First book at 14 no mean feat

To produce a manuscript for a book is no mean feat, but to manage it at the age of 14 years, penning it down on paper albeit with a broken hand and subsequently typing it on a borrowed laptop can be considered an even bigger challenge.
Ntiyiso Mukhari, who made her debut as an author as Ntiyiso Amukelani, has managed exactly that in December last year with a print run of 100 copies of her first Christian novel titled Life’s Journey which has been on sale since. The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo is now assisting her with a donation towards the next print run of her book that is due to be launched at an establishment in the Tzaneen area at the end of the month, it was learnt.
In an interview days before the culmination of Youth Month in a commemoration steered by the national and provincial governments in Polokwane this weekend, the young author explained that her story had been inspired by the challenges faced by teens in today’s world and that she based the character of the protagonist in the book on her own and that of her peers.
As she took the outsider through the story line unfolding over 85 pages, the Grade 8 learner who attends Northern Academy narrated the life of a girl whose father is diagnosed with cancer, resulting in her going to live with a nasty aunt and getting kidnapped when she attempts to escape the situation.
Her first book, done in conjunction with a publisher in Nelspruit and finished within six months of starting to write the manuscript towards mid-2018, has spurred her on to write more titles based on real life scenarios in future, remarked Ntiyiso. It was something she intended working on during the school holidays, she indicated and expressed the hope of having the next title finished by the end of the year.
From the process she learnt more than what she bargained for, stressed the girl whose favourite sport is chess and who is an avid reader of Christian books and real life stories. It was a dream come true and an opportunity to empower herself, but in addition it was a very emotional moment for her to have her first book published, she said.
She had a message reserved for the youth, to whom she relayed that life would always pose problems but that they shouldn’t give up. “You are smarter and braver than you look. Always have faith in God. Be a prayer warrior.” Through prayer and faith, she added, anything could be achieved.
And as she concluded, Ntiyiso Amukelani shared the wisdom that lies in the words about life being a journey and not a destination.

Story and photo: YOLANDE NEL
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