A reader writes ~

A reader wrote today saying ~

Your 'Swallows and Amazons' life in Africa does sound wonderful. What I don't sense in the book is that you were ever worried about your future security even in the short term. Was it not something you thought of or does it just not show?  Or have you mastered being fully reliant on God?

Dear Chris,

I suppose my sense of security at the time was pretty much the same as the Swallows'. We were quite careful about our equipment and stores, but once organised we just went forth, enjoying the adventure of it all. As my letters suggest, I had the security of my friends and my family at home but had to trust God every step of the way. 

Sometimes, when things kept going wrong, I had no option but to up the trust and plough on regardless. Perhaps this is something I learnt off the South Africans. Whilst putting 'Ride the Wings of Morning' together made detailed plans for a trip only to have my (fully equipped) 4WD vehicle stolen in Johannesburg on the first night. Charles Baber advised me to 'always stick to the plan', so I hired a car and kept driving. It was rather a relief to only travel with my overnight bag, although I was jolly cross about the theft.

I did have good travel insurance but didn't get the chance to put much into my pension during the years spent in southern Africa. I'm trying to be sensible about that now, which is a bit dull. Perhaps I should have been more adventurous!

Yours,

Sophie

A Live Broadcast on USA Radio ~

On Saturday 23rd March 2013  

Sophie Neville was on 'Second Chance Radio Show' in the USA 

interviewed by Dr Diane Dike.

Sophie spoke about her books and her life in Africa.  

Free Kindle copies of 'Ride the Wings of Morning' were offered on the programme. 

As a result it reached #1 in the free Kindle store under the category Travel - Africa in the UK and Canada

~ Click here for the links ~

I had the chance to talk about 'Ride the Wings of Morning' 

on Premier Radio in London this week.

Maria Toth kindly invited me on 'Woman to Woman', 

her chat show that runs from about 10.50am to 11.50am. It was good fun.

To listen to the show please click here:
(You will need to use the latest Chrome, Firefox or Internet Explorer Browser)

I was able to offer listeners a free Kindle copy of 'Funnily Enough', the prequel to 'Ride the Wings of Morning'. Do help yourselves and tell your friends about the offer, which is on until midnight on 28th Jan (PMT)

For anyone in the UK - click here

For the US, India, Australia or New Zealand - click here

You can also find it on Kindle for Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Japan, Canada and Brazil

A recent review from a rider ~

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous! 

"Ride the Wings of the Morning" is a fabulous read and within a couple of pages I was transported to the African bush. The places and the characters are captured brilliantly. It brings to life some of the reality of life in the bush and the ridiculous situations that you do find yourself in...

Sophie writes with such wit, humility and perception. I did chuckle out loud several times! Even my non-horsey husband enjoyed it as he has had to be dragged around Africa ...   ~ Jane Dawson

Twenty years ago in Zimbabwe ~

~ Fishing on the Pungwe River ~

A short extract from 'Ride the Wings of Morning' ~

"I’m now staying with an artist in the Nyanga Highlands, a girl who is married to a British Army officer out here with BMATT who provide military training for the Zimbabwean Forces. They spend their spare time fishing in the Pungwe River or picnicking on gigantic granite boulders while their children splash in the shallows. There are parties here all the time, and unlike in South Africa, where men talk to men and women with women, they actually interact normally. I am assured this isn’t always so in the local community but Zimbabweans tend to be outgoing and rather fun. I went riding with a farmer’s wife called Pixie. She had one little girl called Burgundy and another called Summer Rain. They rode their ponies bareback, jumping them over gates and fences without hesitation. I’m heading for Victoria Falls by train next week and after going down the Zambezi plan to fly up to Lilongwe so I can drive up through Malawi to the Nyika Plateau.

I didn’t realise how bushed I had become at Equus. I hadn’t taken a day off in four months ~ hadn’t used my own money, watched television, worn anything accept khaki clothes, had hardly driven on a tarmac road or been to a town since I was in the Cape. It’s strange adjusting back to life on the open road and making decisions alone. Being able to wear turquoise. Having time for myself."

~ Read more of 'Ride the Wings of Morning' on Amazon.co.uk

All sketches on the blog are featured in 'Ride the Wings of Morning' and are (c) Sophie Neville. Please contact me if you need to use them on sophie@sophieneville.co.uk

Now with colour illustrations on Amazon Kindle ~

'Ride the Wings of Morning' ~ the illustred ebook is now in colour

Click on the regional links below for the book's product page on Amazon:

Amazon UK ~ Amazon USA & India ~ Amazon.de ~ Amazon.fr ~ Amazon.it ~ Amazon.es

‘But I don’t have a Kindle!’

Don’t worry. You can easily add a free Kindle reading app to your PC, laptop, Android or Apple device and see the illustrations in colour:

‘How?’

If you are in the UK

Click here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_159657547_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000425503&pf_rd_m=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0J02HE6EX0T6GQ5480A3&pf_rd_t=1401&pf_rd_p=293968427&pf_rd_i=1000501923

If you live in Africa, you want to download the Kindle app direct from Amazon.com

Go to:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=sv_kstore_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000493771

And choose which device you want to download the app to.

All the Kindle reading apps are free.