Rosamund Kendal

Izimvo has the great pleasure of introducing the author of The Angina Monologues; Rosamund Kendal.

After studying medicine for six years and then working as a doctor for another five, Rosamund Kendal decided that the creative side of her brain needed some stimulation and enrolled for the Masters degree in creative writing at UCT. She hasn’t been able to decide whether she prefers being a freelance writer or a general practitioner, so she’s come to a compromise and does both part-time.

Web: http://rosamundkendal.book.co.za
Excerpt from Rosie’s book, The Angina Monologues.
Location: Ballito

Rosie was kind enough to answer the following questions:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: Hi, This is Rosie. We’ve known each other since birth so have been friends for thirty-two years. She works as a General Practitioner in Umhlanga but is also a novelist and has recently had her second book published.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I’m completely addicted to Earl Grey tea. And, terribly embarrassing, my favourite movie is the original Grease.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Depends how much time I have: if I have an hour, I love to spend it in a quiet yoga studio; if I have days, give me mountains. There is little that beats the incredible sense of connection with nature and wonder at the universe that being amidst the quiet solitude of a mountain brings.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South Africa would you like it to be?

A: A dream home for me is far more than just a house in a certain location: it’s somewhere warm and open where guests feel free to pop in uninvited and stay for drinks and dinner; it’s somewhere close to nature, from where I can hear the sea and smell the rich scent of wet earth; it’s a place in which my children have the freedom to play and explore and in which my husband and I find space both to love passionately and meditate quietly; it’s a safe haven, a shelter from the storm of the world. And yes, I am lucky enough to live in my dream home.

This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property – Looking for the ultimate home? Look no further, this R42m Zimbali masterpiece is class personified.

Writing in South Africa

Q: As a medical doctor, successful author and a mother, what would you say is the key to your success and which of your milestones are you most proud of?

A: It’s difficult to define the key to my success. It’s probably a combination of a lot of hard work and perseverance, the love and support of my husband and family and a little bit of luck. The most important milestones in my life have been the births of my two sons. Nothing, no amount of success, comes close to carrying the emotion that I felt when I first laid eyes on my children. After that, probably the accomplishments I am most proud of are achieving my medical degree and publishing my two novels.

Q: What are your thoughts on the local publishing industry? Is an author able to make a decent living from writing for a local reader or is international exposure essential?

A: The money one makes as an author in SA is terrible! There are simply too few fiction readers in SA to make writing novels for a living viable so, unless one has international exposure, most authors would, I suspect, have other jobs. Luckily, because I also practise as a GP, I am able to write solely for the love of writing (obviously a lucrative publication deal with a foreign publisher wouldn’t go amiss though…).

Q: Can you give us an insight into the process that you follow when writing? For example, do you work according to a schedule?

A: I don’t follow a schedule when writing for two reasons. Firstly, I am too busy to follow a set schedule and so just write whenever I can possibly grab the chance to; secondly, I write for the love of writing, not to achieve something specific, and I am afraid that, were I to put pressure on myself to finish writing by a certain date, I would stop enjoying the writing. Unusually, I write in longhand initially and then edit as I transfer my story to computer. I usually have a ‘map’ of the story that I start off with and then, as I write, I find that the map changes. Often, by the end of the novel, there is almost no resemblance to the map I started with but having that initial structure gives me a basis from which to begin.

Q: Your book Karma Suture deals with the experiences you had as a doctor while working in Cape Town’s state hospitals. Looking back, what was the greatest lesson you took away from the experience?

A: That I could make a difference in my patients’ lives, even though the situations and circumstances in which I was working so often felt hopeless.

Q: What advice would you offer would-be authors?

A: Persevere. Unless you are exceptionally self-confident, get yourself a literary agent to sell your book for you.

Q: What can we look forward to from Rosamund Kendal in 2010 and beyond?

A: As soon as I’ve found the time to figure that out, I promise I’ll let you know…

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: Yes, I have been shot at before when I attempted to stop a mugging. It didn’t really change my perception of the country; we all know that crime is a problem and that it will affect us in some way at some stage. I also don’t really think it changed the way that I live my life. I will always live carefully but one cannot be so careful that one stops actually living.

Q: Where would you start if you were given an unlimited budget and the ambitious task of improving the South African health system?

A: How many pages have I got to answer this question? Firstly, I would get rid of all the administrators and put doctors and nursing sisters in their places. We need the decisions at top-level to be made by people who ‘have been there’, who have hands on experience and who know what they are talking about. Secondly, I would try to eradicate corruption (yes, yes, I know, but this is a hypothetical scenario…). So much money is wasted in the health system because of dubious tenders and questionable appointments. Thirdly, I would improve the working conditions of state health care providers so that they wouldn’t be tempted to run off to private practice or the UK as soon as possible. That would be a good start, I think.

Q: What are your thoughts on the current standards of medical training in South Africa? Do you feel we are able to produce doctors at a world standard?

A: Without a doubt. South African universities provide fantastic medical training, a wonderful combination of first and third world medicine that probably isn’t found anywhere else in the world.

Q: With less than 30 days to the first African Soccer World Cup, what advice would you offer to first-time visitors looking for the ultimate South African experience?

A: Just spend some time talking to a regter, egter South African. Our people are our greatest asset.

Life in Ballito

Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Ballito?

A: I love the proximity to the sea. I also find the people incredibly friendly, which makes it a fantastic place to live.

Q: Favorite local restaurant for a lazy Sunday lunch with friends and family?

A: Beach Bistro in Westbrook.

Q: If you were tasked with commissioning a Soccer World Cup poster depicting the beauty of Ballito and it’s people, which image would you select?

A: I would choose a picture of the beach at sunrise. Not only would it show the incredible natural beauty of the area but it would also depict the people: the surfers; the fishermen; the fitness fanatics running on the beach and the couples walking their dogs along the shorebreak; the children splashing in the tidal pools and the life-guards keeping an eye on everyone.

General

Q: If you could invite any three South African authors to a book club meeting, who would you invite and which book would you ask them to read?

A: Herman Charles Bosman, Olive Schriner and Etienne van Heerden. I’d get the authors to read from their own works because that is such a treat. Nobody gives quite the same interpretation to a story as it’s creator.

Q: What is your favorite medical show on TV and which character would you say bears the closest resemblance to you and your personality?

A: An obscure show called The Green Wing. It’s the only medical show that I’ve ever watched that hasn’t irritated me and I sincerely hope that I do not resemble any of the characters in any way as they are all a little whacked…!

Q: What advice would you give the 18-year-old you?

A: Enjoy every moment because it passes so quickly. Sleep a little less. Listen to those around you a little more. Wear shamefully short skirts and embarrassingly skimpy tops because in ten years’ time you will have cellulite and stretch marks and wont be able to.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you like to ask them?

A: Helen Zille. What would be the first change you would make if you were made president of South Africa?

We’d like to thank Rosie for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her every success for the future.

Looking for other ways of enjoying Izimvo. Be sure to try the following:

• Izimvo’s iPhone Application
• The official Izimvo Twitter Account
• Follow our interviewee’s latest updates via the Izimvo Interviewee Twitter list
• Like us over at Izimvo’s Facebook Fan Page
• Subscribe to our Feed in your favorite RSS Reader
• Have the latest interviews read to you over at the Izimvo Listen page
• Subscribe to the Izimvo Podcast
• Install the Izimvo Google Chrome Extension

Justin Scott

Izimvo has the honour of introducing serial entrepreneur and the man behind The Ballito Magazine; Justin Scott.

Heading up a unique technology, media and publishing business, Justin the CEO of Cerodalo, is driven to deliver content to communities through renewed and enhanced channels.

With over three years experience in the estate magazine business, the publishing devision of Cerodalo, Estate Press Publications, has recently launched a bi-monthly magazine, The Ballito, looking at the North Coast way of life.

Website: http://www.theballito.co.za
Twitter: http://twitter.com/theballito
LinkedIn Profile: http://za.linkedin.com/in/estatepress
Location: Ballito

Justin was kind enough to answer the following questions:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: I think my close friends would introduce me as Justin, father of three amazing kids, married to Lorinda – his amazing wife and when not being a dad or husband Justin is a serial entrepreneur and has hundred of ideas about many different things. Interesting facts wise I’m not too sure but I’ve been told that even when amongst friends I have a habit of “geeking”, which means I get engrossed in how technology can become an integral part of our lives considering how divergent and intrusive it has become.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I’m a massive fan of the Ellen show. If I’m home between 6 and 7pm then it’s Ellen time. I’m not sure what the appeal is, perhaps a little escapism but there’s no doubt that after watching you feel a little better about the world. I case you haven’t figured I’m also fairly defensive about my quirk, so have to be able to justify it whenever I can :)

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: Watching movies with the family. It’s a great way to escape and getting engrossed in a movie helps stop the mind thinking about work or stuff.

Q: How would you describe your dream holiday home and where in South African would you like it to be?

A: That’s easy. My dream holiday home is our house at the moment. It’s a 3 storey place with large open spaces that allow us to entertain and be social. Our patio and deck look out over a natural wetland and in the distance is the Zimbali forest area. Where is it, in the best town in South Africa – Ballito.

This question was proudly sponsored Private Property – Looking for the perfect investment opportunity? How about investing R325k in this fraction ownership 3 bedroom, fully furnished apartment in Ballito minutes from the new international airport.

South African Print Media

The Ballito

Q: Congratulations on the launch and recent success of The Ballito Magazine. What was the impetus for starting the magazine and which of your milestones are you most proud of?

A: Thank you. Our publishing business, Estate Press Publications, has been doing estate based magazines for just over 3 years and had built a strong understanding of doing closed community publications. The model was solid and operationally we felt secure to find the next thing to scale our business. The idea wasn’t to deviate too far away from our knitting and when we applied our minds we realised that places like Ballito were just larger communities also wanting to know about what’s happening, business growth and development and keeping on top of the social scene.

We’re most proud over every edition we put out. As a small publishing house every edition has a piece of the team invested in it and when we get feedback on the magazine it validates the long hours and effort we all put it.

Q: Give us an insight into the daily running of the magazine. How many people contribute towards each issue, how are stories and covers selected and how long does each issue take to produce?

A: There are 7 people in the team that cover design, sales, editorial and production. We generally start each edition with a post-mortem on the previous edition, look at what we can do better and what we think could have stronger appeal.

Content wise we throw ideas around based on what’s happening in the area, the time of year and what or who we believe is doing exceptional work in and around Ballito to promote Ballito or the iLembe region. We also get to have many cups of coffee with people in the area and each interaction will spark a new idea or plant a seed for a future story.

Once the content outline is done we then get into the production process where we conduct interviews, request information from people involved and take hundreds of photo’s with a view to selecting the best that profile each story or profile we doing.

Overall the magazine takes about 8 weeks to come together, and then we start the process all over again. The Ballito isn’t our only magazine, we currently have over a dozen magazines we look after, so while the process above sounds smooth and simple you have to multiply that several times over to understand the pace, energy and passion that the team puts in every day.

Q: Why print and not an online publication?

A: While there is a trend to online content and magazines, our readership is still interested in getting a paper based magazine. Printed magazines still have an appeal for now, and offer greater flexibility and portability that magazines online. This doesn’t mean we’re closed to the growing trend of online magazines – we recently launched our online magazine site, http://www.theballito.co.za, where articles and news are all available online for readers who don’t get a copy of the magazine. We’ve also placed our last three editions of the magazine online for readers to page through.

Q: What are your predictions for the magazine industry here in South Africa and what impact do you feel devices such as the Apple iPad will have on the industry as a whole?

A: The magazine industry is definitely facing a changing landscape, but that’s the same for many industries out there at the moment. There are more channels competing for advertising spend now and being able to prove a tangible return on ad spend is a challenge faced in print media as opposed to online.

The local industry will follow the international trend towards marginalised advertising revenues in mass consumer brands while niche publications with smaller, more focused readers will be sustainable if they can engage their audience and garner ongoing support.

The iPad is still new to the industry and is not a household product. While it has a niche appeal at a very targeted LSM level it’s not a channel that will impact us in the short term….longer term it’s definitely a platform or channel we’ll take an interest in.

Q: What can we look forward to from The Ballito Magazine in 2010 and beyond?

A: 2010 is where we’ve worked off some of the niggles of getting a publication established and we’re finding out stride. On the content side we’re getting closer to local business and local government in order to understand and help promote the area as a place to live, work and play. We’re also moving across channels to deliver community content, with the launch of the web site and a few other interesting tricks up our sleeve. We have to remain engaged and close to the people in Ballito and on the North Coast, they are our readers, our source of stories and our partners in the long-term.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: We’re blessed to say no we haven’t, not directly. We live in an estate in Ballito which allows us a little more freedom and the ability to relax a little more than people living in the suburbs.

Q: With less than 60 days to the first African Soccer World Cup, what advice would you offer to first-time visitors looking to sample the best in South African cuisine?

A: Come experience it with an open mind and an open heart. South Africa is not Europe, so the way we do stuff is a little different and if you come here and start comparing our food and how we service you compared to what you used to back home it’ll sour the experience. Rather come to Africa with a view to experience the African spirit, relax and appreciate that we are different, we are unique and we have a “gees” like nowhere else in the world.

Q: If you could wave your magic wand and change one thing about South Africa, what would it be?

A: Tolerance. I truly believe that the majority of South African’s want to live normal lives and just get on with it. There is a small minority that are less tolerant of each other and have skewed views that unfortunately affect the lives of the rest of us. Can we really wave a wand? Wish it was that easy, but tolerance is something we can develop in our generation that will leave a legacy for future generations of South African’s.

Life in Ballito

Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Ballito?

A: The people – it’s a big family that sometimes reminds me of the clan on Brothers and Sisters!

Q: Favorite destination for a fun outing as a family in or around Ballito?

A: There really are just way to many, and with a family of 5 we’ve all got our favorites!

Q: What are your thoughts on the new King Shaka International Airport opening on the North Coast and the impact it will have on Ballito and surrounding areas?

A: Brilliant. It’s a week away and the impact it will have on the area is going to be amazing. You just don’t get better marketing for an area than thousands of people flying right over the top of it every day. Proximity to Ballito will make people curious, they’ll want to come and see what we’ve got to offer…and we’re ready.

General

Q: Which book would make required reading for all school-leavers and which book would you say has influenced you the most?

A: Success Intelligence by Robert Holden for all school-leavers and the book that influenced me the most was probably First Things First by Stephen Covey

Q: Given a free hour at home, which would you rather do, put your feet up and relax or look for something productive to do?

A: Put my feet up and relax. Find a free hour is difficult and making time to down tools and disconnect is so important.

Q: What advice would most like to give the 18-year-old you?

A: Every experience we navigate in our lives is an opportunity to learn and grow. Inevitably some of your decisions will be sound and others will be poor – thats simply the way life unfolds. Don’t shrink from your failings, as a leader take responsibility for your actions and learn from them. Risk more and fear less but surround yourself with men and women of integrity and character to help you when you fall and support you when you rise….love the journey, it’s going to be an amazing ride.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?

A: I had a great mentor in my life, Kevin Potter, and I would probably say him. What would I ask him, pretty much the same type of questions I’ve been asked. He’s had great success and been able to do it with dignity and class….I wonder how he’s managed to manage it with a family of seven!

We’d like to thank Justin for taking the time to answer our questions and would to wish him and the team at Estate Press Publications every success for the future.

Reminder to follow @izimvo on twitter for regular updates and our Facebook page to submit question and interviewee suggestions. You can also follow all our previous interviewees on Twitter at http//twitter.com/izimvo/interviewees