So, I can’t quite believe it’s been nearly a year since we said goodbye to corporate life, and our world in Joburg. I’ll do a proper update on July 2nd when the year is up,… More
Launch Day Thanks!
Well, I had two options the last few weeks: pour my heart and soul and currently limited energy supplies into getting these books out, OR throwing everything at yesterday’s launch day. I knew I’d do both poorly if I tried to do everything. So writing became the winner, and I’ve fallen short on any kind of huge hurrah… and maybe that also has a little bit to do with denial? Maybe there’s a little bit of concern about my own failings as a writer, an author, a storyteller, and whether or not I even have anything worthy to say. So if the book flopped it would be because I didn’t have a launch party.
And so I left the publishing work to him, and let him advertise and upload the books, and check it was all as it should be… while I moved on to working on the next couple of books due to launch in May and June respectively.
So in some ways, I expected launch day to be a little like any other day. Immensely thankful for the hundreds of preorder sales under our belts, I let go and let things happen a little organically. I didn’t expect everyone to buy it, or to read it this weekend just because it arrived in so many Kindles today, but from Thursday, the responses and reviews and messages have flooded in and I’m both floored and thankful!!
Helen Pryke is my proof-reader, a professional I pay not to like my book but to iron out the last of the editing creases, to make sure the little things are all sorted. She’s amazing, and I highly recommend her as a proofreader. I’m thankful for her and the skills she brings to the final copy of my books.
But imagine my surprise to see this wonderful review, and award, that popped up in my newsfeed on launch day morning!
“….so when Jennifer asked me to edit her memoir, I knew it would be a good read. What I didn’t realise is that it would be a great read! From the first pages, Jennifer had me hooked – if I hadn’t had to read it slowly due to editing, I’d have devoured it in a day!” Helen Pryke – author and proofreader.
I was flying on the high from this when the next picture popped up with a tag request, all the way from Melbourne Australia!!
And then my messages started going off and this came through:
“I’ve just sat and read your whole story
You’re probably up to your eye balls in floods of messages, but I just wanted to say, I LOVED reading your book! I can’t wait to read the next one!
“
A full-length novel is 85,000 words long. My Africa my Home is slightly short of that at around 60,000 words, so for someone to read it in one sitting is a huge compliment and everything I’d hoped for!
And last, but by no means least, this notification popped up. It’s been a hugely busy week on my Author Page!
So anyway, thanks to everyone whose been a part of this wonderful and very special day!! It was by pure coincidence that we landed up in the UK, amongst family and friends for an impromptu celebratory drink, dinner and evening with the guitar … we went to bed rather late and over the moon!
And now we wait for the Amazon reviews – please don’t forget to leave one, and to share any of the book posts on Facebook?? The sharing over the next few weeks will make or break the success of this book!
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
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Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
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Camino!
We are so way off track it’s not funny! We were “supposed” to be doing one of the Camino walking tracks on Daisy through the north of Portugal and Spain on this, our #SevenFerries trip. We hadn’t locked in anything yet other than Ferry number Five from southern France next Tuesday, but we had a whole ten days to look around the place and work out which tracks were actually ridable and find some we could manage on Daisy (and I could manage with my health).
We stopped in Porto for a couple of nights and had a blast. I still need to blog about that I think, but I’m too busy living, writing, and hanging out with him, that there just isn’t enough time. Not that it’s all a bed of roses mind you, we are working our butts off on writing/publishing, we’re working on the stuff we’ve taken this two-year sabbatical to do, and we’re working on our plans for our Second Half which is set to begin, God willing, towards the end of next year.
We thought we could see the world (or at least much of Europe) in these two years but we’re nearly halfway and we haven’t even begun!! Anyway, I digress (much like this trip) and one last minute decision after another and we found ourselves in the south of Portugal with not enough time for Caminos in the north, pouring rain (so no riding) and trying to find the fastest route to our next ferry port in France yet desperate to get in at least a few days riding!
And that’s when we discovered the Camino Natural Via Verde de la Sierra. Vias Verde are green belts across Spain which are disused train tracks of varying lengths which have been restored for walkers, cyclists and travellers. Much like other Caminos or trails, they are tranquil and beautiful, but unlike many of the older paths which now run alone roadways, these are void of all motorised traffic, and they are wide and flat (both in width and inclines and declines – because that’s what trains do).
In true Spanish style, the rules about no livestock, no vehicles, no animal poop are thoroughly ignored, and I look forward to putting up some videos of us riding through a herd of newborn lambs, one with a death wish.
Yesterday, we rode the Sierra route which is 36 km long, but because we always have to land up in the same spot, we had to ride it both ways! It was the first time I’ve covered over 60km (we did 74 in the end) first time I’ve climbed over 700m in height over a ride, and the twice as long as my longest day with four and half hours in the saddle! We also rode through 60 train tunnels!!
That shows how easy it was and reminded me to dig out my very first Pino ride to show you how it works. (I’ll post both videos on my Facebook author page too)
Anyway, I’m way behind on Why We Don’t Tell which has to go to the final editors in a couple of weeks, so this is a brief catch up.
Tonight was our first sunshine in a week and we’ve moved camp to the edge of this olive grove that reaches as far as the eye can see in every direction… A new via verde tomorrow and then we have to zoom north as fast as we can. And somehow I’ve got to find the time to write!!
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
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The Wedding!!!
So, we’re on this fabulous -91- sleep round trip to a family wedding in Italy and we’re nineteen sleeps in, so that leaves -72- to get home again. The straightest route home would be to head south again:
….but instead we headed north and we’re now slap bang in the middle of Switzerland. On a farm.
… and tomorrow we’ll be heading off even further north. So follow along if you’d like. But seeing as this trip was all about the wedding, I’d love to share a little of it with you. As it’s not my wedding, I won’t overshare someone else’s day, but I do want to share with you why yesterday was so special for me.
If you’ve read any of my books, you’ll know I’ve never belonged or been welcome in my family of origin. You’ll also know how aware I am of the roles our tribes play in everyone’s lives, and how discombobulating and soul destroying it can be to feel you don’t belong anywhere. You’ll also know that for many good reasons, we’ve lived all over the world. That’s a great thing and I’m most thankful for that. But the two (no tribe plus nomadic lifestyle) can be a lethal combination. Especially for the things so many “normal” people take for granted; friendships, weddings, funerals, rites of passage, to name a few.
I love weddings, and one of the careers I might have had, if I’d been given normal opportunities, would have been somewhere around weddings. There are lots about that in my memoirs, but the bottom line is, that over the years, just for love, I’ve made half a dozen wedding dresses, a number of wedding cakes, run a handful of weddings, done the flowers for more than a few, and decorated for more than I can count. But being a “normal” attendee; not so much. And other than my children’s weddings, or the ones I’ve been involved in, I’ve missed almost all the family and friend weddings of my life.
Many of us don’t think of wedding attendance as being a rite of passage, but it’s only when you miss out on most of them that you realise what an important part of tribal culture they are. For the last few days, we’ve thoroughly enjoyed watching that play out at this wedding. Being a “destination wedding” everyone stayed a few nights at least, and we didn’t know anyone except the immediate family. So The Captain and I got to be a fly on the wall as the other guests assumed we had nothing to do with the wedding and did their thing. We got to sit around the pool next to some of them and overhear them sharing stories of the couple and themselves of years gone by. We got to watch them singing silly songs in the pool as they anticipated some antics for the reception ahead. Later, as they sat at the table next us to, we got to see the odd friend shed a tear of joy he thought no one saw.
The last few days we’ve watched friendships gather new depths, and relationships strengthen. We met super proud uncles, adoring cousins, and we got to see some people at what they thought were their worst but we thought were their best. When people feel pressure and rise to the occasion anyway, it’s such a pleasure to watch.
It was a gift. It was an honour to be there. But most of all, it was super special for me because the mother of the bride is my cousin. A third cousin I think, but none of this once or twice removed nonsense. We share an incredible heritage, and we share passionate Scottish blood. I had no idea she existed till just a few short years ago and suddenly I have family in ways I never thought I would. I do have another set of cousins whom I love just as dearly, but there’s always room for a second set I say! So the bride was my niece of sorts and as the Captain said so many times yesterday, we’re so proud of her!! How can someone new pop into one’s lives and take up a place so special so quickly? I think that’s the blood thing.
The Captain and I scrubbed up alright for a couple who’d been camping for three weeks! 🤣
The bride has brothers and of course a groom and it’s been incredible getting to know them too. One we’ve known for a while but for the baby of the family, I was so nervous to meet him for the first time. But we clicked and he found his way so quickly into my heart and when I learnt he was the baker of the cake and he learnt I could string a couple of flowers together we hit it off immediately. I’d already been given the honour of doing the flowers by his mother, my cousin, so this was really just an extension of that. But we had so much fun as he added the flowers to his creation and I got to cheer him on every step of the way. If you need a wedding cake (any cake!) anywhere in Europe, this is your guy!!!
To be included the way they included us was beyond special for me. To be there as a guest because they wanted us there was amazing. To attend a family wedding other than my own or my babies, was uniquely heart warming, and to get to contribute was also to be included – which means everything when you live on the fringes. To be invited in was so wonderful.
If you read anything I write or know anything of my greatest passions, you’ll know they’re all about community and inclusion and working alongside each other.
The wedding was beautiful and not just for this incredible setting and GORGEOUS bride, but because of the connections and the love and the laughter and the community and the kin!!!
So… now we’re off home again the loooong way around, AND book two in the memoir series goes live on Monday! So if you haven’t grabbed your copy at preorder prices then grab it HERE before then 😊💜👊🏻.
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
Join The JPeaSmith Reader’s Club for non-spam emails with all that and more by clicking HERE. (Yes, this used to be a newsletter but I found that a bit stuffy, which doesn’t suit me).
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
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@JPeaSmith
Seven Ferries
After nearly two months in one place, it’s time to hit the road again, and for the first time with Daisy hitched to the back of Molly. It’s partly a functional trip with some real life paperwork needed in the UK next weekend, but too early for him in the season to be so far north (& the cold). So it’s a fast dash to Sittingbourne, just the other side of the channel, and then we’re off to Spain and Portugal to ride some pieces of the Camino Way. More details to follow, but as we complete the loop, via Sardinia and home again in about a month, we’re catching seven ferries altogether and as neither of us have sea legs and all ferries are booked and paid for, this is going to be an interesting journey so buckle up!
This morning’s ferry from Valletta (Malta – currently home base), required a 5am check in, so we drove out late last night and slept by the wharf, with alarms set for 4:50am. Still way too early for me, but that’s the timing of the only ferry out of Malta, so we’ve both been exhausted all day.
We’re now settling in for a home cooked meal in Molly and an early night. Tomorrow’s ferry doesn’t leave till 11pm, so we have all day to catch up on spoons and rest and sleep… and maybe take Daisy for a spin.
If you’ve never been to Sicily, it’s GORGEOUS!! And the food is out of this world! Check out the local blood oranges:
If you don’t already follow my Facebook PAGE then click on the link below to follow the journey. We’ll be doing some Facebook Lives of interesting bits and there’ll be lots more photos too.
BOOK NEWS: My Africa my Home launches on Friday and it’s an incredible feeling to know that the hundreds of people who’ve preordered their copies will get to read it this weekend! Sale ends on Thursday night if you haven’t grabbed yours yet 👊🏻
The paperback went live this week and about twenty books went out before we noticed some words missing from the back cover!! AAAAHHHH!! Those will be collectors items one day so hang on to them if that’s you!
The two following books are up for preorder now too, but I’ll tell you more about that later. For now, we’re watching the sun set over the Mediterranean Sea from the snuggly warm comfort of Molly!
Here are the main preorder links, but you can get it on all the Amazon sites: Just click on your region and it’ll take you right there – US, Aus, UK, and Canada.
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
Join The JPeaSmith Reader’s Club for non-spam emails with all that and more by clicking HERE. (Yes, this used to be a newsletter but I found that a bit stuffy, which doesn’t suit me).
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
Monkeyspheres!
I bring up this topic every couple of years because I’m so passionate about tribes and belonging and lepers and communities and I talk about Mondkeyspheres so much. The original article is HERE and it’s written by a guy called David Wong. I loved this article the first time I read it (sorry about the bad language!) and couldn’t do a better job of it if I tried. Plus, he should get the credit anyway. This is his take on tribes and it sure rings true for me!
It’s all about those circles of social interaction we talk about; you know, the rings of Saturn as my friend Pam says… concentric rings of people we care about – or not.
Anyway, his article starts off like this:
“One death is a tragedy. One million deaths is a statistic.”
–Kevin FederlineWhat do monkeys have to do with war, oppression, crime, racism and even e-mail spam? You’ll see that all of the random ass-headed cruelty of the world will suddenly make perfect sense once we go Inside the Monkeysphere.
“What the Hell is the Monkeysphere?”
First, picture a monkey. A monkey dressed like a little pirate, if that helps you. We’ll call him Slappy.
If you want to read the rest, click on the link (HERE it is again) and tell me what you think!
Here are the main preorder links, but you can get it on all the Amazon sites: Just click on your region and it’ll take you right there – US, Aus, UK, and Canada.
DO YOU WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT WHAT’S BEHIND MY BOOKS? SEE EXCLUSIVE PHOTOS? GET OTHER FREE STUFF?
Join The JPeaSmith Reader’s Club for non-spam emails with all that and more by clicking HERE. (Yes, this used to be a newsletter but I found that a bit stuffy, which doesn’t suit me).
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
I don’t Own a KINDLE!
Because my books are available on Kindle, people assume I have one. I don’t, but I do buy Kindle books all the time and read Kindle Books almost exclusively.
This is because I read them on my phone.
The app is free, easy, and any device I have has the potential to become a Kindle reader… even my computer. So if this is what has held you back from the wonderful world of Kindle, then look up Kindle App on your device, and download it.
My Africa my Home
Have you bought your copy of my first memoir yet? It’s 66% off if you buy it now, and it’ll land in your Kindle or Kindle app on launch day!
Strike while the iron’s hot AND get it on sale!
Here are the main preorder links, but you can get it on all the Amazon sites: Just click on your region and it’ll take you right there – US, Aus, UK, and Canada.
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
Join The JPeaSmith Reader’s Club for non-spam emails with all that and more by clicking HERE. (Yes, this used to be a newsletter but I found that a bit stuffy, which doesn’t suit me).
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
What’s a Pre-Order?
Ok, so the two hottest questions in my inbox right now are “What’s a preorder?” and its cousin “I bought your book and I can’t see it yet!” – with a mild sense of panic.
But there’s no need to fear. This is how it’s supposed to work. You buy it now at a huge discount, and then on launch day, if it’s an eBook it’ll pop up on your device, or if it’s a paperback Amazon will send it to your mailbox – for you to read at your pleasure (not forgetting to review at the end too of course :p ).
Why would I buy a pre-order?
1: The best reason is that it’s the cheapest way to do it. It’s an incentive to get the sales ball rolling, and so far it’s working. It means that on launch day, only seven weeks away, instead of starting with zero sales, I’ll start off with hundreds, and I’ve got my readers to thank for that. When everyone else sees it go “live” and grabs their own copy, they’ll pay three times as much as you did.
2: The second reason is – you won’t forget. We all have great intentions, and after my last book, some people who genuinely couldn’t wait to read it – forgot to. And that’s ok, but I don’t like reminding people so I didn’t say anything more. Then a few months later something popped up on their Facebook feed and they wrapped me over the knuckles; “why didn’t you remind me” they asked. When you preorder, we can all forget, and no one gets sore knuckles.
The bottom line is:
Strike while the iron’s hot AND get it on sale!
Here are the main preorder links, but you can get it on all the Amazon sites: Just click on your region and it’ll take you right there – US, Aus, UK, and Canada.
Do you want to know more about what’s behind my books? See exclusive photos? Get other free stuff?
Join The JPeaSmith Reader’s Club for non-spam emails with all that and more by clicking HERE. (Yes, this used to be a newsletter but I found that a bit stuffy, which doesn’t suit me).
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
My Africa my Home PreOrder LINKS
Thanks so much for the support so far! Day two and your purchases have already pushed “My Africa My Home into #1 spot in some New Release categories. If you haven’t got your copy yet (66% off if you preorder now), then just click on the links in your COUNTRY below (where you buy your Amazon books from), and it will take you directly there, where you can buy it at 66% off, for preordering.(And don’t forget to sign onto my personal, no spam mailing list for lots of free stuff! (not just free stuff, but some of the upcoming short books and personal photos will only be released through my mailing list).
Newsletter link: http://eepurl.com/cvljU9
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
My Africa my Home!
Here it is!! I’m beyond excited to announce that the first book in The Fault in the Family memoir series, MY AFRICA MY HOME is ready for preorder! I’m nervous, I’m excited, it’s been an incredible journey, and it’s not over yet. I would just love it if you could have a look, maybe a buy (it’s way cheaper to buy it as a preorder than once it launches on April 12th). It’s available as an eBook on all Amazons around the world.
Here’s the blurb:
Scrawny and straw-haired, seven-year-old Jenny wakes up frozen. Her eyes won’t open, her voice refuses to work, she can’t even move her lips or her tongue. In fear, she grasps for her face, but her arms are both tied down, splayed out at either side. Why can’t she move? Where is she? And how did she get here? Her immediate assumption is that this is a punishment. But what was her crime? She searches through a mass of fear and fog, and as a blurry picture begins to form, of noise and drama, snot and tears, horror and panic …. she finds it. That must be it. She’d ignored the rules, fractured the silence, made a scene. She’d broken the cardinal rule; she’d been disobedient. Publicly. She’d broken free of invisible and caused all this terrible trouble. And now she was paying the price.
In this, the first book in the Fault in the Family Memoirs, Jennifer shares her gripping story of chronic neglect and loneliness in her teeny-tiny-bubble-of-a-world, slap bang in the middle of white, privileged, apartheid South Africa in the seventies. In My Africa My Home, Jennifer sets the tone and the background for this epic journey that will transport the reader through five decades, two families, eight international moves, and a shocking hundred-year-old legacy that underpins it all, in her search for identity, “home” and a place to belong.
As a teacher, mentor, author, artist, disability activist, TCK, corporate-wife and above all, mother, Jennifer brings her wealth of life experience as well as and her beautiful, heartfelt, vulnerable, passionate writing style to this incredible life story of hope where there shouldn’t be, and of redemption in ways she would never have imagined.
—- * —-
If you’d like to read the first chapter, sign on to my email list HERE and I’ll email you a copy.
Please share, and shout if you’d like an interview, a chat, a review …. or to help spread the word!
Newsletter link: http://eepurl.com/cvljU9
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
New Look, New Book!
It’s not quite official yet, but the long-awaited, much anticipated first book in my memoir series is just about ready! Amazon is doing their thing, we’re just sorting out pricing and fiddling with boring things like blurbs and bios… all of which I hate doing. But it needs to be done and by Monday we should have all the links and the ball will begin to roll. It will be ten weeks till launch but if you’re on the email list I’ll sneak you some photos, snippets, and even the first chapter!
I’ll tell you more about it this week, but in the meantime we’ve both been completely lost down the rabbit hole of artwork, cleaning up links, giving this old blog a new look, dotting all the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s. So if you notice anything that needs fixin, pleeease tell me!
I’ve even updated the “Who am I?” post HERE which was very out of date, so check it out if you’d like.
And I love my header. I do almost all my writing on my lap in bed, at airports, on couches, in Molly…. so I no longer have a real desk, so my new header is the one I created. It’s my imaginary desk, (though the photos are real… I took them and pieced them together)… I think I need to add a cup of tea, what do you think?
If you’d like to receive the first chapter of My Africa My Home – The Fault in the Family Memoirs Book 1 (for free, in your mailbox), then sign on for my “big news only” (I promise I won’t spam you! I only send them when something important is happening) then click HERE.
Newsletter link: http://eepurl.com/cvljU9
Where you can find and follow Jennifer:
YouTube |Blog | The Mighty | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon
@JPeaSmith
Jennifer Peacock-Smith 