Shades
of Africa
1.
What inspired you to write your book?
Recent events all over the world
where children are abducted and murdered and girls are raped and made to marry
as early as the age of eight. Little boys torn from their mothers to become
soldiers of death. It tears at my heart when political evil destroys the lives
of beautiful people. This brought back the hurt of suppression and how it had
played such a part in my life. The murder and suppression of women and children,
their abuse by fanatical revolutionaries, fathers and husbands, these things
kindled my motivation to tell my story
2.
What is it about?
This is a story about a white girl,
Shirley Schreiber and her family. Growing up in South Africa and Rhodesia
during the early years of racial discrimination including the apartheid year
1944-1972. Shirley grows up during the years of racism and apartheid and the
black power push for freedom; when both sides are right, both are wrong. The
betrayal of blacks and whites, each with a fierce passion for this cruel,
unforgiving land where to trust could mean death. It is “a photo album in prose
about the brutality of life in British South Africa.” – Kirkus Review
3.
What do you hope will be the
everlasting thoughts for readers who finish your book?
My message is to promote social
awareness. Hopefully society today will accept these events did take place and
learn from them. Nobody has the right to suppress a nation or an individual. The
fight for black power and freedom all over Africa, and how this way of life
impacted on all families white & black. Domestic violence and abuse of
women and children is a normal way of life for many families of all races. The fight in Africa is on-going sometimes
there is no end in sight only death. Women and children are suppressed, killed
for their love of life and learning. We must support their fight for civil
rights and stop the killing of innocent people of all races. Everyone should be
allowed to pray when, with, how, where and to whom they believe.
4.
What advice do you have for writers?
Write
from your heart. Life’s learnings. Use your own experiences to create your
story. If you are writing a life story don’t hold back, tell it the way it was.
The reader must believe that this is a true story as it is, and should not be trimmed
to be more comfortable if it was not.
Show
love if the story is about love, tell it. The reader must feel the love. I can
remember reading a beautiful story about the love of a young girl for her dying
mother. At the end I held the book to my chest hugging that feeling. There is
no better story than true love told with love.
5.
Where do you think the book publishing industry
is heading?
Sadly
this does concern me very much as I love to hold a book, to feel the pages, not
just read them. Relaxing with a good book may soon be something of the past as
younger people hunch over ebooks, spending hours in the glare of a screen. I have noticed that the smaller book stores
alive with character and a coffee corner, a place where you can browse and
flick through pages enjoying the company of other readers are disappearing. I
miss the idle chatter of a book store, exchanging words with interesting people
and the smell of hot coffee as I gather up my latest finds. I hope that young
people will one day learn the full experience of reading a book.
6.
What challenges did you have in writing your
book?
I needed to share my life growing up
in Africa. To tell it the way it was, an uncomfortable truth – to lift the
veil. So often people want to say, “It
is ok now – let’s not talk about it. Why bring all that up again?” It was not
easy remembering those times when I desperately wanted to forget yet knowing
that I never could. The writing of my story has been a healing process for me.
Sometimes stopping to cry and curl up on my bed then shakily going back to
finish a scene. At first, when I had completed the story, I printed it off and
hid it under a pile of old documents and folders in my office, pretending it
was not there. Six months later I uncovered it and read it. It was not easy but
I had said what I wanted to say and told my story. I knew it would be
controversial but it is my story as I remember it. It was the way it was.
7.
If people can only buy one book this month, why
should it be yours?
To
bring back a forgotten era and life in Africa during a dangerous and violent
time. A glimpse in history. It is a
deeply impressionistic, compelling novel about a young girl’s life in the
waning days of the British Empire.
For more information, please consult: http://www.shadesofafricabytokoloshe.com/
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Brian Feinblum’s views,
opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his
employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him
at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the
third-person. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2016
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