Author shares her journey of loss and love
The 69-year-old Glenda Snyman has just released her first book about the tragic loss of her daughter
“Little by little, we let go of loss but never of love,” Anonymous.
The phrase rang true when local author Glenda Snyman shared what led her to pen her first book. Her daughter Bianca was killed in a head-on collision 19 years ago. She was 24.
“It was very traumatic. She was healthy and very fit. I started writing the book after she died but then it was far too painful. I put it aside and left it for years, and then I eventually picked it up again and finished it.” This is the first book Glenda had published but she is a creative at heart. The Weltevreden Park resident has trinkets and crafts she made herself all around her home and office.
Glenda, who is anchored by her Christian faith, said while she was inspired to write the book because of the grief she suffered, the words are relatable to everyone. “The book is Christian but I have also had Muslim people buy it. I think loss is universal, and love is universal. There is so much more that unites people than divides us. No matter what we believe or whom we pray to, we are all human beings,” she shared. “Live each day as if it was your last day and love as if you had forever. That is my motto.”
She described the process from first writing the book to having it published as difficult. “I self-published,” she revealed. “It wasn’t an easy process and it cost a lot of money.” She described her book as a colour book because, “My child was far too beautiful to be in black and white”. She said when she started writing the book again in August, she had to re-live what happened to her daughter. Most days she had to cut her writing short because the tears wouldn’t stop. Glenda said she knew exactly how she wanted the book to look and once the manuscript was completed in November, she designed the covers.
“It needed to be very simplistic. The lady in the design team was the one sending me options but I knew what I wanted. And then fonts – I had definite ideas of the font. I was like a dog with a bone. The publishers understood my pain and realised they could not enforce their ideas onto me, eventually, everything was sorted out to my liking and the way I wanted my book to be done. They were supportive and helpful.”
The author had a book launch on Saturday March 12. My Sweet Angel can be purchased for R100 by contacting Glenda on 083 734 8145 or emailing to bookmarksetc@mweb.co.za.
She hopes this book reaches book clubs, grief seminars and people who have gone through pain or loss, and Christian groups. “It will help everybody, not only those who have lost a child. Some lose their homes; that’s a loss. Divorce is a loss. I think it will make a wonderful Easter gift. It has a lot of encouragement and life lessons,” she smiled.
