Former City Times journalist publishes his first book during lockdown

Rynfield resident Michael “Kwezi” Ferguson had achieved his long-time goal of becoming an author, thanks to the spare time he had during lockdown.

The 29-year-old says stories had always played in his head, demanding to be penned, but only now he has managed to complete his short fiction and anomalies book.

The author named his book Ephemera. The word derives from the Greek “ephemeros”, meaning things that exist or are enjoyed for only a short time, which is what he aimed for with the stories.

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The book is a collection of 17 wonderfully wicked tales and it was released on Halloween.

The former City Times journalist said he wrote the majority of the book during lockdown.

“I had already written about three stories before the lockdown and the rest were written during the lockdown,” said Ferguson.

He explained that the book has different genres, as he doesn’t like to box himself and he likes to experiment with different themes and characters.

“I wrote the first story, Choke, Gash, Umbra, Crispy and Carol, as a horror because it’s about a haunted house but everyone has been describing it as a thriller, which I find interesting as I didn’t write it that way,” he said.

“My stories are inspired by people, like writing about how they are and how they behave. Sometimes you would have terrible character flaws which no matter how badly you want to change them, and you will end up in a certain place because of the choices you have made.

The eighth story, The last days of Gomorrah, is his favourite.

The lively author said since the book has been published he has received positive feedback.

“I hope everyone will find a story they will love in the book because I think there is something for everyone,” he said.

“The book is dedicated to my grandmothers: Maureen Ferguson who taught me to love stories. Annaline Nel who made me want to write them and my Ouma Fourie whose capacity to love is as bottomless as her cookie jar.”

His message to aspiring authors is to sit down and write.

“You shouldn’t be concerned about whether it will be good or not or if anyone would read it and take as many courses on creative writing.”

The book is available on Amazon or you can send an email to michaeljohnferguson13@gmail.com for a copy.

COMPETITION:
One lucky reader will win a copy of the book.

Simply answer this question: What does the title of the book mean?

To enter the competition, email the answer to penelopem@caxton.co.za with the subject “Ephemera” by November 30.

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