Creativity on Board
April 21, 2023
Who is real?
May 30, 2023
Write from Durban
Durban-born Bianca Beck has published and released her first book, Crossroads. Bianca lost her office job when the Covid-19 pandemic struck, but managed to find work elsewhere and also took the opportunity to write a book she’d started a few years earlier. Former employer and friend Shirley Williams, has helped Bianca with publishing costs.
Source: Shirley Williams
Crossroads took Bianca over 8 years to write and draws on her experiences whilst growing up in Durban where she has lived her whole life. A light-hearted, fun romance novel for teens the story follows challenges faced by the main characters, Kyle and Lia, as their relationship is tested by the lies and actions of the people closest to them.
Bianca explains, “I started it eight years ago when I wrote 30 A4 pages. It was too long to be a short story and too short to be a novel. Life happened and I stopped writing for a while. But I had time during Covid, so I started again. A friend pushed me saying ‘it is now or never‘ to have it published. 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 explains.
Educated at Glenashley Primary and then Danville Park Girls High School, Bianca admits that it was as good as inevitable that she would, one day, write books. She was good at English at school and has always enjoyed writing, especially short stories. Bianca admits that Crossroads was inspired by the friends and people she met during her early working years in restaurants and bars dotted around her home city.
“Each character is a blend of people I knew and people I have loved. Some of the characters are those who I have lost. I took 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,” she recounts.
Initially, she was advised to target teens and young adults, but as she filled the pages, her potential readers became older. She admits that her target audience has been just that – a moving target. Overall, the book is easy to follow and a relaxing and entertaining read for everyone. “I 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,” Bianca admits.
She says even though it’s still early days, she’s had lots of positive feedback from readers describing Crossroads as a great way to relive their memories of yesteryear in Durban. Many confessed they had quickly become immersed in the story and its highly believable characters and didn’t want to stop reading.
Bianca adds, “I remember how surreal it felt receiving my books and seeing my words on paper in a book. I can’t even begin to describe how exhilarating it was to hold my book in my hands. It was the most exciting and scary experience I have ever had,” she says of the moment that her first tranche of books arrived on her doorstep.
Her message to readers is integral. “Friendship is important. Your group of friends becomes who you are. They shape you. It is always good to be around people who positively reinforce you and to quickly identify people who are negative and bad influences. Rather stick with those who are good for you. Also, love comes when you least expect it, so always be open to possibilities, “she replies.
Bianca has already almost completed the sequel to Crossroads. But, for now, her focus remains on her first novel which, she says, she would love to see made into a movie. “It would be nice to see all the characters that I have come to know and love come alive on the big screen. This is my ultimate goal.”
Available from: Amazon, Takealot, Home Baked (Durban North) and
