Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I have written eight books of which four have been published. My first book was published in 2011, but nothing came of it as my publisher was a one man business and before he could guide to through the marketing process, he died. Since 2018 I have three more books released by my current publisher, Publication Consultants. Beside these novels and novellas, I have also written a number of short stories in Afrikaans that were added into compilations with other writers.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
"Man in a Picture" is the title of my latest book. It was inspired by the way social media can bring people together. I've had personal experience connecting with people that influenced my life in a most positive way through social media, my publisher, to mention one, (the most important one).
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
If writing between midnight and five in the morning is unusual, consuming liters of coffee, then this is it. My best, most creative time is during those hours when it is quiet and there are no distractions.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
Top of the list is John Grisham. I love his work. There is a certain integrity to his stories that I don't find in many other writers. Then there are also Tom Clancy, Jeffrey Archer, Dalene Matthee, Deon Meyer, (his short stories only, not the other stuff), and Igor von Percha among many.
What are you working on now?
Beside short stories for a new Facebook challenge and poems for my own poetry book, I have started working on a full length novel about conspiracies. Most of the research is done and the main characters have their faces, chapters one and two are completed and bits and pieces that will go into later chapters are also written. Enough said for now.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
Social media has worked for me well, but word of mouth also does a lot of promoting without much effort from my side.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Sit down and get started. It sounds too simple, but once you have a few paragraphs on your screen, (or on paper) the ice is broken and it gets easier as you go. Plotting is good, but it does not work for everybody. I know some writers plot out the whole story in detail before they start typing. That does not work for me at all, because the characters get stubborn and run their own direction, taking my story where I never thought it would go. In that way, the plot works out all by itself.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Don't wait for circumstances to become favorable. They never will. Write in spite of the situation you're in or you'll never get it done.
What are you reading now?
I try to read a book every week. I have just finished a book by Maeve Binchey. I'm in the middle of a translated book by a Russian whose name I have difficulty spelling, Solzhenitsyn, an Afrikaans poetry book and just started on the German version of The Firm, by John Grisham, Die Firma.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I want the first draft of the book on conspiracies finished by the end of the year, so I can have the follow-up finished by the end of next year. I also hope to have a short story accepted for the US Woordfees next year and then, of course I'd like to get enough poems ready for the publisher also before the end of the year.
What is your favorite book of all time?
The Bible.
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