Carte Blanche in early February had an expose of the crooked side of publishing in South Africa; promises being made to aspiring authors to have their books published and promoted for over R20 000. I felt for them, with their dreams being dashed after parting with a substantial amount of money.
It brings me to the point of this blog.
About a decade ago I received a call from a woman named Charlotte Stapelberg. She and her husband, Wynand, live in Meyerton but like to holiday in Mtunzini and she had come across one of my books in a local store. Would I meet with them to tell her how I self-publish?
It led to some introductions and now Charlotte has written and published several books, is presently writing a book of short stories and also paints. All this for a former music teacher with an interesting family history!
And now she has repaid me in spectacular fashion. She has written a poem – Sonnet for a Dreamer of Books – and has painted a picture to depict the words of the poem which includes me as the dreamer (from a photograph obtained clandestinely from my wife, Cathy).
The best way I can thank Charlotte Stapelberg for the generous use of her time and talent is to ensure that “fresh dreams emerge with each dawning day.”
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