Author Mariah Lynne on Handbag and Book - All-time Favorite Handbag Is? #zoofan #audiobook

     

I’m sure this photo of my all- time favorite handbag will put both a smile on your face and a question in your mind. Why on earth did she buy this? I guess the answer to that question is: it’s so happy. It reminded me of “Babar the Elephant” books I adored as a child and besides, I was visiting a zoo. Not just any zoo, but Zoo Atlanta.

About fifteen years ago, my husband attended a seminar in Atlanta. We stayed an extra couple of days to see the sights. Zoo Atlanta is home to the largest population of Gorillas in North America. Their homeland is Western Africa and they are known as the Western Lowland Gorillas. Being an animal groupie, I had to see it.

Trust me, this exhibit did not disappoint. The gorillas live in troops consisting of 5-30 with an average of eleven residents. Their zoo habitat is spread out over one and one half acres and they receive outstanding care. They are beautiful to watch with their brownish gray hair and auburn crests. Of course it’s always better to observe animals in the wild like the grizzlies, elk, and moose at Yellowstone, the wild horses on Chincoteague Island, Virginia, even the gators in the Everglades, but some animals like the gorillas have habitats that are a bit more difficult to visit.

After a wonderful day, we exited the park through the gift store. I thought a T-shirt might be a nice souvenir, but low and behold, hanging above the shirts, was this colorful and happy handbag. Babar aside, someone could write their own children’s story about this popular elephant with friends like a smiling yellow cheetah, a green giraffe, two blue zebras, and a lioness. Could it be a birthday party? Maybe a jungle holiday?  Or just some good friends reuniting. Whatever the reason, they all looked so happy, they made me smile … so I bought it.

At the time, I owned a retail store on a Florida Gulf Coast Island. My customers all loved seeing the handbag when I wore it to work. I kept it behind the counter; so they’d ask, “Did you bring the gang in today? “ Of course I did.  I no longer own the bag but donated it to a charity thrift store this past year. I took a photo of it before it left for a new home. That’s how much I loved it. I hope you got a chuckle out of it as well. 

Brianna Breeze can't seem to catch a man unless she handcuffs him! So when her best friend Tessa decides to take matters into her own hands, she tricks Brianna into seeing THE LOVE GYPSY, a Time Traveler’s friend noted for her extraordinary matchmaking skills.

A tall, muscular man wearing jeans, a black leather jacket, and slicked back 50’s hair bursts in on her first visit with the gypsy. Needless to say, Brianna is bewitched. Despite the gypsy’s warning not to get involved with him, Brianna can’t get him out of her mind – even though she more than anyone knows the pitfalls of romancing a stranger.

A present day murder, a mysterious vintage car registered in the past, and a smoking gun complicate the puzzle. Brianna doesn’t know if her lover from the past is a murderer or a savior, but she’s willing to risk Time Travel to find out.

Whooooooooosh! Before I could finish my statement, I heard a loud whooshing noise like a wind in the middle of a hurricane fill the room. The lights from the crystal ball swirled around the room at a furious pace. Thud! I then heard a sudden loud noise as intense as the space shuttle’s sonic boom.

            I listened intently hoping that it was just thunder until I realized that the wall to the right of where Raya sat had an open door. I tried my best to remember if I had seen a door there when I entered but couldn’t. The swirling lights, the whirring noise all affected my memory. I heard another short thud, turned and looked around. A very handsome man in a black motorcycle jacket seemed to come out of nowhere. I blinked. Was I drugged?  The man interrupted our conversation. He was frantic walking right by me and over to where Raya was sitting. He yelled at her.

         “Raya you said you would help me. Help me now…I can’t stay here much longer. You said that it was going to happen soon. You know that. We can’t break the rules.”

Raya put her fingers to her lips as if to quiet his rambling.

“Dom, I have a guest or hadn’t you noticed?”

            The man turned quickly and glanced over at me. His eyes stared into mine. They were the darkest brown I had ever seen. We stared at each other forgetting where we were for more than a few minutes. 

Find Mariah at: Website

Find THE LOVE GYPSY AUDIO BOOK at: Audiobook