Write What Your Heart Desires

I was born and grew up in Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, in Africa.  Rhodesia was considered the breadbasket of Africa until independence around 1981. But that is a discussion for another place and time.

I did all my schooling in Rhodesia, and learnt under the British education system. The education standard was high there, and I feel this has helped me gain a better understanding of many aspects of the english language, and other things needed for the art of writing.

The country of Zimbabwe boasts the Victoria Falls, one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. A visit to this spectacular waterfall will stay in a persons memory for a long time.

I married young, and have three great children. They are all adult now, and two of them, my two sons, have learning difficulties with Autism. The everyday ups and downs of looking after them have, I hope, made me a stronger person, "If nothing else, life with two boys with problems has certainly opened my eyes to how privileged "normal" people are." My daughter followed in her paternal Grandmothers footsteps and became a nurse.

My husband is a farmer. We have the pleasure, and extremely hard work, of running an outdoor pig unit. While it is great fun working with pigs, the outdoor conditions make the job extremely difficult. But the plus side is, these are some of the most intelligent and character filled animals around.

My family are very important to me, and will always have a special place in my heart.

I got an interest in writing many years ago, but didn't really pursue this avenue much - it was just fun to write things at the time. As a young child reading was my strongpoint, and I have always loved reading, though I haven't always had the time to sit down and enjoy a good book.

Although I have some authors I prefer to others, I don't have any clear favorites - you know - the ones that stand out from the rest. I have enjoyed the Harry Potter books, had an interest in Roald Dahl, and got absorbed in the Beverly Lewis books about the life of an Amish girl. The latter is probably more adult reading. One book that stands out for me is "The Little Prince". I read this book many years ago, and it still has its place. One day I will read it again.

As I write this, my writing achievements are church newsletter contributions, publication in some magazines and some puppet plays. 

As the Missions President, I was responsible for reporting to the Church community about all things Missions. When the Bible Study group I was attending was asked for volunteers to send in a testimonial to the writers of the study, I wrote one. One day we were presented with some puppets, you know, the ones with moving mouths. We needed scripts, so we wrote some. I also have a story and a poem published.

My goal is to get short stories published, and hopefully, eventually a book deal. I had the privilege of doing two writing courses through the Institute for Childrens Literature, which have taught me many things about the writing process. It was a pleasure and a privilege to work with two published authors as I learnt the tricks of the trade.

I am hoping to go on to bigger and better things soon.