THE idea of writing her own book came to life eight years ago when Bianca Beck from Glen Anil worked as a waitress. Last week, her dream became a reality when she launched her first book, called Crossroads.

“I am so excited about publishing my first book. I remember how surreal it felt receiving my books and seeing my words on paper in a book,” she said. “I was a waitress for many years, so most of the book is based on my experiences at the time,” she said.

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The story revolves around two characters, Kyle and Lia, and all the challenges they’ve had to face, including lies and deceit from people closest to them.

“Each character is a blend of people I knew and people I have loved. Some of the characters are those whom I have lost. I put their personalities into my characters. When I went through each character, I wrote down their name, surname, hair colour, eye colour, personality traits and where they fitted into the story. The more I wrote, the more the characters came alive,” said Beck.

Although the book is aimed at teens and young adults, the author says older people, even men, have read it and could relate, so she would say that it’s for everyone who loves a good read.
Beck said she kept the language simple as she didn’t want to use fancy words and complicated scenes and storylines.

“I kept it simple and easy-flowing. It is pretty much for anyone to read,” she said.
Writing has always been Beck’s first love – something she started during her years at primary school level.

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When she started the book eight years ago, Beck realised that it was too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel. She stopped for a while, but when she contracted Covid, she started again.

“A friend pushed me to have it published, saying, ‘It is now or never’. So, I pulled it out again in January 2022 and finished most of it by June 2022. Then it was down to fine-tuning and editing, which took me another few months,” she said.

“There will be four books in total. I am almost done with the second one and have started writing the third and fourth book,” she said.

Crossroads is available in print through Takealot and Bianca’s website https://crossroadso ftheheart.online. It is also for sale at Home Baked in Durban North. E-books can be ordered via Amazon.

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