Glen Marais author releases first book about guardian angels

Have you ever wondered what guardian angels look like? If you were to meet yours, how would the first encounter be, what would you say or ask?

These are some of the questions that inspired Coert Engelbrecht, a published author, to write his new book titled AMBAR-A Guardian Angel’s Story.

“AMBAR is a series of three books, with A Guardian Angel’s Story being the first. The second will also be AMBAR but will have a different subtitle,” said Engelbrecht.

It took Engelbrecht three months to write the 72 000-word book.

“I finished writing the book last year February, but the whole process of getting it edited, sorting out the cover and releasing it, took just over a year,” said Engelbrecht.

“I wanted to teach life lessons and didn’t know how to get my message across and then one day while in thought, I realised that we often refer to guardian angels, especially when we feel we were saved from something terrible happening to us. It dawned on me that this would be a great way to teach life lessons.

“I created a Facebook page and posted questions asking people what they would ask their guardian angels should they get the opportunity to meet them face to face.”

The Glen Marais resident used the book to answer the questions he received on the Facebook page as best as he could in the form of a story.

“In the book, the guardian angel (AMBAR) explains to Caythlen, who he was assigned to, why he looks the way he does; what he is able and unable to do and more,” added Engelbrecht.

“He calls the people he looks after ‘assignments’. Through the story, one gets to know more about guardian angels and the work they do.”

Engelbrecht is employed as a quantity surveyor but has always had the desire to write.

“I have always been an author at heart. I remember my creative writing final matric exam was submitted as one of the top ten in South Africa but I never took up writing. I got busy with different studies and other things,” explained Engelbrecht.

“I have also published 14 poems over the years through the International Society of Poets and other platforms. I find that writing is another great way for me to express myself.”

AMBAR is a limited edition and was published in May.

“The book is out and ready but I haven’t had an official launch. I want to join it with the international launch I am planning. This is a limited edition with only 1 000 copies printed during the release.

“I want to revamp the size a bit to be in line with international standards.”

Engelbrecht has already started to plan and work on the next two books in the series. He hopes to publish the second one early next year.

“This experience has taught me a lot and now I know what to do and what to avoid with my next books. I am also looking at being an indie author and independently publish my books going forward.”

Engelbrecht’s advise to other aspiring writers: “Be patient and do your homework, make use of the internet. Don’t be afraid to ask for help, because you might have a good story to tell but maybe your story needs meat and that is where the help comes in. And lastly, dream big because if you don’t, you won’t achieve much.

“Aspiring writers and people interested in AMBAR are welcome to email me on csprojects75@gmail.com. Someone helped me and I want to help others.”

Just to entice readers a bit. Here is a piece extracted from the book:

“He stands in a dark corner pensively, staring as if he was looking at the night sky trying to count all the stars. His body absolutely motionless, his face stark, almost like a predator fixated on its prey. But there is softness in his brooding eyes, something in direct contrast with the rest of his tough rugged body.”

Get in touch with Engelbrecht on social media, his twitter handle is @CoertSteenberg and Coert Steenberg Engelbrecht on Facebook and the book’s Facebook Page is AMBAR- A Guardian Angel’s Story.