to everyone who called in here throughout the day yesterday (sorry I wasn't around to say hi at the time Natalie, Bette, Maurice, Christa, Yvette and Rhani) - you're all wonderful and I had a great time looking at all your messages.
    I've just edited the winners of my giveaways up in the main post and, as promised, announced the way to win one of the 4 prizes as a final BONUS GIVEAWAY!
    To save you scrolling back, I'll repeat it here - the first person to answer this question IN ACCURATE DETAIL correctly wins!

    WHAT EXACTLY GIVES THE DISTINCTIVE FLAVOUR OF AMARULA LIQUEUR?
    (for those of you who've got the book - the answer's in there somewhere!)

    Good luck everyone - first one past the post gets the goodies! ;-)

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  41. So so creative! Loved it! Very original and informative! Great job!

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  42. Hi there Lizabeth :-) Thanks so much for dropping by and commenting - did you see I have a bonus prize still up for grabs? You DON'T have to get the book to find the answer - Amarula liqueur is probably in your local supermarket! ;-)

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  43. Hi Jan, sorry I missed your party. Your t-shirts look great! I would like to visit Africa one day so your book looks very interesting.

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  44. Hi there Renae! Africa's a stunning place to visit although you do need to pick and choose carefully - but then that's what makes it so fascinating! ;-) Thanks for coming along - I never clock watch... :-D

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  45. Okay, I'm totally confused. The post and all of the responses seem to be on August 1st and 2nd, put on my tour schedule it says that your day is today, August 8th. Anyhow, I loved the post, loved the music, and just really enjoyed my visit to your site. ��

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    1. It's not you Rhani - the wrong link was up on line up page earlier on today. It's now been put right but don't worry - your comment will go into the draw still! ;-) Here's the link to this year's post anyway - milelesafari.blogspot.co.uk/2016/08/rrbc-back-to-school-blog-book-block.html

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Love to hear your comments and queries!