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
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
Goodreads
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/15584446.Robbie_Cheadle
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
https://www.facebook.com/robertawrites/?modal=admin_todo_tour
AMAZON OR OTHER PURCHASE LINKS:
TSL Publications:
Lulu.com:
Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B096H39FG3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0
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!
Stories By Karen 
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
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HI Pat, I am very pleased you enjoyed this article and learned something new. That is my favourite thing about blogging, I continuously learn more about people, cultures, and places. Happy Friday!
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I agree, Robbie! What I’m learning from others is one of the unexpected bonuses I’ve received from blogging!
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Great excerpt, Robbie! I had to pause when I read winter in July and remember that your seasons are opposite ours. Lol! Thanks for hosting, Karen. 🙂
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HI Yvette, our winters aren’t snowy but they can be very cold at night. June and July are horrible cold months. Thanks for visiting me here.
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I don’t do cold. LOL! 🙂
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HI Karen, thank you for hosting this stop on my tour. Have a lovely day.
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Robbie, you are so welcome! It is always a pleasure to have an opportunity to showcase talent!
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Reblogged this on and commented:
Thank you to author, Karen Black, for hosting this post about the gun used by the Boers during the Second Anglo Boer War. Thank you to 4Wills Publications for organising my A Ghost and His Gold tour.
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A lovely post promoting “A ghost and his Gold “made the excerpt more interesting with the information on the guns used 🙂
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Hi, Carol. I found the information very interesting, too.
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Hi Carol, I am pleased you enjoyed this article. I always enjoy learning about how people lived in the past.
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I am always excited to read more about the hows and whys Robbie brings her books into existence. As well as the history lessons of books such as this. A perspective only she can share and she shares it beautifully!
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I agree completely!
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Hi Annette, thank you for your lovely comment and all your support of my tour. I’m glad you enjoyed this bit of history.
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Karen, you posted a terrific blog for Robbie. I liked the hisotry on the Mauser. Your story seems haunting to say the least.
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Thank you, Rox. I enjoyed the Mauser history l, too.
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Hi Rox, I’m glad you enjoyed this post. I found this history very interesting.
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Hi Rox, thank you for all your support of my tour, I am pleased you enjoyed this little piece of history.
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Interesting information about this weapon from that time period! Here’s wishing Robbie a successful tour and thank you, Karen, for hosting!
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Hi, Jan. Thanks for stopping by!
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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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Some words have different meanings to different people.
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Very true.
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HI Kerfe, men have always admired athletic prowess and competency with weapons. It has traditionally brought respect and I’m sure it still does among many. Thanks for visiting me here.
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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.
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Yes, I am familiar with some other cultures and, sadly, its a common theme.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Thank you, Kerfe. I appreciate your comment.
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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!
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HI Jacqui, I agree there are a lot of similarities between the US West and the SA frontiers. The Boers also relied on their guns for safety and food although this piece is set during the war when the British troops were marching on Pretoria.
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Another great stop on the tour, Robbie! Thanks to Karen for adding another little snippet to my knowledge of the history of my adopted country. Books like Robbie’s really make history come alive.
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Thanks for stopping by, Chris. Robbie’s ability to meld history with fiction is as impressive as it is entertaining.
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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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I enjoyed reading about Robbie’s book, her background, and the history on the Mauser. Thank you, Karen, for hosting Robbie, and another wish to her for a wonderful tour. Lauren 💞
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Hi, Lauren. I also enjoyed the Mauser history. Thank you for stopping by!
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HI Lauren, thank you for visiting me here. I’m glad you enjoyed this post.
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Reblogged this on Ed;s Site..
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