From lockdown poet to self-published novelist
Claire Lagerwall to turned her lockdown job-loss into an opportunity to write her first novel, titled ‘When I Lost Me’.
PENNING a poem to the president in April this year (previously published in the SUN, 22 May 2020), inspired young author and mother to three Claire Lagerwall to turn her lockdown job-loss into an opportunity to write her first novel, titled ‘When I Lost Me’.
The story is about two women watching the grains of their lives slip between their fingers. Catherine O’Hall, disillusioned with God after a battle to conceive makes an attempt to leave her heartache behind and find out who she is, if not a mother. She leaves Sicily and boards an aeroplane bound for South Africa. She knows that she is lost and dares God to find her. Rebecca and Nathaniel Allwood are farmers near the mouth of the Ngqusi and Inxaxo rivers on the Wild Coast. Volunteering at a feeding project, the understanding had always been that if Becs and Tick look after the community, they would return the favour. Until one day, a mysterious threat to their lives forces Becs to face the truth of how her family really came to own a farm surrounded by tribal land. When Catherine arrives on the Wild Coast, lives are upturned and secrets are discovered that push both families into places where only God can find them.
Claire, who is professional writer, started writing stories in high school. “It was a remarkable way to escape the ordinary. That was almost twenty years ago, but I have kept writing. In 2010, I started up as a professional content creator, and have never regretted it. But what I felt was missing was my own true voice.
“When Covid-19 hit South Africa, I was about to begin a life-changing contract that would earn me more money monthly than I would usually see in a year. But the contract was pulled. I was left feeling a little lost. One closed door led to another being opened. When my job contracts were cancelled, I climbed into bed and binge-watched Chesapeake Shores. By the end, I had a very clear direction for my life. Author. Bookstore. Coffee. Friends. I started plotting my novel and penned my first sentence in April 2020,” she said.
The mother to three rambunctious children and wife to a very patient farmer shared that the rest followed quickly. “Finally unable to ignore the urge within me to write a novel, I have found the courage to follow a pathway that could only be navigated by God. If I am not in my wing-backed chair typing away on my laptop, I am probably in the kitchen balancing three children, homework, and cooking dinner.
“My ultimate goal is to uplift, inspire and empower through the written word. I have been called many things, and take absolute delight in finally being able to add the title of author to my repertoire. The stories have always been there, but time wasn’t. I lost a life-changing writing contract due to coronavirus, and used the free time to instead change my life.”
Her book will be released on 1 September and is available on pre-order on www.clairelagerwall.com.
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