Brown Eyed Angel

When I posted My Green Eyed Angel it was a tribute to my Soul Mate, Lucie and now sadly I find myself having to post another one for someone who has been by my side and given me comfort and support in every way since that sad day.

He was a “people”… my Best Friend, my companion, my Love and my very special boy. He meant the world to me, he was everything to me. He helped me through Lucie’s passing and became the most important thing in my life.

Simba was not just a dog, he was my companion, my confidante, my family and my best friend who I loved deeply. He was a “people” and meant the world to me.

I was very blessed to share 10 years with him. He understood me almost as if he could read my mind, he knew when it was time to take me for my walk, when we were going shopping. Simba was a very special and precious “people” and I am going to miss him waking me up at night so he could go visit the tree outside. Heck there is so much that I am going to miss… most of all I am going to miss his loving and his talking. One heck of a back seat driver… always had plenty to say in the car.

I know that one day both Lucie and Simba will be there to greet me at the rainbow bridge so for now I just have to learn how to cope with out my soul mate and my best friend.

Simba, you meant the world to me, thank you my boy for blessing me with your love, thank you for choosing me as your ‘pet”, thank you for all the laughs and joy that you brought me, thank you for being so special, thank you for always being there.

Simba, I love you and will see you again.

My Green Eyed Angel

My Green Eyed Angel

I have been very blessed to have Lucie share her life with me. She is my one true love and the one who believed in me, supported me and at times pushed me in the right direction. During the last twenty one years of marriage to my green eyed angel we travelled a hard road but she never left my side and never gave up in that belief that thing would get better.

She had a heart of gold and was always ready to step up and help someone in need, even if it meant that she got the short end of the stick.

Lucie was a very special person, a very loving person who cared for those whose lives she touched and I was blessed to have her in my life and to share her dreams, her joys and her heart aches.

On the night of Thursday 12^th May 2022 at 23h10 my Green Eyed Angel bid farewell to the land of the living and joined Our Father in Heaven. No more pain my Angel, no more struggling to walk, no more stress or worries, just peace in Heaven above.

I am thankful that your last words to me were “I LOVE YOU” and that you heard me utter the same but that does not make our parting any easier for your departure has left a void in mine and Simba’s lives. He misses you as much as I do and you are in our thoughts night and day. The first thing that I think of when I wake is you, the last thought on my mind before sleep claims me is you and I know that you will be with me forever.

I feel you around me but it is still hard to accept that you are gone. Lucie you were and still are my everything. You were my rock, my inspiration, my best friend, my critic, my love and I will love you for now and forever.

Thank you for sharing your life with me. It was a privilege to be called your husband and to walk by your side.

Tossing and turning in my bed – thunder rolling in my head.

I don’t know why, we have to say Goodbye.

If you look closely, you’ll see tears in my eyes.

As I look up at the sky, the wind tossing leaves on high.

Why do we have to say Goodbye?

The one’s that we hold so precious and dear.

Are the ones we miss the most.

You my Green Eyed Angel have taken my heart.

But you will always be with me, in my thoughts, memories and prayers.

I will remember you to the end, and know without a doubt.

I will see you again, but why,

Do we always have to say Goodbye?

Goodbye My Love, Goodbye My Friend.

Until we are together again.

Goodbye.

Don’t Get Me Confused

It has been awhile since I last posted on my site but I have been busy with my latest novel called “Savage Moon”, and this project has been taking up a lot of my time but apart from that I have been very blessed to have been offered two publishing contracts with a South African publisher which is the best news yet as it means that my work will now be available in my own country.

The name of the publisher is KREST PUBLISHING and they are found on the sunny coast of KWA-ZULU-NATAL in the awesome home town of mine, namely DURBAN and the two novels which they have taken under their wing are “CRY OF THE FISH EAGLE” which I am proud to say has its official release on the 21st May 2021 which is something that I am looking forward to. My first official release of my work in my own country.

The second book which is still in the process of being edited is “SHADOW OF THE LEOPARD”.

Now the reason for my title, “DON’T GET ME CONFUSED” is that believe it or not there is another Paul Zunckel out there who is signed with Krest Publishing and unfortunately due to this strange turn of events I have changed my authors name from Paul Zunckel to P.Zuncks, but nothing about my books have changed.

They still feature Piet van Zyl and his African Adventure and just to ensure that there is no confusion on which are my books, originally written under my birth name here is a list of the books. These books are all available on Amazon as well as Smashword and Goodreads.

1. Blood Moon Over Africa
2. Blood Spoor in the Dark
3. Blood Demon-Revenge
4. Devil in Eden
5. Whispers in the Wind
6. Into the Darkness
7. Mask of Deceit
8. Man in the Shadows

Books that will now feature my new author name, P.Zuncks will be the two book that my publishers will be releasing and hopefully many more to come.

Here is the link to my new home:http://www.krestpublishers.co.za/product.php?productid=241&page=1

Beta Reader Review for CRY OF THE FISH EAGLE

Reviews for Cry of the Fish Eagle

A Piet van Zyl Adventure Thriller

by Paul Zunckel

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW

“kept me awake long after I finished!”

“I was quite excited to be offered the opportunity to read and review Paul Zunckel’s Cry of the Fish Eagle after having read everything of his to date and never being disappointed. In a bit of a twist, this book kept me awake long after I finished! The manner in which historical and cultural legends are fit so cleanly into a contemporary thriller is superb, leaving no doubt that Paul Zunckel has a bright future in writing and storytelling!

~ Marta Casey-Shore

I hope that this clears up any confusion regarding my work and you the reader continues to enjoy following Piet and his adventures.

God Bless you.

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

Where there is smoke, there is fire.

There are certain people in a position of power in the Government who have forgotten that the people of this country put them there and this thrill of power has gone to their heads just like a bully in a school playground. In short they are abusing their position of power, not for the good of the people but for their own gain.

I am talking about the ridicules ban on tobacco products. Of all the countries in the world that are under lockdown only three have banned tobacco products and none of them even took into account the effect that lost sales would have on the economy of the country or the effect it would have on the smokers of the country being forced to go cold turkey or end up broke by supporting their habit at over the top prices for these goods on the black market. As of today South Africa is the only country that is still imposing this ridicules ban and for no other reason that it is lining someone in powers pocket. The longer the ban remains in force the richer someone gets and the people who are mostly affected are the millions of smokers in this country who have found an outlet at very high prices to support their habit.

The ban has done nothing to halt or stem the rise of COVID-19. The numbers keep on climbing at an alarming rate each day that goes by and I fail to see how the ban has done anything to curb this climb. In fact how many COVID-19 deaths have been direct results of smoking…Not many as many of the deaths are people who have been unable to afford to buy on the black market.

Believe me, where there is a gap in the market, someone will fill it and that is what has happened so that brings me to this point. Smokers are still smoking; tobacco goods are still banned… WHY? Because somewhere along the line of power someone’s pocket or bank account is getting bigger while the whole economy plus smokers suffer.

Not only is the country’s economy suffering because of this ban but the people who are employed and make a living from dealing in tobacco, be it the legitimate producers, the retailers and suppliers are all being left out in the cold with no income. The only winner in this one sided decision is the people who are benefiting from this ban, everyone else loses.    

This is an abuse of power and for some reason is not being checked but these people are being allowed to just make these ruling.

Maybe the smokers of this country should take these power hungry/money hungry members of Governments to court and sue them for the following:

1 Taking away my right to freedom of choice

2 Depressions

3 Anxieties

4 Cravings

5 Mood Swings

6 Loss of savings by being forced to buy from the black market.

The ban on the sale of alcohol was lifted and what do we get? An increase in road accidents, murders, robbery, rape and crime against women and children and yet the liquor stores are still allowed to operate. I wonder how many murders and rapes are direct results of having a cigarette. The government must know something the general public does not know.

They say they are there to protect us…bullshit. It all comes down to corruption, greed, and imposing their own thumb sucked decisions on the country.

Food for Thought: When they are just a happy memory and no longer around someone somewhere will light up, drag deeply and enjoy the rush of having a legal smoke. Cigarettes were here before they arrived in this world and will be here long after they have departed.

It’s my Life.

Hi All,

It has been awhile since my last posting but yours truly has been busy, not only putting two of my novels up on Inkitt.com for people to read and review but I have just recently released my “Mask of Deceit” back on Amazon Kindle with a new cover.

If you are interested in reading “Man in the Shadows” or “Into the Darkness”  on Inkitt and leaving a review that would be great.

I have also entered the cover designed by Eeva Lancaster for the novel “Devil in Eden” into the AllAuthor cover competition for November and so far the cover has made it into the second round BUT I and the cover need votes so if you have not voted or did not know about this venture of mine, please would you mind casting your vote for the lion at this link.  https://allauthor.com/cover-of-the-month/6007/

My next novel to be released sometime this month is “Whispers in the Wind”. Again the cover design is by Eeva Lancaster which I think is awesome.

As a tit-bit or a tease here is the synopsis for Whispers in the wind with a sneak preview of the cover as well.

Step into the evil world of Human Trafficking, where corrupt officials, unemployment, poverty, greed and power all play a part.

A family that is torn apart by abduction.

A child taken in the dead of the night by force to serve as High Priestess for a secret African Cult who worship the jackal god and act as the middle man for the collection of human cargo.

Adele abducted and sold into slavery, and the world of the sex trade where it is all about greed. Join her on her journey into slavery, her misery, her fears, as she’s thrown head first into terror and must use whatever she has to survive, if she is to ever see her family again.

The search for the child and woman moves from the wilds of Zambia, to the under belly of Johannesburg, South Africa.

Join Piet van Zyl and company in their search for Debi, as they move from the banks of the mighty Zambezi deep into the African bush veld.  Follow Henri Le Vee, Special Agent into the sleazy world of human trafficking, where he joins forces with an undercover agent in his search for Adele.

Will David ever see his wife Adele or daughter Debi alive again?

Anyway, that is me for today. I wish you all good health and remember, you never know what is watching from the shadows.

Take Care

 

Teaser for “Mask of Deceit”

MASK OF DECEIT

TEASER: A LOVE STORY WITH A DIFFERENCE

 

The eyes looking out from behind the mask are green, but that is all the man can see for her form is hidden in the folds of the flowing gown that she is wearing.  The mask itself is stunning, handcrafted and if she is anything like the beauty of the mask, then she is definitely a catch.

Her voice is husky and sexy at the same time; it sends shivers of delight at the thought of what is to come through his body, as she takes his hand in her gloved hand and leads him along the cobblestone walkway, almost as if leading a lamb to the slaughter.

Sounds of the masked ball not far away filters across the square, laughter fills the air as revelers soak up the atmosphere, the colors are bright, and there is a feeling of gay abandonment as couples, groups move to and fro, their masks hiding their true features, and their costumes blend in with the crowds that swarm along the roads.

She leads him along the canal, the sounds from the square falling behind them as they cross the bridge, and he can’t believe his luck on his first night in Venice, to be chosen by such a beauty, and he tries to imagine what she looks like behind that mask.

They come to an alleyway and she pauses for a second, looks into the dark recess of the alley, then turning quickly, takes his hand again and leads him on.  He could have sworn that he heard her mutter softly into her mask.

“This one is for you Paul, my darling.”

“My Lady, did you say something?”

“No, I am just thinking about what is ahead of us tonight, you must have imagined it.”

She leads him into a room with a four-poster bed in the center, the light is dim and in the distance, he can hear the sound of music, and her heavy breathing, which he takes as passion, and a sign that he is in for a good time tonight with a masked stranger.

The sound of falling cloth behind him, he turns and gasps at the beauty before him.  She is naked, but still wears the mask, and he feels the heat rush through his body, and desire for the masked stranger before him fills him, and he sheds his clothing.

“Do you like what you see Sir?”

“Yes My Lady, you are magnificent, but I wish to gaze upon your face, please remove your mask so that I might drink in your true beauty.”

“I am sorry, you may have me, but the mask stays on.  Lie down, and I will come to you.”

He lies back on the soft mattress, and she straddles him, moving up his chest and offering herself to him. His eyes close in ecstasy, and he feels her take his hand, and the soft feel of silk wraps around his wrist, then the other, and he is bound to the posts of the bed.   His eyes fly open in alarm. He sees her sitting on his chest, her weight holding him down, and in her hand, she is holding a dagger, and he hears sobs coming from behind the mask.

“My Lady, what are you doing?”

Without a word she brings the dagger down, the dim light flashes off the blade as it cuts deep into his chest.  His body arches as he tries to throw her off, he pulls at the silk holding his hands in place, but she rides him, gripping his body with her strong legs, and plunges the blade in, again and again, the blood splatter being thrown across the whiteness of the bed.

His body shudders in its final gasp to hold onto life, and then with a death rattle in his throat, she slashes the sharp blade deeply across his throat, his body goes limp beneath her, the air in his lungs escaping through the deep wounds, as his blood soaks into the bed cover, dripping off the bed, to form a puddle on the carpet.

“There Paul my darling, I showed mercy, just like you taught me, I cut the throat of the animal.”

Without another word, she pulls the gown over her head, covering the blood on her body, slips the dagger into the folds of her dress, and without looking back at the dead man on the bed, leaves him, to be discovered when the occupants of the room returned.

She mingles once more with the groups, just another mask in the crowd.

***

The days with Paul blurred, and time flew by for Juliana as the two of them fell deeper in love with each passing moment.  The mere fact that her father was Don De Luca, retired, did not bother Paul in any way at all, as all he had eyes for was the Don’s beautiful daughter.

Paul taught her to hunt, how to fire a rifle, and the most important lesson of all was the use of the dagger, cutting the animal’s throat to stop any suffering.  Juliana not only loved Paul with all her heart and being, but fell in love with Africa as well, and decided that once they were married, she would not have a problem being the mother to Paul’s children in Africa, and living away from her family in Europe.

The Don accepted Paul into the family with open arms, as did Juliana’s mother, and before they knew it, the two were engaged, and the date of 7th February 2007 was set for the wedding.

Juliana slips out of her gown, allowing the silky material to fall at her feet, and slides into the rose-scented water, feeling the soothing effect of the warm water over her body.  She shudders as memories cloud her mind, memories of Paul, memories of what could have been.  Closes her eyes and allows her mind to drift back in time, back to happier times.

***

Hand in hand they leave The Enchanted Palace behind them, and leave from the palace’s water entrance via a gondola that carries them quickly along the canal, and deposits them on the other side, near the bridge leading to the hotel.  The street lights light their way, as they make their way along the cobbled street, which is not as busy as it was earlier that evening, and the shadows in the alleys are dark and foreboding, and Juliana holds Paul close as the two of them make their way along the narrow streets, the sound of their footsteps echoing ahead of them.

“Wow my love, have you any idea what the time is.”

“No, and I don’t care, you are still going to keep your promise, plus I have something very special to tell you, but only when we are in bed.”

Paul throws back his head and laughs out loud, breaking the silence around them, and pulls Juliana closer.

“Sweetheart, it is 2.30 in the morning, but never mind I made a prom… ”

Paul’s voice is cut off as a strong arm is thrown around his throat; he is pulled backward, off his feet by the attack into the darkness of an alleyway.  He hears Juliana scream, her voice shattering the night, and tries to fight back, but suddenly there are two of them, and he is struck to the ground by a blunt object, fighting to stay conscious, to fight back, and to go to Juliana’s aid as her screams reach fever pitch.

His mask is ripped from his face, a large boot placed on his exposed throat and a light shone in his face.

“He is the wrong fucking one, look there is no tattoo on his cheek.”

“Shit, now what Ivan.”

“Kill him.”

In the background, through a red haze, she hears the sound of a struggle as Paul fights for their lives.  The weight of the man as he throws himself on her knocks the wind out of her body again, she fights back, but a punch to the side of her head knocks her senseless, and she feels the penetration as the rape starts.

***

Review of Mask of Deceit by Paul Zunckel.

Review by Angel C Ernst.

Mr. Zunckel has taken a great leap in his writing this time around. Instead of writing mostly from a male point of view he has delved into the inner workings of the female mind as she has encountered great loss and tragedy.

This is a very dark and powerful story. It is not easy for some to write about personal feelings, and for a gentlemen to capture how a traumatized woman would feel, is truly an amazing feet. Mr. Zunckel has done just that with this story. The emotions take you on a roller coaster ride and let’s face it, not many women out there would not feel exactly the way Juliana feels after suffering at the hands of the thugs.

All around I would give this a 5 star review. Well done Paul capturing the inner workings of the female mind.

Mask of Deceit

by Paul Zunckel

PRE-RELEASE REVIEW

“edge of my seat, escalating heartbeat kind of story”

“I’ve read Paul Zunckel’s Blood Moon Trilogy, and The Devil in Eden. Mask of Deceit is different from those but just as satisfying. His descriptive phrasing drew me right into the scenes all while enjoying the edge of my seat, escalating heartbeat kind of story he has written here!

Frank Herndon

“A departure from Zunckel’s African thrillers I have enjoyed so much, I wasn’t sure quite what to expect with Mask of Deceit. It did not disappoint! It opens with a chilling scene and does not slow down! Well done Mr. Zunckel!

Harry Gormley

 ♥ Leigh Paul  ♥ ‏@LeighPaulAuthor  19h19 hours ago

Welcome to Twitter @zunks Your new novel on   “Mask of Deceit” is awesome! Congratulations!

It could be you!

Hi All,

Something really unsettling and disturbing happened to my lovely wife, Lucie and I the other day and I just would like to share it here with you and who knows, you yourself just might be a victim of the very same or similar scam that is taking place. I am not talking about a scam artist but a large company that is responsible and not willing to own up to their mistake but hide behind a so called recorded phone conversation.

Allow me to put you in the picture so to speak.

My wife has been a contract customer with a cell phone provider for over twelve years and with this contract we get airtime as well as SMS’s  with never any need to top up as it is something that we do not make much use of but is handy to have if the kids need to get hold of us or vice versa.

Now the fraud comes in along this road. We have been charged by a company, yet to be named for supposedly authorizing them to bill us for the last nine months for them to provided us with Airtime as well as SMS’s and yet this is a service that we have no need of nor asked for as we have been running with our present provider for years.

I only stumbled on this fraud when I paid up my account at the end of last month and on receiving my latest account this month decided to see what my credit limit was not that I can afford it and to my horror discovered that I owed them money for something that I never authorized, did not need and have been paying for the last nine month.

I cancelled the so called service which they did very quickly I must add but according to them there is no refund because I authorized the sale. Why would I authorized a sale for something that I could ill afford plus had no need of and their defense is that they have a recording  of me authorizing something I can’t even use. One other thing, not once in the past nine months have I been contact  in order to set up this so called service because if I had, a red flag would have gone up right away and the whole process would have been thrown to the curb.

So in a nut shell I am being charged for something that I never had any use of…did not know existed and never bought. Maybe I should go out and buy groceries to the same value and bill them for my purchase. At least then I will know what I am paying for and getting what I need after all they are a big company and can afford it…who knows how many other trusting customers they have out there that are totally unaware of the fraud being committed right under their noses.

All I can say is check your statements very carefully. You too could be a victim of this corporate fraud.

Just a hint. THEY SELL CLOTHING.

Take care out there, you never know what is watching from the shadows

 

Accidental Author

Hello All,

You know that the funny thing is that I never set out in life to be a writer; never in my wildest dreams did I ever even contemplate writing a short story let alone a complete novel. In fact when I was at school, writing an essay was one of the things that I dreaded…give me an oral anytime but an essay…no way.

Life is very strange in that way, you end up doing something that was the furthers from your laid out pathway in life but mine took a couple of twists and turns that were unexpected and before I could wipe the dream dust from my eyes I found myself unemployed after being in the job market all  my adult life.

No sweat, I have the qualifications behind me, although I am over  55yrs old I should not have a problem getting employed again but life had other plans for me and each time I applied for a position I was turned down. The reason was, too highly qualified…what a laugh, it was my age that got in the way.

It got so bad that I tried to sell my kidney on the black market and let me tell you right now, that is the biggest con of all time. It is like swimming in a sea of sharks. They are not interested in your kidney, all they are after is as much money that they can squeeze out of you before you see the light and realize that they are taking you for a ride.

This led to depression until one day in August 2014 my loving wife, Lucie told me that I was getting under foot and why don’t I sit down and write a story that I had been telling her. Well, okay maybe I could do that, a short story, who knows, a local magazine just might buy it so I sat down at the PC only to be told, once again by the voice of reason that goes by the name of Lucie is that she knows that I will start it, but never finish it.

Now that was a light bulb moment and something went off inside my head and my short story just grew and grew into what is now known as “Blood Moon over Africa”  but it did not end there, my imagination was fired up and within four months I had completed  “The Blood Trilogy”. Book two being “Blood Spoor in the Dark” followed by “Blood Demon-Revenge” and I enjoyed every moment of living with my characters.

In fact I enjoyed it so much Piet van Zyl became a part of me and to date Piet and myself have had numerous adventures in Africa, from dealing with witchcraft, secret sects, man eating lions, rhino poaching and so much more that at times I find it hard to keep up with Piet, but thanks to my angel, Lucie and to Piet I have now found a purpose and that is to write novels for other people out there to enjoy and to be taken on thrilling rides through Africa and to come out at the end breathless, but satisfied.

I have been very blessed with some awesome and out of the world reviews for my books and for that I am truly thankful. I have made some really great friend from all over the world because of the books and in the end I have found my calling. All I want to do is write and entertain the readers out there who enjoy a touch of suspense, a thrill and adventure and I will admit, sometimes a touch of horror, but then this is Africa, and you never know what is watching from the shadows.

God Bless you all.

Just a Thought.

Hi All,

I came across this on Facebook posted by a friend of mine and it really struck a chord with me and I just want to share it with all of you out there.

It deals with verbal abuse and also taking advantage.

It is really strange how some people have two masks, sometimes even more than two, depending on who they are dealing with and unfortunately most of us will come across these people, who knows you just might know one right now.

They could think that the situation you’re in is to their advantage and treat you like a second class citizen, or else they see themselves as a dictator and demand respect. How can anyone who treats others with no respect expect respect in return?  Respect is earned, it is not something you can demand, regardless of your position in life, regardless of who or what you are or profess to be.

This is for those out there that are walking that path, by choice or by situation in life. Take a stand, or better still, kick the abuser to the curb, there are better things out there in life than putting up with a person who treats you badly and has no people skills and ABUSES you. Remember, you’re happiness comes first and foremost.

There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and your first thought is…” What is going to hit the fan today?”

“You don’t ever have to tolerate people who treat you poorly. It doesn’t matter if it is a friend, a family member, a partner or employer. It doesn’t matter how long you’ve know them for or how nice they may have been to you in the past – YOU are allowed to call people out on their ABUSIVE behavior – YOU are allowed to set boundaries about what you are and not willing to tolerate – YOU allowed to vocalize how their ABUSE makes you feel – YOU allowed to share those feelings and experiences with other people – AND IF NECESSARY – YOU’RE ALLOWED TO LEAVE AND DISTANCE YOURSELF.”

Move on, you owe that person nothing, no matter what they might try hold over your head, they are not entitled to ABUSE you and treat you unfairly. Leave them behind and get on with your life. You will be better off without them there.

Take Care out there, you never know what is watching from the shadows.

God Bless you all.

Thank You!

Hi, one and all, 

Finally, my wife and I are back in civilization where we now have access to unlimited WiFi which means that yours truly will soon be back, up and running once again.

I would like to pay tribute through this medium to a wonderful lady that has gone and designed five covers for four of my titles that are now available on Amazon Kindle in the e-book format as well as a hard copy for those who prefer to hold a book in their hands.

Thank you, Eeva.

The exciting news that I wish to share with you all is that my one stand-alone novel, “Fangs of Fury” will soon be released in South Africa and distributed throughout the country in various bookstores, and hopefully will do well enough over here for it to reach the overseas market as well, but only time will tell.

I would also like to thank everyone who kept my flag flying on Twitter while I was in limbo and not able to reciprocate all the tweets, but like I said…I AM BACK and will soon be up and running again. There are just too many of you to name, but each one of you knows who you are, and you have my heartfelt thanks

For those who have not seen these amazing covers, here they are again…back and better than ever before.

Thank you all once again, and remember, you never know what is watching from the shadows…take care out there.

d Soon to be released