Judy Croome

Special Offers on Books, Books and More Books

2012-02-10T17:29:00.000+02:00

Below is a special offer by Modjaji Books, a Cape Town based independent publisher that is doing fantastic things for women in Southern Africa. Please help if you can.

Modjaji Books plans to be at the Cape Town Book Fair 2012 for all sorts of good reasons. So please help us generate the cash we need to pay for the exhibition stand. Take up one of these special offers - you win and so do we! Please share on your pages too - that would be hugely appreciated. I know I can count on your support and you won't be sorry.

We have fabulous new books coming out over the next few months:

Swimming with Cobras by Rosemary Smith* - memoir - Black Sash R195 (due out in Feb)

Bare and Breaking by Karin Schimke -* debut collection of poems R145 (due out in Feb)

Got No Secrets by Danila Botha - short stories by young SA/Canadian writer R145 (due out in early March)

Absent Tongues by Kelwyn Sole's - a collection of poems, his 7th (a Hands-On Book) R145 (due out in Feb)

Eloquent Body by Dawn Garisch***- a memoir R190 combining a life of science and a life of creativity (due out in March)

Looking for Trouble by Colleen Higgs *short stories set in Yeoville (1980s and early 90s)* * (A Hands-On Book) R145 (due out in March)

*(South African)* African First names Dictionary by Phumzile Simelane* with a chapter on naming practices R195 (due out in April)

The prices next to the books are the prices that you will pay in the stores. All of these are fabulous books and we are offering you 4 of them for R600 or 6 of them for R800. The special offer is on for a week - it ends on Friday 17th February. If you have already bought and paid for any of the above titles in a previous offer, you can choose 2 of the above titles instead or any other Modjaji title.

Or you can choose a single title and you can have 10% off the price. All the special offers include postage in South Africa.

Inbox or email Colleen Higgs at cdhiggs@gmail.com for payment details and with your address.

Meeting Ann Summerville

2012-02-07T08:00:00.000+02:00

Ann Summerville

Today my guest is author Ann Summerville. Ann wrote her first short story before her age reached double digits. Born in England, she moved to California in search of a warmer climate, before settling in Texas (one of my favourite states in the USA!) A multi-pubbed author, Ann is a member of Cowtown Crimesolvers, the Fort Worth Chapter of Sisters in Crime. and currently lives in Fort Worth, near her daughter and son-in-law, with her son, two boisterous dogs and a somewhat elusive cat.

Welcome to my blog, Ann! I'm looking forward to hearing more about you and I'm so happy to have written a guest post FIVE STEPS TO WRITING A NOVEL for your blog today.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

Spending time with my family, which continues to grow. My daughter is expecting twins in April.

In one sentence, how would you describe your book to someone who knows nothing about it?

The Berton Hotel delves into the mystery of a woman, who disappeared in the 1930s from a prominent Texas hotel, and her great-granddaughter’s quest to find out what happened to her.

What are your strengths as a writer?

The one comment I have consistently heard from readers is that they have a feel for where the story takes place and are immersed quickly into the location and the story.

Even more than writing the dreaded synopsis, I hate outlining. Do you outline your books?

I start writing a chapter or two. I step back and take a look at where the story is going and then write an outline. I find it helps when I need to change something in the story or add a character.

Czechoslovakian author Milan Kundera, when interviewed by Lois Oppenheim, said, “I understood one very simple thing: an author, once quoted by a journalist, is no longer master of his word." At what point do you think a story no longer belongs to the author?

Once you have an agent and/or editor your story is no longer yours. That’s why I prefer to self-publish. I have many author friends whose books were changed so much by their agent/editor that they “lost” characters and ended up in an entirely different genre.

Thank you, Judy for inviting me to your blog today. I love that with blogging you can meet up with friends on different continents.

Ann, I agree with you that one of the many joys of blogging is that you can make new friends all over the world. Talk about a global village! And good luck to your daughter in April with her expected twins. You'll have a double dose of joy!
You can connect with Ann on her website www.annsummerville.com or her blog www.cozyintexas.blogspot.com or on Twitter @cozyintexas.

The Berton Hotel is available on Amazon in paperback and Kindle. Other e-reader formats are on Smashwords.com.

Playing Tag on Amazon

2012-01-30T11:49:00.004+02:00

I used to think playing tag was a child’s game. I was wrong. In the world of self-publishing, playing tag is far more important than that...today I'm guest blogging about the importance of tagging your books on Amazon over at Joel Friedlander's great blog THE BOOK DESIGNER! Pop over and join the conversation - it'll be great to have you!

Reading and Writing...a lot!

2012-01-19T11:37:00.000+02:00

Hello Blog!
Did you think I’d forgotten about you? No, I could never forget about you, but sometimes there are other priorities.

Take reading, for example. The luxurious days when I could read 10 books a week are long gone, buried beneath the demands of a real life in which I have a paltry 24 hours a day to squeeze in the multitude of tasks required of me.

Writing is another priority. I am, after all, supposed to be A Writer. And—heaven forbid!—I don’t want to be a one-book wonder.

Stephen King, that master story-teller, that inspiration to all writers, says in his iconic book “On Writing,” that If you want to be a writer you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.

He adds that, as a slow(!) reader he reads about 70 to 80 books a year. These days, that’s a lot of books for me to read. Last year, by participating in the Goodreads 2011 Reading Challenge, I just managed to read 50 books.

This year my goal is to read another 50 books, including those I need to research for my new novel. That number is still way short of Mr King’s recommendation, but then he has a wife to do for him all the daily household tasks that consume so much of my life.

And I still have to leave time for writing. In 2012, I want to write for 365 days without missing a day. Even if I write a simple haiku (my favourite form of verse), my goal is to write every day. Surely, on those exhausting days when the world and its aunt make demands on me, I can at least manage 17 words?

Growing out of this goal, I’m hoping to have my second novel finished by the end of 2012. Or, at the very least, I’ll have a collection of 365 short stories and poems that could convert into an anthology.

And so, dear blog, (and your cousins Twitter and Facebook), while I’ll pop in for the occasional visit, you may not hear from me as often as you have in the past. I’ll always be back, but only when I’ve finished reading and writing...a lot!

Signed,
Your friend,
Judy.

What will this year be like? I wonder...

2011-12-31T13:54:00.001+02:00

When I look back on this past year, I see a tumultuous year of change and loss.

Lost people. Lost jobs. And lost dreams.

For many, 2011 was a year that fundamentally changed their lives. Even those with the strongest foundations quaked.

From the Arab Spring to Occupy Wall Street, the old ways of life were challenged on a collective level.

From the loss of those people, values and material assets that we held dear, the old ways of life were challenged on an individual level.

Some, shaken and stirred, remained standing. Others, like my fabulous father-in-law, were swept away as the solid mountain is inexorably washed away by the river of time. A few, like my Dad with his gritty determination, still cling precariously to the last few moments of the old year.

What will this new year be like? I wonder…

A friend said to me that 2011 was a year in which God held a clearance sale. All those things that no longer served their purpose in our lives were cleared out.

And that, of course, makes space for all that is new to come into our lives because change is not loss…it’s only different.

Throughout 2012 there will be loose ends from the previous cycles in our lives to tie up and pack neatly away. While I quake at the thought of what those final losses may mean, mostly I look forward to 2012 with a flicker of hope that can, with very little effort, burst into a flame of excitement at the new adventures that await.

A new year with twelve months...what’s so fearsome about that?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May 2012 be a year of clean endings, peaceful transformations

and of seeking dreams, both old & new.

The Skeleton Dance

2011-12-22T16:00:00.001+02:00

Do you remember doing the Skeleton Dance as a toddler? I remember my Mom, with her boundless enthusiasm and vibrant energy, teaching us the song.

“Dem bones, dem bones, dem dancing bones,” she’d warble as my strong, silent Dad tapped his foot along. And then, because it wasn’t all fun, but a song to teach us about the different bones in our body, she’d make us repeat after her, “The footbone’s connected to the leg bone, the leg bone’s connected to the thigh bone,” and so on until, with gales of giggles, we’d work our way through all the connections until we had a complete skeleton and could do the Skeleton Dance (I still occasionally burst into the song, without the wiggly actions though!)

Those halcyon days of carefree childhood fun are lost for, as many of you know, over the past few years my beloved Dad has suffered a serious of strokes. He is more silent than ever, as the strokes have also diminished his verbal capacity. But he is no longer strong.

My Mom, too, is fading as, at age 77, she deals with the hard task of physically caring for a man who is her husband and yet is no longer the same man who was the first person to love her after a sad and abandoned childhood in an orphanage. That strong spirit of hers, the one that helped her rise above so many of life’s challenges, is fading under the multiple losses she bears.

We grieve for her too. Mainly because her joyous spirit is slowly being smothered under the dual pressure of emotional grief and sheer physical exhaustion. We, her two daughters, are filled with anticipatory grief because everyone tells us - with morose 'comfort'? - that long-term caregivers always die first.

All we can do is be there as her support. We help in any way we can, but it’s never enough to bring either of my loving parents back to us.

Isaac & Dawn, my much loved parents,
on their 50th wedding anniversary in 2005

My Mom’s world – as it must in the current circumstances – has narrowed to the single focus of caring for this man who was her protector and lover for nearly 60 years. She has no energy left for us; I, thinking myself a strong independent woman, have disappointed myself with how deeply I have felt the loss of the unconditional support she so generously showered on us all ...until now. Although she still tries so hard to be there for us, there is just not enough of her bright star left to spread around.

My Dad’s world is...well, let's say that at times it converges with our reality. He momentarily comes back to us, as he did the other day when we chatted about death quite rationally, and he picked up my hand and said, “I’ll miss you when I go to the moon.” In his mind, with its broken synapses and lost connections, the white light of the full moon has become associated with the Divine Light of the God he so faithfully believes in. But those moments of my Real Dad are further and further apart.

As the skeleton's bones become brittle with age and use, the sinews and ligaments that connect them begin to tear and wither too. With each successive stroke that my Dad is subjected too, the connections that hold our family together are taking more and more strain.

But sometimes, other connections are formed that return to those muscles the much needed strength and the ability to somehow dig deeper and go on with a renewed sense of the power of Love.

One such unexpected connection was a book review on Patricia’s Wisdom, a blog that also reviewed my own novel. Patricia reviewed a memoir called SO FAR AWAY: A Daughter’s Memoir of Life, Loss and Love. Written by Dr Christine Hartmann, this story chronicles the author’s journey through both her parents' very different deaths.

Her mother didn’t want to suffer a loss of her mental acuity through old age diseases and so become a burden. She openly planned her death by suicide. Hartmann’s father, like my Dad, saw his death as so far away that he (and his family) were caught unawares by a series of massive strokes that (again like my Dad) kept him physically alive, but at the cost of his mental and spiritual essence.

Browsing Hartmann’s website, I found another connection: like my Mom, Hartmann suffers with glaucoma. And, of course, Hartmann’s parents were teenagers in Nazi Germany during World War II. My parents where white South Africans during the rule of the Apartheid Nationalist Government.

No wonder SO FAR AWAY has had me crying – no, sobbing – inconsolably for the past two days as I read it. I am drained and exhausted and utterly relieved that I am no longer alone in my journey of grief. Another daughter has trodden this path and she has shown me that there is a way through this loss; there is even life and love at the end of this seemingly endless road that has drained all my energy, my enthusiasm and my optimism, turning me ever more isolationist and remote from real life and unable to write a word on the new novel that is hammering away inside my head.

And, she says, addressing one of my most painful fears, when her father's physical body eventually died, she was able to recapture the spiritual essence and memories of how he was before the strokes stole his essence and left only a shell. For too long, it has become more and more difficult to remember who my Dad was, before he was reduced to what he is.

What makes this book special is that Dr Hartmann’s life, losses and love are mine too. Reading Hartmann’s story allowed me to cry for her that which I cannot yet cry for myself: the loss of my hero, my “pardner,” my beloved Dad.

I could cry, too, for the fading of that strong light that was the hallmark of my courageous Mom, her joie de vivre overshadowed now by the endless day-to-day caring of the physical body that houses the lost soul of her husband and my father.

Hartmann’s compassionate caring, the relentless journey to understand both herself and her parent’s emotional wounds, fill this memoir and made me realise that I have carried the burden of this private grief and double loss inside me for too long.

I had forgotten that this cycle of life, too, can be a path of mutual love and respect between special parents and a daughter they had, despite their own wounds and private griefs, always surrounded in love and support. "Autumn," said John Keats in his most famous Ode, "thou hast thou beauty too." Hartmann has reminded me to search for the beauty in even this, a challenging life situation.

The subtitle of this book is that it’s a “memoir about life, loss and love.” Ultimately, SO FAR AWAY is simply an Ode to Love and it has gifted me with the memory of love at its best. Whether singing the Skeleton Dance or sitting with my Dad daily so my Mom can wallow for twenty uninterrupted minutes in a hot bath filled with bubbles, I know once again that connections forged in love ever remain.

SO FAR AWAY has "soothed the ragged tears of my heart" and, for that, I sincerely thank Christine Hartmann for having the courage to so honestly share her life, loss and love with us.

You can buy your own copy of SO FAR AWAY from Amazon and other major bookstores.

And, of course, this post would not be complete without one more rendition of The Skeleton Dance:

Can We Both Condemn and Understand the Past?

2011-12-02T17:44:00.001+02:00

My reading of the English translation of "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink may be influenced by the outstanding movie version, which won Kate Winslet her (well-deserved) Oscar.

Often, when I read the book version of a movie that has moved me deeply I’m disappointed (or vice versa – the movie version of the emotional “The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas” was a huge disappointment.)

The Reader doesn’t disappoint on any level. Perhaps because of my personal experiences (a white South African born to the generation who voted the Apartheid government into power), this novel moved me in ways I can’t begin to describe.

Stripping away the love story between Michael and Hanna, the way this novel explored and articulated the nature of guilt reflected many of the questions in my own mind. The deceptively simple prose style is ideal for keeping the focus on the soul-wrenching and difficult issues the illogical love Michael feels for Hanna raises in the reader’s mind (excuse the pun.)

At times I wondered if Hanna wasn’t symbolic of Germany herself, and Michael’s statement “I wanted simultaneously to understand Hanna’s crime and to condemn it” is a poignant echo of the post-war (or, for that matter, post-apartheid) generation’s complex patriotism.

Is Hanna’s illiteracy and ignorance enough to excuse her? And is it a metaphor for previous generations of people the world over who were simply unaware of the darkness to which that ignorance/lack of education/whatever could lead them to? Should we condemn or understand them? And, if we condemn those who have lived before us, what will future generations – those yet-to-be-born generations who will have more knowledge on which to base their choices and actions than we have – find to condemn in our behaviour? Perhaps in a hundred years times vegetarian children will have to bear the guilt of previous generations who (considering themselves perfectly civilised and moral beings) today deliberately slaughter living creatures to eat.

This novel almost defies categorisation and review. As Michael himself says, “The tectonic layers of our lives rest so tightly one on top of the other that we always come up against earlier events in later ones, not as matter that has been fully formed and pushed aside, but absolutely present and alive. I understand this. Nevertheless, I sometimes find it hard to bear.”

Sometimes I find it hard to bear that I and my beloved parents – good, ordinary people, all of us, or so I like to think – were simply too concerned with bread-and-butter issues to fight the evil of apartheid and become heroes of “the struggle.” Sometimes I find it hard to bear that, just as the German psyche will never be entirely free of the guilt of the Holocaust, so the white South African psyche will never be entirely free of the guilt of Apartheid.

Bernhard Schlink does an admirable job in addressing a topic that raises difficult moral and legal questions, none of which has easy answers.

Kate Winslet in her Oscar winning performance as Hanna Schmitz

“The Reader” is a necessary read for anyone who needs to learn that there are three sides to every story in our collective and individual histories: the victim’s side, the oppressor’s side and the truth that can never be fully known or understood. As Michael says “Whatever I had done or not done, whatever [Hanna] had done or not done…it was the path my life had taken…there are many different stories in addition to the one I have written.”

There are no guarantees that the story of the good and evil that mankind is capable of will not be repeated: the victim may become the oppressor, the oppressor the victim. As I write this review, the Palestinians live in ghettos under Israeli rule. On Black Tuesday 22-11-11, in South Africa, the black ANC government has voted in favour of an information bill, which limits the democratic freedom of speech, while the good, ordinary people (as in previous eras) were too concerned with bread-and-butter issues to care about some law whose significance they didn’t fully comprehend.

So, who knows what those who find it easier to condemn than to understand would do if a malicious Fate places them in Hanna’s shoes? “What would you have done?” Hanna asks the judge presiding over her war crimes trial. But she got no answer and nor did she expect one.

This simply written tale is a melancholy and insightful book that will linger in my mind for a long time. While it gives no easy solutions, it does provoke a deep and thoughtful analysis of how the human spirit copes when confronted with deep and horrifying truths about one’s individual and collective identity.

Family Fun: The Thomas Tours

2011-11-26T08:00:00.000+02:00

Thomas McLennan

You know my husband Beric from his blog and you've met my Mom. You've also met my only sibling Iona's youngest child, Michael, and my sister-in-law's eldest son, David. Today - on Karen and David's wedding anniversary (Happy Anniversary!) - I'm introducing you to Thomas, their youngest son who has packed a lot of living into his short life, including a meeting with the former President Nelson Mandela.

I asked Thomas some questions:

Tell us about yourself

I am in my second year of studying business science, economics and law at UCT. I seem to spend much too much of my time on debating rather than academics, and both speaking at a universities level and also coaching and adjudicating schools level. I also am a fan of pub quiz's although I seem to have a terrible record at it! I also enjoy going to auctions and buying items I then struggle to resell.

Where do you live now?

I live in Cape Town, South Africa.

What does the future hold for you?

Thomas at the castle entrance in Prague

I have very little idea what my future holds, I have hopes of what will be in it, but nothing definite is laid out. As it stands I find law rather exciting and am keen to try to become an advocate, but who knows if that will still be the case in a week, month or year! I trust that whatever my future holds it will all work out for the best and I will do fine. I got onto my current degree course completely arbitrarily when a friend was told that they don't look like an actuary and so should study law and economics instead (I am not quite sure what the UCT admin person meant by this) but they promptly persuaded me to do the same. So far it has been going well, so I hope my luck continues.

What do you worry about most?

I should probably worry more about my academics and such, but truthfully my biggest worry is trying to make sure parents whose children I take on debating tours, make their payments and do the admin on time. As trivial as this seems, I have recently dicovered just how inefficient some parents are and just how confused people can get by simple procedures.

(Note from Judy: Thomas is an experienced debater and has successfully entered many national and international competitions. One of the highlights of his debating career was when the winning national debating team got to meet Nelson Mandela. See photo left, Thomas is standing first left behind the great Madiba.)

You’re a seasoned traveller. What is your favourite place in the world that you’ve visited? Why? Please share some photos with us.

Wow, this is a tough one. Each place has something about it that makes it special for me and these are things which are very hard to compare directly. I could not rank hearing the call to prayer echoing out over Istanbul as its hundreds of mosques played it simultaneously or eating a crepe under the Eiffel tower. However, on sheer number of sights, and the energy of the city, Prague and Venice must be two of the most amazing cities I have been too. They are filled with amazing sights sounds and food. Defiantly repeatable.

Thomas liked the bridges in Prague

How do you know when to take someone’s advice over your own intentions?

Well. I have done a lot of debating and it has influenced my way of thinking, so if somebody has a idea or stance that logically beats mine then I will happily go with theirs. However, this still entails me probably being a bit too stubborn and debater-ish and discussing the ideas out critically. I also normally base my approach of the idea that I am right and then if I can be proved wrong then I will go with the other option. Also, I don't mind disregarding advice if I deem the possible negative outcome as one which I don't mind, so no matter how much my friends tell me my tiny odds of success on roulette or that I should write a speech not just make them up as I go along, I will still do it. In essence, I am stubborn but beatable. (I don't think that really answers the question or is advicy, its just how I do things)

Thanks, Thomas, for taking the time from your busy schedule

to share your thoughts with us!

As I think of your considerable debating gifts, which have brought you so much success, I'm reminded of this eloquent excerpt from Shakespeare's "As You Like It" (II, vii):

    Enter ORLANDO (with his sword drawn)

ORLANDO

    Forbear, and eat no more.

DUKE SENIOR

    What would you have? Your gentleness shall force
    More than your force move us to gentleness.

ORLANDO

    I almost die for food; and let me have it.

DUKE SENIOR

    Sit down and feed, and welcome to our table.

ORLANDO

    Speak you so gently? Pardon me, I pray you:
    I thought that all things had been savage here;
    And therefore put I on the countenance
    Of stern commandment. But whate'er you are
    That in this desert inaccessible,
    Under the shade of melancholy boughs,
    Lose and neglect the creeping hours of time
    If ever you have look'd on better days,
    If ever been where bells have knoll'd to church,
    If ever sat at any good man's feast,
    If ever from your eyelids wiped a tear
    And know what 'tis to pity and be pitied,
    Let gentleness my strong enforcement be:
    In the which hope I blush, and hide my sword.

Thomas, enjoy your upcoming debating tour to Singapore.

Have a great trip!

Dona Nobis Pacem: Peace begins with a Smile

2011-11-04T06:00:00.001+02:00

As South Africa’s iconic leader, Nelson Mandela, points out, the quest for peace is indeed a cause for universal concern.

But how do ordinary people like you and I make a real difference in a world beset with troubles and hatred?

Peace begins with a smile, said Mother Theresa.

How right she was!

Can we have peace in a world in which so few people have peace within their own souls?

For, if we can’t even negotiate a small, personal peace — during an argument with our family members or our neighbours — how can we expect the world to live in peace?

Lasting peace begins within the parameters of our ordinary lives. Once we, as individuals, are able to live in peace and harmony with our own flaws and with an acceptance of the trivial differences that separate us from those people closest to us, then we will be able to help spread that peace to our neighbours, our communities, our nations and, ultimately, the world.

Today, along with nearly 100 other bloggers, I’m blogging for peace.

Tomorrow, and all the days that follow, I will strive for peace within myself. When I’m tired and I want to snap at my husband, I’ll try a smile of peace instead. When my neighbour plays his loud music incessantly, I’ll aim for a peaceful solution. And when the rude driver in the shopping mall steals my parking, I’ll attempt to keep my inner self calm and peaceful.

None of these actions seem like much but, like freedom, peace can only come from within.

No-one can disturb my peace: I can only give it away. If, no matter what the external circumstances, I can strive for peace within my soul, perhaps then I can be a flicker of hope in the midst of the chaos and confusion, the despair and sorrow that is overwhelmingly present in our world.

And, from that flicker of hope, from that simple smile, perhaps peace can spread from my heart to yours…and into the greater world beyond.

Peace be with you and yours, today and all the tomorrows that await.

Visit the founder of BlogBlast for Peace, Mimi Lennox and visit the links to other blogs to find out how peace is beginning to spread throughout the world...

Author Interview: Jessica Bell

2011-11-01T08:00:00.000+02:00

Today my author guest is Jessica Bell. An Australian, Jessica now lives in Athens, Greece and has recently had her novel "String Bridge" published. "String Bridge" is not your typical women's fiction. This is a story about a woman filled with regret who still finds the courage to strive towards her dreams. Can you tell us more, Jessica?

How would you describe String Bridge to someone who has not heard of it before? I hope you don’t mind if I quote an author friend of mine to answer this. The way she describes it flatters me so much and I can’t possibly thank her enough! "Jessica's prose has a wonderful lyrical quality that transcends preconceived (and often incorrect) literary boundaries. As Jessica would concede, every word, every sentence, every paragraph is written and re-written until the page sings … Jessica’s work overflows with exquisite description, perfect metaphors, tight dialogue, and brilliant use of sensory detail. Somehow she has the ability to take a seemingly ordinary three-chord type story and turn it into a mainstage event.” Dawn Ius, Bridge Social Media

What was your favorite section of the book and why? I can’t really answer this without spoiling the story, so I’m just going to say that my favorite part of the book is the darkest part. I really struggled to write this section of the book. I even put it off until the very end because I dreaded experiencing the emotions. Of course, I had to eventually. Cried the whole time I wrote it. It’s very raw and a little shocking too. I still can’t believe some of the material in this novel came from me!

Who do you imagine is your ideal reader? Any woman from the age of 18 and up. I don’t think it’s very appropriate for young teens as some of the language and images can get a bit coarse. The story may be centred on music and motherhood and marriage, but ultimately it’s about overcoming loss. And I think every person on this planet can relate to that. I also think some men would get something worthwhile out of it too. Even if they can’t identify with the story, I think they’d at least be able appreciate the way in which it’s written.

Which book do you wish you’d written and why? I think I’ve said this over and over in answer to various questions. Housekeeping, by Marilynne Robinson. I don’t think I’ve ever read such a brilliant piece of literary work in my life. In my opinion, it’s even better than any of the classics I’ve read, and I’ve read plenty.

What famous person, living or dead, would you invite for a tête-à-tête, and why? Oh my, there are so many inspirational people I would love to invite such as Patty Smith, Nick Cave, Marilynne Robinson, Margaret Atwood, Raymond Carver, Gwen Harwood, Anne Lamott, Kate Bush, Joni Mitchell, Elliot Smith and many more. But, I guess my first choice is PJ Harvey. Her music has boosted my passion for every single creative endeavour I have pursued. Really, she just pushes the right buttons. I can’t tell you exactly what buttons they are, but they definitely make something inside me spark.

Vedrana Rudan is a Croation journalist turned author. In an interview with Ana Lucic she said this, "I am a human being who lives in a country in an age that allows the poor only one weapon in their duel with life, and that’s swearing. Swearing is the scream of a victim, their only normal way of speech." When Beric and I travelled through Croatia, we were struck by the poverty, which we didn’t expect in a European country. How do you feel about her statement and what do you think of swearing in novels? I think what Ana says is brilliant and certainly holds a decent amount of validity in this day and age. There is nothing wrong with swearing. Sometimes it’s almost like tool to release an unwanted abundance of emotion. I understand that concept completely. I have no problem with swearing in novels. In fact, there is a decent amount of it in String Bridge. The thing is, it’s there for a reason. And that reason stems from the fact that swearing in a language that is not your own often seems like a game and it doesn’t tend to have the same impact as swearing in one’s mother tongue to the person uttering the words. But it does to the person on the receiving end. I explore this concept in String Bridge. Basically, what I’m saying is, it needs to be there for a reason. Even if that reason is as simple as it being a character trait (i.e. the person swears a lot just for the sake of it). I resent it when readers claim that an author uses too many swear words. Writers have a reason for doing everything. Sometimes we mull over a single sentence for hours. Nothing is ever there for the sake of it. Also, what’s the big deal? They’re just words. It’s not murder.

Where can we find out more about "String Bridge"?

Buy the soundtrack (Note from Judy: Jessica's voice and lyrics are terrific!)

iTunes

Amazon.com

AmazonUK

Buy your paperback copy of "String Bridge"

Barnes and Noble

Amazon.com

Amazon.uk

Jessica, thanks for an interesting view into your world. Wishing you the best of luck with your story and looking forward to your next book!

A Wounded Name

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000+02:00

South Africa is a country with a bad-ass reputation.

Newspaper headlines blare MURDER CENTRAL! HIGHEST RAPES PER DAY! And don’t forget our recent history: APARTHEID!

This darkness is part of our past and our present, but what the scaremongers conveniently forget is that every country has its demons, just as every country has its moments of glory.

South Africa is not only a land of darkness; she is also a land of hope and glory and great natural beauty.

There is much to inspire us. The iconic Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu head the list, but we also have Oscar Pistorious, a double amputee athlete known as the Blade Runner, because instead of flesh-and-blood legs, he runs on steel prostheses. Dr. Chris Barnard, who performed the world’s first-ever successful heart transplant was born in the Karoo and performed his world famous operations in Cape Town. And did you know that the great JR Tolkien was born in Bloemfontein?

The list of South Africa’s achievements goes on and on, and includes nine Nobel Laureates: three medical, four peace and two literature prize winners.

Two Nobel Literature prize winners? J M Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer have both won the Nobel Prize for Literature. And don’t forget J M Coetzee was the first author ever to win the coveted Man Booker Prize twice.

Eish!* South Africa’s current literary scene has a big history to live up to.

There was the short story writer Herman Charles Bosman, who is best known for the Oom Schalk Lourens series set in the Marico region and for his semi-autobiographical book, Cold Stone Jug, based on his experiences in prison, where he served a sentence for killing his step-brother. Between his Bohemian life-style and satirical sketches of rural Afrikaans life, Bosman also found the time to translate the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam into Afrikaans.

Olive Schreiner is best remembered today for her highly acclaimed novel The Story of an African Farm (1883.) For a Victorian woman, Schreiner was ground-breaking in her free-thinking views: the novel deals with some of the critical issues of the day, including agnosticism, career aspirations of women and an insightful portrayal of the elemental nature of life on the colonial frontier. But Schreiner was no radical, for her writings tend to hint at universal values such as moderation, peace and co-operation among people, rather than promoting socio-political causes, such as feminism or anti-racism.

During the apartheid era, many of the most influential anti-apartheid activists were local South African writers. There was JM Coetzee and Nadine Gordimer, who was a close friend of Nelson Mandela's defence attorneys during his 1962 trial. When Mandela was released from prison in 1990, Gordimer was one of the first people he wanted to see.

Alan Paton, Andre Brink and Breyten Breytenbach all wrote passionately against the apartheid regime: perhaps for personal reasons, but their voices were effective nonetheless. One wonders what was discussed at the Sunday lunch table in the prominent Afrikaans Breytenbach family, for Breyten Breytenbach’s brother was Colonel Jan Breytenbach, who formed the elite 32 Battalion - known as the Buffalo Battalion - of the South African Defence Force; in the brilliant movie “Blood Diamond,” Leonardo di Caprio’s tragic character, Danny Archer, had served in 32B.

Our literary history also includes some well-respected poets, such as Guy Butler and Roy Campbell. In his poetry, Butler strove for the synthesis of European and African elements into a single voice, while Campbell was considered by T. S. Eliot and Dylan Thomas to have been one of the best poets of the early 20th century.

In contemporary South Africa, we have a vibrant literary community.
Writers such as Lauren Beukes (who won the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award) and Sifiso Mzobe (whose debut novel Young Blood won both the Herman Charles Bosman Prize and the 2011 Sunday Times Literary Award for Fiction) carry the torch of South African literature high.

South African authors today reflect the literary voices of this wounded nation as she struggles to throw off the demons of her past and overcome the challenges of her present.

And it is their myriad voices that are helping to rebuild South Africa’s reputation: one that will match the warmth and hope of a country battered and scarred by dark memories, yet ever hopeful of a future glory.

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*“Eish!” A catch-all South African exclamation that expresses anything from surprise to annoyance. Not allowed to appear in print without an exclamation mark.
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This post first appeared on The Literary Lab blog in September 2011.
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Author Interview: Michelle Davidson Argyle

2011-10-03T02:00:00.001+02:00

Today we welcome multi-published author Michelle Davidson Argyle (left) to share some thoughts on her latest novel, Monarch, recently published by Rhemalda Press.

What sparked the idea for Monarch?

Monarch came about over a period of a few years. I wrote three short stories from which I gleaned the idea, but I think the original idea came from reading Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek where she has a section about monarch butterflies - and it's so moving and beautiful that I wanted to capture something like that in a novel. Of course, knowing me, I had to go and throw spies into the mix. *smile*

Which part of researching Monarch was the most personally interesting to you? Were there any facts or themes that you would have liked to include, but they just didn't make into the story?

I think the most interesting research was looking into the CIA. Just try getting straight facts on a government agency which prides itself on secrecy! I ended up reading a few biographies from now-retired CIA operatives. That gave me a lot of insight into how the agency is run, for the most part. Of course, my worst nightmare is that a real CIA officer or employee will read my book and just die laughing at how wrong it all it is!

As far as anything that I wanted to include, absolutely! I wanted a scene in Mexico with the butterflies. I wanted to include more about the illegal logging, but it just didn't fit into the plot and would have slowed the story down.

What is the toughest battle Nick must face in Monarch?

Nick's toughest battle is learning to face to his own heart and how he truly feels about his loved ones. This, of course, affects how he treats and thinks about them. This, in turn, seeps into his fledgling relationship with his new love interest, Lilian. He's never quite sure how he feels about his wife's suicide - and his daughter who could have stopped it. In reality, Nick is in limbo with his emotions. He's fine running around keeping everyone from physical harm, but when it comes to his heart, he's in that cocoon stage trying to figure out when and how he'll emerge.

When writing a novel, how do you develop and differentiate your characters?

That's tough to say. Honestly, much of my novel character development happens on a subconscious level. I do write outlines, and I will write out character traits, but only loosely. In respect to characters, I like them to develop organically. If I try to force them into pre-made little boxes, I run into nothing but trouble.

What was the book that most influenced your life — and why?

I'd have to say Annie Dillard's Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. I mentioned that book up above. It's not a novel, but a mixture of memoir, philosophy, poetry, and reflection. It's absolutely incredible, and literally turned me around to writing fiction instead of focusing on editing in my schooling. It's odd that a nonfiction book turned me onto fiction, but it was from that book that I wrote my short story, "Clover," and from that which two of my college professors said I had an amazing gift and should seriously consider creative writing instead of technical writing. I'll never forget that moment.

American author Susan Daitch once said "I feel a certain amount of embarrassment, a lack of preciousness about my work, and would rewrite all of them given half a chance . . . Once the books are in print I have to turn the spines against the wall." When you reread your own novels at a later stage, how do you feel about them?

That's sad for Susan! I usually always want to rewrite things, but there's a drive in me that won't let me leave my books untouched on a shelf. One of the main reasons I started writing novels in the first place was because there aren't other books out there that tell the stories I wanted to read...so I have to tell them. Because of that, one of my greatest joys in life has been reading my own fiction, and I must say that getting it published and reading it in such a polished, beautiful printed format, is even better! I think it will be a sad day that I don't read my own fiction once it's "finished." It's true that a book is never finished, only abandoned, but I'm still happy to enjoy it even once I've abandoned it to publishing.

You can read my review of Monarch here.

To thank Michelle for her time, I'm giving away a FREE PRINT COPY of MONARCH to one lucky reader. To enter, for the draw, please leave a comment below and on the 10th October 2011, I'll use Randomizer.org to pick the name of the winner.

Family Fun: David Dishes the Dirt

2011-10-01T07:30:00.000+02:00

David McLennan

You met my sister's son Michael Cockerill on his birthday a month ago. Today you'll get to meet another handsome young man: David McLennan is our nephew from my husband's side of the family, the eldest son of Karen and David, my husband's sister and brother-in-law (who own the unique and fabulous Select Books in Long Street Cape Town.)

Coincidentally, our two eldest nephews, Michael and David, were born exactly a month apart: Michael on 1/09/1988 and David on 1/10/1988! In the Chinese zodiac, that makes them both Dragons!

And, yes, you guessed it: today is David's birthday! Happy birthday David!

1. Tell us about yourself

I'm 23 years old (as of today) and am currently working on a business I started with some friends. It's in the accommodation industry but we just chose that area as a relevant field to apply our interest in building internet businesses. I went to both school and university in Cape Town but have also studied at UC Berkeley in California and Sun-Yat Sen University in Guangzhou. I read relatively widely with a serious non-fiction bias, enjoy playing golf, support Western Province and am a petrolhead & technology enthusiast.

A street bin in Berkeley, California

2. Where do you live now?

I currently live in Cape Town, South Africa and plan to do so in the long term. In the short term I may have to spend some time in California for my business. If this turns out to be the case I would probably stay in Mountain View AKA the most livable part of Silicon Valley!

David's view of Cape Town

3. What does the future hold for you?

Hopefully some exciting stuff! In the short term the plan is to get my internet company to the point where I'm working on really interesting products with awesome investors. Longer term I'd like to be investing in interesting new tech ideas as a VC based in Cape Town. Along the way I will be pursuing my other interests - photography, golf, traveling and history to list a few.

4. What do you worry about most?

Whether I'm working on the most interesting things and spending time with the right people. Life is too short to not get these right. Other than that I try not to worry too much - it's really inefficient. Especially about things that have already happened - I never second guess myself. It's more important to always be prepared to change direction in the case of being wrong than spend too long worrying over what decision to take.

5. You’re a seasoned traveller. What is your favourite place in the world that you’ve visited? Why? Please share some photos with us.

I have different favourite places based on my reasons for travelling! Other than Cape Town the only place I'd be happy to stay longer than a month or two is Berkeley or Mountain View - both near San Francisco in California. A nice climate, friendly people and great ideas make this the most livable part of America for me. New York is exciting to visit but it's too built-up for me to enjoy staying there.

David in Shanghai, China

For historical interest my favourite city is definitely Athens - I've always been interested in classical Greece and seeing firsthand the temples and other artifacts was really interesting. For the cheesy tourist experience everyone has to do at least once nothing beats Venice! Shanghai is the most inspiring city I've visited - you can't visit and not feel how crazy the future is going to be.

A view of Athens, taken in very high temperatures!

6. What were you talked out of doing that you are going to do the next time you have a chance?

I can't actually think of anything... I think it's mainly because I don't really let myself get talked out of doing things I want to do - I've got fairly good by now at listening to my gut and going with that. I guess I'm also not really prone to doing the kind of crazy things that require talking out of!

David does New York, New York!

Ah, just remembered one thing - I wanted to finance my 2009 trip to America with a USD denominated loan but my friends said it would be too complicated. If I had just ignored them and found a way to do it I would have saved perhaps 30% on my trip by now...

Well, DKB, now I know why you're always so busy and on-the-go! And, as it's your birthday, I'd like to gift you with the following beautiful poem by author Daphne Rose Kingma:

For it is in loving, as well as in being loved,

that we become most truly ourselves.

No matter what we do, say, accomplish, or become,

it is our capacity to love that ultimately defines us.

In the end, nothing we do or say in this lifetime
will matter as much as the way we have loved another.

David, we wish you success and enough love to last more than a lifetime!

If, at first, you don’t succeed…by Claire Robyns

2011-09-26T07:30:00.000+02:00

Today's guest blogger is Carina Press author Claire Robyns, who will tell what to do if, at first, you don't succeed...

Rewrite, rewrite and rewrite again.

There’s one publishing mantra that gets drummed into authors from the beginning of their quest for publication, “Put that one away and start something new.”

Sound familiar?

And, actually, that’s not bad advice. I’ve done it a few times more than I’d have liked. But what if there’s one story that won’t go quietly? Slightly troublesome, ever so brazen and utterly stubborn!

Well, you don’t give up.

Buy the eBook
from Carina Press

Can She Outwit Fate?

Gemma is on a collision course with heartbreak. At least, according to the fortune-teller her best friend drags her to see.

Gemma doesn't believe a word of it, but when other predictions start to come true, she begins to suspect that gorgeous, gray-eyed Nick is the man foretold to break her heart before she can find her soul mate. Too bad she's never met a man she's wanted more, because now she has to get him to dump her before she falls too hard.

Nick has plans of his own.

He's ready to settle down with Ms. Right, and everything points to the beautiful Gemma. He's determined to prove to her that he's the perfect boyfriend—even if she does seem to be trying her best to scare him off…

The first version of Second-Guessing Fate was written almost entirely on a plane as I travelled extensively between Cape Town and Johannesburg for work during that period. At that time, I was determined to be published in category style romance, even though I kept getting told I had too much external plot and too many important secondary characters. Stubborn as I am, I wrote the book I wanted, subbed to the publisher I wanted, and got rejected. Not totally unexpected and not the first time I’d fallen down this hole.

Obviously something had to change and it wasn’t going to be the type of stories I loved writing. So it would have to be the publisher I was subbing to.

I rewrote the story, changing the point of view (POV) from 3^rd person to 1^st, jazzed it up to my heart’s delight now I didn’t have those category restrictions, and shopped it out to agents in the UK. Over here, it’s practically impossible to get published without an agent. And it’s practically impossible to get an agent, but that’s another story for another time :)

A few nibbles.

No bites.

Obviously something had to change and it wasn’t going to be the UK publishing business.

I changed the (POV) back to 3^rd person and relocated from London to Manhattan. I practically rewrote the book, but kept the main characters, the theme and plot thread.

And it wasn’t long before my wonderful publisher, Carina Press, said they loved Second-Guessing Fate and went to contract.

If you’re in the mood for a couple of laughs, you can read the first two chapters of Second-Guessing Fate here

Thanks for having me here, Judy! :)
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Claire, it was my pleasure. After all that hard work re-writing this novel, we wish you top ratings and mega-sales for your new release.
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My review of Claire's fun, flirty and fabulous contemporary romance Second-Guessing Fate is up on Goodreads and Library Thing.
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You can buy you own copy of Second-Guessing Fate from Carina Press, Barnes and Noble Nook and Amazon.

I'm Versatile (or maybe just unfocused!)

2011-09-23T08:00:00.000+02:00

Thanks to Carina Press author Claire Robyns for nominating me for "The Versatile Blogger" award! That sounds much better than being an "unfocused" blogger - my blog reflects my eclectic tastes and therefore, so I've read, breaks all the good blogging rules.

To claim my award I must share 7 things about myself you may not know:

1. I've wanted to be a writer from about age 12, but never had the confidence, so I only started writing in my 40's!

2. I'm always on diet but never seem to lose weight (maybe all those chocolates have something to do with it?)

3. I prefer a mild temperature - one of the reasons my parents left Zimbabwe was because I was always getting sick from the heat in the hot months.

4. No matter how many extra language lessons I take, I can still only speak English. In a country where there are 11 official languages, and most people speak three or four of those official languages, I feel embarrassed at my complete inability to learn another language.

5. I'm a terrible procrastinator. I put things off as much as I can, especially starting new things (like a new novel or a new diet)

6. I'm cat mad (maybe this should be number 1?) I was 6 months old when I got my first cat and have had cats ever since. Husband had to choose between a dog or me and my cats! He said it was a hard decision, but luckily me & my cats pipped the canines at the post!

7. I'm addicted to blogging and social media. It's very sad really, but what can I do?

I also have to pass this award on to new blogs I've recently discovered:

Positive Letters...Inspirational Stories: Hilary talks through a variety of topics, and always in such a positive, happy way I leave her blog smiling!

Frances Garrod: Author Frances Garrod has a way with words. Her blog posts are short, sweet and often hilarious (and sometimes serious)

Tabouleh: Lana's blog is full of wisdom and culture from an unusual part of the world.

40 and Loving it (well, mostly): Follow Canadian Barbara on her heart wrenching journey of grief

Simon Hay Soul Healer: Magical. That's all I can say. Magical.

Meandering in a Field of Words: Jennas's blog meanders through a variety of topics on how life can be an inspiration for writing

Cold as Heaven: For keeping me reading about everything from trips to Moscow to tales of Winterland.

One Stoned Crow: His blog makes me appreciate how lucky I am to live on this beautiful amazing continent, Africa.

And there we go. Have fun browsing. And, if you get chance remember to visit Claire's blog - she's launching her new novel "Second Guessing Fate" on 26 September and will be having an orgy of launch prizes - the pre-launch party giveaways have already started!

The Key to an Author's Heart

2011-09-19T07:30:00.000+02:00

Giovanni Gelati

Today my guest is the versatile and charismatic Giovanni Gelati, writer of the Fiction Book Blog "Gelati's Scoop"; host of the Blogtalk Radio Show The G-ZONE; Marketing and Social Media Consultant; Graphic Design Artist; Owner and Operator of G-ZONE Media; and published author with Trestle Press.

Giovanni is going to give us The Key to an Author's Heart:

Question: How many novels, books, ebooks (digital short stories, novellas, full length work) have you purchased over time? Tens, Hundreds, Thousands?

Now ask and answer yourself truthfully how many ratings have you left? One, Two, maybe Five? A bit disproportionate don’t you think? Why is that? Why would you purchase something to read and then not voice your opinion on it? Do you feel that your voice is too small? Maybe you think that what you think or have to say doesn’t matter?

I can attest to the fact that if you are thinking like that you are way off base and wrong, way wrong. I have yet to interact with an author that has not thanked me for my thoughts and opinion. They are what they work for.

If you haven’t noticed, the keys to the executive gatekeeper suites have been handed to out to everybody that reads and wants to express themselves in one form or another.

I personally love that I get to hold one now. It is shiny, fits very well on my key ring and I exercise that right every day I can. The authors that really are in this for the right reasons do this for only one reason: to satisfy us as readers.

You did not hear that first here, I can guarantee you that, but it is true and needs to be reinforced.

Has word of mouth advertising died? No, it is stronger than ever!

Than why not do the things that can really elevate your opinion, throw your stone into the pond and make a ripple? Have YOUR voice heard! Have YOUR desires met as a customer, leave that rating on Amazon, Goodreads, Library Thing and your various social networks.

The authors that work so hard to get noticed, that want that love, that desire the feedback, that need to know what YOU think of their hard work, their solitary labor now out there in the world for all to see, anxiously wait next to their laptops, waiting to see how many ratings they have and what they are. Did they think I suck? If so why? What can I do as a writer better to satisfy those that wish to read my work?

Do you want your key?

It is and has been waiting for you. Turn it and open up a new world to yourself, one that should be a happy place, one that should offer you power, validation, sense of community, pride, and belonging. The INNER CIRCLE awaits those that chose to enter, no invitation is necessary now, which has been handed out a while ago, to everyone, no exclusions, and all are invited to attend.

What is your choice? How do you want your voice to be heard?

I say make it loud, do your thing, but do it with respect and reverence as a holder of power should.

A wise old man once said: “With great power comes great responsibility.” It is all too true. Heed those words and enter the door of your power: the authors are waiting to hear from you!

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As you can see from my blogpost "The Prerogative of the Harlot" I agree with your last points, Giovanni! As writers and readers we have great power and great responsibility. Authors have the power to influence people with the words. Readers have the power to make or break an author's career. Authors have the responsibility to publish only the very best work they can. And readers have the responsibility to treat the author's hard work with respect, irrespective of whether they like the story or not.

What do you think the key to an author's heart is?

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You can find Giovanni on Twitter as @gelatiscoop and on Facebook as Giovanni Gelati
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If you purchase a Trestle Press title, and want to reach out to the author on a one-on-one basis, and for whatever reason cannot find them, please email Giovanni directly and he will make sure you connect to the author. Trestle Press authors want to talk to you; they want to know what your opinions are, and what you think could make them better to deliver the type of content that satisfies you as a reader. Here is Giovanni's email address: gelati.giovanni@gmail.com

Can you sever Love from Charity?

2011-09-12T06:00:00.003+02:00

I love quotes. Why try and say something succinct when someone far more famous than I'll ever be has already said it perfectly?

In “Dancing in the Shadows of Love” I wanted to use quotes as a road map for my readers. Each chapter has a quote from Shakespeare as a sub-heading. All of these quotes, except for the last chapter’s quote, come from Shakespeare’s tragedies.

I also needed a quote to place the novel in a general context.

Years ago, before I started this novel, there was one quote that, to me, encapsulated the main theme of the story: what is love?

My first choice of an opening quote for "Dancing in the Shadows of Love" was the famous definition of love found in the New Testament, in 1 Corinthians 13:13 which, in the traditional King James Bible, reads:

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three;

but the greatest of these is charity.

But take a look at this same verse from the New American Standard Bible (NASB):

But now faith, hope, love, abide these three;

but the greatest of these is love.

Isn’t it interesting that modern versions of the Bible have substituted the word “love” for the word “charity”?

Foreign translations are also ambivalent in which word to use. The Louis Segond French translation is:

Maintenant donc ces trois choses demeurent: la foi, l'espérance, la charité;

mais la plus grande de ces choses, c'est la charité

But La Bible du Semeur (as well as Italian and Spanish versions) specifically uses the word "love":

En somme, trois choses demeurent: la foi, l'espérance et l'amour,

mais la plus grande d'entre elles, c'est l'amour.

Aah! How romantic that word l'amour sounds!

Left: I was brought up on the King James Bible, which uses the word "charity" in 1 Corinthians 13:13. Our family bible, which has the date 1st June, 1895 inscribed on the inside front cover, is the King James Bible. This was read to me with my mother's milk: my Dad is of the old school, he still reads his Bible out loud morning and evening, as did his dad, and his dad.

Why have modern translations (from 19^th century on, particularly late 19^thcentury) started using the word “love” in 1 Corinthians 13:13?

From what I can gather this was to move away from the concept of charity as "almsgiving.” I’m not a theologian and, unable to read either Hebrew or Ancient Greek (which is on my bucket list!), I can’t go into the scholarly debate on the veracity of the KJV text and the source transcripts used (the original translators ignored the Latin Vulgate in use and went to Greek and Hebrew texts as their sources).

But the way I understand Paul's true meaning in this verse is based on the archaic meaning of the word “charity.” Not as “almsgiving,” but as agape: compassion, a kindly and lenient attitude towards people or love of one’s fellow men. In other words, Divine Love.

In “Dancing in the Shadows of Love,” Lulu, Jamila and Zahra constantly search for love. They explore various forms of love: eros (erotic or romantic love), storge (family affection), phileo (friendship) and, finally, they each reach a point where they can, if they so choose, explore the highest form of love: charity, or agape.

Do the three women choose to embrace the Divine Love offered to them at their moment of truth or do they reject the ultimate form of love that exists? You’ll have to read the book to find out!

And, despite its profound influence on the story, when you do read “Dancing in the Shadows of Love,” you won’t find 1 Corinthians 13:13 quoted anywhere in the book (although you may find it tattooed somewhere!) As the characters grew and the story took shape into a more universal view of love, I found a more appropriate opening quote to contextualize the story:

There is only one language, the language of the Heart.

There is only one religion, the religion of Love.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba (Mystic, 1926-2011)

In this multi-cultural world where good people, compassionate people, are defined more by what’s in their hearts than by the organised religion they subscribe too, the idea of agape – Divine Love – as a spiritual, rather than a religious, concept appeals to me. After all, isn’t that what Paul was saying when he said that charity, or love, is greater even than faith or hope?

In the final chapters of “Dancing in the Shadows of Love,” Lulu, Jamila and Zahra have to choose between faith, hope and charity knowing that making choices can sometimes lead to tragic consequences: the risks and challenges these three women must face in their search for love are veiled in the quotes from Shakespeare’s tragedies which begin each chapter…except for the quote from one of Shakespeare comedies, which introduces the final chapter:

“Charity itself fulfils the law,

And who can sever love from charity?”

Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act IV, Sc iii, Line 363

Yes, indeed. In a world where wars are fought in the name of religions, perhaps the answer lies in reminding ourselves that love and charity are synonymous with Divine Love, irrespective of the shape or form the Divine Being we may choose to worship assumes.

How would you define the relationship between love and charity?

Can you live in the present?

2011-09-07T10:10:00.001+02:00

In today’s busy world, how often do we attempt to juggle the different activities — our jobs, our families, our personal goals — in our lives?

If your life is anything like mine, I’m constantly manipulating my time. I steal a moment here to tackle that load of dirty washing or a moment there to do some writing, all the while trying to keep a sense of balance and order in my life.

Often I’m overwhelmed by a feeling of being fractured by all the demands placed on me.

“Stop!” I want to yell (and sometimes do!) “I’m only one person!”...read the rest of my guest blog post "Moment to Moment" over at blogging friend Lana's blog "Tabouleh".

I'd love to have you come and join the chat!

Family Fun: Michael Moves On

2011-09-01T06:00:00.001+02:00

Michael, all grown up in July 2011

Today is a very special day.

Not only is it Spring Day here in the southern hemisphere, yes, it's officially spring down south! - but on this day, way back in 1988 my sister delivered into the world the most gorgeous, the most handsome, the most delightful baby boy, my nephew Michael Benjamin Cockerill!

Michael's middle name is Benjamin, named after his Da. Many of you know my Dad has recently been very ill. This reinforced for me, once again, how much my family enriches my life.

Over the next few months I'll be introducing you to the different members of my family through a series of Q and A interviews.

Here are Michael's answers:

1)Tell us about yourself

Michael hard at work during his Mining Engineering course

As of today, I am a 23 yr old male, surprise, surprise, with the name Michael, who has recently finished a BEng Mining Engineering degree at the Camborne School of Mines in the United Kingdom. I'm an avid sports player with Hockey being my predominant sport and have a burning desire to succeed in life.

2) Where do you live now?

I am currently between South Africa and United Kingdom with plans to emigrate to Australia in January 2012, where I start my first job at Newlands Colliery, Queensland, about 860km northwest of Brisbane . But before then I'll be spending some time working in England. In September I'll be travelling to Liberia and at the end of October I'll spend a few weeks doing voluntary wildlife rehabilitation work at the Moholoholo Rehabilitation Centre in South Africa.

3) What does the future hold for you?

Michael and his Sophie

Good things, hopefully! Being a mining engineer, a large portion of my future will undoubtably involve travel, hopefully this will be accompanied by a companion in whom I will be able to confide.

4)What do you worry about most?

My biggest worry is that I will not succeed. True story!

5) You’re a seasoned traveller. What is your favourite place in the world that you’ve visited? Why? Please share some photos with us.

Although having travelled through many places in the world, I must say the most incredible experience I have had must be to the Pilansberg Nature Reserve in January 2011, with my girlfriend, Sophie le Butt. The trip was incredible, from the reserve, ivory tree lodge, to the wildlife in the park, so abundant and healthy! See piccys below! All taken with a Nikon D60, Tamron lens 18-200 on Auto setting.

Fluffy & curious baby zebra

Sunset in the Pilansberg

Hippo showing off

6) What do you think has changed about yourself in the last five years?

I think in the past 5 years, having had the experience that I have with university away from home after having had a very cushy home life, I think the biggest difference and changes that I have noticed is my maturity, having grown up to be a person with a proper understanding of multicultural views which I believe is of the utmost importance in this ever changing world.

There's not only the big five to admire.
Can you see the dung beetle?
These industrious creatures push balls of dung
many times their own weight.

Lunch time for a giraffe

Rhino trying to look mean,
but only succeeding in looking dozy!

Lioness walking with her pride (males below)

Can you see the chompers on the front lion?

Thankfully social media allows us to keep in touch no matter where in the world Michael is travelling (except, perhaps some of the less inhabited places he visits!) so when he starts his Australian adventure, we'll still be able to keep up with each other's lives.

There is one thing I want Michael to take with him as he moves on in his life. In his interview, he speaks of his burning desire to succeed in this world. I want to gift him with this poem, which already describes the type of person he is:

SUCCESS

by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people

and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty,

To find the best in others,

To leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived.

This is to have succeeded.

We love you, Michael!

Shakespeare in the Shadows

2011-08-29T12:21:00.005+02:00

Each chapter in my novel Dancing in the Shadows of Love begins with a quotation from one of the greatest writers ever to have lived: William Shakespeare.

Within the quote lies the essence of the chapter it introduces; each quote hints at the arc the character follows as they grow throughout the novel.

For those of you who like to source their quotes, you'll find a complete list of the quotes used, which of Shakespeare's plays it comes from and the full quote on the Dancing in the Shadows of Love blog.

So, what do you think? If you've read the novel, do you think each quote accurately reflects what happens in the chapter? And did you notice that the all the sub-heading quotes - except the last chapter - are from the tragedies? Why do you think the last chapter is the only one which has a quote from a comedy?

“Charity itself fulfils the law,

And who can sever love from charity?”

(Love’s Labour’s Lost, Act IV, Sc iii, Line 363)

Next month I'll go into more detail about the significance of this quote from Love's Labour's Lost!

Where have all the Book Reviews gone?

2011-08-22T02:00:00.011+02:00

For those of you who have missed my book reviews and wondered whether I've stopped reading, I'm now a member of Goodreads and also Library Thing. I'm now posting all my book reviews on both sites. These are both wonderful "bookish" communities and I intend to do a lot more reading and a lot less blogging in future!

All my DVD reviews will be posted on Amazon.com.

In the sidebar to the right, you'll see a widget that shows the books I've recently read. Scroll over a cover, click the link and you'll be taken to the relevant Goodreads page.

In celebration of my recent conversion to self-publishing, I've been reading numerous self-published novels. I'm so impressed with the unique creativity in each of the books.

The only concern I have is that some of the self-pubbed books, particularly those published in e-book only, do need more attention paid to formating and typing errors. But the loss of technical perfection is more than made up for by the vivid imaginations and wide array of interesting perspectives.

Click on each link below to read my reviews on some recently self-published books:

The Brevity of Roses by Linda Cassidy Lewis (5*)
The Wild Grass and Other Stories by Davin Malarsan (5*)
Cinders by Michelle Argylle Davidson (4*)
Grief's Bounty by Sandy Goulding (4*)
The Bear with Two Shadows by Roland D Yeomans (4*)

Not only will my book reviews be migrating, but I will be too. I'm going back to the basics of what being an author is all about: writing and reading. I'll still be hanging around the blog-o-sphere, updating my blog and visiting blogging friends, but you'll mainly find me hanging out at Goodreads and LibraryThing. I'm looking forward to seeing you there!

Springing Dad free from Hospital

2011-08-18T10:37:00.002+02:00

Wrapped up warmly, Dad heads home!
Mom in brown bomber jacket behind nurse;
big sister Iona in check shirt.

YAY!! Dad is home where he belongs. He's still very ill and frail, but he's home where we can fuss over him as much as he needs. The doctors and staff of Morningside MediClinic and the staff of ER24 ambulance service were great!

Thank you one and all for the heartwarming support in so many big and small ways.

An especially big thanks to my darling hubby who was, as always a steady, solid rock of calm in the centre of the storm. And to my big sister Iona and her husband Ian who flew back here from their UK home.

Today I must spend the day wading my way through 11 days of dirty washing and then my next task is to catch up on blog visits and tweeting!

Update on my Dad

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000+02:00

I'm a believer in the power of prayer - I don't care what shape or form prayer takes, but the power of the Divine is out there...in a friend's biblical quote (John 14:27) to blogging & yoga friends sending me kind thoughts, lighting candles and doing meditations. In the 24 hours since I spoke of Dad, his improvement is remarkable. The long term damage is severe, so we're on a sharp learning curve, but he's a fighter & a survivor. Thanks to all for the support and care.

My Dad

2011-08-13T08:45:00.002+02:00

I'll be off social media until further notice as my beloved Dad had a major brain stem stroke last Sunday, so my attention is with him. Will catch up when I can.

The Last Post by Judy Croome

The old bull falls to his knees, his tusks gouging another furrow in the rough stubby grass as he struggles to rise one last time. He trumpets an angry roar, but still it does not help: he lies on his side as the sun rises higher and higher. His eyes drift shut…and the dust settles slowly around him.

Dad and me as baby

Dad had his first stroke at the end of November 2010.
Here the two of us celebrate my niece Nikki's engagement in December 2010.

We're so blessed to have Dad with us this year.
Here he is with my sister, Iona, and my Mom, Dawn, at Umdloti in March 2011

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers. I'll reply to everyone as and when I can, but know that I appreciate all comments and, most especially, the prayers, love and support.

Setting the Scene

2011-08-08T15:21:00.001+02:00

Have you ever devoured a novel so fast you couldn’t put it down? You finish the novel, slightly dazed by the speed at which the author tumbled you along the character’s journey, and wonder how she did it. How did she keep you gripped from Page 1 all the way to the end?

Just as a builder will build a house, brick by brick, interweaving them for strength and cementing them together with neat little twists of his trowel, so an author will carefully build a novel, scene by scene, each scene interwoven with those on either side of it and cemented together with neat little twists of conflict.

Like the sturdy brick, scenes have a job to do: they must either advance the story or illuminate a character.

Sometimes, when you don’t enjoy a novel, it helps to go back and unpack each scene.

Louise Erdrich is one of my favourite authors. Her voice, her language, her topics speak to me on a level that very few modern authors do. So I was sadly disappointed when I read her latest novel “Shadow Tag”…until I looked more closely at the conflict that drove a few of the scenes.

Here are the three scenes I analysed:

Scene 1: Page 67-72

Characters: Irene and Louise

Conflict: The overt conflict was the build-up to Louise’s confession that she is Irene’s half-sister (they shared the same father) The more subtle conflict was the contrast between the two women’s childhoods and how that affected who they are today. Louise’s mother married a good man, and Louise had a stable childhood in the city. She’s at ease with her sexuality and is in a stable, loving lesbian relationship. Irene’s childhood was shameful, with a womanising father and a promiscuous mother; she was cut off from her sense of Native American identity and sense of family by her parents’ actions; an alcoholic, and promiscuous, she’s in an unstable and destructive relationship with her artist husband Gil.

Scene 2: Page 73-75

Characters: Irene and her youngest child, Stoney

Conflict: How does shame and humiliation affect a child? Stoney’s actions in teasing a disabled child (in his childish innocence he didn’t realise the child was disabled) resulted in him being shamed and humiliated by the teacher. His intense desire to escape his shame and humiliation by becoming an animal on some level reflects Irene’s escape into alcoholism, which is how she deals with the shame and humiliation of her childhood (as a reservation Native American in a white world, and as the daughter of disreputable parents) as well as the shame and humiliation that she experiences as the model for Gil (her husband’s) disturbing paintings of her (which symbolise the humiliation of the Native American by the white settlers, note references to George Caitlin, the white 19^th century artist who made his name using Native Americans models)

Scene 3: Page 143 – 145

Characters: Gil, Irene, their three children and two dogs

Conflict: To an outsider this scene – a family gambolling in the snow playing the game shadow tag – would be idyllic. The conflict lies in the falseness of the scene. The preceding scenes strip away the family dynamics to their essential dysfunction. The poignancy of the scene lies in the desire of all the family for this moment of family togetherness and simple happiness to be real. But the veneer of love and normality is too thin; it’s as elusive as the shadows they chase. Gil, his destructive genius controlled for once, ‘hides his shadow tightly’, but the scene ends where he leaps out from his hiding place to catch his laughing family and ‘his shadow sprang across the field’, highlighting how close to the surface the family’s final disintegration is.

By analysing these scenes, I realised that, in my first reading of the novel, I had seen only the ugliness of the characters Irene and Gil and not the conflict that motivated that darkness they reflect. Irene, in particular, represents the tragic loss of the Native American soul. After this realisation, the story took on a whole new meaning for me.

The next time you read a book that you dislike, try to unpack it brick by brick. You don’t need to break it down to its foundations: take only a few scenes that you think may be critical. Look at the characters; look at the conflict that drives the scene; and look at how the scene links back and forward to other scenes.

And, as you close the book, you may be surprised at what secrets the author has revealed to you as she carefully set each scene that tumbled you along page by page.