April 2016

Learning to

LET IT GO

BOOK COVERS Why Book Covers Are Still Important

BATTLE OF THE

Bloggers

Mark Pilgrim beyond the baldness AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 1

ditor

A message from the

Don’t be caught an April is a month of fun, kicked off by the famous ‘April Fools’ Day’, which never fails to trick some poor, unsuspecting souls. Such is this global phenomenon that various newspapers, radio and TV stations around the world have gotten in on the action, featuring outrageous stories that both shock and delight their readers and viewers. I spent some time tracking down the best April Fools Day pranks ever played.

In 1976, astronomer Patrick Moore announced on BBC 2 radio that a once-in-a-lifetime alignment of Pluto and Jupiter would result in people being able to float, provided they jumped into the air at the exact moment the alignment occurred. I can only imagine how many people must have leapt skyward in the hopes of flying that morning!

In 1989, Richard Branson, celebrated businessman and eternal prankster, flew a hot air balloon specially designed to look like a UFO through the outskirts of London, shocking thousands of motorists before landing in a field nearby. His initial plan was to land the craft in London’s Hyde Park on April 1st, but the wind blew him off course and he was forced to land a day early in the wrong location. I guess the joke was on Sir Branson, after all!

In 1998, Burger King published a full page advert in USA Today to announce the introduction of the “Left-Handed Whopper” – a burger that was identical to the original whopper except for the fact that all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for the benefit of their left-handed customers. The following day a follow-up release revealed the Left-Handed Whopper as a

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April Fool joke. Too late, she cried, because it is reported that thousands of customers had already requested the new item. Many other customers were insistent on a “right-hand” version!

What is the worst prank you’ve ever played on April Fools? What’s the worst prank that’s ever been played on you? Being somewhat suspicious by nature, I must admit I have been fortunate enough never to have been truly caught by the pranksters who thrive on this particular day of the year, but if I were to guess, the worst prank that could ever be played on me would have something to do with books. Hack my Amazon account, rendering it unusable; steal my prized paperbacks, or tell me I am banned from reading fiction. This would be the single worst thing I could possibly imagine happening!

Whether you are on the dishing or receiving end of the prankster scale today, we here at Authors magazine would like to wish you all the fun and laughter you so deserve on this, the most lighthearted day of the year.

What was the best April Fools prank you heard of this year?

Tweet us @authorsmag and let us know!

Melissa Delport

Contents COVER FEATURE

04

MARK PILGRIM Beyond the Baldness

ARTICLES

PUBLISHER Lesiba Morallane ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Sardia Mustapher MANAGING EDITOR Shalate Davhana EDITOR Marion Marchand ASSISTANT EDITOR Joan Hack ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION Dineo Mahloele LAYOUT AND DESIGN Apple Pie Graphics Tel: 079 885 4494 CONTRIBUTORS Melissa Delport Helga Pearson Dave de Burgh Rachel Morgan Ian Tennent Sally Cook Dineo Mahloele Justin Fox

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BOOK COVERS Why book covers are still important The perks of being a BOOK SELLER SELF PUBLISHING IN SOUTH AFRICA LESS IS MORE Master of the Tweet BATTLE OF THE.....

Bloggers

REGULARS A Message from the Editor.........................................................02 International Focus Fantasy Author: Brian Rathbone..................................................17 Sallys Sanity Learning to Let It Go.........................................................................20 On The Couch with Rams Mabote.............................................23 Justin Fox In Search of Oom Schalk.................................................................28 Recommended Reads...................................................................30 AUTHORS MAGAZINE: PO Box 92644, Mooikloof, Pretoria East Email: team@authorsmag.com To advertise online please email team@authorsmag.com or contact Ms Dineo Mahloele on 084 299 6812 DISCLAIMER The views and opinions expressed in this magazine are intended for informational purposes only. Authors Magazine takes no responsibility for the contents for the contents of the advertising material contained herein.

All efforts have been taken to verify the information contained herein, and views expressed are ont necessarily those of Authors Magazine. E&OE

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 3

Mark Pilgrim With his distinctive bald head, warm personality and easy-going demeanor, Mark Pilgrim is one of South Africa’s best-known radio and TV personalities. This multiaward winning presenter has spent over 20 years entertaining millions of listeners and viewers. When not on-air, Mark spends a lot of his time in studio, recording voice-overs for commercials, AV presentations and IVR lines. He is also one of South Africa’s most experienced Master of Ceremonies and has hosted hundreds of corporate events over the past two decades.

than half my life now. I couldn’t imagine having hair again, or buying shampoo.

Despite all of the above, Mark still found time to pen his first book, Beyond the Baldness, which released in December.

Published by Tracey McDonald Publishers, Beyond the Baldness is an inspirational autobiographical book, telling the exceptional story of how surviving not one, but two, lifethreatening illnesses inspires Mark to chase his dreams.

My mum was South African (grew up in Muizenberg) and met my dad while he was part of the Royal Navy, docked in SA. She followed him back to the UK and that’s how I came about being a pommie. My mum always wanted to come back to SA.

Mark is a cancer survivor. At the age of 18 he was diagnosed with stage 3 testicular cancer, which spread to his lungs and kidneys. Then, on the 14th July 2008, Mark suffered a sudden and severe heart attack. Despite these nearfatal events, Mark lived to tell the tale.

And what a tale it is! Melissa Delport of Authors Magazine caught up with this father of two to find out more.

Mark, first and foremost, I have to ask.

The baldness... is it voluntary, the result of treatment, or a simple luck-out in the genetics lottery?

I initially lost my hair when I was undergoing chemotherapy. When it grew back, instead of my thick bushy locks, it landed up being quite wispy. So I decided to keep it off and it’s become

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my daily reminder of what I went through many years ago.

Your bald head has become synonymous with your brand, but there is a far more philanthropic reason for this than most realise. You are well-known as ‘the bald head that leads CANSA Shavathons’.

Have you ever thought about growing your hair back?

A friend saw a picture of me with hair from when I was still at school and joked that it looked like I was wearing a helmet. I have been bald for more

You were born and raised in Kent, England, until the age of 9, and your father and brother still reside in the United Kingdom. How did you come to first set foot on South African Soil?

Let’s talk about your being diagnosed at 18 with stage 3 testicular cancer. At that age, most teens are worrying about girls and sneaking beers out of their parents’ fridge. How alienated were you from your peers and how did you cope with the weight of your diagnosis?

beyond the

BALD

DNESS

by Melissa Delport

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It was the very fear of something being wrong with my nether region that stopped me from telling anyone for weeks, as I was too embarrassed to have to show my mum I had a nut the size of an avocado pear. During that time of denial I didn’t realise the cancer was being left alone to spread through to other parts of my body, eventually landing up in my lungs and kidneys as well. I’ve always been a bit of a loner, and only having been in Johannesburg for just over a year while at WITS, I never had a big social circle at the time of diagnosis. It was a tough period in my life. I was living in the lounge of my mum’s one bedroomed flat in Hillbrow thinking I was dying. It really sucked.

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You graduated from Wits with a B.Com in Industrial Psychology and Business Economics before going on to become a consumer researcher. The science of psychology deals with all aspects of the human experience, but specifically that of the mind. How large a role do you think the mind plays over the body in surviving a disease such as cancer?

On the wall of the oncology ward (Ward 495 at Joburg Gen) they had a framed quote which read “In believing you’ll be cured is in itself a step towards recovery”. Your head has to be in the right space in order to endure chemotherapy.

During your eight-year-stint in research, you became the Johannesburg Chairman of the SA Marketing Research Association. No doubt you were exceptionally good at your job! What

prompted the career change?

I was always good at the left brain stuff.

Accounting and mathematics came naturally to me, but I always wanted to be a radio deejay. After eight years of auditioning I landed up on 5FM and held down both careers for two years before moving into entertainment full time.

In 2008, you suffered a sudden and severe heart attack. I believe you were in your doctor’s rooms at the time. Do you think the availability of immediate medical attention saved your life?

Without a doubt, receiving immediate medical attention saved my life. Even with the doctors administering meds while waiting for the ambulance I still suffered permanent damage to the heart muscle and now take chronic meds to keep it beating correctly.

You are, without a doubt, one of SA’s most beloved deejays. You have hosted no less than 10 radio shows. In 2012 you won the MTN Radio Award for Best Commercial Music Show in South Africa, and in 2015 the MTN Radio Award for Best Community Weekend Radio Show in South Africa. Why do you think you have been so successful in this industry?

First of all, I love the purity of radio and I think it comes across on air. I don’t do radio to get publicity in a magazine, I do it because I love the intimacy of chatting to someone even though I’m not really there. Also, I think that listeners pick up the integrity of my personality. I don’t go by a fake name and “stage persona”.

I’m just me.

You have hosted numerous prime time television shows over the years,

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including Big Brother South Africa on MNET, new moves on eTV and Face2Face on SABC2. In 2008 you hosted the country’s biggest ever television game show, the Power of 10 on MNET. Do you have a favourite and why?

Big Brother will always be my favourite.

When we started the show we had no idea how huge it would become. It landed up being the show that everyone watched and talked about. From a production point of view it was massive.

I had seven cameras on me that were always moving around (and I had to know which one to talk to at different times in the show). The crowds were so energetic I had to have two earpieces in my ears just to hear the cues from my director.

You are well-known not only for your

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many achievements but also for your motivational speaking. What is the single most important message you want to impart on your audience?

Early detection can save your life. If you pick up a lump or other kind of anomaly, go have it checked as you may stop something from becoming worse.

You have survived two life-threatening illnesses. How has this changed the way you think about life and death?

It’s all about family. I love my job(s), but the only things really important to me are my wife and two daughters. When I depart from this earth I simply want to be remembered as the best dad ever.

You married Nicole, the self-confessed love of your life in July 2007, on a

tropical beach in Mauritius, but you met when you were doing a voice over for the company that she was working at. Apparently overachieving runs in the Pilgrim household, as Nicole now runs the company! Do you still do voiceovers for her and does she ever give you a hard time?

Yep, I still do a lot of voice overs for the company. Technology has changed the way we do things now though and all the voice work I do is from my home studio so I never go to the office and see Nicole in “work mode”!

In 2010 you welcomed your first daughter, Tayla-Jean into the world.

Your second daughter, Alyssa, was born in June 2012. How has becoming a father changed your perception of life and your priorities?

My girls are everything to me. I thought I would be a “best friend” kind of dad, but have turned out to be the disciplinarian. Sometimes the way my girls squabble I am less of a Dad and more of a referee. Parenting is the most rewarding and also most difficult job!

From 2013 to early 2016 you were a columnist for South Africa’s Living and Loving magazine, writing a monthly column about parenting from a dads’ perspective. Was this your first introduction to creative writing and do you think it prepared you for writing Beyond the Baldness?

It probably started about two years before the column when I began my online blog. I would just waffle about

whatever was on my mind. My style was very informal and I think that’s how the autobiography landed up being so personal in its delivery as well. It was simply me chatting away… on paper (okay, computer screen).

Writing an autobiographical book is an emotional journey for any author, but can also be cathartic. How did you feel, writing about such difficult experiences, and did it take a lot out of you?

In life you often have general flashbacks to significant events, but writing the book meant I was reliving intimate details of what happened. The hardest part to write about was when my mum passed away and I had to tell my 8-yearold brother that she was gone. It felt like

it had just happened all over again and more than once I had to stop writing to compose myself.

Ultimately, what message do you want readers to take away from this book?

Don’t just follow your dreams in life … chase them. Whether it be in the work place or personal life, you need to embrace your goals. Benjamin Franklin once said “Some people die at 25 and are only buried at 75.” Make sure this does not apply to you.

Beyond the Baldness is published by Tracey McDonald Publishers and is available at all leading book stores and as an eBook on Amazon now.

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Read an excerpt...

Now I’m not talking about skin cancer, which you get because you spent too many years in the sun, or lung cancer which you get because you smoked more than my 1973 VW Beetle. I’m talking about the type of cancer that is just suddenly there, with you mouthing ‘what the fuck?’ and ‘why me?’ over and over again.

I remember realising that something was wrong with my balls when they felt swollen and sore. My mind was instantly in denial. Wasn’t this how they normally were? What size were my balls supposed to be? One of the biggest mistakes I made was that I ignored it. I can’t recall if it was for a couple of days or even a few weeks, but apart from being in denial about anything being wrong with me, I also knew that if I told Mum about my swollen grapes, she’d say what I feared she would say: ‘Let me see.’ What eighteen-year-old wants to drop his rods for his mother so she can grab his nuts and cop a feel?

THE DIAGNOSIS Many people have asked me over the years how I got testicular cancer when I was just eighteen years old.

Was it something I ate? Was it a lifestyle choice? Was it perhaps genetics? Did I get kicked in the balls as a youngster?

The answer is, I truly don’t know, and nor do the doctors.

One school of thought is that we’re all predisposed to develop cancer cells. In some people the cancer cells mutate into a tumour, while others are lucky enough never to have it develop in their lifetime.

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Also, my mum was having a bit of a tough time. She was slowly getting back on her feet after a rough divorce and I didn’t want to burden her unnecessarily with something that might end up being trivial. Money was tight and my mum, brother and I were all living in a one-bedroom flat in Hillbrow in Johannesburg. I was studying for a B.Com with the intention of becoming a chartered accountant. Fortunately, my stepdad had scraped the money together and paid for my first year at university. I had known from the beginning that I would be on my own in my second year so I started applying early for bursaries … and got one.

How I managed to get a bursary is still one of life’s greatest mysteries, but I did, from a small auditing firm.

But even with my tuition fees paid for, it wasn’t easy for us. I slept on a couch in the lounge and my six-yearold brother and Mum shared the only bedroom. We were never without food or other basics, but there wasn’t much spending money and for a while as a

student I worked at the Bree Street flea market on Saturdays. On a good day I would make about R50 profit selling Teflon coated ironing pads.

I realised after a while, though, that my testicles definitely didn’t seem normal and I had no choice but to tell my mum that the cherries were turning into avocado pears. And she did what I feared … told me to drop my pants so she could cop a feel.

But what she also did was have the foresight to know it was serious and a few hours later I had a GP also copping a feel. The number of strange hands on my nuts had just doubled since I was born. A blood test, a CT scan and a few hours later came the news that would change my life for ever.

The stages of cancer are a simple way of labelling the progression of the disease. It helps to determine the treatment as well as the ultimate prognosis for remission. As the stage goes from 0 to 4 it indicates the degree to which the disease has spread to other parts of the body.

Stage 0: This is where a cancer patient wants to be when they are diagnosed with the disease. It means the cancer is in situ or still only where it started and hasn’t invaded nearby tissues.

Stage 1: This is also called early stage cancer as it hasn’t deeply invaded nearby tissue and has not spread to lymph nodes or other parts of the body.

Stages 2 and 3: These stages indicate cancers or tumours that are larger in size, have grown more deeply into nearby tissue, and have spread to lymph nodes, but not to other parts of the body.

Stage 4: This stage means that the cancer has spread to other organs or parts of the body. It’s also called advanced or metastatic cancer.

I had Stage 3.

There is no Stage 5.

In a matter of hours I had gone from being what I thought was a healthy eighteen-year-old university student to someone who might not make nineteen.

The word ‘bleak’ doesn’t come anywhere close to explaining what the future looked like.

The first step in my treatment was removing the cancerous testicle. Holy crap! I had hardly had a chance to use my puppies and they were already taking one away from me.

When one goes in for an operation, the biggest fear many of us have is that there will be a mistake.

We’re supposed to have a finger operation but we wake up with a bandage on our foot instead. So

when I woke up after surgery with a bandage on my lower abdomen I thought the bastards had done an appendectomy by mistake. How hard could it have been simply to cut the sack and let the ball fall into a bucket?

Apparently we lads are a little more complex down below than most ladies give us credit for and the bandage was in the correct place. Instead of popping the ball out like a peach pip, the surgeons approach from the lower abdomen and pull out the ball and the relevant piping as well.

Over the years people have asked me whether I feel I’m less of a man because I have only one testicle. The simple answer is No. In fact, when God made man I think functionality trumped cosmetics, because down yonder is not the most beautiful of sculptures. So by removing a ball, my wife says the whole package has been neatened up and allows more room for something else to move around in.

The reality is that your sperm count diminishes quite drastically. Ironically, this is not from losing a ball, but from the chemotherapy that follows surgery. The doctors asked me before the operation if I wanted to freeze some sperm. Now that’s a difficult question to ask an eighteen-year-old because a young man of that age probably hasn’t ever thought long term enough to imagine his life with kids, and even if he had, he’d probably think no. That was how I thought and felt. I was not at a stage in my life when I wanted kids and I couldn’t see past that situation to think whether I would want kids in the future. I declined the offer to make a deposit in the plastic sample container.

FUN FACTS

about Mark

Movies or music? Depends on mood. Sometimes music is work for me, so a movie is a relaxing break!

Life anthem? (favourite song which you feel best describes you or means something to you). Chumbawamba – I get knocked down (but get up again)

Favourite author/book? I guess right now it’s Mark Pilgrim’s Beyond the Baldness!

Sneakers or slops? I live in my converse takkies.

Beer or whiskey? Neither. Only drink wine (even from a box if I’m desperate) Greatest professional achievement to date? Being a household name because of my radio and tv career Greatest personal achievement to date? Becoming a dad Any fun facts we can include that most people don’t know about Mark. I am a caffeine addict. I also suffer from podophobia (fear of feet). Not even my girls can put their feet on me.MAGAZINE | 11 AUTHORS

BOOK COVE

Why Book Covers Are Still I I really hated the Kindle Reader to begin with. It had nothing to do with the fact that it was ‘digital’, I’ve been in digital media most of my adult life, I positively love gadgets. It also wasn’t because I thought the ebook reader was about to kill off the paperback. As Stephen Fry has famously said, “Books are no more threatened by Kindle than stairs are by elevators.”

No. Strangely enough, what I really disliked about this new foray into literature, was the display. This cutting edge display technology, guaranteed to simulate every nuance of the printed word – was only available in dreary shades of blah-blah grey. Yuck.

I hadn’t realise how much I loved book covers, or how heavily influenced I was by them until my husband bought me a brand-new Kindle as a gift. I was obviously delighted, initially. I mean, I eat books for breakfast, lunch and supper. Also as I mentioned earlier, I adore gadgets. But a strange thing happened. When I first tried to buy books via the device, me – a ravenous book junkie – couldn’t find a single book I really wanted. Nothing appealed to me because it all looked like dayold, mushy porridge. It was downright depressing! I remember rushing off to a local bookstore the very same day and swooning over the shelves, stroking book covers in a dreamy fashion while making cooing noises in response to all the pretty colours. I know, I’m an addict but there isn’t a twelve-step program for what I have.

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Returning home, I stowed the Kindle away in a plastic container, feeling a little guilty and confused as to why I disliked it as much as I did. It was only months later, when I got my first smart phone that I finally discovered a newfound enthusiasm for ebooks. Using the Kindle app, the covers were finally in colour and I could collect them on a virtual carousel, scrolling endlessly through my pretty, jewel-box collection of digital books.

In my own small way, I had discovered what book marketers had known for ages but apparently e-reader developers forgotten for a minute – people largely shop with their eyes. It doesn’t matter if it’s shoes, food, cars or books – if it doesn’t visually appeal to you in some way, you’re not likely to buy it. Of course when it comes to books there can be other deciding factors – a friend’s

recommendation, reviews, awards, but the basic principles of sales still apply.

Your book may be the next Harry Potter but wrap that masterpiece in a brown paper bag and guaranteed it won’t be hitting the bestseller list any time soon.

(Unless you also tie it up with twine and make it look like owl post, but never mind, I digress.)

‘Don’t judge a book by its cover,’ the old saying goes. But when it comes to actual books, isn’t that what the cover is for? How do you grab the attention of a reading audience and make them pause long enough to decide that your book is worth reading? A damn great book cover, that’s how. The cover of a book is its face and it generates expectation.

An amateur looking cover will make the reader expect an amateurish novel. If it looks cheaply produced, then they will think the quality of the finished work is

ERS

Important

by Helga Pearson

cheap too. A bad cover will ensure your reader thinks the book contains bad prose – end of story. This not only applies to big publishing houses. Independent publishers and self-published authors are also taking good cover design far more seriously.

South Africa now has a number of first class designers making a name for themselves not only locally but in the international arena. Joey Hi-Fi is one such designer. Based in Cape Town, he first got attention designing unique and impactful covers for author, Lauren Beukes. He has since gone on to work with international publishing houses, designing award-winning covers for other high profile authors.

Top class design can come with a hefty price tag however, so what do you do if you are responsible for securing your book cover design and you have a limited budget? Fortunately, there are a number of options to choose from. If you belong to a writing community, you can ask your fellow authors who they use for cover design. Local designers who charge a reasonable rate are always first choice. There are also online platforms

like 99designs.com where you can host a ‘design competition’ according to a creative brief and the winning designer receives the prize money while you receive a great cover for your next book. Another great online resource is Deviantart.com, where authors can see the portfolio of artists they like and potentially commission them to design a custom cover. Options like these have varying costs, so you can choose the one which best suits your budget.

Acclaimed designer Chip Kidd has said that book design is in essence a distillation of the story itself, a visual haiku of the books contents. I love this idea. Book covers, like graphic design are ‘art in practice’, they serve a purpose and they convey a message. Wherever the digital highway may take us in the future, I sincerely hope that book covers continue to pave the way.

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 13

BOOK SELLER The Perks of being a

by Dave de Burgh

Minus the two years working for Totalsports and selling fire extinguishers, I’ve been in the retail side of the book trade (as a bookseller, primarily) for about a decade. Before getting my first position in Fascination Books I had already worked for a pizza parlor, in two banks (First National Bank and ABSA Bank), and I had also been a salesman at a Dion Stores branch (this long before it became Dion Wired), so you’ll excuse me for thinking that my work experience up to that point had prepared me for working in a book store.

Being a book-lover and constant reader (to borrow the wonderful phrase from Stephen King) my first foray into bookselling had me thinking that I had arrived precisely where I belonged. And I wasn’t wrong – I felt as if I had walked into a space which had been moulded to fit me, and suddenly I was surrounded by more books than I could ever finish reading, and even more books which I hadn’t heard of at all.

I quickly discovered the absolute best aspect of being a bookseller – that of telling people about books and hopefully convincing them to buy those books. Now, think about this for

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a minute and you’ll begin to realize not only how cool being in such a position is (I mean, talking to people about books and getting them to buy books and getting PAID for that? Wonderful!) but also how absolutely daunting.

Why daunting? Well, think about the last conversation you had with a friend or acquaintance about a book, and how long it took you to tell that person about the book. I’m talking about the reasons you liked the book, or the reasons you find the book intriguing, if you haven’t read it yet. Let’s say ten minutes?

Well, I can’t spend ten minutes with every browsing book lover explaining

why they should buy the book they’re paging through. They might just walk out without buying the book because I’m bothering them; they might listen until the end and totally agree and still not buy the book; or they might buy the book and then return it a week later because the book wasn’t as good as I claimed it would be.

How to sell a book was one of the secrets of the trade I was going to learn, and it would also help me as I began to gravitate more and more to writing, because I had to learn how to tell a customer what the book they were holding was about in less than two minutes, or ideally, less than a minute.

And not by speaking really quickly, either. *winks* My first stint as a bookseller involved a lot of what we call merchandising -which essentially means that we made sure the shelves you browse were neat and alphabetical (in most instances)- helping customers find what they were looking for (and ordering the books if we didn’t have them) as well as ringing up their purchases. Merchandising included unpacking trollies of new deliveries and making sure the books were shelved correctly, and let me tell you, only two other parts of a bookseller’s day are better than unpacking new deliveries.

That new-book smell? It’s real. Believe me. But that’s not all that excites us – we’re thinking about the customers who read what we’re unpacking and reminding ourselves to show them the books during their next visit; we’re thinking about where to display the books; we’re thinking about our next break and reading the first chapter. But that still doesn’t explain how we go

about selling books, does it?

Well, here’s the secret: Pick up a book you’ve read and read the back. All done? Good. You’ve now got the introduction to the novel, and you know what happens. You’re equipped to tell someone about the book without giving away any of the juicy bits, and there’s a certain sneaky excitement you’ll be giving off precisely because you know what happens. That’s the kind of excitement you’ll get from a bookseller who has read the book you’re looking at, and here’s where one of the major differences between selling books and selling anything else comes in.

A salesperson selling you an 80-inch HDTV will be excited for different reasons; the salesperson knows how much commission can be earned if

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 15

you buy it. This applies to any salesperson selling you a car, any kind of appliance, hell, almost everything you can buy in a shopping centre.

Except books. Why? Well, that bookseller is excited because he or she is imagining how you’ll react during certain scenes, or how many times you’ll wake up tired because you couldn’t put the book down, and much more. You see, books and the reading of books is a very personal pursuit. All these cool tech-gadgets like the Occulis Rift have nothing on books because books are the ultimate form of Virtual Reality. That, in short, is what animates booksellers – we know what could happen to you while reading the book, what you have a chance of feeling, etc. And we don’t mind sharing that. In fact, the more the better. I have customers who come in to chat with me about many Fantasy and Science Fiction writers and their books because we’ve all found something spectacular between the pages of those myriad books, and what’s even better than that is that we all experience it differently.

A good bookseller will tell you what they thought of the book, and they’ll also probably be honest with you when they haven’t yet read the book you’re looking at. I heard it said many times that booksellers are gatekeepers into true magic, and I agree, because it’s what I strive to be when I’m selling books. There are many instances in life when something is hoarded, so closely guarded that you don’t want to share it with anyone else. Books aren’t part of that world. Books are meant to be shared and experienced; they are meant to spoken about and argued over.

And you just won’t find a bookseller online, folks. That infinite, infinitesimal space just doesn’t suit us. We need to be able to speak, to laugh, to ask the questions that will narrow down your choices until you find the perfect book to read. It’s where we excel, and it’s something that happens only in bookstores, worldwide.

There’s always talk about a decline in reading, or stores closing down, and you’ll be forgiven for thinking that booksellers are a dying breed. Not so, and for a very simple reason. Every time someone tells someone else about a book they’ve read, they’re selling that book.

No, there’s probably no money exchanging hands and you’re not going to get a receipt, but the thing is, selling books isn’t about the money.

It’s about the portable magic (to steal another phrase) between those pages.

All of the money in the world doesn’t come close to you, the reader, truly enjoying a good book.

So the next time you go to a book shop and you’re browsing, and a bookseller approaches you and asks if you need any help, try to remember one thing: they’re in the business of sharing magic.

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Focus

International

FANTASY AUTHOR: Brian Rathbone

by Melissa Delport

Brian Rathbone does things his own way. Though he started out as a horse trainer who later dropped out of high-school, Brian would go on to become a technology expert and a successful self-publisher. In 2014, after years of writing and having a full-time job, Brian was finally able to make writing and publishing his sole occupation.

Authors Magazine gets to know this fantasy author a little better: You have been married for 23 years. Any children?

My wife and I rescue cats…largely because I am terrified of children—and diapers.

Where do you draw your inspiration from?

I’ve had a deep love of reading fantasy fiction since I was a kid. I knew from an early age that I would someday write my own stories. The time I spent as a professional horse trainer gave me a lot of insight into old world practices, which I have used heavily in my fiction. As for where the rest of the crazy stuff I come up with originates, I’m guessing aliens.

With over 144,000 followers, you seem to have mastered the ‘art’ of Twitter. Why do you think you enjoy such success on this particular platform?

I somehow managed to find a balance between tweeting the goofy stuff that pops into my head, sharing content from other creative people, and interspersing information about my books. The two keys to my success on Twitter have been following people who like the same kind of things I do, and tweeting the kinds of things I would like to see on my own feed. When I decided to start working dragons into common sayings, everything changed. It all started with, “If you love something, set it free. If it comes back, it’s yours. If not, a dragon probably ate it.”

Would you ever write anything other than fantasy?

I’ve written a little bit of paranormal and science fiction, and I also write non-fiction. My non-fiction thus far focuses on the business of writing and the digital divide created by the lack of high speed Internet access in rural areas. I’ll be writing the final trilogy in the Godsland fantasy series over the next year. After that…who knows?

I have to ask...why the obsession with dragons?

The shortest and most honest answer is, “Because it works.”

The longer answer is that I always loved reading about

dragons. In many ways, the dragons I write about are based on horses I worked with as well as my cats, but don’t tell anyone… especially the cats. When people responded so positively to my dragon tweets, I kept going…and going…and going. I may not have a million of them, but I do have roughly 3,500. Thanks for taking the time to get to know me, and here’s to many more bad dragon jokes to come. May the dragons you meet be well fed!

Brian Rathbone lives with his wife of 23 years in North Carolina, USA, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, which he claims make a good hiding place!

Excerpt: The night drew them on, pulling them into the ring of mighty trees. Beams of moonlight shone through the parting clouds, lighting Catrin’s way. She let her body go where it wished, her path leading straight toward the center of the grove. The others followed in silence, as if entranced by her rhythmic movements.

Cold stone caressed her feet, soothing them as she strode upon it. Feeling as if she could ride the wind, Catrin whirled in a rhythmic dance. Around her pulsed the beat of life, and she danced to its lilting cadence. Life energy was everywhere, but it was more focused in the grove, almost tangible. Spinning on the wind, she closed her eyes and raised her hands to the heavens.

Energy from above bathed her in its warmth, and she grabbed onto it with her mind, tasting its sweetness, smelling its fragrance, caressing its texture.

Its beauty overwhelmed her.

She clung to the energy, letting it suspend and hold her. Overcome with joy, tears coursed down her cheeks. The boys’ talking shook Catrin from her revelry. She opened her eyes to see the night sky and two bright sources of light. It took a moment for her eyes to focus; then she clearly saw the moon and another bright object. The second was like nothing she had ever seen.

Elliptical, with a long trail of light in its wake, it sparkled with life and called to her. It was so beautiful, she could not look away.

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 17

SELF PUBLISHING in South Africa An Introduction

Rachel Morgan is the best-selling author of the fantasy Creepy Hollow series and the YA contemporary romance Trouble series. This is the first in a series of blog posts intended to assist aspiring authors who wish to self-publish in South Africa.

non-South African writer, you can feel free to skip these posts (or not, if you find them interesting anyway).

Over the past couple of years, I’ve received numerous messages from local writers looking to begin the selfpublishing journey. Sometimes I’ve been able to answer all their questions in detail, and other times I’ve had to be more brief (because of time constraints), but every time, I’ve wished that I had all the answers written out somewhere already! Plenty of self-publishing and marketing advice exists online, of course, but it’s written mostly from an American perspective. In South Africa, we have different publishing challenges (like Amazon refusing to pay royalties into our bank accounts, and South Africans being unable to publish directly on Nook Press).

It isn’t quite so easy to find the answers you might be looking for.

WRITING THE BOOK

So that’s what I’m doing now, in the form of a series of blog posts (not because I suddenly have more time, but because if I don’t make myself do it NOW, it may never happen!). If you’re a reader or a

As an introduction to the information I’m going to be focusing on, let’s look at the process of creating a book …

This step is no different for a writer in South Africa as opposed to anywhere else in the world (duh). Story structure, characterisation, style, grammar… it’s the same here*, and if you’re looking to self-publish a book, I assume you already know all this writerly stuff. *Except for those pesky minor differences in spelling (colour/color, realise/realize, defence/defense, counsellor/counselor) and certain words (petrol/gas, boot/ trunk, jumper/sweater). But again, this isn’t about where you live, but about where your story is set and who your target audience is.

PREPARING THE BOOK The majority* of this step is also independent of the country you live in. You can hire editors, proofreaders, formatters, and cover designers from anywhere in the world. (Most of the professionals I’ve worked with do not

www.rachel-morgan.com 18 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

live in South Africa.) Communication, payment, and delivery of final digital products can all take place online. There are also plenty of free tutorials online that will teach you how to format your book or use graphic design software, if you’re a DIY kinda person. *I consider obtaining an ISBN to be part of the book preparation step, and that is different in South Africa.

EVERYTHING THAT COMES AFTERWARDS

This is the stuff I’m focusing on! The stuff that can have a uniquely South African flavour (not flavor). In the next few weeks, I’ll be expanding on the following topics: • Copyright, ISBNs & Barcodes • Which Platforms to Publish Your Books On • Royalties, Tax Stuff & How To Get Paid • How to Sell Print Books Locally • Marketing Ideas • Continually Learning • (Added based on feedback) List of SA Editors, Artists & Formatters *Originally posted on www.Rachel-Morgan.com

LESS is

MORE

Master of the Tweet

by Ian Tennent

Twitter continues to challenge and amuse me as I try and get my head around it. Having navigated the basics of handles and hashtags I turned to improving my bio (the bit below your photie on your homepage where you describe who you are, what you do and what you can offer the Twitterverse).

To this end Twitter gives you 160 characters to play with. That’s not much real estate….

But some people just have a knack for it. Some people’s bios just seem to hit the spot and capture what that person’s all about. The general advice out there is to use hashtags and links, employ a bit of humour, give viewers a glimpse of your genius etc, etc.

I did all of the above. I tweaked, I fiddled, I faddled… after a week I had created a masterpiece.

It reads thus:

@iantennent1 Daddy, hubby, a little bit chubby. Full-time weekend warrior, part-time horse for six year old. #Author Zululand Snow http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OGW2SO4 Magnificent, I’m sure you’ll agree! Has it all. Hashtag, sparkling wit, a buy-link. You name it, baby!

And it uses 152 characters out of a possible 160! Sublime ain’t the word, baby!

Here’s my wife’s for comparison. She’s a senior professional, passionate about leadership. Her bio reads:

@TennentCarryn Living for the moments that matter. Love, laughter and leadership – for a meaningful impact!

(Snicker)…no hashtag…no link…not funny… And she only used 92 characters (pffft).

And so, thus emboldened, I turned to the bio of arguably the best living writer of them all.

Someone who has sold a zillion books in a quadrillion languages and made a freakishillion amount of dosh along the way. Someone who knows their craft inside and out …behold:

@StephenKing Author Doh! Izzaddit?!? Couldn’t even spare a full-stop!?!…back to the drawing board I go…

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 19

We’ve had a fad grip our family over the last month. What began as a moderate-to-mild fervour has morphed into a frenzied obsession. If you’re thinking hover-board or helicopter-drone with built-in camera, think again. Although at times I reckon I’d have found either of these options preferable – notwithstanding the dangers of explosive spontaneous combustion or facial mutilation by inanimate flying object. Three years behind the cool kids, we’ve finally been hit with the phenomenon that is the film Frozen, in all its Disney-Technicolor, ballad-belting glory.

Until recently, my four-yearold daughter wasn’t remotely interested in a talking snowman, an ice queen or a rugged mountain man and his reindeer steed. She preferred binge-watching the 25 million episodes of Thomas the Tank Engine on Netflix and if she fancied a series shake-up, she’d opt for a session with Peppa and her weirdly plausible piggy family.

As one does. Despite being a bit slow on the toy trend uptake, she isn’t a complete social cretin. She knew about Frozen. She went to four Frozen-themed parties in three months. She even tried to watch the film when a friend lent me her daughter’s copy. She sat for 20 minutes and then started trimming her toenails with her teeth. It was after she’d hauled out her toy box and lined up all her Thomas trains to “tour through Sodor” that I eventually turned it off. I returned the DVD. She simply wasn’t interested. And that was fine by me.

20 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

Learni

LET

All this changed when she was given an Elsa dress for her birthday – complete with sequined bodice, hoop skirt and white cape. She unwrapped this unassuming little gift, drew in a deep breath and her soul literally swooned. It was as if in that moment she realised that she’d been granted legitimate access to a bold and exciting new world- a world of princesses and castles, curses and ice crystals.

She batted her big blue eyes at her father who relented to purchasing her Frozen on iTunes as an early Christmas gift. Since then she has voraciously consumed the film on every device in our home. For three weeks straight. This film is the gift that keeps on giving… over and over again. We’ve lost her, to the Arendelle in her mind.

I’m not going to say it changed my life in the way that it has my daughter’s. But I did chuckle. And I confess that I did choke up. I’m human. I have a heart. So I’m not entirely immune to the Disney film formula and the magic it evokes.

Epic sagas where an unlikely hero or heroine emerges from a cast of witty, funny, damaged but always likeable characters and discovers the true meaning of love, friendship, or *insert life lesson here* set to the soundtrack of scene-sweeping orchestra music and catchy lyrics. This film however created a slightly deconstructed version of the tried and trusted Disney recipe for success, and going off-piste with the plot paid off. The box-office rake-in certainly reflects this.

On roughly her sixteenth viewing when she’d started lip-syncing the script, I finally watched it. I knew the basic plot from the party circuit, but I’d never actually sat through the entire feature-length version.

The cursed ice queen isn’t a power-hungry psychopath. She’s a demure young lass with some icy superpower that she can’t really control. And we all know that with great power, comes great

ing to

T IT GO

by Sally Cook

responsibility. She knows it too.

And it terrifies her. Her younger sister, the princess with a megawatt personality is the story’s real heroine. And she’s the one sans special powers or shiny snow wand.

The strength of the bond between sisters and an unconditional sibling love ultimately saves the day no man is required for the job.

In fact, prince charming reveals himself to be less dapper-don and more douchebag. The shaggy self-effacing mountain man who was raised by trolls, isn’t himself

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 21

a troll at all. He’s the unlikely love interest. Comic relief comes in the form of a slightly camp, very climate-confused snowman. It’s a refreshing change. Disney did good.

One question though continues to baffle me. Why do my daughter and scores of other little girls want to be Elsa? Elsa is hardly in the story. She spends a helluva lot of time holed up in her room or hiding in her ice palace. She’s anxious and rather aloof. Anna is fun-loving, feisty and fearless.

Open and warm, she embodies all the attributes that I’d love for my little girl to aspire to. Heck I aspire to them now. I asked my daughter what the Elsa attraction is, assuming of course that it would be the queen thing, the power she wields with her snow wand. Nope. Nothing like that. It’s the “pointy heel ice shoes that she wears in her ice palace”. And her blue dress. I asked my son what character he’d like to be. Sven, the reindeer was his instant reply.

“Why?” I asked. “I’d actually love to be a dog Mum. In real life. But there is no dog in Frozen. So I’ll be the reindeer. It’s the closest thing.”

So with my son the reindeer and my daughter the ice queen, I’m going to channel my inner Anna and soldier on until the next Disney fixation grips our family.

In the meantime though, my daughter can have her Elsa fantasy.

Four year olds need all the magic they can get. We all do. Who I am

22 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

to judge anyway? I spent years dreaming of being Frances “Baby” Houseman pulled from the selfconfidence-challenged corner into the limelight by an adoring adonis in Dirty Dancing. Or perfecting a jaw-dropping transformation from geek to goddess like Sandy and her leather-clad sexy self in Grease. So I’ve been there.

This week as we were getting ready to leave the house for school, my little girl emphatically declared: “I don’t need to wear a jumper for school anymore.” When I asked why, she didn’t miss a beat in her response, “Because I’m Elsa, Mummy don’t you know? The cold never bothered me anyway.” *Originally posted on So Many Miles From Normal.

Couch on the

The corner couch focuses on celebrities - their reading habits and the books that have shaped their lives.

with

Rams Mabote

by Dineo Mahloele

This month we catch up with Rams Mabote, someone I’ve always admired and followed as a leader in the PR and reputation management field. Rams is the founder of the public affairs and PR company, The Kingmaker Consulting, South Africa’s number 1 PR Coach. Trained as a journalist, he is an ardent blogger on reputation, PR and media; as a radio celebrity he hosts a weekly Metro FM Talk aimed at Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs as well as Thursday’s Breakfast Network Sessions. Rams is an accomplished Business Coach who was recently presented with an award for Best and Fastest growing Coaching Company by the JT Foxx Organization in Los Angeles, USA. As if that’s not enough, he is also the selfpublished author of best-selling book Public Relations Not According to Thabo Mbeki.

Which book would you say has influenced your life?

Do you remember the first book you ever read?

Too many to mention. Different books serve different purposes in one’s life. Some are political, some are motivational, some are fictional and others just frivolous, but they all serve a purpose.

There were always books in the house, mostly novels read by my dad. But if memory serves, the first book I Do you set aside time to read regularly? ever set my hands on is the seminal How To Win Friends I have been truant in the past year, but historically, I read And Influence People by Dale Carnegie. every week night before bed.

What are you reading at the moment?

Name your 5 favourite books of all time.

1984 by George Orwell.

Petals of Blood by Ngugi Wa Th’iongo

Would you say SA is a reading nation and what can we do to encourage our children to read more?

The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born by Ayi Kwei Armah

How To Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Sadly, not. Although I believe white South Africans do, Carnegie the majority of black South Africans don’t. We need to publish more South African stories. People read more I Write What I Like by Steve Biko The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama when books speak about them.

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 23

BATT

O TH

Blog

KATHERINE KIRK

Book blogging site: www.literogo.com

Katherine Kirk

in my own blog, while also giving it my own personal flavour. I posted a few of my best Goodreads reviews to start and signed up for NetGalley, reviewing

was born in South Africa, but grew up

I mostly read literary fiction because

books that didn’t need publisher

on a tropical island paradise, Mauritius.

it lets me flex my artsy-fartsy muscles

approval at first, until I built up enough

She achieved a BA in English Literature

as I critique the eloquence of the

of a following to get approved for the

and Philosophy from Rhodes University

metaphors et cetera, but I also love

more popular (and limited) books.

in South Africa, and has been teaching

to dip into Speculative (and Science)

English in South Korea for the past three

fiction because it’s such a versatile

What do you think makes for a

years. Katherine dabbles in writing her

genre and always surprises me.

successful book blog?

own fiction but prefers reading the

How long have you been book blogging?

I think the most important thing is

better words of others, and while she

I started sharing reviews on an old

consistency and professionalism. As a

has participated in more NaNoWriMos

blog a few years ago, but only started

reviewer, it’s tempting to let your ego

than she can count, she has only

seriously book blogging in July last year.

take control, and let your personal

won once. On the odd occasion that

opinion ring loud and clear, as if you’re

Katherine doesn’t have her nose stuck

How did you get into book blogging?

some kind of literary god. It’s easy to

in a book, you can find her skiing,

I saw someone’s FTC disclosure on

forget that a single book can take a year

scuba diving, hiking or playing board

Goodreads, saying they reviewed a

of effort, heart and soul to create, so

games. Exploding Kittens is her current

book for free via NetGalley, so I thought

if you tear it to shreds without taking

favourite.

that sounded like a pretty sweet deal. I

the time to try to understand what

did some research and checked out how

the author was trying to do, then you

What books/genre do you prefer to

other successful blogs did things, and

come across as a petty narcissist, rather

read?

tried to replicate the good things I found

than a reasoned, reliable opinion. The

24 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

TLE

OF HE

ggers

MONIQUE SNYMAN

Book blogging site: www.killeraphrodite.com

professionalism also plays into how you

grab my attention. I also pay particular

While researching other book blogs,

connect with the authors in emails, how

attention to books written by minority

I saw a lot of people saying they

you organise your reading schedule and

authors, or authors from outside the

monetised and were making money

attention to detail (such as proofreading

USA and UK, as I feel they tend to be a

off it. I feel a bit iffy about making any

and checking characters’ names!).

little underrepresented.

real money from the blog. The moment you’re getting paid for a review, it chips

While for you it might be a fun hobby and a great way to score some free

How many books do you read a year?

away at your integrity. I do share affiliate

books, you have to always remember

I read about 8 books a month, or roughly

links to the books I’m reviewing, but in

that you’re dealing with someone else’s

96 books a year. I challenge myself to

the 10 months I’ve been running the

livelihood.

read 100, but sometimes I do need

blog, I’ve only made a grand total of

to take a break to “clear my palate”

$5 off of them, so I wouldn’t consider

What are you looking for in your

. When you commit to reading on a

them financially rewarding at all. You

submissions?

schedule, it’s very easy to burn out, and

can make more money in other ways,

I get about 3-4 submissions a week,

then nothing you read is fun any more

such as providing services to authors,

and unfortunately I reject about 60% of

(and that might affect your opinion).

and I’m looking into that, but for now

them simply because they haven’t read

For instance, right now I’m completely

I am financially rewarded by not having

my review policy, so they’re submitting

hooked on a particular book, but when I

to pay to read, and I use my blog to

the wrong genre. I tend to approve

started it a week ago, I couldn’t get into

raise money for Book Aid International

books more eagerly if the email is

it; I had to put it down, take a break and

instead of as a secondary income.

clearly not a copy-paste (or at least

return to it in order to appreciate what

has a few lines added to the beginning

the author was doing.

How much power do you think book bloggers have when it comes to driving

signalling that they’ve actually visited my website and know what I’m asking

Is there any financial reward to running

sales of a particular book?

for) and if the promotional sections

a successful book blog?

I think we need to be realistic about

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 25

the purchasing process behind the sale

may be very different from ourselves.

Crichton’s instead. He’s the author of Jurassic Park. I don’t know what I was

of a book. When you buy an ebook from a big site like Amazon, often you

Name 3 things that authors get wrong

may base your purchase solely on the

when approaching book bloggers for a

reviews on Amazon or Goodreads.

review

I have never googled a book I was

1. Ignoring what the reviewer is asking

interested in buying and read a review

for: most reviewers clearly state in

on a book blog; but I do check Amazon

their “About” or “Review Policy”

and Goodreads. Book bloggers can

pages what genres interest them,

lives in Pretoria, South Africa, with an

make a big difference if they share

and why. If you ignore that and

adorable Chihuahua that keeps her

their reviews on those platforms. That

throw a book that clearly doesn’t

company and a bloodthirsty lawyer

said, many of my friends (and internet

interest them at them, don’t be

who keeps her sane. She is a full-time

stranger-friends) have bought books

surprised to have it tossed right

author, part-time editor and in-between

purely because they saw my review of

back.

reviewer of all things entertaining. Her

them, so perhaps we have more power than I think.

thinking! Proofread. Everything.

Monique

short fiction has been published in a 2. Poorly written request letters: If

number of small press anthologies,

you’re a writer, then you should

the Charming Incantations Series is

What do you hope to achieve with your

be paying attention to the words you

published by Rainstorm Press, and

book blog?

use. A lot of the time I’m put

she’s working hard on a couple of other

I want to give self-published authors a bit

off a book before I even get to the

novels in her spare time.

of a leg-up. I don’t distinguish between

blurb because the writer expresses

self-published

themselves so poorly in their email.

and

commercially

published authors on my blog; I think it’s

What books/genre do you prefer to read?

important that we remove the stigma of

3. The sales pitch. When every request

I’m an insatiable reader. I read

self-publishing (that it’s poorly edited,

promises that this is the Book of the

everything I can get my hands on, but

or vanity projects, or worth only paying

Year, a Real Page-Turner, Full of

I’ve always been picky when it comes

$2 for) by giving it as much respect and

Surprises then our eyes glaze over.

to romance and erotica. I don’t know

time as we give to books that have the

It goes back to the second point – as

why. That said, my favourite genres

prestige of a publishing house behind

someone

to

include: historical fiction (particularly

them. When it comes down to it, a book

communicate, you should be able

books set during WW2, books revolving

is a book and everyone should get a fair

to give me a straightforward

around court life, and the Salem witch

shot.

blurb and request without shouting

trials), speculative fiction (this includes

I also want to give underrepresented

advertising cliches in my face.

everything from horror, fantasy, and

whose

job

is

groups a chance to see themselves

sci-fi), psychological thrillers, and non-

represented in literary fiction and SFF.

The funniest thing that’s happened to

By talking about books with strong

you since starting your blog?

lesbian characters, books about Indian

It’s more embarrassing than funny: I

How long have you been book blogging?

housewives, and Zimbabwean albino

wrote a rather negative review about

Around 6 or 7 years now.

women, we legitimize their place in

a book. The author took the criticism

the world and also develop our own

well, but pointed out that instead of the

How did you get into book blogging?

capacity to empathise with people who

main character’s name, I’d used Michael

I got into the reviewing game in 2009,

26 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

fiction books about fringe-sciences.

there is much to be made. Ha-ha!)

after a stint as a horror gossip columnist

anyway. So, these days, I only accept

on a renowned horror site. By 2010

printed copies. I read pretty much

I was reviewing both Hollywood

everything, but if a book doesn’t catch

Name 3 things that authors get wrong

me by the 50th page, I’m out. That said,

when approaching book bloggers for a

I’m much more forgiving toward books

review

because I’m an author myself.

1.) Ask a blogger/reviewer to buy your

e Snyman

I tend to gravitate towards SFF and

book and review it. Not going to

happen

blockbusters and independent films,

horror, YA helps in between more

as well as a few important players in

serious reads … I think it all depends on

2.) Nag the blogger/reviewer for a

the publishing industry, but I gradually

how I feel the day, really.

review after sending the book. We

have TBR mountains, and only 2 eyes. It takes a while, you know?

started to realise there was a need for even more book reviewers.

That doesn’t help, does it?

In 2012 I started Killer Aphrodite

How many books do you read a year?

3.) Tell the reviewer how great the

Entertainment, hoping to help struggling

Typically between 100 – 120 books a

book is because of this and that and

authors get some more publicity, while

year.

whatnot. It makes us feel like you

don’t need us, and if we don’t like

the book … well, problems can arise.

still reviewing films and games. By 2014, I started Tentacle Books, which is

Is there any financial reward to running

an exclusive book reviewing site. Since

a successful book blog?

then I’ve also branched out to reviewing

Personally? I make enough to keep

The funniest thing that’s happened to

books on my personal blog.

my sites running, and then some. My

you since starting your blog?

biggest reward, however, is saving cash

I’m usually pretty good with computers,

on little habit.

but I tend to have the ability to kill my

I know what you’re thinking: “Why don’t you only have one site for reviews?”

sites. I don’t know how I do it, why it

and my answer to that is, I cater reviews

How much power do you think book

happens, or what I press. Sometimes

to my readers’ personalities.

bloggers have when it comes to driving

my site will just crash for no apparent

sales of a particular book?

reason.

What do you think makes for a

It depends on whether the blogger has

One time, probably a couple of

successful book blog?

a good following, enjoyed the book,

years ago, it happened again for the

Versatility, honesty, and decency.

and if he/she does follow ups with the

umpteenth time in that year. I was

author.

frustrated and in tears, talking to my webmaster: “Help me! I made my site

What are you looking for in your submissions?

What do you hope to achieve with your

go boom!” I yelled through my sobs.

Tricky question, even for someone as

book blog?

And since then every time it happens,

easy as me!

Honestly, I review for the fun of it. Yes,

when I contact my webmaster, he just

My submission guidelines haven’t been

it’s a job, but it’s also a hobby. If I can

sighs knowingly and asks: “Did you

updated on the sites in a while, I know

help an author out with a review, that’s

make your site go boom again?”

… but as I’ve grown older, I’ve realised

great. If I can help a reader find a book

So it’s a bit of a running joke between

I can’t see as well on eReaders as I

they’re in the mood to read, fantastic!

us.

did, and I read much slower on there

I’m not in it for the money (not that

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 27

TRAVEL

Oom

IN SEARCH O

Herman Charles Bosman wrote of the Marico: ‘There is no othe that bears the authentic stamp of South Africa.’ Justin Fox goes

In 1926, the young Herman Charles Bosman was sent as a novice teacher to a school in the Groot Marico district of the former Western Transvaal. He stayed less than six months, but the impression made on him by the region and its people was seminal. Almost all of his 150-odd short stories are set in the Marico and more than 50 of them are narrated by his famous storyteller, Oom Schalk Lourens.

Bosman’s tales recount the hardships of farmers and the cycles of life. It’s a world where drought, cattle raiders and rinderpest threaten; where God-fearing Boers still consider inspanning and trekking as solution to their problems; where shooting wild game, brewing coffee from witgat roots and distilling mampoer are central to life.

I set off for the Marico to see how much of Oom Schalk’s world could still be found. I headed west of Tshwane on the N4, Bushveld bound. Although the locale of Bosman’s stories is further 28 | AUTHORS MAGAZINE

north, the town of Groot Marico has become synonymous with the writer.

It’s also home to the Herman Charles Bosman Literary Society.

At the information centre – which doubles as Bosman Mecca – I met Santa and Egbert van Bart, the driving force behind the society. Apart from helping visitors with accommodation and Bosman info, they have also built of a replica of the school where the author taught (the original, on a farm near Abjaterskop, has fallen into ruin).

This now serves as a living museum to Bosman.

‘We inaugurated the literary society in October 1993 after visiting the original schoolhouse,’ said Egbert who, with his full beard, cardigan and veldskoens, is a pretty good facsimile of Oom Schalk.

‘The society still gathers on the third weekend of every October to celebrate all things Bosman.’

About

37

kilometres

west

of

Groot Marico, the literary traveller encounters the first co-ordinate in Oom Schalk’s geography. No doubt Zeerust was once a pretty town, but it has been desecrated with awful modern architecture and garish signage.

However, it’s worth a stop, just to soak up a bit of Bosman atmosphere.

The NG Church and commonage are the modern equivalent of the braak where ox wagons would outspan for the annual Nagmaal. Many tales were spun about this religious gathering of Marico farmers.

Zeerust symbolised a dangerous disruption to timeless Marico life.

It was from there that young lovers absconded on the train, or men ran away to the bright lights of Joburg and the mines (despite the predikant’s warnings about the carnality and sinful riches of the diggings … or perhaps because of them). Zeerust presented other vices too. Oom Schalk occasionally played truant from

m Schalk

OF

er place I know that is so … darkly impregnated with that stuff of life s exploring Oom Schalk’s North West.

church to visit the bioscope, pub or the conjurer in the town hall.

I headed out of town on the R47 into the heart of Bosman country.

North of Nietverdiend, I pulled off at a shop which had the name Zwingli emblazoned across the facade. My heart skipped a beat. This was Bosman’s local store, within walking distance of both the school where he taught and the homestead where he lodged. The author’s imagination used Zwingli as inspiration for Jurie Steyn’s post office, setting for the Voorkamer stories where local takhaars (backvelders) would tell tales while waiting for the postal delivery.

The ruins of the school lay behind a game fence a kilometre up the road.

I thought of Bosman’s arrival there in January 1926, a temperamental 20-year-old apprentice teacher thrust into a conservative farming community.

The impression made on him during the brief months ahead would alter the face

of South African literature.

North of the Dwarsberg, the land descends towards the Botswana border.

It was along this stretch of frontier that so many characters conducted their cattle smuggling. Oom Schalk learnt plenty of ingenious methods, like flattening the barbed wire with canvas, or grazing fowls over an area to cover the tracks of stock.

I crossed into Botswana and drove to Ramoutsa (Ramotswa today), a town central to Bosman’s world. Farmers would gather at the Indian store to buy provisions, wait for the train or simply while away the afternoon ‘discussing politics, mealie crops and the miltsiekte (milk sickness).’

In his essay ‘Marico Revisited’, Bosman tells of how he returned two decades after leaving his teaching post and was, again, enraptured by the Bushveld. He arrived at Ramotswa siding and stepped back into a world he had, in the interim,

recast in fiction. I found the old railway station – echoing offices, fire buckets, blue veranda. It couldn’t have changed a jot since Bosman’s visit.

That journey must have been a remarkable encounter with his own past. He wrote: ‘I found, what I should have known all along, of course, that it was the present that was haunted and that the past was not full of ghosts.’

And I realised that I, too, had been travelling through the Marico looking for phantoms – the characters and places of books – and had been experiencing that strange nostalgia brought on by literature, where the line between fact and fiction is so deliciously blurred, and geographies are peopled by the words of authors.

AUTHORS MAGAZINE | 29

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