Born and raised in South Africa, Sheldon began writing towards the end of a long and successful career in IT. After many years in SA, tenures with various global IT companies saw the family set up new homes in England, New Zealand and Sydney, Australia where they currently reside. He has two daughters and two sons.
It was his family that prompted him to finally write the book he had been threatening to write for many years.
“I guess they just got tired of hearing about it and suggested I put my money where my mouth was”
One of the messages that comes across in any research one does on writing for new authors is the need to be disciplined about doing a certain number of words each day, find a routine, consider a set time, set a target number of words, just keep at it and so on. It was never like that for Sheldon, he loved it from the moment he started.
Sheldon believes it’s the opportunity to use words in a way that enables readers to create their own images, their own pictures as they read, that gives him the greatest pleasure. In the ideal world the best review of one’s book would be to see into the mind of your reader as they read, to see the “movie” they are creating from the words.
‘One Black Ear’, was to a certain extent, a trip down memory lane for Sheldon, living away from South Africa for over 30 years. Also, a chance to explore some of the thoughts that have lingered for many years about what was and was not done/contributed to make it a more democratic country.
“One Black Ear” was his debut novel and his second, The First Canary. His latest, “They Make Cheese in Nimbin Don’t They?” is his first novel based in Australia.
