Over the years I have learnt to anticipate with some excitement a new release from our next author, Catherine McCallum. A skilled writer, her mastery with words are a lesson to any authors searching for a local role model. With 3 titles already released and available to readers through Amazon, I am already salivating at the thought of her next release 😊
Your author name
Catherine McCallum
Your book title
Give us the elevator pitch for your book?
What if … you could bequeath your very best quality on your death? A sense of direction, an ability to fly, talking to the animals? Join a group of twenty-somethings juggling life, love and ambition, complicated by bequeathments wanted or otherwise ….
Who was the book written for?
Somebody looking for a light read, young adult or young-at-heart.
How long did it take for you to finish the final draft of your book?
Three and a half years.
What makes this book different from others on the shelf?
How many magic realism stories do you know set in Johannesburg, South Africa?
What was the hardest part of the writing journey for you?
The lack of a professional editor.
Your favourite place to write?
Anywhere noisy!
What kept you motivated to write during the times you felt stuck?
The incurable need to get the story out.
Tell us something about yourself that readers would not be able to guess?
I play really terrible piano. I am still waiting for that bequeathment!
Have you written any other books?
Yes – Sanctuary for a Name, about a mixed-race South African trapped in Europe after World War I, and The Birch Tree Path – a discovery of a white South African activist after her death complicated by dementia.
Assuming you may not write full time, what is your day job?
Business Administration
How should someone get in touch with you?
Please email me on
