Bob Curby is a nomme de plume. I chose it from my two middle names, Robert and Curby. I was born in Norwich, England just after the second World War and was taken to Africa in 1950 when my parents decided to emigrate and so the five of us (I have two sisters) arrived in Cape Town on the Bloemfontein Castle. We eventually made our way northwards and my parents decided to settle in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)where we lived for most of my formative years. I went to South Africa in 1967 and went back again to Zambia after being ejected by the South African Authorities (see my book 'Let Sleeping Lions Lie....'). I have been writing short stories and poetry for in-house magazines and wrote Windstorm in the 1980's while working for the British Government, although it was my first manuscript, it was hand written and needed a lot of work so became the third book published.
I published all my books via Amazon, firstly on Kindle, and then via Createspace and Amazon.com in the U.S. Createspace now allows Amazon.co.uk to make and sell my books direct so you can order them in the same way in the UK. Here is a list of the books I have on KINDLE and PAPERBACK so far and a brief summary of the story-line:
"Let Sleeping Lions Lie....." is a group of real - life stories from my childhood, woven round a modern day intrigue, and includes a very scary situation where I was left trapped deep underground with some dead bodies for company. One day I went fishing and found myself sharing the riverbank with a bull elephant, standing in between it and a crocodile infested river. The expression 'between the devil and the deep blue sea' comes to mind. Another time, I found myself, along with a ranger, face to face with three Cape Buffalos. These bovine animals are the meanest and most feared of all animals in Africa and second only to the Hippopotamus in responsibility for the most human deaths. There is now a SCARY sequel to this book: WILD GRASS, named after the tall 'elephant grass' that grows on the Savannah, in which Lions sit camouflaged and in which I had many a mis-hap WILD GRASS is a scary book that is not for the faint-hearted or squeamish.
"Windstorm" is a modern day drama set in South Africa based on the 'winds of change' that were blowing in the 1980's, and is the story of a commando raid into South Africa instigated by the British Government and with the express purpose of capitulating the white minority rule in South Africa. The story weaves around the recruitment and team building of some very experienced military people. Some of the skills they have are in the NUCLEAR field, essential to the success of the mission. The team travels the length and breadth of South Africa and end up in the spectacular Cape Point nature reserve behind the huge Table Mountain. The mission is called off at the last minute, but the message doesn't get through and this results in a tragic gun battle in the Protea shrubbery above Simonstown. There are some intriguing twists and a sobering ending.
"Diamond Raiders" is an up to date drama. The story is based on the off-shore dredging operation of a diamond company and a smooth slick heist of everything the dredger has in its coffers. The story then moves on to the escape with the gang being pursued by Interpol and a top Scotland Yard detective. The cat and mouse chase goes right down to the last line of the book - do they get away? READ THE BOOK! (I see this a film, it would be a fast moving dramatic film with the opportunity to use lots of up to date electronic gadgetry.)
"The Jinx!" is the story based on an idea by a work colleague, Jackie Stephenson. It is relates the tale of someone who seems to have really bad 'luck' from the day she was born. There is more to it than meets the eye, there is some fantasy woven into the story and it has a whirlwind ending. It's not a long book.
"Smokey Breezes" - this is a modern day drama/thriller which starts quite serenely in a small lakeside house on the shores of Lake Victoria in Kenya. The aged main character, James Mutaye, has his calm life turned upside down by an evil member of the higher echelon who wants him dead, because James was the one who gathered the information assisted by MI6, for the Kenyan authorities. The result of James' work was to put the evil Musuke, who was at that time the Justice Minister, behind bars for 30 years. After his release, Musuke is intent of revenge, he wants to make James Mutaye suffer. We watch James narrowly escape attempt after attempt to end his life and the story comes to a head in a courtroom drama and a military showdown.
"Forbidden Throne", Set in 1970, an African State in turmoil has vital minerals needed by British Arms manufacturers, British Govt sends in Archie Mellor with crack squad to take out the existing President who is a tyrant and, after unrest has subsided, place a cool calm pro-British man in his place. Another tyrant assassinates the new President and Archie's team get butchered, except for three. Archie returns home and vows never to do this again. (Archie Mellor is the main character in WINDSTORM above).
IN PROGRESS
1. "Blood River", Set in West Africa, 1800's, quality rubies have been discovered in the Kandiachana River. There are four countries who want those rubies, there is a race to get a stake in the mining land and the country's Government gains from every transaction. A South African emerald expert recruits his own team and tries to beat the rest to the best mining corridor. South Africa isn't one of the four countries who are negotiating with the country's Foreign Minister, and getting the stake set first sets a flame alight in the area with lies and dis-loyalty rife.
2. "The Battle for Targus Major", Sci-Fi, Set in 25th Century, last colony of the Kiridean Dynasty, under the protection of the United Stellar Federation is under threat of absorbtion by the expanding Craquionian Empire, ruthless silicon machine based replicants. The mission is to rescue the 75,000 Kirideans on the planet and to secure the defence network in the planetary system nearest to the established border. The fleet of evacuation ships will take six months at light speed to reach Targus Major. The only USF battle star in the vicinity is Anterides IV, with its 12000 strong force under the command of Admiral Henry Zork. He must keep the intruders away for the six months during which the fleet is on its way. The Craquionians do not usually surrender, nor are they ever defeated.
3. "Hidden", Sci-fi, Scene: remote planet on the edge of the Asphorian Nebula
Date: 3569.7 Time: midday, Drazric, mining engineer with Instellar Mineral Surveys, has just climbed out of Explorer VII, his Zorg class freighter/excavator. Behind him are his team, fourteen men and nine women, checking their equipment and making ready to jump down onto the hard surface. The planet has a strong gravity centre, indicating a high yield of iron ore. Beneath the surface lurks something terrifyingly sinister, yet to be discovered. Drazric is the only survivor, escaping from the planet in a severely damaged freighter. This is his story.
Enjoy your reading, and thanks for visiting - follow me on Twitter @BobCurby
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