Dance of Chaos (Fiona MacDougall Book 1) by Tabitha Ormiston-Smith

I recently reviewed a short story by this author. She contacted me and offered me a free copy of a full length novel. I told her I liked comedy and cats and waited for her recommendation as she has published a few novels. I loved this book, it ticked all the right boxes for me. Very funny, a cat that gets up to all sorts and no mushy romance. A healthy dose of swearing and poking fun at the clergy might offend some people (and the South-Africans might take a sharp intake of air!) but it is all good fun and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 5 stars.

I loved this comedy and laughed out loud a good few times. Fiona is 20 year old who still lives with her parents, brother Patrick and cat, and we get her somewhat deluded view of the world.  She is stuck in a dreary office but thinks her career will become more exiting by becoming a computer programmer. At home things are made difficult by her teenage brother, (who’s raging hormones cause all sorts of havoc) a mother who is phobic about cleanliness and a cat that likes to misbehave at the most inopportune moments.  What I loved about the book is the more than realistic and at times unlikable characters. Who doesn’t have an annoying little brother who pesters us into stupid schemes?  Or a blustering boss who doesn’t recognise our skills or merit in the work place? The interaction between Fiona her family felt familiar, and was written with great wit and warmth. Even though they can drive you crazy, you can’t help but love your family. I think you will love this book if you enjoyed reading Bridget Jones and watching series like The Office. But this book has a unique and Australian edge to it and is very funny. I look forwards to reading the follow up.

Thunderclap

Gearing up for the big release of Conversations with Tom on the 5th of February. Pre-orders are starting to come in and excitement is building. I've set up a thunderclap campaign to help give the launch a social media blast on the day. You can support it via the following link:
http://thndr.me/blRaSK
Or even better you can pre-order the book via amazon.

Conversations with Tom on Amazon.com

Marrakesh

Writers don’t go on holiday, they research a setting for a book, get inspiration or go on a fact finding mission, well that’s my excuse at least for the employment office. It’s true in a way, as I’m trying to see this place through the eyes of Cameron and what he would make of the place and I'm writing this blog.

Marrakesh is certainly a culture shock; you know you’re not in Europe anymore. Not just because the sight of Camels and the typical Moroccan architecture but because the chaos around you. Not only do you have to avoid Taxis, cars and scooters while crossing the road, now you have to avoid horse drawn carriages and donkey carts too.

Then there is the poverty, according to one statistic I saw, 40% of the population in Morocco lives below the poverty line. This contrasts sharply with the number of extremely luxurious Hotels you can find in this city. You have to keep this in mind when you walk about and you get accosted every 5 seconds. Taxis, trinket sellers, snake charmers; everybody wants a piece of you. Small wonder, it’s easy to forget how good we westerners have it.

Would I send Cameron here? I can’t imagine him liking the place, the amount of stray dogs is more than offset by the amount of stray cats; they would hound him out of town. It is warm and sunny for 10 months out of the year, but I think a vampire would struggle to find a dark and quiet spot here during the day. I do think he would like all the clubs and the amount of tourists to prey on…..I have a few more days here to let the millions of impressions sink in more and then we will see if a trip to Morocco is an option. One thing is for sure; Marrakesh is an inspiring place and it will take me a while to process all these impressions.