About the Book
Title: Flamingos, Dust and Occasional Leopards
Author: Sarah Knipping
Genre: Women’s Fiction
After a painful breakup Iris finds herself standing outside her mother’s doorway, her feet six inches deep in the Kenyan dust. A bra-less hippy version of her mum embraces her and so begins Iris’s
adventure in Kenya…
Can Iris fix her broken relationship with her mum?
Can she mend her wounded heart?
Will an adventure in Kenya prove to be just what Iris needs, or will it prove to be all too much?
adventure in Kenya…
Can Iris fix her broken relationship with her mum?
Can she mend her wounded heart?
Will an adventure in Kenya prove to be just what Iris needs, or will it prove to be all too much?
Author BioSarah Knipping is a Wellington based author with a passion for reading, travel, and coffee. Having wandered her way across 37 countries, Sarah is now New Zealand based and focused on her writing
(when she’s not busy in her wonderful day job, teaching).
Links
http://sarahknipping.com/
https://www.facebook.com/SarahKnippingWriter/
https://twitter.com/SarahKnipping
https://instagram.com/sarah_knipping/
Book Excerpt
"‘How did you sleep?’ Sylvia was wrapped in a loose dressing gown. She
settled herself into the couch opposite Iris and tucked her legs up
under her bum, her feet disappearing into the folds of her robe.
Iris laughed. ‘Honestly, not all that well. How the hell do you sleep
through the racket those dogs make? They were barking all night long!’
Sylvia grinned. ‘I call it the neighbourhood chorus! It only takes one
of them to get going and suddenly everyone’s dog is barking and
howling into the night.’
‘At one point I thought I heard a bloody cow join in,’ Iris rubbed her
eyes. They were hot and sore from fatigue and dust.
‘I know, it’s terrible. But eventually you don’t even hear it anymore.’
Iris shrugged. ‘I’m not so sure that’s possible. It was so loud I
thought they were all inside my bedroom at one stage.’
Sylvia laughed again. ‘Come on. Get that coffee in you and get in that
shower! I want to show you around town.’
Iris let herself be guided to the bathroom as towels, shampoos, and
lotions were loaded into her arms. It felt nice to be mothered a
little bit. This was exactly what she needed. A little TLC and someone
telling her what to do for a while. Being reminded to shower and eat,
being reminded to smile and laugh.
She had to stifle a gasp as her mother opened the door into the
bathroom. In her tired stupor the night prior, Iris had collapsed into
bed without even seeing the rest of the house. The bathroom, as it
turned out, was even smaller than her bedroom. It was a closet. A
squat toilet was built into the floor and a shower head hung over the
top.
‘I shower on the toilet?’ she asked.
‘Yes, well, over the toilet anyhow,’ Sylvia said, seemingly unaware of
Iris’s surprise. ‘I usually find it easier to keep my towel outside
the door, else it gets soaked! I’ll leave you to it. Come into the
lounge when you’re finished and I’ll have breakfast ready for us.’
Iris grabbed her mother’s wrist as she turned to leave. ‘Thanks, Mum,’
she said quietly.
Sylvia paused. ‘For what?’
‘For being my mum and letting me come and recover here for a while.’
Iris felt herself being wrapped tightly in her mother’s arms, her
faced squashed into the nape of her neck, and that eternally familiar
smell of her mother’s scent filling her nostrils.
‘Baby girl, even if I am a million miles away, I’m still your mum, and
my most important job will always be looking after you.’ "
