Thursday 21 June 2018

Literary Lunch... and birds of a feather


Recently I had the pleasure of talking to a group of 50 ladies at a Literary Lunch at Foxhills Country Club and Resort, in leafy Surrey. The organiser was raising funds for a charity called Women V Cancer, and she organised lunch in beautiful surroundings, with my contribution coming between courses!

I spoke about the background and setting of my latest novel, The Girl from Simon's Bay. Whenever I do these kind of talks, I'm always reminded afresh of how we are connected despite the seemingly fragmented world in which we live. I invariably come across readers who have a link with my books, in this case the former British enclave of Simon's Town, at the foot of Africa. Whether it is via family members who served in the Royal Navy and passed through the town during the war, or nurses who served at the Royal Naval Hospital or friends who have settled there, somehow we have a point of contact.

And I always get a question about the wildlife in my books! Especially the birds!
It's true: I'm nature lover, and South Africa provides many spectacular flora and fauna to add a little bit of spice to my stories. In The Housemaid's Daughter, I had emerald sunbirds and spiky aloes rising like flames above the veld; in The Girl from Simon's Bay I had yellow pincushion proteas and handsome jackal buzzards.
And seagulls hovering against the wind.
"See?" Pa once said. "It's their air perch!
They work out how strong the wind is, and then they flap just enough to keep themselves in one place instead of being blown away."


I rather like the idea of an air perch, don't you?

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