Author Interview~Vanessa Del Fabbro

Vanessa Del Fabbro was born in South Africa in 1968. After majoring in communications and English literature, she worked in print and radio journalism, then spent a year in England before coming to the United States in 1995. She has lived in St. Louis, Missouri, Montgomery, Alabama, and now makes her home in Houston, Texas.














What new book or project would you like to tell us about?

The sequel to my first novel, THE ROAD TO HOME, comes out July 1. SANDPIPER DRIFT continues the story of journalist, Monica Brunetti, and her two adopted sons, Sipho and Mandla. As in THE ROAD TO HOME, I tell this story from two points of view, Monica’s and, this time, Francina’s, the Brunetti family’s housekeeper of many years. It’s an uplifting story and I hope that people will feel good after reading it. So much of what’s written about Africa concentrates on the negative, and after the drama of my first book I decided that I wanted to portray beauty, both of the land and its people. It is not at all unrealistic, as real life problems intrude regularly, but I have chosen to highlight the quiet dignity of ordinary people. These are people who are not involved in large-scale plans to enrich the impoverished, empower the disenfranchised, or rewrite laws and policy, yet in the peaceful and gracious way they go about the business of their lives, with respect for their neighbors and a disregard for race and economic standing, they are doing as much for their country as elected officials.

Tell us about your publishing journey. How long had you been writing before you got a contract? How did you find out and what went through your mind?

I started out as a journalist, so I’d had non-fiction work published but never any fiction. The idea of writing a full-length novel seemed daunting, even impossible. But when I came to this country I started to realize that I had a story I had to tell and that the best way to reach a lot of people was through fiction.

You're a Christy Award finalist. How was that process? How did you find out about being a finalist?

The announcement of the finalists was only supposed to come in May, so in late April when I received an e-mail from the co-editor of my second novel I was shocked. And overjoyed. A couple of minutes later my editor, who was at home recovering from surgery, phoned to congratulate me.

Do you still have self-doubts about your writing?

Only all the time! I am constantly coming across books that make me think, why don’t my descriptions sound that poetic, why doesn’t my dialogue crackle on the page like this? But I think that a certain measure of self-doubt is good. It keeps me coming back to my computer, determined to be a better writer.

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

While I was writing THE ROAD TO HOME I thought that I would be content if I could get one book published, and that would be the end of my career as an author. I thought I might make a return to journalism. But after my first novel was published I realized that I had more stories in me. To a large extent, this is probably due to the confidence that I gained from the positive feedback from readers and reviewers. I suddenly thought, well maybe I can do this, maybe I am an author after all.

What mistakes did you make while seeking an editor or agent?

I wouldn’t do anything differently because I am very happy with my agent and my editor. I consider myself fortunate that things worked out the way they did. I wish I had found them sooner, but that’s life.

What’s the best writing advice you’ve heard?

Show, don’t tell. That little gem of advice is always in my mind as I write.

What’s the worst piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?

Don’t think about your readers when you’re writing, write for yourself. This is a lofty ideal, but not at all pragmatic. Writing fiction is not writing a diary; authors need readers.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with this biz?

I would be happy if CBA novels weren’t hidden in the far recesses of big bookstores where only those in the know will find them. There’s no chance of browsers coming across my book by accident there. I’ll just come right out and say it: I wish that inspirational novels were shelved alongside general fiction novels. Novels that deal with faith in other religions are not sidelined but considered exotic.

What do you wish you’d known early in your career that might have saved you some time and/or frustration in writing? In publishing?

If I’d taken time before starting THE ROAD TO HOME to plot the story chapter by chapter I think I would have saved an enormous amount of time. Not everybody needs to do that, but I think I’m better off with a road map. I can then also check for weaknesses in the plot and places where characters aren’t getting their fair share of “page time.”

Was there ever a difficult set back that you went through in your writing career?

It took a long time for me to find a publisher, and at one stage I thought that THE ROAD TO HOME was going to end up being a doorstop that would constantly remind me of my failure. But I persuaded myself that even if I never became a published author, I had written a book! And that was an achievement in itself.

What are a few of your favorite books?

My all time favorite book is LOVE IN THE TIME OF CHOLERA by Gabriel Garcia- Marquez. I have read it three times and will probably read it three more times. Marquez is a master of creating a whole new world for readers. I also really liked BRICK LANE by Monica Ali, and I have to include DISGRACE in this list, a novel by Nobel prize winner J.M. Coetzee. I’m a huge fan of Alexander McCall Smith and was very excited to meet him last month at a signing in Houston. I have just recently enjoyed OVER THE WATERS by Deborah Raney, and at the moment am reading ENDLESS CHAIN by Emilie Richards, which is the story of a Guatemalan woman trying to escape her past. As you will no doubt have noticed, I like to read stories set in different parts of the world or stories of cultures colliding.

What work have you done that you’re especially proud of and why?

I wish you’d ask me that in the fall, because by then I hope to have raised money, through the sale of my book, for Cotlands, a non-profit agency in South Africa that cares for AIDS orphans and children with AIDS. I am putting together a presentation about the desperate situation of the more than one million AIDS orphans in South Africa and will hopefully be invited to present it at churches, civic organizations and senior groups.

Do you have a scripture or quote that has spoken to you lately in regards to your writing?

"If you will extract the precious from the worthless, you will be My spokesman." ~ Jeremiah 15:19.

Can you give us a look into a typical day for you?

I write from 6 A.M. till 8 A.M., which is when I hear the cry of “Mommy” and I know my four-year-old daughter is awake. After 8 A.M. I switch to my other life, that of a stay-at-home Mom. Three days a week I manage to get an extra hour of writing in when my daughter goes to school, but that’s about it. I often think that I should get up at five A.M. to write so that I have an extra hour, but this thought never becomes more than that. I write six days a week and take Sundays off.

Do you have a word or page goal you set for each day?

1,000 words per day, on good days 1,500.

Are you an SOTP (seat of the pants) writer or a plotter?

A plotter definitely, but sometimes the characters start taking me in a different direction and more often than not, I trust them and go back later and adjust the outline.

What author do you especially admire and why?

Alexander McCall Smith. He reportedly writes 1,000 words an hour! And at his signing in Houston he admitted that he never rewrites and that in the case of the Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series he is hardly edited at all. The man is an intellectual, yet his stories are accessible and charming.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

My favorite part is receiving e-mail from readers who say that they were touched by my book. My least favorite part is being forced to approach shoppers in bookstores when I’m doing a book signing. So far, I have had no choice but to actively sell my book. I get up from the table and wander around asking people if they’d like to take a look at my book. I live in hope that I will one day be able to sit behind a table at a signing and have people come up to me—lots and lots of them!

How much marketing do you do? What's your favorite part of marketing?

For SANDPIPER DRIFT I’m doing book signings here in Houston and closer to the time will send out press releases to the local media. I also maintain a database of names and addresses, some of readers who have written to me, some of friends, some of friends of friends. Just before publication I’ll send them a letter telling them about my new book. I also have a website.

Do you have any parting words of advice?

Don’t give up, even when the rejection letters keep coming. If you have a good story to tell, it will find a home with the right publisher. And keep writing every day, even if you don’t feel inspired. Think of writing as sculpting; You chisel away and chisel away, 1,000 words here, 1,500 words there, and before you know if you have a novel-length manuscript.