So, In Sal Island (Cape Verde) there's a piece of shore called the Shark Bay. Guess why? (giggles) Yes, because it has sharks. It is, actually, a shark nursery. Lemon shark moms come to this beach to give birth, and the youngsters stay here up until they are old enough to navigate deeper waters. Adult Lemon sharks can grow up until 13 ft long, the longest one we spotted here was about 6 ft long.  So, we took a trip around the island and, included in the tour, was a visit to Shark Bay. We arrived there and rented a pair of rubber shoes, due to the rocky bottom of the beach, and into the water we went! The water was about 78 ºF, and we went in until the water reached our thighs. Our guide told us the sharks were harmless, so we were nothing more than excited to share the same waters with these majestic animals! He warned us to keep silent and as still as we possibly could, so they could feel comfortable enough to come check us out, and so we did. A few moments later, they starte...

So, last day in Cape Verde, and we decided to head to the beach one last time. White sand, amazing translucent, turquoise water... and a new buddy comes up, out of nowhere. He approached us as if he had known us since forever, his tail waving and such joy overflowing from his eyes! We cuddled him, and next time we know he's lying down right next to me, enjoying the sun. I put my arm around him, and said: "Isn't it too hot for you, standing directly under the sun?" He yawned and stretched, before glancing at me. And inside his eyes was this limitless kindness, this almost supernatural sparkle, which amazed me. I almost missed it when he replied: "Don't worry, this is my home. I know how to take care of myself."Even though he was clearly a stray dog, he was well fed and his fur was shining, so I took his word for it. Soon enough, I noticed how he seemed relaxed but watchful of our surroundings at the same time. I asked: "Isn't it dangerous, ...

As many of you already know, I got married recently, and traveled to Sal Island, Cape Verde, for my honeymoon. I also posted here recently, saying I would tell you guys about a few meaningful encounters I experienced with the animal kingdom while I was there, so here's the first one: Sparrows. You won't find many birds in the island, but there are lots of sparrows. They live mostly around hotels and bars, which is easily understandable as tourists turn out to be really messy  eaters (giggles). One day, as we were standing by the bar terrace, a man placed a plate full of bread on top of a table and left. A few moments later, a few sparrows spotted the bread and decided to grab a bite. Honestly, I thought the man would chase them away as soon as he noticed they were eating his bread, but he didn't! He stopped right by us, shrugged and smiled. He instantly earned my respect by doing so. He waited for about ten minutes to go and get his bread back, shrugging again and whisperi...

Hi, guys! So, a few days before I left for my honeymoon, I got pretty anxious by the thought of leaving my cats and dogs. Even though It was only for a week long, and knowing they would be very well taken care of, I was still very nervous about it. Fortunately, as the week went by I managed to relax a bit, and open up to my destination's hidden treasures.  I went to Cape Verde, more specifically Salt Island. Now, I could spend hours talking about its landscapes, culture, poverty... but  I won't. I had a few very special encounters with the animal kingdom while I was there, and those are the stories I will share here. I'll tell you all about the inspiring words from a few opportunist sparrows, young lemon sharks, a stray dog... and last but not least, of course, a cat. Not any cat, though: he is the king.  So come along with me for the next few days, If you wish to hear their stories. Hugs, Vanessa

Hi guys! So today it's all about how I became a writer, more specifically how I came to write my first book (the first of the ongoing trilogy), The black cub of Felis Mal'ak. Once again, as many of you following my  author's page  on facebook already know, I became a writer upon the loss of a black cat I loved very much. Meet Felix (photo on your right). By the time I bought my house, a six month's old white kitty girl also adopted it as her own. She wouldn't let anyone come close to her so we started feeding her but she kept on being a stray. A few months later, she ended up giving birth on our backyard, and guess what? Felix was born. I was thrilled because I was pretty sure a black male would be born from that litter, so he was already Felix even before he was born. Anyway, there he was. We built the family a cozy home under our porch, so both mom and her 5 babies were safe and warm. As time went by, we managed to find families for most of the litter, b...

Prologue Cats are one of the most popular kind of pets in the world, known to be tiny panthers we can cherish and share our homes with. Usually more independent than dogs, they show us that love also means respecting individuality; they make it clear that sharing life with others doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy it as an individual as well. You see… they are our cats now, but they don’t forget they were once wild panthers. Throughout history and along the past few thousand years, cats have also been considered mystic animals, worshiped by Egyptians and connected to black magic in the middle ages. Even today, no one can deny they’re still considered mystical creatures by people all over the world. Now… what do you think it would happen if you were able to get advice from your own cat? What would he tell you? If you were somehow able to listen to what he has to say, would it make a difference in your life? Would you decide to listen and give some thought to it? Or would you ignore it,...