Robin Anderson

In the tale of Cinderella the heroine only has two ugly sisters and an ugly stepmother to contend with: whereas in High Jinks in High C, young Dot Brownstone, the heroine (later to metamorphose into the highly ambitious Narcissa Defarge), finds herself having to deal with not only a pair of wearisome, adoptive parents and a zealous, over-possessive childhood friend but more - much more. Enter the dashing young Baron Pieter Listig Maritz (himself a metamorphosis extraordinaire) and Narcissa soon finds herself caught up in a world of wicked uncles, aunts, questionable acquaintances, double-crossing lovers and unparalleled intrigue.Throw in a talented, songstress daughter, a fairy tale castle, a tropical island, a vengeful murder or two and let the high jinks in a very discordant High C begin.

A chance meeting through the unsavoury village shopkeeper Jago Peters sees the beginning of an unfathomable relationship between the loutish teenager Frank Frear ("That's 'fear' with an additional 'r'") and the younger, sophisticated Marcus Healan. A decade later the ruthlessly ambitious London-based Marcus invites Frank to assist him in establishing himself as numero uno in the cut-throat world of publishing, resulting in the two creating their own "bestseller" wherein fourteen unsuspecting souls (who previously "did them wrong") become unexpected Valentine's Day "gifts" delivered to their respective present day partners, lovers, companions or work colleagues on the actual day. A teaser of "things to come" are the grisly displays involving seven of the fourteen "donors" who - in poses reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch's unpalatable The Apocalypse - are randomly discovered by an understandably shocked Joe Public. Whether such munificence leads to a happy or a surprise ending, only Marcus or Frank know the answer.

Wednesday's Wisdom, a guide to 52 weeks of personal growth, offers accessible life coaching in small, bite-sized pieces. This practical workbook offers thought-provoking stories and follow-on exercises written in an inviting conversational style. The year's worth of golden nuggets can be digested in any order, based on what the reader needs or wants to discover. Gratitude check-ins are sprinkled throughout, as well as opportunities for reflective moments to clarify the reader's deepest desires for a satisfying life. A standalone summary, Roadmap for a Wildly Fulfilling Life, presents a series of action steps to remind the reader of how to move from where they are now to where they want to be.

A sumptuous feast of savoury and unsavoury delights. A menu of magical memoirs and acerbic abattoirs accompanied by a cocktail of acidic pollutants and a frank "behind the scenes" look at the so-called glamorous world of interior design. Ingredients include a pinch of Sellers (Peter); a soupcon of Price (Vincent); a whisper of Warhol (Andy); a touch of spice with a Duchess and a Headless Man; a healthy dollop of Colman's mustard (Benedict James); a twist of Trump (Ivana); a kiss of Kismet (Dolores Gray); a French dish not quite Ooh La La ; portions of Peerage; a "sachet" of Diamond Lil; lashings of Lee (Christopher); a Browne sauce (Coral); recipes from Italy, India, Mexico and South America; a trace of Toulouse-Lautrec; a quota of queens and more: much more. An "Out of Africa" experience but with a difference.

TALE ONE: THE ADVENTURES OF MAISIE THE MEERKAT & BUNTI THE BUSHBABY - THE RESCUE OF THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S JEWELS.A wicked plan by the even more wicked CHIEF KIMBULLI to steal THE QUEEN OF SHEBA'S JEWELS from her Jewel House in the ancient city of ZIMBABWE is not clever enough for young ARGO and his friends, MAISIE THE MEERKAT and BUNTI THE BUSHBABY. With the help of CORNELIUS the crocodile and VICTOR, a Velvet Monkey and his monkey team, the VEE VEES (the VICTORIOUS VELVETS ) CHIEF KIMBULLI'S so-called clever plan quickly ends up in disaster and the jewels safely returned. TALE TWO: THE ADVENTURES OF FI THE FIREFLY & MOMBASSA THE MILLIPEDE - THE FOILING OF HIDEOUS & HEIDI THE HYENAS' HORRIBLE PLOT.A special concert organised to celebrate ZIM DAY and held in the presence of The Queen of Sheba, proves to be in danger due to a nasty plan organised by HIDEOUS and HEIDI the HYENAS, assisted by VICTOR THE VULTURE and his team of ugly vultures (THE VILES) to sabotage the glamorous event. Thanks to FI THE FIREFLY, MOMBASSA THE MILLIPEDE, PERCY THE PORCUPINE and other friends their nasty plan is soon put into disarray.TALE THREE: WARRIS THE ALBINO WARTHOG WINS THE DAY WARRIS the albino WARTHOG wins the day when he shows WITHERSPOON and WENDI, his brother and sister who are forever teasing him about his pale colouring (WARRIS being a pale pink as opposed to a WARTHOG's usual muddy brown), you shouldn't judge a book by its cover in the same way you shouldn't judge a WARTHOG by his colour TALE FOUR: THE ADVENTURES OF LUCY THE BABOON & CHARLIE THE CHEETAH.DAVID and his friend PHINEAS - on discovering they can speak Baboon Speak with LUCY, DAVID'S pet BABOON and Cheetah Speak with CHARLIE, DAVID'S pet CHEETAH - soon find themselves caught up in the rescue of both LUCY'S and CHARLIE'S relatives caught up on the many islands formed by the rising waters of the new KARIBA DAM built across the mighty ZAMBEZI RIVE