Edenvale resident Gretchen Haley met with the NEWS to talk about her passion for writing and share more about her first book, The Tearoom.
Published by Penguin Books on August 1, The Tearoom is a tragic comedy steeped in South African culture.
The book tells the story of Thirapatheegadu Ezekieo Reddy, known as Tubby.
Gretchen described the book as light and easy to read.
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“I believe it is a great book to read, especially during this time, as people are fatigued and forlorn,” said Gretchen.
Tubby, the proud proprietor of The Tearoom in deepest KwaZulu-Natal, is a father, a timid dreamer and the long-suffering husband of hypochondriac Lynette.
For many years, Tubby has been working on a marvellous plan that involves the object of his affection, his enigmatic kitchen assistant.
In the month before his birthday, the countdown begins. But just as Tubby is set to embark on his dream life, he is delivered a blow that could turn his dream to ashes.
“Tubby is a lovely man, he’s a complete romantic and idealist who has wonderful plans for his twilight years,” said Gretchen.
“He believes in all the clichés and wants all the corny things in life to happen to him.”
Gretchen explained that Tubby’s character was dreamt up a time when she was feeling unfulfilled working a 09:00 to 17:00 job.
Gretchen said making his character a cook, she pays homage to her paternal grandmother whose cooking was legendary.
“Although I know different readers are attracted to different books, I believe my book has a mass appeal.”
She said since the book’s release, the reception has been positive.
“The book has been doing great in the two months since it has been released.
“The reviews have been great and I feel so pleased that the readers have been able to escape and enjoy themselves.”
Gretchen explained reading has always been a big passion of hers and writing started when she was young.
She said having a book published was a dream of her younger self.
“I’ve always had an interest in writing. I’ve been writing for a very long time.”
Surrounded by books growing up, reading was a big part of life for Gretchen.
“As children, we were never allowed to use the word bored, there was always something to do.”
As an adolescent, Gretchen started her writing journey with journalling, writing poetry and writing short stories as she got older.
“Writing never felt like work or an assignment for me, I always enjoyed it. I looked forward to writing when I was younger and still do.”
Gretchen said what she enjoys most about writing is the ability to create a new world filled with new people.
“When I’m writing I’m not bogged down by the distractions of life, and that’s the beauty of it.”
Advising those hoping to achieve their goals, Gretchen said to be ruthless with their time.
She explained the only difference between getting things done and not is using your time efficiently.
Looking to the future, Gretchen said she plans on publishing more books and has already written several other stories, including a coming-of-age story set in South Africa in the 1980s.
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