Archive
Writer's Quote of the Month
When I am dead, I hope it is said,
‘His sins were scarlet, but his books were read.’
~ Hilaire Belloc
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Contents
1. News – Invitation to view our week with the ANC, Write lyrics, Enter Short Story Competition,
2. Guest Speaker for September – George Bizos – Book now!
3. September 2007 – Courses & workshops
4. How to Become a Subscriber
5. Book Reviews
6. Author / Guest Interviews – Jodi Picoult
7. The Star Struck Writer - Virgo
8. The Write Co Competitions – see how your vote chose the best poem
9. Writing from Writers Write & Memoirs
10. Classified – Advertise with us and reach 8 500 subscribers
11. Contacts
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1. News
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The Power of One – What is it all about? Have you ever wanted to ask someone powerful a question? Watch this space.
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31 authors published – or is it 32?
Sarah Bullen’s first romance has been accepted for publication by Mills & Boon. Don’t miss Romancing the Dollar! How to write a romance and make some money. In Johannesburg and Cape Town.
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Do you want to learn how to write lyrics?
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Day Trip to Soweto
Highly recommended!
Join us as we travel through the heart and soul of Jozi.
See, hear, smell, taste and touch!
Coffee, lunch and lots of writing.
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The Write Co Short Story Competition ~ 2007
Theme: Paint it Black!
The top 15 stories will be published in Paint it Black! The Write Selection 2007 by Blue Moon in May next year.
The winning short story will also be published in the first edition of Books & Leisure 2008!
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Invitation to Back Yard Art Gallery
By invitation only from The Department of Sport, Recreation, Arts & Culture
Official Launch: 23 September 2007
African art as you’ve never seen it before.
Brilliant new artists
Jazz band
Entertainment
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The Legal Writing Suite & The Media Savvy Suite & The Complete Communicator Suite – ideal for call centre staff, bank tellers, receptionists, secretaries & personal assistants.
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2. Guest Speaker
Johannesburg: George Bizos – Meet the best-selling author of Odyssey to Freedom
Date: 20 September 2007 (To be confirmed)
Time: 6.00 for 6.30p.m.
Cost: R200, 00 for subscribers / R275, 00 for others – includes delicious salads, breads, choice of 3 main courses and 3 desserts. Superb!
Venue: The Local Grill, Parktown North (To be confirmed)
And Write Co graduate, Caryl Wyatt, invites you to the launch of her book, Look me in the Eye
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3. Coming up in Writing in September
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4. How to Become a Subscriber
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Our reviewers rate books from 1 – 5
1 - For use as a doorstop only
2 - Keep for publishers' & booksellers' strikes
3 - A great holiday read
4 - You'll remember this with enthusiasm a month later
5 - Unforgettable
Skin Privilege by Karin Slaughter (Random House)
I don't know how to review this book. I have to give it full marks, even though every cell in my body screams at me not to.
Sara Linton and Jeffrey Tolliver are well known to Slaughter's fans. Slaughter has taken the American crime forensic genre and made it her own.
Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs are running to stand still to keep up with her.
They can't. They won't. No-one will.
It takes a special author to shock a reader for 7 sequential books. Slaughter does it without flinching and without resorting to sensationalism. And she is never boring.
Join the ride as Sara and Jeffrey follow his fellow detective, Lena, to hell. Unraveling the horrors of small town America is Slaughter’s specialty. She does not disappoint.
Her characters are flawless and flawed.
And the ending – I still can’t speak about it.
Read it.
Amanda Patterson
5/5
The Unquiet by John Connolly (Hodder) R240, 00
After Connolly’s expedition into the Book of Lost Things – which was brilliant, by the way – I was pleased to see that detective extraordinaire Charlie Parker was back.
Connolly has a knack for creating the worst kind of bad characters, and the baddies in The Unquiet are no exception. The Collector is back. And his henchman is Merrick – a killer with the smell of the decaying dead enveloping him. Add Louis and Angel, who make their blood-chilling appearances about half way through the novel, and what you have, is a triple-layered terror cake with blood cherries on top.
The book focuses on child abuse, so be warned. This is not an easy read. In fact, I would venture to say that Connolly gets a bit preachy to the extent that the action surrounding Parker’s case is a little lost. This does not make the story any less terrifying.
I do, however, miss Parker’s dry wit. This was prevalent in previous Charlie Parker stories, but is sadly missing in this one. I hope it puts in an appearance in The Reaper, Connolly’s next novel, and one I can hardly wait to read.
Natalie Lubbe
4/5
Digging to America by Anne Tyler (Vintage) ISBN 978-0-099-49939-8
“This will be a good book,” I was told. The cover photo brought back memories of a brief 2 months spent in China in 2000. With this, I read my first Anne Tyler book.
We all have the need to belong. This story starts with two very different families adopting Korean babies. It’s about how some people find it easier to become part of a family and how sometimes, one family member takes it upon him or herself to make the rest fit in, and to lead the family to carry on as a family no matter what.
Tyler sketches her characters well. She shows her skill at translating various characters’ thoughts on life and observations of their loved ones. I could relate to them. This book is for everyone who realises that there is no perfect family; that all we can do in life, is give our best.
Wiida Hamman
4/5
Bully Blocking by Evelyn M. Field (Finch Publishers) R195 ISBN 978-187645177-6
“Bullying is a symptom of a dysfunctional social system,” writes Evelyn Field. The common theme to bullying is that the target always feels powerless and the bully feels powerful.
An interesting detail in this book is that there are two types of bullies: those who are malicious and feel angry when confronted about the bullying; and those who are not malicious and feel ashamed when found out.
Although nobody will admit they like to bully or be bullied, the paradox is that that is how the world works: it is competition for the survival of the toughest, strongest, and most powerful. Luckily, there is another way to win without bringing others down to lift ourselves up.
This self-help book for children, teenagers, parents and teachers is a great way to start to understand what makes a bully and what a target is and why they continue to play the bullying game. Then, Field gives advice on how to bring it to an end.
Amanda Blankfield
4/5
A Woman in Charge. The Life of Hillary Rodham Clinton by Carl Bernstein (Random House) R 240 ISBN 9780091920791
In this biography, the author endeavours to provide a balanced view of Hillary Rodham Clinton. He points out her weaknesses and strengths. The reader is taken on her life journey so far and finishes the book with a much better understanding of who she is, what motivates her and why she made the decisions she has.
Having read Bill Clinton’s autobiography, it was interesting to see the two sides of the story and how they fit together. Hillary is a woman of courage and tenacity. She is passionate about her intentions and achievements. She is somewhat protective of her family and is a private person. She tries to learn from her mistakes and adapt to her situations.
This is an insightful, well-written and pleasant read. Hillary certainly is a “woman in charge”.
Dawn Blankfield
4/5
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult (Hodder & Stoughton) ISBN: 978-0-340-93527-9
“By the time you read this, I hope to be dead.”
With a beginning like this, one has to turn the page.
Nineteen Minutes speaks of an American youth, bored, unhappy and disadvantaged by their many privileges. The parents of these children are out of touch with their needs and feelings. They probably know more about Oprah’s guests than their own families.
Alex is the parent – a judge. Josie is the daughter – a high school student.
Both feel that they don’t connect. Josie has a boyfriend but only because it’s the thing a beautiful high school girl should have. Why, she wonders, can no one see her pain?
When Peter, bullied and alone, takes his revenge on the high school of Sterling, the town is suitably shocked. Josie has witnessed the event. Alex tries to help her daughter.
The ensuing trial – and retribution – is something made for Oprah Winfrey to deal with. Picoult does not flinch as she reveals a dysfunctional American youth. She asks the reader to bear witness.
One can only hope that American readers look beyond the story, at a youth who need to be engaged, and a country that needs to find a soul and a reason to be.
Amanda Patterson
3/5
The Woman in the Fifth by Douglas Kennedy (Random House) R192 ISBN: 978-0-09-179959-5
Once again Douglas Kennedy has excelled himself with his latest offering.
When Harry Ricks moves to Paris, he’s lost everything. All for a romantic lapse with a student at the college where he used to teach. But on a tight budget, the life of writer he has long dreamt of turns sour very quickly. Then he meets Margit, who takes him into her bed, turning his life even more off-kilter. Margit has suffered a tragic past of personal loss, which she only reveals in snippets. Very soon Harry is obsessed with her. But she will only see him twice a week in the fifth arrondissement, while he is left to wonder and wait. And then the strange coincidences start. Anybody who has recently wronged Harry suffers a befitting tragedy. Soon he becomes the focus of a criminal investigation. Then he discovers Margit’s most shocking secret of all… Kennedy has created some unforgettable characters, and for once, Paris is no longer a romantic city, but a malevolent one.
A well executed book, yet the twist will not win over every reader.
Paula Marais
4.5/5
High Noon by Nora Roberts (Piatkus) R240, 00
I make no secret of the fact that I am a Nora Roberts fan. I wait with my finger itching on my Fanatics card between books. It’s uncanny the way she churns them out, and all of them become bestsellers.
High Noon centres around Phoebe Macnamara, a hostage negotiator with the Savannah Police Department, and Duncan Swift, ex-cab driver turned multi-millionaire business owner on account of his winning the lottery. But their romance, as wonderful and sexy as it is, is not the focus of this book.
Phoebe is being threatened by someone who wants her, and those nearest to her, to suffer in the worst possible way. She is a single mom with an agoraphobic mother and a house she is forced, by law, to live in by her late witch of an aunt. Any one of these things would try even the most determined lovers, but put them all into the mix, and you have a wonderfully readable book that would keep you in bed, under the duvet, for the weekend.
Roberts gets better and better, despite the fact that it appears that her books are moving subtly away from being strictly romances. She weaves intricate plots, creates colourful characters and writes the greatest s&*x ever to be seen in print!
Natalie Lubbe
3.5/5
Still Waters Run Deep by Alex Espinoza (Pan Macmillan) ISBN 978 0 330 44602 0
This refreshing new read chronicles a year in the life of Aqua Mensa, a Latino town on the fringe of Los Angeles, host to an array of colourful characters. Their lives range from the humdrum, to the wretched but they all have one thing in common; they are drawn to the Botánica Oshún, seeking solace in the midst of chaos.
Spiritual healer, Perla Portillo, dispenses more than charms, herbs and prayer cards, from her small shop in a run down strip mall. She has been a constant factor in their lives for decades and where Western medicine fails, Perla steps in.
Her customers look to her for guidance as well as cures for their ailments in times of crisis, and she is drawn into their lives by an invisible thread. But approaching the ripe old age of 72, Perla is now forced to confront her own demons when a young boy with a mysterious and troublesome past asks for help.
The author has woven together an inspiring tale and it’s one of those reads which lingers long after the final page is turned.
Jackie Kelly
3.5/5
Ophelia's Revenge by Rebecca Reisert (Flame) R104 ISBN: 0-340-77119-4
This enchanting story opens with the following lines: ‘By my sixteenth birthday, I’d murdered two kings, my father, my brother, a queen, a prince and my husband.’
Ophelia’s Revenge is based on Hamlet. Ophelia tells her story in first person. Reisert takes the basic framework of the play and builds fascinating subplots and intriguing personalities. This makes this book a very interesting read. Hamlet’s obsession with avenging his father’s murder is explained by his father’s rejection of him, dismissing him as little more than an erratic and insipid academic.
The author describes his pathetic attempts to win his father’s favour. He is overshadowed by the heroic and more physical exploits of his brother.
The author can be applauded for the light weave of ghosts and people that permeate the book. An excellent read and one that shows Reisert a master of her craft. One hopes she writes again. Soon.
Sandi Mackenzie
Rating : 4/5
Body Surfing By Anita Shreve (Little, Brown) R160.00 ISBN: 978-0-316-73071-6
Themes of loss and renewal are familiar territory for Anita Shreve, as readers of her previous best sellers (The Pilot’s Wife, A Wedding in December) will know. She has a unique narrative style, and in Body Surfing she writes in the present tense to create an immediate empathy with the heroine.
Divorced and widowed before the age of thirty, Sydney takes a job tutoring Julie, the daughter of a wealthy family, at a beach house in New Hampshire, while trying to find some sort of meaning in her life.
When Julie’s two handsome brothers arrive, she’s suddenly caught in the middle of a romantic triangle and a web of family secrets. Jeff breaks off his engagement to relentlessly pursue Sydney, but his easy charm hides a bitter, internecine war with Ben, who is secretly hoping for her heart. Sydney has to make the most difficult choice of her life – stay on the shore where it’s safe? Or brave the unknown waters of a new love?
Fans of romance and family dramas will dive into this book with relish, but just don’t expect any surprises.
Anthony Ehlers
3/5
The House at Riverton by Kate Morton (Pan Macmillan) 978-0-330-44844-4
Are you ready for a large serving of nostalgia, mixed with equal quantities of romance and intrigue? It’s a lot to pack into one book and the result is an initially slow but ultimately rewarding read.
I was reminded of the once popular BBC series, Upstairs, Downstairs when servants’ lives were shaped by the benevolence, or otherwise of their employer. Destined to serve, their own lives passed them by.
Grace Bradley spent her young life as a housemaid and like the fly on the wall, is the keeper of many secrets. It’s the summer of 1924 and a dashing young poet is thought to have committed suicide in the grounds of Riverton Manor. Two sisters, Hannah and Emmeline Hartford are the only witnesses and do not speak to each other from that day on.
Now at the ripe old age of 98, Grace is approached by a US film director who is making a movie based on the tragedy and looks to Grace to fill in the cracks. The reality of the Riverton film set brings the past back into sharp focus and through a series of flashbacks, immensely rich in history, Grace relives the events leading up to that fateful night. As the truth surfaces, so too do the loose ends find their mark.
A good summer read.
Jackie Kelly
3.5/5
Sea Spray and Cherry Peppers by Zuretha Roos (Oshun) ISBN 978-1-77020-013-5
Having spent half my childhood on a plot near the sea, with a would-be-farmer-father, I could relate to part of this truly South African memoir.
Unfortunately I was not drawn to the characters and I could not keep up with the timeline of the story. I thought the recipes in the back of the book were a good way to make the memoir different.
If I were a cookbook-fan, it would have been interesting.
This book is for the city slicker who considers a retirement by the sea, and wants to read up on “what it’s like” beforehand.
Wiida Hamman
2.5/5
The Night Watch by Sarah Waters (Penguin) R120, 00 ISBN 978-1-84408-241-4
Sarah Waters is better known for her first books Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith. When these novels were published, they were not only recognised because they were well written, but because they were unusual examples of lesbian writing making it into mainstream fiction. The Night Watch follows the same vein. It gets off to a slow start, with characters not really jumping out the pages at you. However, its setting and research is impeccable.
Set in London in the 1940s, three women, Kay, Helen and Viv have different stories to tell. Kay in her mannish outfits has loved and lost. Helen has betrayed her lover. And Viv is in a relationship with a married man and hides a dreadful secret. Her brother, Duncan, is in jail for a large portion of the book, and Waters keeps you guessing what landed him there. If you are shocked by lesbian sex scenes, then this is not for you. However, if you want to take a trip back in time and really experience the blitz and wartime London, The Night Watch comes highly recommended. I do feel this novel, however, falls short in its pacing.
Paula Marais
3.5/5
The Edge of Fusion by Shane Sauvage [Jacana] ISBN978-1-77009-310-2
This book is the first by Shane Sauvage of La Pentola in Tswane and it reads like a 168 page advertisement of his restaurant, friends and family. It is definitely on the edge of something, but not fusion. In my opinion food can either be fusion or comfort, but a combination of the two is just sticky.
If you are a chef in South Africa there is no excuse for ignoring what is fresh and plentiful locally, even when you have roots in another region. This book is inexcusably full of imported and difficult to find ingredients.
There are too many photos of Mr. Sauvage with his family and friends and not enough content on the food. For goodness sake, this is a cookbook not a sc***book!
Leave this one on the shelf.
Penny Castle
1/5
The Faces of Angels by Lucretia Grindle (Pan) R89.00 ISBN: 978-0-330-49156-3
This is an atmospheric crime novel set in Florence. Amid the beautiful buildings and formal gardens, along the Arno River and across the Ponte Vecchio, lurks a killer.
Mary Warren revisits Florence. It is a year since her new husband was killed. She returns to study art, to lay old ghosts to rest and to follow her heart. A kinship with other victims draws Mary into the pursuit of a murderer.
Diverse casts of characters include Pierangelo, the charming and enigmatic editor, the shadowy Organisation Opus Dei, a hard-line Catholic priest and a charismatic cardinal, magnificent art and the gorgeous and disdainful Billy. One never fully knows them, as they are potential suspects. Wonderful sense of place. Filled with intrigue and suspense.
A great read. I enjoyed it.
Helen Schlebusch
4/5
The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown (Century) R208.00 ISBN: 978-1-8460-5312-2
Do we really need another book on Diana? If it’s written by the incomparable Tina Brown – former editor of Vanity Fair and The New Yorker – the answer is yes.
Unlike the sycophantic Andrew Morton’s tell-all (Diana: Her True Story) or the slew of ghoulish ambulance chasing biographies (Death of a Princess, Shadow of a Princess) Tina Brown is uniquely positioned to tell this story. Although British, she has spent most of her time in America. She understands the Royal Family, but she is certainly not in awe of it, as is witnessed by her take-no-prisoners approach to dissecting the mystery, tragedy and truth about Diana, Princess of Wales.
Although it is jam-packed with gossipy anecdotes, Brown has no real skeletons to haul out of the closet. After all, Diana lived her life firmly in the glaring spotlight of incendiary fame. What she does give us is the clearest psychological portrait of the princess we might ever hope for. Ten years have passed since that fateful night in a Paris underpass, allowing Brown to painstakingly put together an objective, chronological account of Diana’s life. We finally see the twenty first century’s most famous blonde as she really was - without the fairytale tiara of her early years or the PR gloss of her last years.
Diana played conflicting roles – from wonderful mother and empathetic humanitarian to wronged wife and neurotic schemer. It was this uncomfortable duality that was at the root of her inner pain and conflict.
In the end, this is a story about Diana’s life rather than her death. She is put in context to the changing media landscape she often manipulated and mostly resented. The supporting players – from the stoic Buckingham crowd to flamboyant jet set – are not spared the same cutting psycho analysis. She shows surprising fairness to Prince Charles and Camilla, arguably the most famous ‘other woman’ in royal history after Wallis Simpson.
The Diana Chronicles is not a tribute to Diana any more than it is a tell-all. It’s a compelling, insightful and powerful testament to a life of an extraordinary woman and an extraordinarily human woman. Yes, the myth has been shattered, but the mystique will always linger.
Anthony Ehlers
5/5
Rant by Chuck Palahniuk (Jonathan Cape) R192
Palahniuk is the author of The Fight Club, Choke and Lullaby amongst others.
Reading Rant is a bit like watching a terrible accident. You know what's going to happen but you can't tear your eyes away from the mesmerising horror. Subtitled An Oral Biography of Buster Casey, the author writes the novel in the form of a series of oral interviews about the character, Rant.
"Do you ever wish you'd never been born?" is the question on the first page of the novel. Yes! I wanted to scream at times as I forced down the chilling narrative. Rant is born in a small town. He is infected with Rabies and uses snakes and spiders to bite him to get high. His mother and father are odd. But are they odd enough to have produced this creature?
From bizarre to barbaric, Palahniuk never lets go of the reader. He breaks barriers and boundaries you wish weren't there. He is the most interesting cult writer of our generation. The Fight Club is a lesson in viewpoint writing and characterisation. Lullaby too. Rant is a lesson in almost everything.
Long after you've finished reading, you realise that Rant is a symbol for everything that's wrong with America today. The self-indulgent narrow American psyche is ripped apart by the author. The party crashers are symbolic of a nation not that far removed from those who lived in the last days of the Roman Empire.
The USA may be in denial. Chuck Palahniuk is not.
Amanda Patterson
4/5
The Pursuit of Happyness by Chris Gardner with Quincy Troupe (Amistad/Harper Collins Publishers) R ?? ISBN 978-0-06-074487-8
As they say, a movie never does a book justice. This is what I found when I watched Will Smith playing Chris Gardner in “The Pursuit of Happyness” on the big screen. I loved the movie and found Gardner’s life story truly inspirational. The only lesson I learned from the movie was that with a positive attitude and ambition, you can achieve anything from nothing.
Then I read the book. Now I can truly say I am blown away by Gardner. The section of his life portrayed in the film was a tiny taste of how someone who had a very rough start in life managed to overcome his obstacles and push aside any bitterness to pursue a life of happiness for him and his two children.
I thoroughly recommend this book, as it is engaging, humorous, touching and in the end a real feel-good story. There is even a section on Gardner’s investment in South Africa, and his meeting with Nelson Mandela. Gardner has shown that odds can be beaten and success is there for whoever wants it badly enough.
Amanda Blankfield
5/5
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6. Interviews
This month’s featured author: Jodi Picoult (Nineteen Minutes & Second Glance)
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7. The Star Struck Writer
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8. The Write Co Competitions for Subscribers
Monthly ‘What’s on your mind?’ Competition
Write 400 words and win!
Conditions: 1 Entry per Person, 400 words.
Closing date: 25 September 2007
The winner for August is – Barry Finegan
A life without feedback
When faced with the prospect of peering into the coffin, I experience the inevitable feelings of sadness, of loss.
I find myself at my father’s bedside. Around me the machines of modern medicine hiss, and peep and murmur. Theirs is a cold, clinical, mechanical language. Sterile. I hold his clammy hand in mine. He is asleep, but not at peace. I look at his face, and suddenly I am looking through the window. The window’s name is feedback.
What is feedback? Feedback is vindictiveness, anger. Feedback is ‘you’re in trouble’. Feedback is ‘you’re wrong’. Feedback is ‘you’re fired’.
We decide we need protection. We create new laws. We develop a school system without tests. We unionise the workplace. We protect everyone. We do what we can to outlaw feedback. Feedback hurts people.
I try to imagine a life without feedback.
I’m standing on the surface of a dark planet. There’s a tear in the sky just wide enough to let a single shaft of light through. I wonder what’s out there in the darkness. Who’s out there in the darkness? Do they see me?
I dance, I sing, I recite my best works, I move and I live. I stop occasionally to listen. Now and then a breaker’s ball swings out of the blackness. I don’t see them coming. I have little chance of avoiding them.
This one’s called divorce.
That one bankruptcy.
The other one estranged child.
I rage. I curse the darkness. I feel so d%$n alone.
Now, standing amongst the hiss, and peep and murmur of these machines I realise what feedback is. It’s more than saying ‘I’m pleased’, or ‘I’m displeased’.
It’s about caring enough to say; ‘This is how you displease me, but this will make a difference. This is how you please me, and this is how to make that even better’.
Who should I say it to? Certainly to my wife and children. Of course my friends. If it is important to me at work I need to tell those who work for me too. And if I care about how my house is cleaned I need to give feedback to the maid too.
Often it’ll also be relevant to ask; ‘How do I please you? How can I make it even better?’
But there are times when it’s appropriate just to lean over and whisper, “There’s nothing left to be done. I love you all the same.”
Monthly Poetry Competition
Send in your poems and win! Monthly theme, September 2007 – Shakespeare Regrets
Prize:
Silky and sophisticated, Leopard’s Leap Wines has a varietal to suit every literature genre, and is therefore the ideal accompaniment to both fiction and poetry.
Dedicated to innovation, conservation and celebration, in this case, the love of reading and writing, this premium-quality wine over-delivers on price and can be enjoyed, whatever the occasion.
Stand the chance to win a case of this exquisite wine to inspire your next poetry-writing session.
Conditions:
1. Only 1 poem per month per subscriber is allowed.
2. The poem should not be longer than 30 lines.
3. The poem must be about the given topic.
4. If you are not a subscriber please pay an entrance fee of R50, 00 per entry.
Closing date: 25 September 2007
The June Winner for Tulips & Tattoos: Jill Marais
Uncle Harry could sing,
when high on cocaine,
of Tulips in Amsterdam
and songs in the rain.
Uncle Harry’s tattoo
was shaped like a heart.
It was pierced through the middle
with an ill-omened dart.
Harry loves Hannah
on his chest was engraved,
but love was drowned
by the acid he craved.
Grandpa said
Harry’d started off well,
but one visit to Amsterdam
and his life went to hell.
Grandpa said canals and tulips
were all very nice,
but the streets of the city
weren’t sugar and spice.
Harry, the hippy,
of sixty-four years,
was the singalong king
who reduced one to tears.
When he sang of tulips
in a down-and-out bar,
One could see,
from afar,
Hannah, in springtime,
with love in her heart.
Hovering above her,
a drug laden dart.
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9. Students Writing
From: This is My Life - Memoirs
Dear Rob
It’s Thursday.
Tomorrow you will be 54. You will always have an age, never had.
I wish you could see me, I wish you were here - but properly, not just in spirit. You left behind a Diner's Club card, I have used it, renewed it relentlessly over the years. Not to purchase as I probably did when you were here, but to get into places that clear my head and dry the tears that threaten.
Nothing is the same. Even as I sit electronically glued to cyberspace, I know you would t*** your head back and laugh. Perhaps as I sit here, your world stares me down.
It's a strange thing, being around the suits at rush hour on the upper deck. There's a solemn madness that exists amongst the crinkling of business newspapers and the snapping Castle Lager tins and crumbling Simba chips.
You'd love it, and yet we'd laugh at the seriousness of it all. How you stressed and how you travelled. You must have missed your girls. We miss you today, We will miss you tomorrow.
I have ached for you for eight years, six hours and more as the seconds tick by. Nine years looms, as does Christmas, how will anyone ever understand?
I wonder Rob, How my heart pumps on, oblivious to its dysfunctional cocoon? Strange, the way anniversaries and birthdays eek out the limp in my walk, the flatness in my tone and the debilitating sadness that my body tries so desperately to ignore.
We'll be there tomorrow, as we always are. The girls choosing those awful bright carnations to stuff into dusty corners where we laid you to rest. Watch the flame Rob, as we light the candle, remember Rob, the light will never go out.
Do you see it Rob?
Do you?
Do you see that sometimes 'time' is a great healer?
But can you see the eerie wind,
That whistles around the cliff that is my heart?
Susan Greenhalgh
From: Writers Write
Dialogue – no name tags
“Does this outfit make me look fat?”
“I would hate to blame the outfit madam. Perhaps the mirror?”
“Maybe it’s the colour. Purple only suits me in certain styles.”
“Quite so madam. I’m sure not even the great Elvis, in his last days, could have given this purple catsuit any pizzazz.”
”Hmm. Yes. Another colour. Can you recommend anything?”
“Sure madam. How about a leopard print to bring out the animal in madam? I’m quite sure we have stock of two sizes too small.”
“What was that?”
“A boa madam. Would madam like this nice white boa to go with the outfit?”
“Do you think?”
“Oh yes madam. Stroking this boa draped around madam’s neck will surely draw attention to madam’s sizeable assets.”
“Are you being rude?”
“Certainly not madam. I was merely referring to those gigantic stones on madam’s fingers.”
“Oh. Yes, quite. Gorgeous aren’t they?”
Barry Finegan
Dialogue - multilogue
“Hey Chris, Albert, have you guys seen the new chick working in Health and Safety?”
“I haven’t. Have you Chris?”
“Yuslaaik, I have.”
“Jeez Albert, how can you eat your saamies with hands like that? Don’t you wash before teatime? You’re a plumber for God’s sake.” Jan shivered, “S*&t. Just the thought of it makes me want to hurl.”
“So tell me Jan,” Albert held his sandwich aloft, snow white against his blackened fingers, “is she a hottie?”
“She’s short man, about here on my shoulder,” Jan motioned with a flat hand, “And she has this long black hair, I swear to her butt. And she’s lekker skinny hey. And her b*&bs…” he cupped his hands in front of his chest, “Lovely hey Chris?”
“Yuslaaik, she is.” Chris nodded, and let out a long whistle for added effect.
“She’s coming to this site next week to check all the safety equipment,” Jan proudly announced, “and I’m going to show her around.”
“Why you?” Albert wanted to know.
“Because I’m good looking,” he pushed his blond ‘kuif’ out of his face, “And because I’m the only single guy here. She wouldn’t want to get stuck in a machine room with a married man, if you know what I mean.”
Albert slurped his coffee, “She’s single?”
“No. But married chicks are always on the look out for a single guy to spice them up, if you know what I mean.”
“C*&p.” Chris hadn’t ventured much into the conversation.”
“Struuz.” Jan liked his finger, touched it to his forehead and pointed to the ceiling, “I read it in a survey they did in Hustler.”
“Chris.”
“Yes boss.”
The face across the tearoom was peering over the top of the open newspaper, “You attend to your jobcards and I’ll show her around.”
“Don’t be such a spoilsport boss.”
“Sorry Chris, I’d like to show her around if you don’t mind. After all, she is my wife.”
Barry Finegan
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11. Contacts
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How to find us
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