Murder @ Work, a murder mystery novel

Corruption in the New South Africa

2011-09-26T14:32:00.000-07:00

Corruption is a sad fact of life in South Africa today. more

Feared criminal takes short walk to freedom

2011-08-11T16:13:00.000-07:00

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - One of South Africa's most wanted criminals appears to have made one of the most mundane of escapes when he slipped from police custody by walking out of a Pretoria court door along with the public. more

Review of MURDER @ PLAY

2011-03-24T18:07:00.000-07:00

A review of MURDER @ PLAY sent to me by a reader: "I finished reading your book " Murder at Play ", thouroughly enjoyed reading it, kept me on my toes, just wanted to keep reading, I am a slow reader, would read a little each night, but was so tired after the days activities and evenings, cooking, homework, bath time, tuck in time, ect. you know the drill, your book kept me reading another page and another. "

Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews: Virtual tour stop for mystery author Yvonne Eve Wa...

2011-03-04T03:51:00.000-08:00

Lisa Haselton's Reviews and Interviews: Virtual tour stop for mystery author Yvonne Eve Wa...: "Reviews and Interviews is participating in a whirlwind, multi-stop, one day extravaganza to celebrate the release of Yvonne Eve Walus' new..."

JoJosBookCorner: Book Tour: Murder @ Play by Yvonne Eve Walus + Giv...

2011-03-04T03:49:00.000-08:00

JoJosBookCorner: Book Tour: Murder @ Play by Yvonne Eve Walus + Giv...: "Picking a title for your story Agatha Christie used quotes from nursery rhymes. Isabel Allende tossed a coin to decide on The House of th..."

Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to make your heart race: Yvonne Walus Is Here Today!

2011-03-04T03:42:00.000-08:00

Wendi Zwaduk - Romance to make your heart race: Yvonne Walus Is Here Today!: "Yvonne Walus stops by today. The blurb for her book snagged me and I just had to host part of her tour. Check out her book, Murder @Play. No..."

Kat's Blog: A Character Is In The House!

2011-03-04T03:41:00.000-08:00

Kat's Blog: A Character Is In The House!: "I'd like to welcome Christine Chamberlain of Murder @ Play by Yvonne Walus on her virtual tour stop. Welcome to the madhouse and it's great ..."

A Novelist Speaks: Murder @ Play - excerpt

2011-01-27T12:21:00.000-08:00

A Novelist Speaks: Murder @ Play - excerpt: "Prelude - Pretoria, October 1994 Chapter 1 Anonymous letters are always a cliché. In South Africa, they can also be deadly.This one would c..."

Murder @ Work - ebook sale

2011-01-18T02:02:00.001-08:00

For the rest of January 2011, the Kindle version of "Murder @ Work" will be available at a 50% discount. That's only $1.99! Check it out!

Entertaining, short, interesting read...

2010-06-28T18:23:00.000-07:00

Here's a new review for "Murder @ Work". Ursula Pieper writes: "Entertaining, short, interesting read about South Africa in the late 90s." Read more.

Photos from the book launch of "Murder @ Play"

2010-04-28T17:06:00.000-07:00

Murder Mysteries throughout Africa....

2010-04-28T17:05:00.000-07:00

For those of you interested in African Murder Mysteries, here is a cool magazine, Mystery Readers' Journal, featuring two articles of mine. You won't be able to view much of the contents online, though of course you're welcome to purchase the PDF or the hard copy.

Kindle!

2010-03-30T02:30:00.001-07:00

My paberback, "Murder @ Play", is now available on Kindle!

(Is that a good thing?)

South Africa through the eyes of Invictus

2010-02-02T14:49:00.000-08:00

I was very pleased to discover that the movie Invictus is set around the same time as my cozy murder mysteries, "Murder @ Play" and "Murder @ Work". It's a beautiful reflection of what South Africa was going through in mid-nineties, all its fears and prejudices, all stemming from our overwhelming love for that amazing country.

Some trivia from Invictus:

Did you know that when President Mandela shook the hands of the rugby players for the first time, some people in the audience thought it highly inappropriate... either for the president... or for the players????
A debate is out whether the president should have used both hands when handing the rugby captain that cup of tea: it's African etiquette to do so (a sign of respect) - the issue is whether Mandela felt respectful. Caveat: Francois Pienaar should definitely have received it with both hands (a sign of gratitude). See links about African etiquette: http://hubpages.com/hub/manners-southern-african-countries and http://www.cyborlink.com/besite/africa.htm.
What they said in the movie, it really is true about Nelson Mandela's eyes.

South Africa in 1994

2010-01-25T02:05:00.000-08:00

South African News Headlines in 1994 (the time in which Murder @ Play is set):

10 May Nelson Mandela is sworn in as the first President of South Africa and FW de Klerk and Thabo Mbeki become joint deputy presidents
The United Nations lifts its arms embargo on South Africa
Princess Anne, Princess Royal, visits South Africa
The African National Congress hold their 49th National Conference in Bloemfontein

"Murder @ Play" is here!

2010-01-21T14:54:00.001-08:00

My copies of "Murder @ Play" have finally made it to New Zealand and I'm delighted to see that the cover is actually made up of tiny white bricks (i.e., it's not white the way it looks online) - it just goes to show that, amazing as the Internet is, The Real Thing is sometimes better!

Incidentally, if you read "Murder @ Play", you will notice that while some characters communicate by email, and while the solution relies on the detective's understanding of electronic files, the Internet plays no part in the story and Google is a word not invented yet (the book being set in 1994). Oh, and only affluent businessmen carry cell phones - which weigh more than a brick!

If you think that weird, wait till my next book comes out. That one is set in 1982... no cell phones, no Internet and spoiled rich kids play Atari TV games!!!! :-)

Is that your son's hand print on your cheek?

2009-11-08T13:13:00.000-08:00

To see Yvonne's typical writing day (or night, as the case may be) and get a glimpse of how the "Murder @..." series is made, have a look at Mary Welk's interview with Yvonne.

What is the one thing you want readers to know about your book?

2009-11-08T13:10:00.000-08:00

In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever.

When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband's innocence...
... whether he's innocent or not.

When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?

To see more, please have a look at the interview on Bookland Heights.

The author

2009-11-08T13:06:00.000-08:00

To find out more about Yvonne Walus, the author of "Murder @ Work" and "Murder @ Play", please see the interview on "Reading, Writing and Stuff that Makes Me Crazy":

(excerpt:)

Q: How many tattoos is "too many"?

A: One. Particularly if it's on my child.

See South Africa in this Book Trailer

2009-08-10T17:16:00.000-07:00

Check out the latest book trailer for "Murder @ Play" by Yvonne Eve Walus, and see a lifestyle gone with the wind.

BUY the book here.

"Murder @ Play" - When the world was the same and South Africa was otherwise

Echelon Press, 2009

Announcing "Murder @ Play", the prequel

2009-08-05T19:15:00.000-07:00

At long last, the prequel to "Murder @ Work" is available for sale.

Quick Facts

Release: August 2009
Title: Murder @ Play
Author: Yvonne Walus
ISBN: 978-1-59080-637-1
Genre: Mystery
Pages: 268
Price: $13.49 US

EVERY MARRIAGE NEEDS A TOUCH OF MYSTERY. OR DOES IT?

In the new free South Africa of 1994, men are still boss, women carry handguns for self-protection, and some mistakes can change your life forever.

When a body is found during their weekend away with friends, Christine Chamberlain must use her brilliant mathematical mind to prove her husband's innocence...

... whether he's innocent or not.

When it comes to your loved ones, is it possible to know too much?

BUY IT HERE

Buy "Murder @ Work" and save on shipping

2009-06-05T04:43:00.000-07:00

For SEVEN days only, buy any THREE paperbacks (like "Murder @ Work") and you'll get FREE SHIPPING.

Wanna be a big hit with your friends? Share this coupon with them and let them enjoy the savings as well.

At Echelon our #1 goal is to keep you reading happy!

Certain other restrictions may apply. Please see below for other details.

The coupon is valid between 06/03/2009 and 06/10/2010

Coupon Code: SD-FreeShip

Echelon Press: http://echelonpress.com

Book Signing of "Murder @ Work"

2009-05-21T17:47:00.001-07:00

Yvonne Walus in a chat

2009-03-16T04:39:00.000-07:00

Have cover, will travel - Murder @ Play

2009-03-05T16:41:00.000-08:00

Coming out soon, "Murder @ Play" (Echelon Press, 2009), by Yvonne Walus

Yvonne Eve Walus on Blog Talk Radio

2009-03-05T15:37:00.000-08:00

Yvonne Eve Walus discusses the imminent release of Murder @ Play, a South African murder mystery. On the eve of SA elections this year, the book looks back at the first free and fair elections in 1994 when the mood was optimistic and people embraced the new government. What's changed 15 years on?

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Novel-Origins/2009/02/19/New-Zealand-Authors-talking-mystery-and-elections

22 April 2009 - South Africa's General Elections

2009-03-05T14:12:00.000-08:00

The date for South Africa's 3rd Free anf Fair General Elections has been set: 22 April 2009.

Read what Madam&Eve had to say about that: http://www.madamandeve.co.za/cartoons/me004262.jpg

South Africa's General Elections 2009 - South Africans Abroad

2009-03-05T14:02:00.000-08:00

At the moment, South Africans abroad (those who reside in another country) are not allowed to vote in South Africa's upcoming general elections, April 2009.

However, that law may be unconstitutional. See http://www.legalbrief.co.za/article.php?story=20090305083604548.

This advert was banned in South Africa

2008-12-30T03:01:00.000-08:00

This advert reverses the black and white South African stereotypes. A must see!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UcWsTwvtyOI&feature=related

Win with Echelon Press

2008-11-24T17:57:00.001-08:00

USA elections versus South African Elections, continued

2008-11-08T03:46:00.000-08:00

http://www.madamandeve.com/cartoons/me004177.jpg

:-)

South Africa's comment on Obama

2008-11-06T02:20:00.000-08:00

Read what South Africans have to say about the latest USA Elections:
http://www.madamandeve.com/cartoons/me004176.jpg.

Speaking of elections, it's South Africa's turn in 2009. "Murder @ Play", the prequel to "Murder @ Work" (hey, if George Lucas could do it...), will be released by Echelon Press soon. "Murder @ Play" is set at the time of the first free and fair elections in South Africa (1994) and it will make for important reading in 2009.

South Africa is gearing up for the Elections

2008-11-03T22:09:00.000-08:00

Have a look at the plumber's perspective:
http://www.madamandeve.com/cartoons/me004172.jpg

Pssst: the prequel to "Murder @ Work"

2008-10-07T04:08:00.000-07:00

Echelon Press will be publishing "Murder @ Play" soon. Read about it on http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/ArchiveInterview/080930-YvonneEveWalus.htm.

President Mbeki Quits

2008-09-26T04:02:00.001-07:00

President Mbeki Quits. "Madam and Eve" reports:

http://www.madamandeve.com/cartoons/me004130.gif

(Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention...)

Book Trailer and Excerpt

2008-09-21T05:17:00.000-07:00

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

If you like multi-cultural books, you might also enjoy....

2008-09-11T03:59:00.000-07:00

Today this blog welcomes a Red Rose Publishing author, Delores Walker. Her mainstream romance, "WHEN MARIAH SMILES" is the first book in a series.

Yvonne: Delores, can you tell us about both the book and the series?

Delores: This book is the first in my Williams Men Series. I wanted a book where you knew what the hero was thinking as well as the heroine. I remember the first book I read where the hero point of view was given. I was blown away. I always thought it would be only fair to know the hero's vunerabilities. I grew up with one point of view, the heroine. These stories follow the Williams Men; three strong completely self confident individuals. They are not afraid to pursue what they want in life. That includes the women. The first book tells the story of Edward Mason's estranged son. Travis Williams. He is forced into a marriage of convenience to save his cruiseline. The second story will focus on Jeremie. He is a complete unknown. You'll learn more about him later. The last story will be Edward's story. He finally gets the woman of his dreams... after more than thirty years.

Yvonne: Unless you look at the cover, you wouldn't guess that the novel is multi-cultural. Can you tell us about the background that your hero and heroine come from, and whether it influences the story?

Delores: The hero's background is Native American, Caucasian and African American. You will learn more about that in Edward's story. The heroine is African American. My original aim was to pair a darker hued hero with Travis' lighter skin on the cover. It was a long hard search. I wanted a the two to look lovingly into each others eyes. My cover came about after a struggle as to whether I wanted my concept(of her smile) on the cover or two people who fit the description, but not the concept.

Yvonne: Sounds awesome. Can we please have an excerpt?

Delores: Mariah has run into the "Three Divas" who tortured her in highschool. They are convinced that Mariah has settled for an old sugar daddy. They haven't had a chance to meet her handsome young hubby. When they finally meet Eva decides she want him for himself.

"You mean he can still walk? We thought you had to push him from place to place."

"Not yet. He's in fine shape if I do say so myself. I must compliment each of you ladies. You all look absolutely stunning."

"These are Neal Exclusives," Eva stated proudly. "It is almost impossible to find anything classy for women of color. For some reason designers want to keep us in fire engine red or bright yellow. But, I see you must be familiar with the line. That looks to be one of her designs you're wearing."

"Well, yes and no. It is a Neal Exclusive. However, it's one of my own designs. I am proud to be able to claim rights to your designs as well." Mariah paused. "You see I know about problems finding colors that compliment your skin tone. In fact, I have you three ladies to thank.

"Because of you, I spent a lot of time by myself in high school. So, I put it to good use sketching. After graduation I attended the Savannah School of Fashion Design. And the rest is history."

Sharica was the first to regain the power of speech. "You know, I do remember you walking around with a sketch book." Her look had changed from patronizing to awe. "Get out! Mariah, honey you have made a mint off us three."

Soon after the three are introduced to Mariah's extremely attractive husband and the games begin.....

Yvonne: I love it! And I can see why the publisher loved it too. Which reminds me. Tell us about your publisher: are they absolutely amazing and why?

Delores: I simply love Red Rose. They are amazing. My experience with them has been very positive. Wendi Felter, the owner, is very hands on.

Yvonne: I've spoken to Wendi a few times, and she's absolutely awesome. I hope "WHEN MARIAH SMILES" is the bestselling success it deserves to be. Where can we buy your book?

Delores: It can be purchased at Red Rose Publishing, Mobi Pockets and Books on Board.

Yvonne: Red Rose Publishing is the place to do your shopping this month. They're running a contest to win... a pair of black and white (!!!) diamond earrings. Check it out!

What South Africans Laugh About

2008-08-28T04:01:00.000-07:00

What South Africans Laugh About Today:
http://www.madamandeve.co.za/week_of_cartns.php

What South Africans Laughed About 5 Years ago:
http://www.madamandeve.co.za/five_years_ago.php

What South Africans Laughed About in 1996 when Murder @ Work is set:
http://www.madamandeve.co.za/archive.php?self_day=28&self_month=7&self_year=1996&selt_day=28&selt_month=8&selt_year=1996&do_search=1&search=vanilla&start=0

Watch the book trailer

2008-08-22T04:40:00.001-07:00

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Interesting letter by John Mauldin, one of the US's top investment advisors

2008-07-31T05:16:00.000-07:00

I start this week's letter somewhere over the Atlantic, halfway through an 11-hour flight from Frankfurt to Dallas. It has been an altogether marvellous 11 days in South Africa, speaking to over 1,000 people at 12 venues, giving a half dozen media interviews, and meeting with many individuals.This week, I want to give you some impressions of not only South Africa, but talk a little about emerging markets in general.

Finding Value in South AfricaI realized about halfway through my recent trip that it had been some time since I was in an emerging-market country. I have been to over 50 countries over the past 20 years, but recently most of my travels have been to Europe and Canada, with the occasional vacation trip to Mexico.As I observed South Africa, it was forcefully brought home to me that there is more to the emerging-market story than China, India, and Brazil. There are any number of countries that are seeing robust growth and contributing to the world economy. It was reported at Davos this year that for the first time the developing world has a larger share of world GDP than the developed world. Today, we focus on an emerging-market country that does not make as much news as it should.As I mentioned above, the mood among those I talked with in South Africa in the early 1990s when I was travelling often to South Africa was quite pessimistic. The economy was not good, due to international economic sanctions stemming from worldwide protests over the policy of apartheid. Changes and elections were coming, and it was not clear what would happen.

I travelled for (mostly) business into 14 other sub-Saharan countries in Africa. With a few notable exceptions, most countries were not doing well and things had progressed from bad to worse over the previous 10-20 years. It was a tough time to try and do business, but it was a great education.The contrast today is amazing. Before we get into some facts, let me give you a few impressions. First, there are construction cranes everywhere in the four cities I visited: Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, and Cape Town. Twelve years ago the thirty miles from Johannesburg to Pretoria was mostly agricultural land. Today it is one big city, with offices, malls, and homes lining the freeway. There was a significant number of rather nice new housing developments, many if not most being built on speculation all along the freeway.Johannesburg is a world-class city, on a par with New York or London or any major city in terms of facilities, shops, infrastructure... and traffic. There were new shopping malls all over, and the stores were busy. The restaurants were excellent. The hotels I stayed in and spoke at were excellent and modern. The Sandton area is particularly pleasant.

Durban is a tropical jewel on the Indian Ocean. Again, there was construction everywhere - a green, verdant city of 1,000,000 people, with modern roads and great weather.I have been to Sydney, Vancouver, and San Francisco. I love all of them. But for my money, Cape Town is the most beautiful city I have been to in the world. Amazing mountains, blue water harbours, white sand beaches, with wineries nestled in among the mountains and valleys. The Waterfront area, where I stayed, is fun and vibrant. Again, an amazing amount of construction everywhere, especially in the waterfront area, as investors from Dubai are pouring huge sums of money into creating a massive residential/business/ retail/restaurant development. There are several similar, quite large developments going up in different parts of Cape Town.I ate dinner on Friday night at a restaurant called Baia at the Waterfront. I find I really love the better South African chardonnays. My friends know I am something of a chardonnay snob. I like the better California wineries. I was pleasantly surprised to find more than a few South African chards the equal of their US counterparts, but at a third to half the price for the same level of quality. (I should note that a decent chardonnay in London or Europe is twice the US price.) The two of us had the best chardonnay in the restaurant and one of the better meals I have had in a long time, and the bill was less than $100.

The next day my partner Prieur du Plessis informed me that Baia was one of the most expensive restaurants in town. By way of comparison, you can easily spend 2-3 times that at a comparable restaurant in Dallas, and 4-5 times that in New York. Forget London. I began to ask about the bills for food, drinks, and such for the rest of the trip. The country was uniformly about half what I would pay in Texas for the same quality. I stayed in a very nice five-star hotel (The Commodore) for six nights for less than $1,000, including several meals, laundry, and my bar tab. Their walk-up price was much higher, but clearly you can get deals, and it is tourist season at that. The service was terrific and uniformly delivered with smiles.

The exceptionally nice private game reserve (Itaga) we stayed at when I first arrived, trying to get over jet lag, was only a few hundred a night, including meals, wine, and game runs. In short, after having been to London and Europe for my last few overseas trips, South Africa seemed like a bargain. And it was not just the people I spoke to that were optimistic. Grant Thornton (a large international accounting firm) did a survey in the 30 countries in which they do business. The four countries with the most optimism and confidence were India, Ireland, South Africa, and Mainland China. Why such confidence? I think there are several reasons. The economy has been growing at a reported almost 5% a year for the past several years, which is quite strong. They have had 32 consecutive quarters of positive growth. But the official figures may understate the reality by a significant amount. If you look at the VAT (value-added tax) receipts, as well as other tax figures, some economists estimate the economy may be growing by 7% or more. Why the difference?

There is a large "informal" economy in South Africa. While much of the income may not be reported, when something is bought and sold in the retail sectors, taxes are collected.
The stock market has grown by over 25%, 47%, and 41% for the last three years. Such a bull run is always a boost to confidence. But there are also some real fundamentals underlying the emerging-market Bull markets. South Africa has a strong commodity sector, with numerous commodities and not just gold.

JP Morgan thinks that earnings growth for South African companies, even adjusting for some anomalies, will be 20% this year, which should mean another good year for their local markets.This link between commodities and stock market prices is reflected not just in their stock market, but in emerging markets worldwide. Look at the close correlation for the last ten years between the prices of commodities and the emerging-market equity index. I think this rather clearly shows the link between the recent rise in commodity prices and emerging markets. It is more than just a China story.Football as an Economic Driver The attention paid to football (or soccer in the United States) is rising to fever pitch in South Africa. And for good reason: they will host the World Cup in 2010. They expect some 3,000,000 fans to show up. (FYI - a friend of mine works for FIFA in JNB & they are expecting about 500,000 fans to come from abroad. R.) The government is using the occasion to spend some 400 billion Rand (a little over US $50 billion) on all sorts of infrastructure projects.

They are doubling the size of the major airports, which had already been significantly improved. Walking past the construction at the Johannesburg airport, you have to be impressed with the size of it. New roads and other forms of infrastructure are being added to prepare for the influx, but it will have the added effect of making the country more competitive, just as infrastructure in China has been a boost to that country, and a lack of infrastructure has limited India.The World Cup will also be a boost to tourism, already one of the most important sectors of the economy. Cape Town is becoming an international destination for vacations and conferences. The growth in tourism has been strong, showing 20% growth last year from 2005. 2006 was a record year.
Interestingly, 75% of the traffic reported in the tourism growth is from Africa and the Middle East. While a lot of the people are vacationers, I think a goodly portion are businessmen and women from all over sub-Saharan Africa who look to South Africa as a deal-doing financial centre.

South Africa has a quite strong, very competent, and growing financial services sector that is a magnet for entrepreneurs from all over Africa seeking to find capital. South Africa also has a strong entrepreneurial class which is the base for much of the new business and development, not just in South Africa but in all of Africa.The rest of the world rightly sees South Africa as the place to launch into the rest of Africa.Are there problems in South Africa? Of course, and some of them are quite serious. But that is the case in nearly all (I cannot think of an exception) emerging-market economies. While the overall crime rate is dropping, it is still far too high. Some rather high-profile crimes of late have resulted in a strong outcry for serious change.Corruption is an issue, but that is the case in almost every emerging-market country. The high levels of poverty are evident. Although employment is growing and more and more of the poor are being brought into the economy, there is still a lot of room for progress.The telecommunications infrastructure is hampered by a lack of serious competition.

Access to the internet is limited in many areas, and it is really slow where it does exist. This will improve in the coming years, but it is a serious handicap to business. There are power shortages and the need for more power-generation plants to keep up with the growth.But all these areas are (mostly) going to improve. I see a lot of opportunity in South Africa in particular and Africa in general. Let's look at one area where there may be more than a little potential in the future.I think there is deep long-term value in African (not just South African) farmland. Right now, given the nature of US and European subsidies to agriculture, it is hard for developing-world farmers to compete. But that will change in the next decade.As I have written before, "Old Europe" the US and even Australia are going to come under intense government budgetary pressure due to the high levels of pension and medical costs they have promised their retiring boomers. Europe is particularly vulnerable. Quite simply, Europe cannot afford to keep the pension promises they have made and pay for any other normal government expenses without raising taxes. Except that they already have economy-stifling high taxes.Budgets are going to have to be cut in other areas.

At some point, sooner rather than later, agricultural subsidies are going to come under pressure, as politicians must decide where to find the money to pay for the promised pensions and health care. There are more voters who are older and on pensions than there are farmers. I can count votes, and it is not hard to predict the result. It will be with a lot of fighting, but in the medium run, the agricultural subsidies in Europe are going to have to go.When the writing is clearly on the wall, Europe will start to negotiate on those subsidies, trying to get something for what they will have no choice but to give. Part of that will be to reduce US subsidies as well. Africa will become a breadbasket for much of Asia. With China pressed for water and much of its agricultural land being used for development, China will need to import more food. And as the rest of the world becomes more developed, there will be an increased demand for meat, which means an even bigger demand for feed grains for livestock. The growing use of ethanol is increasing demand for corn, absorbing more of the world's land use for energy corn rather than for food.

The simple fact is that as the world grows more prosperous we are going to need more grain and other foods. Where is the land we are going to need to feed the world? There is an abundance in Africa, along with the needed water and labour. And as African countries upgrade their infrastructure, it will improve the ability of farmers to get their grains to market at profitable levels.There is much to like about emerging markets. That is where a great deal of the real potential growth in the coming decades will be. And South Africa will be one of the better stories. If you are not doing business there already, you should ask yourself, why not?

Let's start at the very beginning....

2008-05-16T04:17:00.001-07:00

To begin at the beginning, I record that I was born.
Lst night, I dreamt I went to Manderley again.
Scarlett O'Hara was not beautiful, but men seldom realized it.

Here is how I started my "Murder @ Work":
http://startatbeginning.blogspot.com/2008/05/murder-work-by-yvonne-eve-walus.html

No stock on Amazon....

2008-05-07T19:27:00.001-07:00

I have good news and bad news: "Murder @ Work" is sold out on Amazon. As the author, I'm ecstatic. As a customer who'd like to send it as a present to my friends, I'm disappointed.

Customer Services cannot give me a date on when stock will be replenished, so meanwhile, if you'd like to buy the book, please contact Echelon Press or get the e-version of "Murder @ Work" on Fictionwise.

“Slam”

2008-05-03T05:33:00.000-07:00

All my deadlines, writing competitions, proof-reading and promotion efforts are now temporarily under control. I’m reading again and it feels good. What I’m supposed to be doing, of course, is my GST, which is why I’m reading.

Nick Hornby’s “Slam” is something I would not have selected to read if it weren’t for the author. “Slam” blurb claims the book is all about this 16yo kid who skates (that’s skateboarding, not ice skating) and talks to his bedroom wall poster.

What “Slam” is actually about, though, is life, love, relationships and parenthood. What “Slam” is actually about, is Nick Hornby’s beautiful turn of phrase (even when he speaks Teenage) and his acute observations. What “Slam” is about, is deep philosophy disguised as a fast-food book.

Although it’s not “High Fidelity”, it’s still one heck of a read.

PS One thing I really admire about Nick Hornby is that every book of his has a unique set of vocabulary, be it music, soccer or skating, pertinent to the theme and the main character.

How I Killed My Boss

2008-04-24T04:24:00.000-07:00

Join me at the Birkenhead library (Auckland, New Zealand) on Sunday 27 April at 4pm to find out.

It's all in the setting...

2008-04-15T04:58:00.001-07:00

Check out my interview about the setting of "Murder @ Work" here: http://itsallinthesetting.blogspot.com/2008/04/murder-at-work-by-yvonne-eve-walus.html ....

How I killed my boss

2008-04-09T18:13:00.000-07:00

If you'd like to know how I killed my boss, please visit the online chat at Love Romances Cafe, http://groups.yahoo.com/group/LoveRomancesCafe/ on April 10th, from 9 to 3 (EST Time).

Lots of excerpts, with ebooks and paperbacks to give away!

"Murder @ Work": A boss out of hell + A woman with a mission to put him there.

Reminder: For a chance to win 1 of the 3 paperback copies of "Murder @ Work", simply go to http://www.sleuthedit.com/featuring.html during April 2008 and enter the draw.

Genderism in South Africa and USA

2008-04-04T04:35:00.000-07:00

Apartheid in South Africa was not only about race: it was also about gender. In those days, women were not allowed to enter a bar or join the Toastmasters Association. Even if a woman earned a higher salary than her husband, she was not allowed to open a credit account in a shop without her husband's permission (read "Murder @ Work" for more insights on the topic).

All that has changed. And yet, in the run-up to the 2009 General Elections, there is no sign of women candidates. I imagine South Africa is simply not ready for a woman president. What about USA?

Says Earl Ofari Hutchinson in "The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Affects the Race to the White House":

(...) There were also mixed signals if whether being a woman would help more than hurt Clinton even with women in a wide segment of America. In a Newsweek poll in July 2007, fewer voters said they would vote for a woman candidate for president than a black candidate. Hillary scored just as dismal when asked whether the country was ready for a female president. More said no to this question than said no for a black president. The gender reluctance by big chunks of voters was in part offset by the experience factor. Hillary scored big on this in the polls.

The Hillary distaste in part explained why in February 2007 Hollywood mogul David Geffen, a long time Clinton family cheerleader and campaign bankroller sucker punched Clinton with the knock that she would polarize voters. The implication was that she would be a disaster for the Democrats if she were to get the party presidential bid. Geffen rapped Clinton at the moment that he and some other Hollywood movie big shots pumped a reported cool million dollars into Obama’s campaign coffers. (...)

At the same moment, a slew of conservative hit groups loudly announced they had sunk loads of cash into a pack of “stop Hillary” websites, muckraking pieces and scheduled attack ads on her. They vowed this was just the start of a freewheeling, no holds barred disinformation effort to sabotage her campaign.

For more information about Earl Ofari Hutchinson and The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Affects the Race to the White House, visit his blog blitz homepage - http://inspiredauthor.com/promotion/Ethnic+Presidency+Blitz. To order your copy of the Ethnic Presidency, visit www.ethnicpresidency.com orwww.amazon.com/Ethnic-Presidency-Decides-White-House/dp/1881032256

Will America accept a black president?

2008-04-02T20:12:00.000-07:00

It's ironic if you think about it. South Africa, the echelon of apartheid during the better part of the 20th century, has a black president. Continually since 1994, in fact. (My book, "Murder @ Work", explores how South Africans reacted to that.)

Now the world's eyes are on USA. Would America accept a black president?

The Ethnic Presidency: How Race Decides the Race to the White House is an explosive look at how racial and ethnic conflict has openly and covertly played a crucial role the past three decades in influencing, shaping and ultimately deciding who bags the world’s biggest political prize, the White House. It tells how racial politics will play an even bigger role in the 2008 presidential election and future elections.

It examines Obamamania, the Hillary and Bill factor, the soaring Latino vote, the silent but potent Asian-American vote, the immigration wars, the GOP’s love-hate relationship with black and Latino America, and Bush’s effort to recast the GOP from a clubby, ole white guys party to a party of racial diversity.

For more information, visit this link
www.amazon.com/Ethnic-Presidency-Decides-White-House/dp/1881032256.

About the author of The Ethnic Presidency: Earl Ofari Hutchinson is an author, syndicated columnist, political analyst and commentator. He has been a frequent guest on Hannity and Colmes, The O’Reilly Factor, The Big Story, EXTRA, and numerous CNN News and Talk Shows.

Win copies of my book!

2008-04-02T19:44:00.001-07:00

Please come visit me on www.mysteryloverscorner.com - I'm their featured author for the month of April. If you click through to the interview, you can enter the draw to win one of three copies of "Murder @ Work".

Let us judge by the cover

2008-03-19T04:33:00.000-07:00

A cool interview about the cover of "Murder @ Work":
http://judgebookbycover.blogspot.com/2008/03/murder-at-work-by-yvonne-eve-walus.html

About "Murder @ Work"

2008-03-01T03:47:00.000-08:00

This is an office who-dunnit, set in South Africa during the period of transition from an apartheid government to democracy. Although not a political thriller, it captures the flavour of the socio-political atmosphere. Apartheid in South Africa was not only about race, it was about gender, too. The book shows how people of the "old school of thinking" adapted to the new reality of a woman being allowed to walk into a bar or own a house without her husband's permission.

Christine Chamberlain doesn't want much from life: a steady job, a baby, and a Fields Medal. Her boss, however, wants money and he's willing to do anything to get his way, even if it means getting Christine involved in a project that not only jeopardises her dreams, but also her life. When Christine complains to her colleagues, they joke about killing the boss to solve the problem. Almost everybody has an obvious motive to get rid of the boss from hell... and a few hidden ones they don't share. The next day, Christine brings fennel oil to work. It’s not the world's deadliest poison, and Christine would of course never dream to use it as such. Or would she?

“Murder @ Work”

Publisher: Echelon Press

Date: 2004

ISBN: 1590803256

Available from Fictionwise.com and Amazon.com