Regular readers know that, while I am always grateful to receive awards, appreciating the compliment and the kind thought, I never act on them. I consider them well-intentioned chain letters – without the threat of death and disaster if they are not forwarded, but chain letters all the same.
‘You’ve been tagged’ posts are just as bad, as a rule, but I have decided to play along with the latest because it’s about self-promotion, and you all know I’m in favour of that.
Robin Coyle tagged me. You should visit her blog to read about her book; it sounds fascinating, though she is a little too ready to give away the plot. We have had words about it.
The premise is simple: write a blog interview about your book, using the following questions:
*
What is the title of your book?
Apartheid’s All Right If You’re White
*
Where did the idea come from for your book?
I lived in South Africa during and after Apartheid. It took fifteen years to get the experience out of my system. I had a lot of poems that I first posted on a now-defunct blog. Viv nagged me to do something with them.
*
What genre does your book fall under?
Poetry.
I make no apologies.*
Which actors would you choose to play in your movie rendition?
Me: Sandra Bullock (I wish) or Julie Walters (realistically)
The Hub: Brad Pitt
Nelson Mandela: Morgan Freeman (obviously)
Maid: Eve Sisulu (a joke for Madam & Eve readers)
Violent Policeman: Arnold Schwarzenegger
Terrorists: The IRA
*
What is a one-sentence synopsis of your book?
A book of poetry like South Africa itself: colourful, violent and a little bit crazy.
*
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
I will be sending it to several publishers but I will self-publish if necessary. So yes, it will be self-published.
*
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your manuscript?
Twenty-two years.
*
What other books would you compare this story to?
I don’t know of any. Unless you count any poem Philip Larkin wrote about his parents.
*
Who or what inspired you to write the book?
My sanity.
*
*
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
It’s not really poetry.
*
The rules of the tag require me to name five more people who might be The Next Big Thing. I have opted for bloggers who have or should have a book in the works.
Please feel free to ignore the tag; I won’t be offended.
*
I have the funniest readers in the blogosphere (not necessarily ha ha…)