Why Africa? By Stephanie Tyler...

I always tell people that I could easily live in Africa and it’s totally true. My love for the country of Tanzania was born out of the very first date I ever had with my now husband. See, he was born in Songea and he told this fascinating story of how his great grandfather went to Africa from Poland during WWII. He’d lost his leg and his three daughters in the detainment camps and he and his wife survived and moved to Africa to build refugee camps for the Peace Corps. So Zoo’s father was born there – his mom was born in Brooklyn and she went to Africa to visit a cousin who was getting a PhD in African studies and she met Zoo’s dad and she ended up making a month’s trip into a year. And when they got married, she moved there and stayed for nine years.

So when Zoo and I got married, I knew we’d be going to Africa on our honeymoon. It was so spectacular and so tragic at the same time, it was almost overwhelming. I mean, you’d be walking around this beautiful resort and you’d turn a corner to find a soldier carrying a big-assed rifle. So you always knew that there was some kind of danger near you at all times. We landed in Arusha the same day they’d bombed the embassies in Kenya and Dar Es Salaam, where his aunt lives, thought security would be huge. Instead, we dragged our own luggage out from under the plane, across the tarmac and went through a security line in three seconds flat. And somehow, it was still okay.

There’s a different rhythm there. I’m from New York, close to the city and we move really fast, never-stopping. And in Africa, that does not happen. If someone says they’ll pick you up at 9AM in Africa, it means anywhere from 9AM to say, noon, and no doubt, it’s closer to noon. And the longer you’re there, the more you begin to not care about time. You slow down, notice the little things, appreciate the good food, the time spend simply hanging out and talking.

We went on Safari several times, to different parts of Tanzania, to Zanzibar, made some great discoveries, like the Boma, which is part of the Trade, not Aid program. We visited the clinic Zoo was born in. And, like I mention in Hard to Hold and Too Hot, we were pulled over with our driver trying to get back to our hotel on safari by two men posing as police. They wanted money – we gave it to them. We were lucky. It happened again with real police in Dar Es Salaam. And while it was a reminder of where I was and how careful I had to be, it still didn’t take away from the gorgeous safaris, the wonderfully generous locals and, of course, the famous roads.

So really, Africa has a place in my heart forever and, obviously, a place in my books. So much beauty and danger in one place, and that’s really what romantic suspense is all about, right?

The Giveaway is now closed to entries! Thank you to everyone who came by and visited Steph while she was here at DIK. Steph will announce the lucky winner at her blog on Monday morning!

A big thank you again to Steph for sharing her DIK favorites, today's wonderful story, and being such a fun guest on the island!

Stephanie Tyler writes Romantic Suspense for Bantam Dell and Harlequin Blaze, as well as co-writing Paranormal Erotic Romance under the pen-name Sydney Croft. She lives in New York with her husband and her daughter.