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Time-Travel vs Time-Bending
When I started writing Roxanne’s Ghost I had no plan of messing with the chronology of time. What fascinated me was parallel stories within a story. But as my tale unfolded, time bent by itself. And it worked. It’s only now, with hindsight, that I question what time-travel and time-bending actually is. Science Fiction When either concept is mentioned, sci-fi movies immediately come to mind. In these, use is made of fantastic contraptions to travel through time, from a telephone booth in Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure to a Delorean in Back to the Future. Reality The Reality In reality, no such equipment is needed, as time is relative. We all know the three dimensions of space: length,…
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Moragh’s Ghost Saga
My name is Maggie Tideswell, bestselling author of spooky paranormal romance, amongst which is the trilogy, Moragh’s Ghost Saga. As with all authors, I am always looking for new ways to promote my work. If you are a blogger, I hope you might be interested in what I write, and maybe give me a mention on your blog. My books are all set in South Africa, and there are always a ghost or two interfering with my heroes and heroines as they fall in love. This year, my New Year Resolution was to publish four books, the first of which will be out Thursday, 13 June 2019.Poppet Nicole is book…
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Meet My Main Man
Introduction The Roxanne’s Ghost duology, Find Her and Save Me, is a spooky paranormal romance, in which my main man is being manipulated by the female members of his in-law family. I love the trope ‘nothing is as it seems’, and incidentally, runs through all my work. I love ‘things that go bump in the night’ and unexplained stuff. In short, the paranormal and creepiness drive my novels. People love to be scared, and what is scarier than a strange house in the dark of night? Sort of Gothic, isn’t it? That’s why atmospherics like the weather (thunder and lightning), shadows cast by fire against a wall, dancing candle flames, creaky…
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The Vanishing Twin Syndrome
A few years ago I read in a Dr. Ruth type column about a woman who was having twins and then the one baby just disappeared. I never heard of this before, so I went onto a medical site to find out more. Apart from being told to see a doctor immediately – I was not pregnant! – I was given the information I needed. Apparently, it is quite common in multiple pregnancies for one fetus to be ‘absorbed’ back into the mother’s body. Here is the link to an excellent article about the causes and effects of the vanishing twin syndrome: http://americanpregnancy.org/multiples/vanishing-twin-syndrome/ So, why am I telling you this?…
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The Traditional South African Melktert
The melktert (milk tart) is traditionally South African. The Dutch settlers in the Cape in the 1600s brought the recipe with them. It is made of a sweet pastry crust, filled with a creamy custard, sprinkled with cinnamon, which was introduced to South Africa by Javanese slaves. The tart is served sliced, chilled or room temperature. Ingredients Pastry: 2 cups flour 1 egg ½ cup sugar 2 tsp baking powder 125g butter pinch of salt Filling: 4 ½ cups milk 2 ½ tbsp cornflour 1 cup sugar 3 eggs pinch of salt 2 ½ tbsp flour 1 tsp vanilla essence a big spoon of butter Instructions Pastry: Cream butter and…
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Recipes from my Books
Beef Bourguignon Recipe Prep: 15 min Cook: 3 hr 45 min Ingredients Marinade: 5 cloves garlic, smashed 3 fresh bay leaves 2 carrots, peeled and halved 2 ribs celery, halved 1 large onion, peeled and quartered One 750-ml bottle red wine, such as Burgundy 4 pounds beef chuck, cut into 1-inch chunks Stew: Extra-virgin olive oil Kosher salt 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 8 ounces slab bacon, cut into lardons 1 pound cremini or white button mushrooms, quartered 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice 2 ribs celery, cut into 1/4-inch dice 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 large onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice 1/4 cup tomato paste…
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Along Came a Spider
Does the arachnophobia in you allow you to acknowledge just how delicate the spider is? If a spider were to fall, it would probably die. But while the thought of walking through a cobweb fills us with creepiness, the web of the spider has though the ages been usefull. Beautiful as it is, the association to the web of the universe is inevitable, and healing and what is hidden follows
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Most Haunted Places In South Africa
Since the beginning of time, people have been fascinated with the supernatural. Whether you believe in ghost stories and haunted houses or not, almost everyone has at least one story of some creepy incident which simply defies any logical explanation. Cape Town is the oldest city in the country, with many tales of brave pioneers and its fair share of broken hearts and tragedies. It’s only natural then that our Mother City should have a few ghost stories to tell. Castle of Good Hope Cape Town The Castle Of Good Hope is South Africa’s oldest surviving colonial building and possibly one of the most haunted places in South Africa. Having…