Category: Random Ramblings

Just some updates about some things, random and relevant, who knows!

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Behind the Pages: The South African Influence on My Writing PART III


For those unfamiliar, I am a writer from South Africa. Born here and raised here.

Over the course of 5 posts, potentially more, I’ll share about me behind the pages. I will discuss what influenced me as a writer. I will also share how being South African influenced my writing.

New environment, new writer


Under our young democracy, we’ve had a lot more freedom and affluence to grow as people. There are also a lot more opportunities for people to live out their expressions as they choose. An artist can create their own art. Writers can write their own articles and books. Musicians can make their own music. Entrepreneurs can identify a need to fill and continue to make it happen. It obviously allowed for the darker opportunities to flourish as well with tenderpreneurship flourishing, illegal trading in whatever you can imagine flourishing, corruption and fraud blossoming and so on and so forth.

It’s very much like a small child being allowed to explore their environments. The only difference is that the parent figure in our democracy is as corrupt, greedy and dark as the crimes they are trying the convince the world they are banishing. At some stage, our democracy will mature. Every year our society matures and grows a little bit more. More and more people develop the skill to look at what’s happening and add their voice to the right channels that can make the difference or add their weight to the dark underbelly for the fortune they want to make. It’s a fascinating swinging of the pendulum.

I prefer to observe. I don’t agree with any of the sides in the power positions, it’s truly a matter of supporting the lesser of two evils and I just can’t.

As our democracy grew, my confidence as writer grew as well. The two have nothing to do with each other but it’s a great analogy of the growth I’ve undergone to get to this point where I can, at least in a blogpost, admit that I am a writer.

  • I’ve struggled to let go of the shame of being outside the box.
  • I’ve struggled to admit that I prefer to colour outside the lines.
  • I’ve had one hell of a time to realise that my skill is weaving with words, not academics, though I tried, not corporate, though I love the power dynamics in corporate, not domestic life, though I threw myself into homeschooling my sons.

All in all, this has been my necessary journey to become the writer I am developing into.

Anne, the writer

I have so much to learn as a writer. You have no idea. Least of all is my actual writer’s voice, but that’s why I am here now. And that’s why you as the reader are here.

In the following post, I will get back to the purpose of this series.

**I promised myself to keep blog posts to no more than 500 words so I’ll end this post here.

Thanks for reading. Look out for the next post in this series where I’ll go into a little bit more detail about my writing

Cheers!

Continue reading…

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Quote that made an impression this week…

photo of assorted letter board quote hanged on wall

Hello my blog readers
Welcome

Today I don’t really want to write a long blogpost. I thought I’ll share a quote that made quite an impression on me recently.
I read 5,000 WORDS PER HOUR by Chris Fox a while ago. He talked about making the decision. Then, just get on with it.
We humans often talk excessively about numerous topics. This was a brilliant way to just silence the nonsense.

The quote goes:

‘Get busy living, or get busy dying.’ Chris Fox

And with that, that’s it for today.

Cheers until next time

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Sewing Stories: How My Creative Hobbies Inspire My Writing

assorted color button pin on brown surface

Hi Everybody,

Welcome back to the blog!

If you’ve watched some of my videos, you might’ve seen pictures and time-lapse clips of me sewing. Today, I thought I’d share a bit about this hobby of mine. For a while, it was more than just a hobby.

I started sewing as a young girl, decades ago now. Like so many others who share their origin stories, mine began with dressing dolls. What really sparked my interest, though, was when my maternal grandmother sewed me two dresses. I wore those dresses until it was painful to squeeze into them! The idea of making clothes we actually wear fascinated me.

When I started school, I became friends with a girl whose mom sewed all their clothes. She and her twin sister always wore matching outfits, and I thought it was incredible! The fabrics were beautiful, and their dresses had lace, ruffles, and other details you’d never find on store-bought clothes.

During sleepovers at their house, I got to watch their mom sew. She let us use scraps of fabric to make clothes for our Barbie dolls. That’s when I fell in love with sewing—it was creative, hands-on, and so satisfying.

My mom wasn’t much of a sewer. She often told me how she bought a Bernina sewing machine in the 1960s. She paid it off at fifty rand a month. Because she didn’t sew much, there wasn’t a lot of fabric to play with at home.

Then, in primary school, I got the chance to take sewing as a subject. I was about 11 years old, and it felt like heaven! Our first task was to cover a shoebox with fabric, paper, or anything we liked. This became our sewing box—the equivalent of our grandmothers’ sewing baskets, where all the tools and supplies were kept.

My box was fabulous (if I do say so myself). I covered it in baby pink gingham. Fine lace was wrapped around it. A small bow was sewn onto the lid. Inside, everything was blue—my favorite color. The pincushion, scissors, measuring tape, and even the seam ripper were all blue.

After that, we learned basic hand-sewing stitches using wool and mesh. These stitches—running, blanket, and stay stitches, among others—are foundational, even in today’s world where machines do so much.

We also tried cross-stitch and a type of embroidery I’ve never seen elsewhere. I still have my cross-stitch tray cover. It features white floss on navy gingham. The design is Christmas-themed with candles and festive decorations. It was far beyond my skill level at the time, but I loved every stitch.

Later, we tackled sewing patterns. I remember making a simple summer outfit: a half-full skirt and a strappy top. I wore it all summer, though my changing body ensured it only fit for that one season. Years later, when my mom cleared out her house, I found scraps of that fabric. Seeing them again was bittersweet—perhaps a Barbie outfit is in its future.

Unfortunately, my dad didn’t see sewing as a career path and wouldn’t let me continue the subject in high school.

What Does This Have to Do with Writing?

Interestingly, sewing and writing have a lot in common. Both require creative inspiration, a fair amount of planning, and dedication. In sewing, you need to know your fabrics, tools, and techniques. In writing, you need to understand character and plot development, grammar, and genre conventions.

Both crafts also demand time. Writing a novel, even if you can write a thousand words in an hour, takes fifty-plus hours at minimum. Similarly, sewing a garment isn’t just about cutting fabric—it’s about planning, measuring, pressing, and assembling.

The saying “measure twice, cut once” applies to both. A well-constructed garment takes careful preparation, just like a well-written story. And thankfully, in both sewing and writing, there’s room to revise—whether that’s ripping out a seam or editing a draft.

That’s it from me today—thanks for stopping by!

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Weathering Through Friday: Musings, Muffins, and the Madness of Seasons

umbrella lot

Happy Friday everybody!


Some banana chocolate muffins are in the oven. The aroma causes my mouth to water. It’s just the perfect Friday, and the cloudy, cool weather outside adds to that.
I thought I would write about the weather today.
You read that right, the weather.
It’s usually the subject that uncomfortable conversations float to, right?
Maybe.
Maybe not.


Michael Singer, author of The Untethered Life, loves using weather to illustrate allowance. He explains letting things be. He talks about our human tendency to get our knickers in a knot over things we have no control over.

Think about it: We fill uncomfortable silences by complaining about the weather. The weather determines our moods. We use the weather as excuses. Weather upsets society, safety, etc.
And we have no control over it.


Talking about wasting precious energy, health, peace and such on something completely outside our control.
We humans are quite fascinating, don’t you think?
After preaching like that, I want to just say that I don’t mind rainy and cool to cold weather.
My favorite seasons are therefore autumn and spring.
The colors of both seasons are amazing!
My energy levels are great in both seasons.
It’s not work to get out in nature during these seasons.
It’s also the reminder I need to remember that every aspect of the human condition happens in seasons.
I’ve deleted most of this post already because I tend to become super philosophical when I start delving into subjects. Such as weather. And seasons.
The aim is fluff and ease for this post.


We’re in our summer season now. In the North West province where we live, most of our year consists of moderately warm weather. Summers can get bloody hot and winters not really warm enough for a coat. Maybe a cardigan or hoody but not really a lovely wool coat with scarfs and gloves. Bummer.


My sewing nerd loves the beautiful coat patterns available every year. However, it’s just not worth all that work. It’s too hot to wear them.
Maybe I will sew up a proper coat when we visit Europe or Canada. It gets really cold there. Then I can complete it with lining and such. One can dream.


During our summer season, we also have our rains. When our rain season is healthy and frequent like it should be, the summers are bearable.


When we moved to this area nearly a decade ago, it was during a seven-year drought. It sounds so biblical, doesn’t it!?During that time, it was extremely hot. The dashboard of our car melted and bubbled. It left us with the funniest-looking dashboard!! During that time we had animal feed shortages, water shortages and temperatures of 40 to 48 degrees celsius.


Mind you, in that time we had very few bush fires.
The North West province is also where you will find part of the Bushveld.
One of my upcoming romance series will be set in the Bushveld. In that series, I hope to introduce some of the characteristics nature has here. Maybe. Let’s see.


I’ve digressed again.


I prefer the autumn and spring. Both these seasons are fairly hot. One can easily lose track of the change of seasons. You need to look at the calendar rather than the thermometer.
Both seasons run into and out of winter with a good month or so, eg. Autumn should start March and run to May but it tends to run into July. Spring should start September but usually starts Late July to August.


It’s a running joke in our house that winter is about 2 weeks long here. I have 2 weeks then to wear scarves and gloves.

Summary of this post?
I love cool wet weather.

What is your favourite weather? My sister-in-law loves summer. I. DO. NOT. UNDERSTAND. THAT. INSANITY. And why do you love your favourite weather?

Until next time everybody. Make it a good one!
Cheers

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10 Things Whippets Taught Me

This post I dedicate to Lilly. I miss the dog. She drove me to insanity and back on an average day with her sheer enthusiasm for life!

Lilly is the tan Whippet and Rose is the brindle blurred out
Lilly is the tan Whippet and Rose is the brindle blurred out


Hubby fell in love with Whippets years ago and we found ourselves 2 bitches. They were really cute and cuddly. They slept on our bed and went through normal puppy training. They grew and got bigger. But they never grew out of their toddler shenanigans!


Since I’m your perpetual student, I started researching the bread to learn more about them. Things like health problems, trainability, temperament, etc. Nothing. Nada. Not a thing was available about these dogs. Today there’s quite a bit available about the breed. I sometimes wholeheartedly agree with the information. Occasionally, I call the writer out on the crap they peddle. With that said, I thought I’d share some of the things we learned on the job about this breed:

  1. Jack Russels are a walk in the park. In my eyes, Jack Russels are the epiphany of naughty dogs. Whippets invented naughty!
  2. Clothing lines are the mother of all challenges. And whippets accept it with glee. These dogs jump about 10 times their own height to reach morsels of toys.
  3. Toys entertain the people who buy them, not the whippets. Whippets destroy heavy-duty, double-rubberised toys as if they’re made of fabric and stuffing.
  4. Running drains unfit candidates. Walking or running is like oxygen for whippets and can never be skipped. Rain or shine, whippets love it. Skip that nightly walk and your washing line will become the touch down line.
  5. Cold belongs in snowy regions. They are the most cost intolerant breed I’ve ever met. They shiver and shake that grandma’s shaking teacup looks like gentle pulses.
  6. Cuddling is not just for teddy bears. If you lie still enough for just a few seconds, they will cuddle so cutely.
  7. Food bowls always have holes. They eat the way a teenager does.
  8. Great Danes are Einsteins compared to Whippets. They are 100% primal dogs with instinct as driving force and no brainpower necessary. Every training lesson is like their first.
  9. Bed space is always theirs. I don’t know if it’s their build or lack of insulation. These dogs almost need the comfort of a mattress and bed.
  10. Clothes are the menu. And underwear and towels are their favourite. I’ve never met any breed of dog that loves eating clothes more than the whippet.

At 11 years old, Rose is still going strong. She’s prone to growths and tumors, so she has an annual visit to the dentist. He removes them, only to have them regrow. According to the vet, they’re benign. She’s my sunshine, this dog, and I love her to bits.

Lilly in front and Rose to the right. Joseph, Jack Russel to the left and Joshua, Jack Russel at the back.


Her sister, Lilly, died 2 years ago at 9. Lilly ate everything and anything. Tragically, she ingested poison. A gang of a-holes went on a killing spree to kill dogs in the neighbourhood. The vet tried what he could but in the end, she died. The cruelty that humans rain down on animals is staggering at best.


Until next time everybody.
Cheers

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From Sweet Romances to Cozy Mysteries: What’s Next?

close up of wooden arrows

Happy Monday to you all!


I’ve just finished writing a series of sweet romances as part of The Unknown Series.

**A booktokker admonished that we are not allowed to refer to ‘clean’ romances, so let’s stick to ‘sweet’ then. ‘Clean’ apparently eludes to sex being dirty. I must admit, it never crossed my mind but I suppose we see the world as we are. ‘Sweet’ it is then.

Anyways, I finished this series and decided to move onto another genre I love watching and reading: cozy mysteries.
For those who are not familiar with the genre, cozies, as we like to call them, include mysteries, crime, and other stories. They are basically the ‘sweet’ version of the big brother genre. There’s nothing explicit in cozies, just mysteries and puzzles with loads of adventure along the way.


Some other hard-core characteristics of the genre are tested and stretched frequently.
Female sleuths usually dominate cozies. They’re always set in a cozy, small, and fairly close-knit community or society. This could be a small, quaint town. Some authors love to make the sleuth a pet. The pet solves the crimes with the help of their human, of course.


The sleuth will always have sidekicks. Those will be the comedic element or the voice of wisdom. They could be the muscle or even the romantic element. Even though romance is seldom part of the story. Of course, pets could also be the sidekicks in some way or form.


Cozies are usually mysteries. These mysteries could be crime mysteries. They could also be murder mysteries. Alternatively, they might be any other type of puzzle your sleuth needs to solve.


The cozies set in the 1920’s are hugely popular. Kerry Greenwood wrote one of my favorite series from this time era. The series features Miss Phryne Fisher as the sleuth. The fabulous Essie Davis did an excellent job at bringing Miss Fisher to television. Even though it’s not available in South Africa, I binged it for the short time YouTube missed it.


I would lie if I did not admit that Murder She Wrote was and still is a firm favourite. Jessica Fletcher, played by the late Dame Angela Lansbury, did an excellent job at sleuthing. I loved the innocent curiosity she portrayed in her sleuthing. Not to mention her wit that miraculously solved an unsolvable murder. I must acknowledge that Jessica Fletcher’s role as a novelist greatly appealed to me.


The latest cozy mystery that I’m loving too much is Only Murders In the Building, currently on Netflix. Even though Mabel Mora is the actual sleuth, her two much older male sidekicks are just amazing. Steve Martin and Martin Short are just amazing in their roles as goldy oldies!


There’s so much more, but these are my favourites.


Murder She Wrote is definitely the one motivation for loving this genre so thoroughly. It’s also the greatest inspiration for the new series I’m planning at the moment.


I told you I have one planned.

  • Do I have a female sleuth? Yes. She’s young and super curious.
  • Do I have a specific era for my series? Yes. I love the late 1940s and 1950s. It was very exciting, where the world came back to life after the horrors of WWII. So many advancements in trade and enterprise, inventions and economics. What’s not to love about this era?
  • Do I have a specific setting for this series? Yes. Kensington, Johannesburg, was the most affluent neighborhood. It was the heydays of Johannesburg after the war. The bioscope, tram system, multi-story shopping experiences, sports, and culture all boomed in this time. I chose this neighborhood because it had everything a modern small society needed. However, it also had all sorts of conflicts and intrigue. These could create the perfect opportunities for murder and mayhem! And I’m curious about the history of Joburg.
  • Will there be a pet or an animal sleuth? No unfortunately not. I don’t want to put any animal in a place where they can be harmed.
  • Will my characters have sidekicks? At the moment, yes. She will have two. And I would like for every book to have a temporary additional sidekick to take part in every book.

It will become available on Patreon as a serial while I write the book. I will let you know when I get there.

Do you have a question for me about this new series?

I’ll get to the other details in the future such as the timeline and where it will be available.

That’s it for today. Please let me know in the comments if you have questions.

Cheers until next time!