Posted on by Stories by Karen

Welcome to Day 4 of #AGhostAndHisGold Blog Tour! @RobertaEaton17 @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org

For those who don’t know her, I am delighted to introduce Roberta Eaton Cheadle and her latest novel, A GHOST AND HIS GOLD. Roberta combines history with fiction and weaves a story that is educational as well as entertaining. Leave a comment below for a chance to win one of four copies of this historical fiction.

A Ghost and His Gold

The gun used by the Boers during the Second Anglo Boer War

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Mauser Model 93/95

Prior to the Second Anglo Boer War, Imperial Germany supplied the two Boer Republics with tens of thousands of modern Mauser rifles. The most common of these was the Mauser Model 93/95 chambered for the 7x57mm cartridge.

This is how Tactical Life Magazine describes the Mauser Model 93/95:

“Paul Mauser’s first smokeless-powder, bolt-action, charger-loaded, magazine-fed rifle featured a tubular receiver that held a one-piece both with dual front-locking lugs. The bolt was drilled out from the rear to allow insertion of the firing mechanism. The cock-on-closing bolt, with its non-rotating extractor, prevented double-feeds and made bolt manipulations smoother. It also featured a staggered-row-style box magazine that could be reloaded and fed cartridges more smoothly, and because it was completely enclosed by the stock, it was hard to damage.” Source: https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/second-boer-war-rifles/

Picture credits: https://www.shootingtimes.com/editorial/longgun_reviews_st_boermodel_201007/99362

The Boers treasured their guns. Here is a short extract from A Ghost and His Gold about Pieter’s Mauser:

“Something’s wrong.

Clambering out of bed, he stumbles across the uneven floor of the bedroom and down the passageway. By the time he reaches the front door, his eyes have adjusted fully to the darkness, and he can make out the shapes of the furniture in the voorkamer, a large room at the front of the farmhouse where Marta receives visitors.

Grabbing his loaded Mauser rifle from its hooks on the wall near the door, he hesitates for a moment to admire its smooth and shiny wooden length. The feel of the gun in his hands gives him confidence; he is an excellent marksman.

This gun brought me a lot of respect.

His ability with a gun had been his saving grace when, as a young man, his peers had been mystified by his interest in books and writing and had liked to share their derogatory thoughts in that regard.

The chilly wind strikes him as he opens the door in his nightclothes and bare feet, the gun raised cautiously, ready to fire. The wind blows straight through his clothing, leaving him feeling vulnerable and naked, despite his trusty weapon. The cold front that arrived during the night has dropped the temperatures below freezing.

I’m tired of winter and it’s only June. We still have the whole of July and August to get through.

He shivers as he peers into the heavy dark, searching for the owner of the voice. “Who’s there?””

BOOK BLURB:

After Tom and Michelle Cleveland move into their recently built, modern townhouse, their housewarming party is disrupted when a drunken game with an Ouija board goes wrong and summons a sinister poltergeist, Estelle, who died in 1904.

Estelle makes her presence known in a series of terrifying events, culminating in her attacking Tom in his sleep with a knife. But, Estelle isn’t alone. Who are the shadows lurking in the background – one in an old-fashioned slouch hat and the other, a soldier, carrying a rifle?

After discovering their house has been built on the site of one of the original farms in Irene, Michelle becomes convinced that the answer to her horrifying visions lie in the past. She must unravel the stories of the three phantoms’ lives, and the circumstances surrounding their untimely deaths during the Second Anglo Boer War, in order to understand how they are tied together and why they are trapped in the world of ghosts between life and death. As the reasons behind Estelle’s malevolent behaviour towards Tom unfold, Michelle’s marriage comes under severe pressure and both their lives are threatened.

AUTHOR BIO:

Roberta Eaton Cheadle is a South African writer and poet specialising in historical, paranormal, and horror novels and short stories. She is an avid reader in these genres and her writing has been influenced by famous authors including Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Amor Towles, Stephen Crane, Enrich Maria Remarque, George Orwell, Stephen King, and Colleen McCullough.

Roberta has short stories and poems in several anthologies and has 2 published novels, Through the Nethergate, a historical supernatural fantasy, and A Ghost and His Gold, a historical paranormal novel set in South Africa.

Roberta has 9 children’s books published under the name Robbie Cheadle.

Roberta was educated at the University of South Africa where she achieved a Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1996 and a Honours Bachelor of Accounting Science in 1997. She was admitted as a member of The South African Institute of Chartered Accountants in 2000.

Roberta has worked in corporate finance from 2001 until the present date and has written 7 publications relating to investing in Africa. She has won several awards over her 20-year career in the category of Transactional Support Services.

SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:

Robbie Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

Robbie’s inspiration

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle

Twitter

Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Website

https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

Blog

https://wordpress.com/view/robertawrites235681907.wordpress.com

Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19631306.Roberta_Eaton_Cheadle

Twitter

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour

AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:

TSL Publications:

A Ghost and His Gold – Roberta Eaton Cheadle

Lulu.com:

https://www.lulu.com/en/us/shop/robert-eaton-cheadle/a-ghost-and-his-gold/ebook/product-d858km.html?page=1&pageSize=4

Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096H39FG3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

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To follow along with the rest of the tour, please visit the author’s tour page on the 4WillsPublishing site.  If you’d like to book your own blog tour and have your book promoted in similar grand fashion, please click HERE. Thanks for supporting this author and her work!

40 Replies to “Welcome to Day 4 of #AGhostAndHisGold Blog Tour! @RobertaEaton17 @4WillsPub @4WP11 @RRBC_Org”

  1. Good Morning Robbie and Karen,
    Robbie, I am beginning to understand a lot about the Boers that I didn’t understand in my world history classes. I always thought they should have immigrated to another land outside of South Africa but I see now that they considers that their homeland and were willing to fight for it. Becoming guerrilla fighters is probably what made the British eventually give them home rule.
    Interesting for me was also the export of the weapons they received from Germany. In those days, according to the history I have studied, the German rifles were precise and quick. The best on the market at that time.
    Thank you for this informative article that excited my thinking process. It’s true that we never forget what we’ve learned.
    I am enjoying your tour.

    Karen, thank you for hosting Robbie on your blog.

    Wishing the both of you a great day.

    Shalom aleichem

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  9. Interesting that gang members here justify their weapons and killings by using the word respect. If only our world had a different way for those young men to earn it. (K)

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      1. I’m sure that’s true. Men have traditionally admired men who dominate and abuse others, especially women, too. At least in western culture, the one I’m familiar with.

        Liked by 1 person

      3. But I didn’t mean that as a criticism of your book. I was just seeing present behavior as passed down from, or rooted in, the past. The parallel of the exact wording was what made me make the connection. We think we have changed, but in fact we must keep learning the same lessons over and over. Or maybe we never will.

        Liked by 1 person

      4. Hi Kerfe, I never took it as a criticism, but rather as a discussion. I like book discussions. I feel we are moving backwards at the moment in many ways and it compels me to share history to remind people about the past. It’s my little strike for humanity. Thanks, Kerfe, I always enjoy our engagements.

        Liked by 2 people

      5. That’s just right–your historical research always makes me think, and making connections to the present is part of that. It’s a large part of what makes your work so interesting.

        Liked by 2 people

  10. Interesting insights into history back then. Our American Western folk treasured their guns also. They weren’t at war but trying to survive and guns made that happen. Congratulations on an excellent tour, Robbie!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    2. Hi Chris, thank you for that splendid comment, that is what I try to do, make history come alive. I’m glad you enjoyed this post and if you come to Johannesburg some time, you should visit the South African War Museum near the Johannesburg zoo. It’s beautifully maintained and very interesting.

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