Author Evadeen Brickwood shared details of her latest novels and the hopes she has for aspiring writers in South Africa.
German-born Brickwood was introduced to the enchanting world of books by Pearl S.Buck, a writer who she said lived in China for a while and wrote of her experiences. This appealed to Brickwood as through travels one gets to think out of the box and adapt to a new environment along with its culture.
“I have always been fascinated by being able to communicate with people who are different from me,” said Brickwood. Adding that through her own travels she has found that people are not that different from each other.
Brickwood, who is busy with the last tweaks of her novel, The Rhino Whisperer, was first published about 12 years ago. She said that the book looks at rhino poaching from a different perspective.
The Pine Park resident said she loves the element of surprise when she tucks into a good book, so she makes sure her books are true to her sense of wonder. “In The Rhino Whisperer there is a supernatural aspect which gives an unconventional look at poaching. I cannot give too much away.”
Two of the several books she has written, Children of the moon, along with its sequel, The Speaking Stone of Caradoc, were greatly received by the youth of Germany. Although she has great notoriety in her home country, calling South Africa home for the past 30 years has made Brickwood extremely happy.
“I would not want to leave, this is my home, I love how people interact with each other, they are kind.” Before settling here, she lived in Botswana for two years.
She encouraged aspiring writers to read more and visit new places. “Reading makes it easy for one to express themselves without using to many words.”
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