Words, faith and food

Writing is her passion and inspired by people, Dianne Stewart lives by her faith and loves her surroundings.

The Ballito author grew up in the Eastern Cape and always wanted to do something creative.

“Marguerite Poland (South African writer and author of children’s books) is a great friend of mine and inspired me to start writing,” said Stewart, who has written over 30 books.

She explained that a lot of writing is thinking time and researching to create ideas, as one is basically creating something out of nothing.

“I am fascinated by the creative process of writing and how everything comes together from the basic idea to the final book on the shelf,” said the elegant Stewart, who lived for many years with her husband Rodger on their sugar estate outside Stanger, but now lives in Zimbali.

“Writing requires a lot of discipline. It is like an eight to five job,” said the mother of four.

“If I have a deadline, I just sit at the computer and write, but I have moments where I feel inspired and I write free hand, usually at the start of a project.”

The soft spoken author has the unique ability to hop between genres with ease, be it a children’s book, youth novel or a collection of poetry or proverbs.

“Each genre has a different challenge, which keeps me interested and stimulated.”

Most of her work however is children’s picture books, with one of the best known ones being The Gift of the Sun, which has been translated into many different languages from Swedish to South Korean.

“It was so exciting to see the book in South Korean and interesting to find that children from all over the world relate to an African story.”

The award winning, humble author maintains that she has been fortunate to have the opportunities to publish these books.

“I started writing at a time when publishers were calling for South African stories and because I have always felt part of the African soil and close to the country and its people, I wanted to write about it,” said Stewart.

She studied Psychology and Xhosa and did her honours in African languages and also holds a masters degree in creative writing.

Not only the country and the people inspire her, but also the food. Her most recent book entitled Market Food takes the reader on a glossy, gourmet journey around South Africa, visiting markets and sampling the various delicious foods offered.

Stewart will be joining the crème de la crème of the writing world at the Franschhoek Literary Festival this month, where she will be speaking about Market Food.

“I felt inspired by people’s creativity and entrepreneurship and so came the idea to write a book about market food and the people behind the recipes.”

The book turned into a lovely family project, as her daughter Lissa, took the photos while her other daughter, Jessica Cairns, co-wrote the book and handled the design side, while her husband, Rodger often drove them from market to market.

For more information on Market Food, check out www.marketscoop.co.za or pop to any CNA, Bargain Books or Exclusive Books.