International author visits Illovo Nursery bookstore
Tony Park said a large portion of his market in Australia are expatriates from South Africa.
INTERNATIONAL author and traveller, Tony Park, visited Illovo Nursery recently to showcase his new books as well as do book signings.
Debbie Borea, owner of Debz’s Bookstore inside Illovo Nursery, invited Tony Park via Facebook. “I wanted to host the event because a lot of my customers enjoy his books. He did meet and greets, and book signing. The day was great and the outcome was good,” said Borea.
Park, who grew up in Sydney, Australia, said while one of his dreams was to write a novel, he never knew it would come true while in Africa.
“My wife, Nicola, and I first visited southern Africa as tourists in 1995 on what was supposed to be a once in a lifetime trip. It turned out to be anything but. We became hooked on the continent, its wildlife, scenery and people.”
He has also served 34 years in the Australian Army Reserve, including six months in Afghanistan in 2002. Park and his wife divide their time between Sydney, their home on the border of the Kruger National Park, as well as their recently bought home in Pennington.
The pair said they were amazed at how quickly they have been welcomed by the community. Park added that people in South Africa inspire him, as they are more resilient and able to live with adversities, unlike many other countries.
“There is no plan B, people just work and carry on. This breeds a positive attitude. While we can all complain about crime, corruption, poaching and wildlife issues, which feature in my books, what happens is solutions tend to come from the grass roots, which brings people together. We see that really strongly in this country,” he said.
Most of his books are inspired by real life events, things he has read in the news, his travels as well as people he has met. He is now the author of 20 novels set in Africa and nine non-fiction biographies. He said the wildlife, the environment and the problems facing it are common trends throughout his books.
For example, his newest book, The Pride, is about a former mercenary, Sonja Kurtz, who is out for revenge after her daughter, Emma, is assaulted by an abalone poacher while on a beachside holiday near Cape Town.
Park said a large portion of his market in Australia are expatriates from South Africa. He added that “There’s also just a fascination of Africa with my Australian readers, and the rest of the world.”
His book signing events also support various charity causes, such as the Pennington Conservancy.
Park recently finished his latest book, which will be published next year.
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