Category: Personalities

Perspectives on Truth and Conflict

 

Conflict casts a shadow on truth telling, giving rise to versions of the truth over time .

Plantation Shadows unravels the truth through competing perspectives or on point revelations captured for posterity to convince the reader on a particular point of view.

 

The crafting of characters influences how the reader receives fictional truths. The proven trustworthy character holds the stronger sway in truth. Often, the social standing of a character influences following the ‘esteemed’ character, which might, unfortunately, lead the reader down the rabbit hole to a multiplicity of mistruths.

Who should the reader trust, the doctor, gardener, or domestic staff? Truth is not devoid of emotional strains, and memory creates versions of the truth depending on who demands it, narrates it, and receives it.

Plantation Shadows unearths the inner and outer conflict spanning three generations in a family drowning in secrets. The women living in a patriarchal community on the canefields of Natal, South Africa, take the forefront in narrating the truths that unfold one perspective at a time. The only male perspective has no blood ties to the conflicted family he serves. Edgar is the all-knowing eyes and ears between the two plantation houses, embroiled in secrets withheld in the living years. What ancestral truths will the grave yield?

 

 

 

 

There was internal strife that I was privy to, but I kept my head down and my ears open… Part Three, Edgar, ‘Plantation Shadows’

 

In unraveling the truth in a land buckling under colonial domination and rising resistance, is the twisted patriarchal mindset genuflecting to colonial expectations by preventing women from being heard. It is not until the fourth generation breaks the cycle of control, by assuming the courage and conviction to address and accept the long-held secret of an imploding family, hope rises.

Creating fictional women as untainted characters in a controlled society is to deny their right to break with convention in choosing the path they desire. Plantation Shadows is a closely held sisterhood of hidden truths among grandmothers, mothers and daughters.

Truth is a double-edged sword—it names and shames but creates understanding and gradual acceptance. Are generations of secrecy ever allowed to rest in peace?

Read Plantation Shadows, to feel and understand the secret hearts of the aging Milly and her dead mother.

 

 

Secrets diminish with death – Part 3, Edgar, ‘Plantation Shadows’

 

 

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Creative Fiction: Keeping Histories Alive

The world is teeming with the here and now, current stories in the making with the mounting flux of national and international events and situations that drown the past as voices evaporate into the mists of time. The danger is in relegating these voices to forgotten histories when they have much to teach this time on human kindness and compassion, to obliterate the self-centred I, me and my way of thinking and behaving.

 

 

 

Fiction writers have the skills at their finger-tips to animate these voices through fictional recreations, Many such esteemed writers, as Toni Morrison, Maya Angelou, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Elif Shafak, et al, have done so to great effect over time.

 

Ignorant of history, we find it easy to accept our isolation from one another. We are more able to recognize differences than shared experiences and perspectives. History proclaims our common humanity. – Author: Linda Simon

 

 

South Africa’s apartheid history has a multitude of women’s voices, women of colour – some of whom have gone unnoticed under the radar of time.

 Souls of Her Daughters arrived to highlight the role that women of colour made to the contribution in dismantling apartheid’s constructed barriers of race, sex, culture and ethnicity.

In Souls of her Daughters, two mothers, Varuna and Elsie, the mothers of Grace and Patience unite as one family when their husbands are brutally killed during the darkest times in the land’s racist history. Their daughters, Grace and Patience, become the stoic women they reveal themselves to be while fighting their own demons on sexism and abuse. Kindness and compassion pave the way forward as the personal histories of Varuna and Elsie in demonstrating their resilience under the scrutiny and accusations of racist stereotypes.

 

 

From humble beginnings both Grace and Patience emerge as women of courage, serving humanity in an international arena. Before they achieved this level of confidence they found a space where they were valued, belonged, to reach out to those struggling a similar or worse fate.

These four forgotten voices were deep, and the reach expansive that it  opened the way for two more novels to follow, Chosen Lives, and, What Change May Come. These novels that followed, Souls of Her Daughters takes the reader on a journey from South Africa to Australia, Ireland and India. The novels showcase the kindness and compassion of two sisters born from different mothers into a segregated South African society with the potential to overcome the debilitating challenges of their birth country’s political history.

 

 

Fiction has a valuable role to play in the recreated telling of stories that did not make it into the history pages of its respective time, yet these stories carry the potential to educate the here and now for a future built on kindness and compassion. These human qualities dissolve the quagmire of the human condition.

 

Please like and share your thoughts and ideas on the recreated fictionalised histories you would like to read.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Creative Life: Vanity Pride and Ego

Vanity, Pride and Ego – same family, different personalities, different agendas.

All three will have a negative impact if riding this wave is all that matters. It drains creative energy.

 

Vanity exudes a hollowness in its overindulgence on self, achievements, and appearance, etc. It is external.

Where does the artist sit on the pedestal of vanity?

One voice says, nowhere. Another asks, how will a receptive audience to the art be found if vanity is tossed aside? Vanity needs an audience. But, should it be at the cost of dominating one’s passion and purpose?

 

 

 

 

The muse, divine grace, or however inspiration is perceived,  is not invited by vanity. Mother Muse is not needed, as narcissistic vanity, knows it all, and celebrates personal achievements, with no filter,  in every waking moment, in multiple ways. I and me overshadow growth by ignoring the voices that have much to teach and share in learning new ways. The achievement has a use-by-date if not allowed to grow and expand in new and varied ways.

 

 

 

 

 

Then pride prods, ‘Look at me, I have published my book, or sold my artwork! I’m so excited!’ This has a ring, different to vanity. It’s internal, it is joy over what the artist has created.  Children are invited to take pride in their work, push themselves to achieve their personal best. This level and definition of pride is a healthy option. Pride reflects reality, it’s a joyous reaction to having achieved a goal. There’s a dignity in the self-esteem and self-respect that comes with this type of pride. Because pride is internal, when injured, it could create feelings of worthlessness. Which do we prefer? Known for vanity or having a sense of pride? Pride may breed feelings of superiority if unchecked, and released often outside the inner glow of accomplishment.

Then there’s ego, ‘Oi! look at me and all I have achieved. I am the best in my game.’ Remember the id, ego, and superego in a Psychology 101 class? It might be necessary if marketing one’s wares, but with ego comes the threat of overzealous self-importance – conceit. Not a favourite in any working, social, or home environment.

To succeed in what we do, we need balance. The ability to know and understand who we are, and how we are received is vital to acceptance for a sense of belonging to promote mental and emotional wellness.

When acceptance and belonging thrive, productivity increases.

 

Balance in everything is vital to how social perceptions are influenced

 

It leaves the question, is ego, overblown pride? And what of vanity? Is it a wild show pony craving an adoring audience, or the unrestrained expression of pride and ego?

Now, there lies the dilemma.

Be proud of your creative work, yes? Avoid ego and vanity? Over-inflated expressions of self run the risk of sitting on the precipice of love and revulsion. What is the artist’s choice to be?

 

Shakespeare’s timeless tales tell us that hubris and hamartia lead to a character’s downfall. Lear’s, ‘Which of you shall we say doth love us most’, albeit being an aging man, he might be perceived as vain in wanting to hear his three daughters’ undying adoration for him before he divides his kingdom among them.

 

What are your thoughts?  Vanity? Pride, or Ego?

 

 

Happy Writing and Successful Publishing!

May I tell you?

Growing up in apartheid South Africa as a non-white person, living under the Group Areas Act where you only saw people like you with the same coloured skin, living with the knowledge that your people had to be hidden from view — white view — left scarred for life and needing immense strength to shelve the hurt and pain in memory’s hinterland.

 

This divisive system invites shame — why am I not good enough? Why can’t I eat at that wonderful seaside restaurant? Why can’t I go to a school with its English countryside setting and Victorian buildings? Why am I afraid every time I see a police officer or paddy wagon? Why can’t I lift my eyes above the ground? What have I done to be born black?

Here is why…

Racism is hatred that unleashes a plethora of negativity both ways: Unchecked power that intensifies with acts of brutality that crucifies an already broken self-concept. Systemic injustice — physical, emotional, and psychological feeds the depraved hands of power. How does the victim deal with an enforced erosion of who they are?

Let me tell you…

There are only two ways: head down — mind their manners or take to the streets to protest. Stop! When power strikes up against protest it is obvious that human survival instinct kicks in and violence erupts. Nobody wants violence — justice is all the victim wants — a fair go — it starts out as a peaceful protest, and if left to do just that, no force is necessary. Let the voices crying out for change be heard or it speaks of intolerance to change.

Then somebody cries ‘looters!’

This is why this happens…

The downtrodden are as the words say it, the ‘have-nots’— denied, deprived, shamed, and blamed for all the ills of the land. Human instinct kicks in again and necessity guides reaction/behaviour. Before we cry ‘looting’ investigate what underpins it. Where there’s social inequity the ‘haves’ have ‘looted’ the country for a very long time taking more than they needed — perpetuating inequity.

History tells us that peaceful protests become violent when the hand of power strikes. Decades before Nelson Mandela sat at the helm of government in South Africa, the country was on the brink of civil war and the Sharpeville massacre of 1960 like the Soweto riots of 1976 started out as a call for justice but led to police taking up arms against protesting civilians who wanted their voices heard.

#BlackLivesMatter is a timeless cry for justice from the time of Rudyard Kipling who referred to the people of the African continent as ‘half-devil and half-child, ’ in his 1899 poem, White Man’s Burden.
Colonialism stole the right to justice — a fair go, for original inhabitants of the land. Assimilation — one way or no way denies culture, heritage and the right of recognition.
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Remember those fallen at the hands of racial prejudice — countless — the loved ones of grieving families — too many still dying at the hands of what can be changed…if they are heard.

 

 

 

 

Listen to this Ted Talk by Amy Thunig: Disruption is not a dirty word that pulls no punches on racism endured by Indigenous Australians in a country I call home.

It’s 2020, and some in the misguided grip of power swim in the quagmire of the barbarism of racial prejudice — educated by book not humane moral code — sure-fire intellect — no emotional intelligence. Silence widens and deepens the stain of prejudice. Speaking out against racism does not always win friends and influence people, but the few who join black brothers and sisters in the fight for justice at the risk of losing their tribe — those are the gems that make #AllLivesMatter, for they will pull together to create liberty, equality and we all need fraternity.

 

What is your choice to be on #BlackLivesMatter?

Stay safe, speak up against injustice but as John Proctor cried in The Crucible – ‘Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! … leave me my name!’

What do you want to be remembered for?

 

 

Mothers Mirrored in Fiction

Mother’s Day this year has a different ring to the freedom of yesteryear.

 

The nation waited to hear if we would be allowed to visit our mothers on this special day of the year. Something we took for granted… our mothers would always be there to listen, comfort, cook an amazing meal, take care of grandchildren, advise on matters of the heart, and chastise bad behaviour.

 

Love the whole world as a mother loves her only child ~ Gautama Buddha

 

 

 

 

The hype leading to Mother’s Day has been a buzz from infancy.  2020 has been still but some retail stores have opened for a dash purchase of a gift and a card to celebrate our mothers to tell them we love them. We fervently add that we want our mothers to be safe and well during this global health crisis. Some among us ache to see our mothers, some have passed on,  and others are in social isolation — it has been two months of just telephone conversations and if possible, FaceTime, Zoom and Skype chats. The aching emptiness of the missed mama/nana hug is still not a possibility. A joyous expression of love is now a cause for global anxiety as we fear the unknown, the lethal. The comforting hug now a possible cause of harm.

Mothers occupy a universal, sacred place in our hearts. A mother’s unconditional love goes with her children from the cradle to the grave. Cultures revere mothers with a divinity deserving of profound respect and care. This value should undoubtedly be universal. The hearth of family and home is a mother.

 

Paradise lies at the feet of your mother~ Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)

 

 

 

In paying tribute to all mothers today I also refer to the fictional mothers in, Souls of Her Daughters,  and two follow-up novels in the trilogy (each reads as a stand-alone novel too) Chosen Lives, and, What Change May Come.

 

 

 

Mothers Varuna and Elsie present as the yin-yang of motherhood. Mama Varuna is Grace’s bold and strong mother who has weathered hardship with loss and societal criticism. Patience’s mother, Mama Elsie is a mild-mannered mother who faces racism and hardship in apartheid South Africa. Both mothers raise their daughters as one family united in their cultural difference and struggles. The highs and lows of the lives of mothers and daughters captured in the daily lives of Grace and Patience are what makes Mother’s Day a constant expression of love.

To all mothers, and future mothers, you are the pillars of family and society and should be celebrated daily.

 

She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.’ ~ Proverbs 31:26

 

Share your thoughts in the comments.

 

 

Stay safe and well as restrictions ease in New South Wales and around the world.

 

 

Happy reading, happy writing.

 

 

Women Who Inspire

 

Often the women around us, those we interact with, those who do not ask for acknowledgement and serve their life’s calling with unstinting passion, must be noted to celebrate them and say thank you for who they are and what they have shared and continue to share.

 

Today amid the chaos in the world, social isolation physically separates us but has allowed us to deepen and broaden our thinking without the usual everyday distractions.

 

This quietening of the mind has heightened my appreciation for the women that inspire and have inspired many lives. As a writer of thriller fiction and contemporary women’s fiction, it is befitting that I pay homage to the women who have impacted my world.

From the corporate world, writing and publishing and health care, here are three women I salute today.

 

Kalyani Pillay (Entrepreneur)

Former CEO, of SABRIC, (South African Banking Risk Information Centre) Kalyani Pillay resides in Sandton, South Africa. Kalyani has inspired many in her passion for instituting protocols for the elimination of bank fraud. A job that entailed being a globetrotter spreading innovative ideas on how to protect ourselves from financial scams, and as an advisor to large corporations, particularly banks. Kalyani Pillay has been head-hunted for presentations at international conferences in her relentless fight against fraud. She has worked as a lawyer, State Attorney for Gauteng, and Special Advisor to the Head of the National Prosecuting Authority in South Africa before she joined the ranks of SABRIC as CEO. Her resilience, dedication, optimism, and integrity are qualities that inspire for as long as I can remember.

Here is Kalyani Pillay’s inspiring interview with, Dudu Msomi on her show, ‘WisdomPersonified’ to illustrate the passion, courage, determination, and humility of a woman of note.

 

 

 

Brenda Mohammed (Author/Poet)

Trinidadian author and Founder of the How to Write for Success Group, a rapidly growing literary group. Brenda Mohammed promotes rising stars in literature, and assists in expanding the repertoire of existing, established authors with selfless commitment through collaborative writing of anthologies in the prevention of suicide and against domestic abuse. She is a noteworthy multi-award-winning novelist and poet. As a former banker and seasoned traveller she exudes a resilient spirit as a cancer survivor, depicted in her memoir I am Cancer Free, and one who has the Midas touch in creating bestsellers. These attributes make Brenda Mohammed an inspirational woman as my peer and mentor in my role as an administrator in the HTWFS group. Brenda’s book How to Write for Success offers nuggets of wisdom on writing and publishing, serving as a handbook for writers of any genre. Her warmth and generous nature in promoting the love for reading in children is evident in her contributions and interactions with schools in Trinidad. Brenda Mohammed is highly valued by her administrators and followers in the How to Write for Success group.

 

 

It isn’t where you came from. It’s where you’re going that counts.

~Ella Fitzgerald

 

 

 

Queenie Naidoo (Health Care Professional)

Retired South African nurse, residing in Australia, Queenie Naidoo, in her eighties today, is passionate about healing as she ever was. She served the poor and destitute, the ill and dying with devotion. She was fondly known to many as, ‘Sister Queenie.’ She garnered the support of local doctors in the town of Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, to donate medication which she dispensed at the free medical community clinic she steadfastly ran, for many years, on Sunday mornings, to serve those who were unable to access medical treatment. Her home was a haven to the ill, depressed, and ailing hearts. Her sense of humour and maternal warmth drew many to her. Her lifetime commitment to healing and supporting the physical and mental health of her patients resonates today with the selfless and potentially dangerous work of health care professionals during this global pandemic we currently face. Added to Queenie Naidoo’s inspirational credit is her creative talent in having produced a theatrical performance, God the Last Refuge, staged at the King Street Theatre in Newtown, Sydney, in 2014. Queenie has inspired me from the cradle as my loving, caring, mother and continues to do so to this day.

 

We never stop learning and growing with each passing day, hence inspirational individuals are the heartbeat of the societies we inhabit.

 

I have handpicked three inspirational women, there are many more who inspire us every day. Please share the inspirational women in your world in the comment box below.

 

From Sydney to Seychelles

 

Today we travel across the Indian Ocean to meet Magie Faure-Vidot. Magie is a French-language poet from beautiful Seychelles. She has published work in English and Seychelles Creole. She is the Chief Editor/Director of the Publication SIPAY and is an inspirational supporter of rising poets and writers. She is tireless in her dedication to upholding international close connections between writers of all genres and forms.

Recently she has travelled to India for the World Thinkers’ and Writer’s Peace Meet attending two international events in December 2019 in Vijayawada and Kolkata.

 

 

Meet the Poet

Magie Faure-Vidot was born in Victoria. She is a member of the Institut Académique de Paris and the Académie Internationale de Lutèce. She has won numerous prizes over the course of her career, including the Coupe de la Ville de Paris, a Lyre d’honneur, and six silver and numerous bronze medals in various international literary competitions, and she has represented her home country at many international poetry festivals and other initiatives. Her work has been discussed in critical studies of Seychellois literature. She has also achieved some fame as an oral performer.

After living for some time in Lebanon, England, Italy, and France, Faure-Vidot returned to Seychelles. There she co-founded and continues to codirect, both the online literary review Vents Alizés and the online publishing house Edisyon Losean Endyen, both of which she runs in conjunction with Hungarian poet Károly Sándor Pallai. Her work is regularly published in Seychelles Nation and The People, and she is the Chief Editor/Director of  SIPAY,  the only Seychellois international literary magazine. Her poems were published in the international poetry anthology Amaravati Poetic Prism in India. In 2017, she received the prestigious Seychelles Arts Award in literature for her outstanding literary work and achievements. She writes for Spirit of Nature where she features amongst the 60 poets published in 2019.Opa Anthology of Poetry.

She is a member of the World Nations Writers Union Kazakhstan. She is the Regional Director – East Africa and Central Asia and on the Administration Council of  MS.

Additional information on Magie Faure-Vidot is available on Wikipedia.

 

 

Getting to know  Magie

 

 When did your love for poetry begin?

The love for literature began when I was a kid. My parents worked on a vast agricultural property and had many animals. I loved them so much that I used to tell them small stories. We lived close to the beach and I had my private beach where I used to enjoy the sea, the birds, coconut trees, swimming with small fish, and playing with crabs. Being a loner, I had to keep myself busy. The sea carried me to faraway imaginary places. And I would always be asking my parents to buy me pencils and exercise-books.

 

 

 What do you enjoy the most about living in Seychelles?

The island life, friendliness of the inhabitants, no snow but the sand.

 

 

The View From Magie Faure-Vidot’s  Home in the Beautiful Island of Seychelles  ~ A Creative  Haven

 

 

Tell us about the International Literary Journal, SIPAY. When did it begin? What is its aim?

SIPAY saw birth in 2008 but registered in June 2009. At first, the aim was to promote the  French language at 60% and 40% shared between our two other national languages, English and Creole. But now it has taken another turn. It is affiliated to Motivational Strips, and  Spanish has been added to the three languages. SIPAY is now an International Literary Magazine and opportunities are given to various writers all over the globe. SIPAY is a non-political, non-religious magazine. SIPAY is distributed to the Ministry of Education for all the schools, Ministry of Culture, Creole Institute, the National Library, the National Journal (NISA), and some private individuals. One copy is posted to all contributors at no charge. SIPAY is a non-profit making publication. Money generated from the sale is reinvested in the next edition.

 

Describe your typical writing day.

I write when the urge tickles me. First, however, I take care of my home, family and animals  – three dogs, and I feed some fifty birds every day. I then take to writing, attending to posts in  MS, Lasosyasyon Lar san Frontyer, Congo Ecrit etc.

 

 

What are your future goals for literature both within Seychelles and internationally? 

I’m planning my 7th book, assisting the Lasosyasyon Lar San Frontyer as a Chief Consultant and Congo Ecrit. I  attended two international events in December 2019 in Vijayawada and Kolkata.

 

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I extend my gratitude to Magie Faure-Vidot for sharing her illustrious writing journey. You can connect with Magie Faure-Vidot for more information on her recent literary travels and works:

Email

Website

Facebook

 

 

Please leave your thoughts in the box below:

Writing Through Adversity

 

Writing has been well documented as having therapeutic value. Do you keep a personal diary, or a journal to record moments that are significant to you?  Would you write a memoir or autobiography? Have you tried poetry writing?

 

Fiction is an avenue that has therapeutic benefit when writing about angst through fiction or poetry. This has value in reaching readers who might face a similar situation. Receiving a reader’s comment on connecting with a character or situation makes writing move from the realm of fictional entertainment to enhancing life, creating a sense of belonging through the power of story/words that whisper,  ‘there are people who go through this, you are not alone, it’s not you…’

 

Human difficulties like our joys are universal and part of our shared humanity regardless of demography or any divisive label. We learn from each other, we share with each other — altruism is part of our human ‘feel good’ makeup. We feel good or secure in knowing that challenges are not unique. This is where fiction like a memoir/autobiography/biography and poetry has the ability to say, ‘I see you, I hear you, I feel your situation.’

 

‘In our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity’

 

Oftentimes something heard, something seen, or read triggers the imagination to create a story/poem — these seeds have their origin in human experience. Everything in life has imaginative storytelling potential. Historical fiction is a genre whereby much from history or literature is reimagined to suit a particular context adding timelessness to a story. 

 

Poems and stories, when turned inward, create… growth… healing… self-awareness

 

Shakespeare’s The Tempest reimagined by Margaret Atwood in her novel, Hag-Seed is an example.  Prospero becomes Felix a theatre director in a present-day context —  he is grieving the deaths of his wife and daughter and has been backstabbed by an aspirational colleague. His vulnerability is an evocative point of connection with the reader. Professional or workplace strife present timeless human dilemmas, but when tastefully explored as a novel’s premise or ideas, it has the potential to speak to many isolated, lonely individuals — there is no shame in being vulnerable. Shame sits on the shoulders of those who abuse vulnerability. The most endearing people, in reality, are those who have experienced hardship, financially, in grief or loss, abuse or ill-health — having walked in the shoes of many with struggles, wires empathy — as human experience should be if we hope to coexist in peace and harmony.

Fiction can remind us why it is essential to be true to who we are in our expressions of self and in our interactions with each other. 

 

 

In Souls of Her Daughters, Dr Grace Sharvin who heads a busy medical ER has unimaginable frailties but her strength is in her capacity to reach out to others while fighting her own demons. 

 

Life’s lessons come from the adversarial people met, and they become the basis upon which writers craft their villains. A little bit of this and a little bit of that blended in a cauldron and hey presto! The (im)perfect villain is born! The good people we meet shape perspectives on why adversarial individuals have no place in a shared world.

Timeless heart-warming and gut-wrenching stories on life’s challenges and celebrations.

 

 

 

Literature is a luxury, Fiction is a necessity — GK Chesterton

 

 

and

Albert Camus said,  Fiction is the lie through which we tell the truth.

 

Who can argue with such pearls of truth now? 

 

Life, literature, news of the day, and history portray human experiences that provide inroads to new fictional stories and evocative poetry that connect rather than divide by exposing, celebrating, loving, grieving and understanding what it really means to be human. We all, whether real or fictional are indeed not alone in adversity. 

Which novels and poems would you recommend to readers on overcoming adversity? Have you read A Spark of Hope?

 

Fiction: Perfection in Imperfection

Perfection is too exhausting. It’s not true to who we really are as individuals, communities, and societies.

Fictional characters echo this representation of imperfection without necessarily being labelled Shakespeare’s Iagos of the world –  they do exist – the first page of the daily newspaper or the first news item on the evening television news reveals that Iago exists in politics, education, the corporate world, and other dark corners.

Nobody is as good as gold…

My tag line, Perfection in Imperfection, the themes in my novels, and short stories, and essentially most novels, illustrate that life is just that – a mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. Nothing is perfect nor is anything entirely imperfect – there is always a reason for the apparent ‘imperfection,’ the interpretation of which is dependent on one’s value system in either accepting or rejecting a perceived ‘imperfection’. The psychological benefit of understanding that ‘perfection,’ as defined by ‘particular’ standards,  is not the norm, invites the greatest learning in appreciation, understanding and compassion which is born from trial and error or walking in the shoes of others.

 

 

Perfection bores, it disconnects the reader from the lack of reality evident in the world around. A saintly character who holds pious thoughts and performs selfless acts through the duration of a story might offer some inspiration, but insufficient entertainment value for the reader. Give that saintly character’s perfection a dent or two and they are endearing as human after all.

The socially moral cop with a particular weakness, perhaps peeling bags of onions, eating tubs of ice cream, or engaging in a ‘monkey-ish’ tossing of almonds into his/her mouth, or some such habit, when a case is in a deadlock or about be nailed, is either loved, creates amusement, or is despised. Inspector Aldo in Vindication Across Time, a man who controls the media and women, particularly the rich, widowed, and lonely like, Ana Kutnetsov, a housekeeper with a big heart, and a secret past, grates on every character’s nerves. He is enigmatically dark – a looming manifestation of Iago.

Literary heroines such as Tolstoy’s, Anna Karenina, illustrate this point, and Margaret Atwood’s speech, Spotty-Handed Villainesses, on the good-bad women of literature highlight the fallacy of crafting perfect female characters as unrealistically flawless or insanely bad. Flaws might engender empathy in the reader when weaknesses or vulnerabilities are exposed, not the overt Jekyll and Hyde associations – which exist, depending on the genre of the tale.

Nuanced human foibles draw connections and acceptance, that to err is human. From Count Dracula, Robin Hood, Ned Kelly, to Portia and Desdemona – it’s the yin and yang, the balancing between the scales of imperfection and perfection that makes them timeless characters through reader held values, and the emotions elicited.

Perfection in the natural world is not assured, periods of drought, fires, snow and floods, etc, strengthen human and animal reactions or behaviour to changeability.

 

As What Change May Come is released this week, my heroes and heroines are both weak and strong. Even the selfless character Patience has her weaknesses much to the embarrassment of her sister Grace. While there are consistencies of characterisation across the three novels, Souls of Her Daughters, Chosen Lives, and What Change May Come, there are times when change elicits or decrees an unexpected behaviour in the character. They are all human after all and aren’t we all?

 

 

Happy Writing, Happy Reading!

 

Please share your thoughts on the topic in the box below.

 

Fiction: Women and Culture

Every writer has a unique voice drawn from culture and values. Even when one opts to write a ‘different’ tale with ‘different’ people, the authentic self seeps into some aspects of the writing process.

Having been raised in South Africa my psyche is wired to the spirit of the people. I remember older women as the stalwarts in the home –  stalwarts with hearts of sheer gold. Writing this infuses me with warmth and tenderness. This is the reason for the crafting of Mama Elsie, in Souls of Her Daughters, Mama Thembu in Vindication Across Time and Grace’s mother Varuna whom Patience lovingly refers to as ‘Mama Varuna.’ Each of these women epitomises the significance of a mother in the home which accords them profound respect for the hardships they endure in a country that negates their existence.

The character Marcia Ntuli has the strength of character that her mother, an activist for women’s rights, exudes. Yet in seeking a new life, in a new country, she is subjected to professional racism until she is forced to give up her passion with a rapidly declining sense of self-worth. It’s only when Michael Morrissey, a human rights lawyer helps her through her dark days of self-doubt is she able to pick up the pieces of her shattered life. It is not the act of racism that is showcased but rather the resilience of the women and men who help victims find their way through inhuman situations.

In offering a lesson on how to uplift the human condition, it is men like Michael, Andrei, Brad, Keefe, Petros and Andrew who cherish the broken souls of my African women characters. A multicultural cast adds colour to the worlds of these women as the way of the world  – as it should be.

I learned to appreciate this after having lived in segregation under apartheid. My premise will always remain that in our angst and joy we are one under the sky of humanity. Idealistic, perhaps,  but hope has to be pursued to make a difference in how people perceive and engage with each other.

In The Rain – A Collection of Short Stories Thuli in the title story is a young, strong village woman who will do anything to keep her family together.

The song she sings to her children, a lullaby, Thula Thula Baba as she waits for the storm to end, is one I remember hearing from the cradle. It moves me to this day in its sweet, yet haunting sounds and meaning.

I give you Thula Thula Baba– a lullaby sung by mothers to calm their fretful babies while their husbands went into the cities to find work.

What Change May Come presents the coping strategies of sisters Grace and Patience in their struggle with irreversible change. Here the notion of perfection is challenged when one woman has motivations that clash with Patience’s perception of what it means to be human.

If stories open vistas of understanding and bring a lesson while entertaining – that is the footprint needed for a better today and even better tomorrow.

Go in peace.

Food and Fiction

A good story, like good food, is an unforgettable experience.

In the creation of fictional worlds, the protagonist comes to life through his or her foibles, eccentricities, habits, relationships, hobbies, voice, mannerisms etc. While sensory details include the sounds, we hear and the images we see, through the words on the page, the degustation in a fictional novel brings the reader to the table, heightening the sensual effect in a shared meal with characters.

In my debut novel, Across Time and Space, the aging Ben loves kippers and poached eggs for breakfast. In the sequel, Vindication Across Time, while breakfast is important, especially when Ben and Meryl overhear a conversation in a tiny restaurant, on the dark history of the mysterious Professor Andrei Malakov – it’s the journey through South Africa’s gustatory delights that bring drooling joy as barbecued corn on the cob – braaied mielies, to locals, on the breathtaking beaches of the Cape, chilli pineapple in, Sweet, salty, hot and pungent collided, tantalising Michael’s tastebuds. And then who can forget the delectable Kaapse snoek! In contrast, back in Florence, Meryl consumes endless cups of coffee as the trial drains her emotional and physical strength. Her favourite chicken pasta and prawn linguini meals are left untouched as her mind swims with horrific thoughts on where her life was heading.

In the trilogy, Souls of Her Daughters, Chosen Lives, and the third book, out this April, What Change May Come, Thai Delight, a fictional place, is Patience’s favourite restaurant, but both sisters, Grace and Patience find great joy and comfort in cooking and eating their mother’s signature chicken curry – their memory of her is alive in love and food. Grilled salmon, thoughtfully prepared for an elderly neighbour is pushed aside as she perspires through, and relishes Grace’s fish curry, saying, You have your mother’s touch with the delicate spicing, what a scrumptious meal... There are wonderful Mediterranean breakfasts, turmeric lattes and cardamom chai for a full international array of gustatory heaven!

 

I need chillies to warm my soul’ ~ Patience says in Souls of Her Daughters

 

 

From the spicy to the crisp – ham and cheese croissants, in the April release of What Change May Come, complements the racy change and quick food that others bring to Grace and Patience.

 

Food and fiction are a formidable combination, setting the mood of the moment, letting the reader into a part of the character’s life that we all enjoy – eating as a necessity, or social activity, regardless of what we eat, or where we eat it.

Food will always feature in my fictional tales as comfort food, memory food, and soulful food.

 

Cheers to more, tasty, thrilling tales!

Share your thoughts in the comment box below.

 

How do you name them?

An interesting question recently from a reader prompted this post on whether the names of my characters were people I knew. As a writer I could say, yes, I do know my characters between the pages of my books, and fiction mirrors life as the angst, joy and foibles of individuals.

 

Meanings behind names have always intrigued me.

 

I  choose names for some characters that befit their personalities and behaviour or represent the opposite of what they are. In Souls of Her Daughters, Grace and Patience are indomitable women in the face of the catastrophes that befall them. Grace’s mother,  Varuna, has her name taken from the Sanskrit equivalent that attests to her strength as one who embraces all, hence she is the embodiment of the god of water and the celestial ocean surrounding the world.  Her inner strength and capacity in how she copes with the murder of her devoted, humble husband, and subsequent chastisement and ostracisation by her extended family does not alter her essential goodness. Grace, Varuna’s biological daughter, and Patience, her adopted daughter endure horrific persecution, of a cultural and tribal nature – Varuna will stop at nothing to ensure her family is reunited, while she continues being a person for others in her neighbourhood. 

In the sequel to Souls of Her Daughters, Chosen Lives sees the introduction of new characters, who are named in a similar vein, sometimes with demographic relevance, or drawn from Greek mythology – Xandria, defender of humankind, much the same as Alexis – helper or defender. Zuri, a Swahili derivative, means inspirational, beautiful, truth-seeker, and more. The head of the mission in  Chosen Lives, an underground movement for a new world of women leaders, is named Masuyo, which means to profit or benefit the world. A mission recruit, running a school for women in India is Akanya, meaning peace and humility which she exemplifies in her interactions with others. 

On the other hand, the character, Felicity, family friend and colleague to Patience, is far from what her name suggests, given her difficult childhood – her razor-sharp mind is admirable. The Arabic name, Azmil, means light, given to a young man who lost both his parents at the hands of rebel forces in Pakistan. The work he does, at the Well Study Centre,  makes him the light to many orphaned young women.  The snatched memory of his mother fosters his commitment to young women in his community.

The character, Audra, has a childhood of neglect by affluent parents, her name as explained in her testimony, is a celebration of the beauty of Audrey Hepburn. As she says, ‘to my Ramon,  I was Audra.’

 

A multi-cultural cast of characters representing diversity in harmony 

 

The third part of this trilogy, being written, will follow through with similar thought for new characters that emerge. Each of the three novels is a standalone read, too.

 

In my debut novel, Across Time and Space, and the sequel Vindication Across Time,  Keres Bathory is a name drawn from a combination of Greek mythology and a historical character – a combination of one who disturbs the universe.

 

Aspects of a character’s behaviour might be drawn from observation which is married with imagination to serve the role they play in novels.

What’s your fascination with names in stories or the people you meet?

 

Add your comment in the box below.

 

Happy reading, Happy writing!

Are you a dog with a bone?

 

In my world being a dog with a bone is sometimes needed to get the job done.

Persistence pays.

By the same token, I am aware how utterly annoying the person who is always a dog with a bone can be … gnawing at issues or situations for self-aggrandisement. They gnaw at the issue or situation with dogged intent. Is it with a power-laden agenda to prove a point and claim a hubristic victory?

 

An ego trip might well motivate a dog with a bone syndrome (my definition) hence such characters are quick at the ready to prove a point, make a statement or perhaps just want to be heard. A sad dog with a bone.

This excessive gnawing suggests self-obsession, the ‘look at me’ need.

 

determined puppy

 

You will find this character type in my novel, Vindication Across Time, or can you identify characters in literature you’ve read, where such attributes are identifiable?

 

How about some of these characters?

-Shakespeare’s Duke Orsino in Twelfth Night – hankering after love:

If music be the food of love, play on/ Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting/The appetite may sicken and so die.

– Shakespeare’s King Lear in the play by the same name, desirous of hearing how his daughters love him:

… which of you shall we say doth love us most. That we our bounty may extend. 

A vain ploy, albeit by an aging king and father, to ‘buy’ profanations of love.

Note the positions of power in each of the above, male, duke, king, etc.

 

But what about the humanitarian goal-focused dog with a bone? What defines this person?

#courage
# resilience
# hope, authenticity, and determination
# achievement
# embraces challenges
# wants the best things in life for self and others

Shakespeare’s Cordelia, King Lear’s daughter, says:

I love your majesty according to my bond, no more no less.

This girl tells it like it is! She speaks from the heart in her truth. She stands by her truth like a saintly puppy with a bone, she is prepared to forgo her part of her inheritance from her father’s kingly estate in:

Nothing will come of nothing. 

This is an admirable quality which has been included in my novel, Across Time and Space. Who is it?

  • Meryl?
  • Marcia?
  • Ben?
  • Andrei?
  • Michael?

I leave you to decide.

But while pursuing these noble intentions, individuals/characters might walk all over those who support and promote them by becoming consumed by their goals, to the point of frustrating others with their exuberance, self-centred, and misfired passion.

 

So how does one or one’s crafted character become a pleasant goal-focused dog with a bone?

# have a purpose that will also benefit others
# know when to take a break from the bone of self-promotion – in other words, give the jaw a break.
# consult with peers and others and share by being an active listener.

 

Where are these characters in literature?

How about Friar Laurence in Romeo and Juliet? He knew he could no longer prevent Romeo from wanting to marry Juliet, so he dutifully got them married.

And the upright, Atticus Finch,  in Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird who was relentless in proving the African American, Tom Robinson, innocent of the allegation by Mayella Ewell and her father Bob.

The dog-with-a-bone fictional characters make interesting case studies and create engaging plots with perhaps a  moral lesson.

A valuable, and historic determination is Martin Luther King in:

I refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality… I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word. ~ Martin Luther King

 

Be a dog with a bone or craft such characters but know when to give the gnawing a rest. Craft characters who echo tireless values that promote change for a better world, or expose the dark side through characters who invert goodness.

 

Some valuable motivational quotations to guide your characters’ actions:

 

I hope you enjoyed this and encourage you to comment and share your views on characters who have had an impact on you. Please share your thoughts in the message box below.

Continue reading “Are you a dog with a bone?”

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