Professional Ghostwriter & General Writer
ABOUT ME
There's a song about a singer who began singing before she could talk. I began telling stories almost as soon as I learned how to read and write. When I was six, I started typing them on my father's ancient Olivetti typewriter. This isn't terribly surprising, as I come from a family of writers - one of my ancestors was involved in producing the country's first newspaper in Grahamstown when it was still an embryonic settlement on the African veld. As a child, I was an avid reader, and the Famous Five and Secret Seven books by Enid Blyton made me long to have adventures - and when I grew up, I did. I wrote my first book for fun during the winter school holiday when I was 15, although I never published it. I loved magazines and dreamed of working for one. When I was 16, I won an award from the South African Council for English Education for poetry published in our school magazine.
For various reasons, I was unable to pursue a writing career on leaving school. I began hiking, camping, and birding in my early twenties, and started writing articles for outdoor magazines and newspapers, often becoming a regular contributor. Over the years, I wrote for many South African publications and some of my work was syndicated overseas. I also updated the New York-based Fodor's Guide to Southern Africa on two occasions, which also included writing new chapters and sections for the book.
The arrival of the digital age meant that I was finally able to produce my own online magazines, starting in 2010 with The Birder, a publication focusing on birds and birdwatching, and subsequently developing other titles too. I also wrote about wildlife conservation, both in Africa and abroad, and interviewed wonderful people around the world who were working to save turtles, wolves, koala bears, rare birds, and coral reefs. I worked with several local and international conservation organizations to promote their work. My late husband and I moved to a small town in northern KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa in 2011, where we grew our own fresh produce and medicinal herbs in a large backyard, harvested our own rainwater, and dreamed of a day when we would be off-grid. In 2013, sustainable living became popular in South Africa and people sought information on how to live lighter on the planet and become self-sufficient. After a conversation with an organic fertilizer supplier, Urban Eco Life was born. This digital magazine struck a cord with many and was moderately successful. Unfortunately, we had to close after three or four years, as we were unable to find a suitable funding model. During this time, I also wrote and produced several e-books about nature, wildlife, birds, organic gardening, and natural medicine.
In 2018 and 2019, I wrote a series of environmental novels, which I self-published. These were very well received. Towards the end of 2021, I discovered ghostwriting and was soon engaging with many interesting people across the US, Canada, and even in Europe who wanted me to write their books. Because of the confidential nature of ghostwriting, I am unable to provide many details of my work, but you can look at general samples of my writing on my Portfolio page and see a few Testimonials.
I thoroughly enjoy ghostwriting and also produce a digital magazine every other month for the KZN Battlefields Tourism Route, doing design and layout, writing a few articles, and editing contributions.
I have also worked as an in-house journalist/editor, marketing agent in the South African hospitality and tourism industry, conference and event organizer, team building facilitator, environmental education officer, and a legal secretary. I am an accomplished public speaker, having given many talks on environmental issues and sustainability. I have a wide range of hobbies and interests, including reading, herbal remedies, history, walking and hiking, visiting game reserves and wild places, birdwatching, growing plants, gardening, and helping those in need. I am a friendly, sociable person and enjoy spending time with others.