The Weight of a Feather is a series of random short stories, depicting life’s journeys. Each story “ends” cleverly (or doesn’t end at all), leaving more for the imagination to wonder about. Of course, until the next story snatches your attention.
From trials to triumphs and vice versa, these stories are a warm embrace for anyone who has experienced love, loss and life in general. It begins with the title story, that in reality is a story that many older individuals may relate to. A young girl spends months befriending a “pet” chicken that roams freely on her family property – only to have it make the ultimate sacrifice by ending up on her dining table. My mother once shared the exact life occurrence when she was the same age as the main character. To this day, she is unable to enjoy pets, as she recognizes as an adult that life can be fleeting and unexpectedly disappointing.
One story that was especially poignant to me was “The Negotiation,” where a widowed husband finds a clever way to make sure that his late, dear wife’s car never gets sold. This story struck a special chord, as I recently lost my grandmother in 2013. Mementos are especially important to keep our loved ones’ memories alive. I was left wondering what would come of the old man, and used my imagination to creatively shape his destiny.
The paradigms shift from tale to tale – a mother mourns the lost life of her son by putting herself in a brief exile in “Born Beneath a Balsamic Moon.” She finds very little healing in the pain she mentally inflicts upon herself, but feels it is the only way to feel connected to his soul. A chance encounter with who seems to be a random homeless man creates the epiphany she needs to start life anew. There was beauty in this story; like a phoenix the mother was able to rise from the literal ashes.
Irony plays a major part in “Rainbow Farm (or the Ghost of Christmas Past), as Affirmative Action leads society to a reindeer Santa. I had to chuckle while reading this story, and wonder what inspired it. What life experiences could the author have had to hint at the subtle tragedy of discrimination through such blatant humor.
I will pass this book on to each of my friends who request a good read. As we travel through life, it is crucial to remember the great gifts that we are given. Life itself is a gift that many of us take for granted each day. The Weight of a Feather is a light book, but holds a place in my heart forever.
About the Author (By the Author):
I talk too much. I get overexcited when something catches my interest. I’m vegetarian because how can I eat animals? I may as well eat my cat! When time allows, I escape to the bush or the mountains to restore a sense of calm and timeless rhythm to my life.
.
With the beat of Africa in my blood, my poetry and my novels are set in this continent, which has deep passion as its heart. The driving motivation of my characters is the search for love in all its forms.
.
I write because I believe that words have great power: they can bring comfort, joy and hope. They can reveal secrets and lies. And, while they may not change the world, they can – at their best – change people’s lives, even if only for a moment.
Although I now live in Johannesburg, the economic powerhouse of Africa, my childhood was played out in the Zimbabwean bush. Born in a little village called Zvishavane, I’ve spent most of my life in South Africa. My diverse career path has had me working as a waitress in a steakhouse; as a bartender in an English pub (to earn money to pay for a hot air balloon ride for my Mom and myself!); and as an accountant, which was my career for many years.
Fascinated by evolutionary astrology, I resigned as Chief Financial Officer for an internationally linked accountancy firm when I married one of their partners, and spent the next decade dabbling in writing novels, while studying and practising evolutionary astrology. I loved helping people through crisis times in their lives but, eventually, I was so drained from all the emotional counselling, I decided it was time to follow my own destiny and concentrate on my dream of writing fiction. So…here I am!
 |
| Shadow taking charge. |
I’m married to Beric Croome and have one furchild, a black cat called Shadow who adopted me in August 2012.