https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz6JuSsero0
1 About 'The Shaping of Water'
The Shaping of Water is unique.
It is a story that has never been told
but that needs to be heard. It is set in a little known part of the
world that is beautiful, fascinating and challenging. The historical
events did take place but they are part of a history that is not
widely known. The characters are fictitious but entirely believable.
The novel weaves together the characters, the lake, and the
historical events with the themes of political damage, environmental
damage, damaged relationships and the survival of individuals. It is
a very readable book with a compelling plot.
2 The central characters in the story.
The main characters are all very
different to each other. The times they live through are exceptional.
Charles and Margaret are a conventional couple from a colonial
background, but committed to the land and people of Africa. Marielise
and Jo are radical South Africans and Freedom Fighters who want to
build a different kind of future. Manda and Nick each have a troubled
past and have to survive a changing world, as do Natombi and Milimo
whose village home lies drowned under the new lake.
3 Affect your heart, change your
ideas, remain in your memory.
My readers have said that my novel does
the three things that any good book will do and any good writer would
hope to make happen.
It makes the reader care about the
characters even those who are bad or mistaken.
It offers a new perspective by
understanding what motivates these characters. It opens the door on
new places and different cultures
It makes the characters, the places they
loved and lived in, and the risks they took for their ideals and
beliefs memorable.
4 My life in Africa
I was born In Africa and have spent most
of my life there. A Chinese proverb says it is a curse to live in
interesting times and I certainly have. It is true that during my
years in Africa I have experienced pain, loss and some degree of
trauma as I grew up in a world of racism and Apartheid. I have
however learnt very much and my life has been enriched by the
generosity and the dignity of the people I have known who have
suffered much more than me and shown much more courage as they tried
to change that world and create a better one. Some of this experience
I have tried to reflect in my novel.
More than anything I grew to love Africa,
its people and its landscapes. This is the place I write about in
this book.
5 Art School in Cape Town.
As a child I lived in a world of books
and fantasy inventing stories in which I was a cowboy hero. I drew
comic strips of these stories and had lucid dreams in which I lived
them out. At Art School I discovered that women were second class
citizens. Racism and sexism made the life and art difficult. For a
large part of my life creativity came second to political action, to
family and to children. Somehow I kept secret notebooks and continued
to try to paint and write, to dream and to fight for women's rights
and for the rights of all humans. For the last twenty years writing
and making art has been my focus.
6 Travelling around Europe
I always wanted as a child to 'see the
world' – to travel, to learn, to look at art and architecture, but
most of all to find out what life was like for other people in other
places. It is my good fortune that I have a partner who wanted to do
this also. As soon as we stopped paid employment, we set off for a
year in a camper-van and made a huge figure of eight journey that
took us from England all over Europe, to the Arctic Circle in Norway
via Finland and the Baltic states until we looped down again through
Croatia across Turkey and back to France through Greece and Sicily.
We saw extraordinary landscapes, tragic and inspiring histories and
fascinating and amazing people. Art and poetry and writing has come
and will come from this experience.
7 Settling in France
My partner and I were looking for a way
to live better, more simply and more economically. Every day we have
experiences that teach us something new. Life is a challenge and a
pleasure and we enjoy our rural country life. Most of all it has
given me the opportunity to concentrate on my creative life and in
this I am generously supported by my partner.
8 Next.
Writing and making art, while also
working for Women's rights continue to be occupy me fully. My next
book, under the working title of 'The Tin Heart Gold Mine', is an
exciting mix of wild Africa, London city life, art, sex and political
intrigue all experienced by Lara, an artist, but also a mother who
does not know which of her two lovers fathered her child, Tim the
journalist – or Oscar, owner of the Tin Heart Gold Mine. For “The
Shaping of Water” I used and recommend the excellent Troubador
Publishing. Like me, many good writers of quality books have no
option but to self-publish as the world of books, publishing,
marketing and digital changes and competition increases.
No comments:
Post a Comment