  At the moment I’m reading…
The Believers by Zoe Heller and The Girl with the Crooked Nose by Ted Botha.
Which writers do you admire and why?
I admire anyone who can crank out a readable manuscript and deal with the gauntlet of rejections which are part of the process of getting published. It takes guts, determination and a thick skin. I’m also in awe of writers who bravely and tirelessly challenge ingrained South African societal misconceptions about rape, HIV and violence – such as Sindiwe Magona and Helen Moffett.
What or who, inspired you to write this book?
Exhibit A is inspired by true events. A close friend of mine was raped in a police cell a few years ago, and the resulting botched investigation and thinly-veiled cover-up was almost unbelievable. Although the novel veers from the actual events (the real case is still trudging through the courts), it was a story that cried out to be written. Writing it was a form of revenge in a sense. My main characters – two renegade lawyers – are based on actual legal practitioners who battle daily to get justice for their clients, many of whom have been let down by the system. The story behind the dog in the novel, a scruffy pavement special with an interesting past, is absolutely true.
My earliest memory…
Dropping my teddy bear out of my pushchair in a shopping centre and being paralysed with fear that I wouldn’t see him again. A woman returned him, and in my memory she does this with a Michael Bay heroic soundtrack, surrounded by a halo of light. I still have ‘Teddy’, although he’s looking a bit like a living-dead bear these days.
What would you say is the most challenging part of writing?
Getting that first bit of feedback. My husband, daughter and trusted close friends act as my crap radar – they get to see the manuscript when it’s a shaky newborn and read it first. They tell me immediately if I’m on the right track. I’m a mess until I get the thumbs-up from them.
What was the most enjoyable aspect of writing this book?
I loved the whole process, even the editing!
My favourite guilty pleasure…
I don’t feel guilty about anything pleasurable, but I regularly destroy brain cells by watching rubbishy reality shows such as American Idol and Air Crash Investigation.
Is writing your full-time employment? If not, what is your ‘day job’?
I’m currently taking a sabbatical from my day job as a television screenwriter for Clockwork Zoo studios. I love being at home and working for myself, but I miss my brilliant co-writers, Lauren Beukes, Sam Wilson and Greig Cameron, terribly.
Which super-human power would you most like to have?
A shapeshifter like Maya – a character in the 1970’s show Space: 1999. With a flick of an eyelid Maya could transform into any animal she chose (or, in some instances, a man in a monster suit). She also had plaited eyebrows which I still covet.Â
What was your favourite book as a child?
The Weirdstone of Brisingamen by Alan Garner
The Believers by Zoe Heller and The Girl with the Crooked Nose by Ted Botha.
Related posts:
- The New Book from South African author Sarah Lotz Exhibit A
- Exhibit A by Sarah Lotz
- Sarah Lotz – Exhibit A Launch
- Penguin Author Sarah Lotz on Crime Beat
- Catch Sarah Lotz on e-TV Sunrise!
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Fri, May 22, 2009
Author Interviews