‚Wild Life Shorts‘ the newest book from Michael Parfitt

Two years ago we had the pleasure of meeting Michael and his family.

They had already done what we were planning to do – travel for three months by jeep through southern Africa. Fridolin gifted me Michaels book „To the wild“ about their trip for my birthday. A year later we were all sitting together for lunch in Summerset West.

I am all the more pleased that Michael is giving us a first insight into his new book. He used the Lockdown period to write this book. Enjoy the adventure of reading and the African bush feeling. Hope to be back to SA soon.

I am very excited to be announcing the release of my newest book – ‚Wild Life Shorts‘.

‚Wild Life Shorts‘ is about campfire story-telling and is a collection of 23 short-stories based on actual/true wildlife encounters we have personally had during our extensive overland travels through wild southern Africa – as well when visiting some of the stunning tropical Indian Ocean islands off Africa’s east coast. Some pretty dangerous and pretty scary actually!

When travelling through the vast, unfenced wilderness areas you can expect to be having close encounters with the Big-5 but what this book also shows is that it’s not only the big wild animals that you need to be weary of.  ‚Wild Life Shorts‘ is an easy read for anyone who loves nature, wildlife or exploring the great outdoors.

The topic of my books is adventure travel through southern Africa, something I am deeply passionate about.

I believe we all should strive for a deeper connection with nature and a common theme I always advocate is that we need to dust-off our neglected senses when we are out in nature.  Don’t just ‚look‘ – you need to really focus and see, interpret the signs, but even more importantly listen and smell. Often when I am doing a game drive with people I will stop the vehicle and turn off the engine. I then tell them to close their eyes and ask them to tell me what they can hear and smell – no talking for 5 minutes.

It a simple yet powerful exercise which helps people to try and tune in more with their environment and almost without exception people are always surprised by how much they are missing. During the Covid lockdown I have even been doing this exercise in my garden and listening for bird calls.  ‚Wild Life Shorts‘ tries to awaken those senses, is laced with plenty of good humour but is also packed with incredible animal insights which all blend together to bring the stories to life. It is like going on a guided safari.

‚Wild Life Shorts‘ will be available on Amazon, Kindle and Smashwords (e-books) from June 2021.

My first book – ‚To the wild‘ – on the other hand is a detailed photographic, journal-style account of my family’s 100-day overland adventure through southern Africa’s premier wilderness and wildlife areas. Includes maps, travel tips, equipment reviews and even recipes for the budding bush chef who likes cooking over a fire. A real taste of the more than 18,000 km journey in every respect. To the Wild is also available on Amazon, has a 4.3 star rating (out of 5). Unfortunately, because of its complex layout and 560+ high resolution photographs, it is not suitable for e-book formats like Kindle and is therefore only available in hard copy.  A great book.

Enjoy the adventure!

Michael Parfitt

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Instagram                    michaelandrewparfitt

Blog & website            lifefromstones.club

Facebook                    TotheWild