A Tale of Two Girlfriends

I had a girlfriend once.

Everytime I spent the weekend at her place, she had the exact same routine. She'd wake up sometime after six and before seven. She'd read till about seven thirty. She read everything; news, blogs, magazines...but sometimes she'd be in the middle of an excellent book and she'd wake up and read that. I often woke up to find her reading, tears silently streaming down her face as she got involved in a fictional tragedy.

She would get up at about seven thirty, pee, then brush her teeth. She would put on her running gear and go for a run. sometimes she was back after 10 minutes and sometimes after an hour, but she always went for a run. She'd wash her face, bring me a toothbrush with toothpaste on it and go and make breakfast. I'd brush my teeth and go and see what she was making. That was usually the first time we spoke.

She had speakers everywhere. She'd put on her present favorite album and it would play on repeat all day. really loudly. Then after breakfast, she would write. She was always in the middle of a story in her head. Sometimes, it was mundane and sometimes it was over the top. She was just always somewhere else. Sometimes she'd let me in by discussing her characters. 'Daniel cheated on Gabby, you know? I don't think she can take him back, even though she really wants to.' Then she would sigh. Her characters were always real to her, I could often not tell whether the person she was talking about was created or real.

My Sunday Sun Feature - Author Q&A

I had this interview some months ago with Sola Ojikutu and it has just been published on the Sunday Sun newspaper (June 17, Pg 46). Two of my friends gave me the pleasant surprise of getting pictures and uploading them on Facebook and Twitter. Thank you guys, and enjoy the rest of your Sunday, everyone.

Romance Meets Music: Omawumi - Bottom Belle ft. Flavour

When I first heard it, I loved the highlife spin which Omawunmi, with the help of Flavor N'Abania, brought to this song. The video for Bottom Belle is finally here, and I have to say that I was a bit disappointed. Directed by Clarence Peters, there are several picture frame shots, and not only has this been done before, but done better. And maybe my expectations were high after the funny skit in the video for Omawunmi's If You Ask Me. Still though, this is a fun video, and the song remains classic.

How to Fight Fair - Guest Post by Seye Oke

You come home on a Saturday evening from a night out with your girl friends and you meet your husband seated on the couch. The TV is blaring so loud he can barely hear you come in. You come over and he welcomes you with a peck on the side of your face. You didn’t mind the brevity, he is usually this way when the game is on.

Have You Been To Your Local Park This Summer?

Join the America Is Your Park Campaign This Summer!

Vote for Your Favorite Park from May 23 – July 15

Coca-Cola is calling everyone out to the park this summer to vote in the third-annual America Is Your Park campaign, and I was very excited when I received an email from BlogHer informing me that I would be taking part in the campaign. I am of the opinion that parks are a vital part of our communities, providing free spaces and opportunities for us to be active and enjoy the outdoors.

Clearing my Bookshelf Giveaway Hop

Do you have books sitting on your bookshelves that you've read but will never read again? How about books you've started but just couldn't get through? Review copies you've accepted but have never read? I do, and that's why I joined up with the "Clear Your Shelf" Giveaway Hop, to pass some of the books on to other book lovers.


I will be giving away a book I really enjoyed a couple of Christmases ago after buying at my half-price bookstore. A Gift of Love is an anthology of novellas by well known romance authors including Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Andrea Kane, Judith O'Brien, and Kimberly Cates.

Blogger Wedding - Uche Eze of Bella Naija Marries Bode Pedro

Some will say popular blogger Uche Eze of Bella Naija Fame is a celebrity, others may just say she's a business woman, albeit an internet entrepreneur. What will not be in doubt is that she is very well known in the online and blogging circles as being an inspiration for a lot of bloggers who have chosen and been able to make money from their blogs. Myself included.

Smartphone Apps to Help Block Problem Contacts

Last week, I posted the story of the over-clingy Ex who flooded her boyfriend's phone with phone calls and text messages thereby driving the new girlfriend crazy. Some comments mentioned ways to block numbers and I went looking and I found some smartphone apps that would allow one to do that independent of who your network providers are.

Guest Author - Abimbola Dare: The Small Print

Abimbola Dare

Abimbola Dare grew up in Lagos, Nigeria where she attended Vivian Fowler memorial college for girls. She moved the UK for her first degree and Masters. She later met and married her best friend and greatest fan on earth who she calls chinese eyes, and they are blessed with the cutest daughter ever. When she's not writing, Abimbola keeps her brain busy by thinking about the next plot or twist to add to an imaginary novel.

Indie Author Giveaway Hop - International

Today's blog hop giveaway is featuring self-published books and at the end of this post, we'll be giving away an e-copy of Abimbola Dare's The Small Print. I read parts of the book on the author's blog and was excited when she decided to self publish. Because I had done it myself, we had several long chats and I was amazed at Bimby's can-do spirit. When the book was released and I read it, I was further blown away.

About the book - My review

The Small Print is an amazingly fast read, with loads of suspense that kept me guessing till the end. Even though this is a Christian inspirational novel, there is no loud preaching voice shoving memory verses down the reader's throat. The author uses her characters as marvellous works in progress to illustrate the message of the book, which is that the word of God stands the test of time and will deliver those who believe in it during times of trouble.

The main characters in the book (they're the ones on the cover) are so true to life that it is easy to get totally engaged in their miseries as well as their triumphs. Wale is a Nigerian immigrant into the UK and is ready and willing to do anything to remain in the country rather than return to his ailing mother and sister in the slums of Lagos. Sade is a beautiful young Nigerian woman hemmed in by her older husband's insecurity and her own childlessness. Jennifer is a British woman whose first mistake is falling in love with Wale when all he wanted was a marriage of convenience.