I struggled to know what to include as I experienced and witnessed so much. We witnessed the best of humankind and the worst.
Janet A. Wilson – 16 April 2024
The Back Flap
Despite having everything she could ask for, Janet Wilson couldn’t shake a sense of emptiness in her life or her desire to return to the continent of her birth. After many arguments, she and her husband agreed to embark on a daring adventure, driving 25,000 miles alone across Africa.
They couldn’t anticipate how this trip would challenge almost every belief, opinion, and value they held. They collided with the world and each other. Africa reached out and threw everything at them, including—every traveler’s worst nightmare.
After a heartbreaking tragedy, they made critical decisions that transformed their relationship, bringing them to a level of trust and commitment they had never experienced. Ultimately, this led them to a deeper understanding of their place in the world and each other’s lives.
A true account that explores themes of love, commitment, resilience, and the power of forgiveness in the face of adversity. It is a memoir of a woman’s transformation from brokenness to wholeness and a couple’s transformation from breakdown to breakthrough.
About the Book
When did you start writing the book?
It took me one year to write my first draft and about five years of revising and editing. When travelling, I kept a detailed journal, and my challenge was what to leave out and what to include. Only when I began to work with a professional editor did I understand what to include and what was irrelevant to the reader. I also have thousands of photos and actually have a photo of almost everything I write about.
Where did you get the idea from?
My husband and I have completed three extensive overland Africa trips, driving over 50,000 miles. We’ve also driven from Alaska to Argentina. We’ve given many presentations to various audiences. Still, regardless of the topic, the most common question is, “How did you put up with each other alone in a car for sixteen months?” This question inspired me to write my memoir. When traveling, we quickly realized to survive and reach Cairo safely, we had to work together as there was no 911 or search and rescue. We both had to be fully competent in all skills and knowledge necessary so that if one of us became incapacitated, the other could manage.
Were there any parts of the book where you struggled?
My travel is about discovery, primarily about myself, my marriage and Africa. Africa has the most beautiful landscapes and people, but it is sometimes challenging and even dangerous. I struggled to know what to include as I experienced and witnessed so much. We witnessed the best of humankind and the worst. The most challenging chapters to write were about the heartbreaking tragedy. Initially, I did not want to include that incident. Still, my editor encouraged and supported me through those chapters, and I am pleased he did.
What came easily?
Writing about my experiences with the wildlife in the wilderness and the gentle kindness of the people who we met. A man in Zambia told us, “You people don’t have to like each other because they have everything you need. We must like each other because we depend on each other.” I think there is some truth to that.
Are your characters fictitious or have you borrowed from real world people you know?
I met or knew all the characters in my memoir while travelling. We are still in touch all these years later with some locals we met in villages and towns.
Are there any particular authors that have influenced how you write, and if so, how have they influenced you?
Indeed, Paul Theroux influenced me in more than writing. After I read his book Dark Star Safari, Overland from Cairo to Cape Town, I decided that one day I would make that journey. He also influenced my writing by his honesty and style of travel writing. I also decided to write truthfully about experiences and their impact on me personally.
J.M Coetzee is a South African author. He has a natural style of writing, which draws me right into the story.
About Writing
Do you have a writing process? If so can you please describe it?
When I finally sat down to write my first crappy draft, I would start writing at 4:am until I had to leave for work at 7:30 am. Within six months, I had written over 100,000 words. Then, I had to begin deleting, which was sometimes difficult, so it took me several years. Several authors reviewed specific chapters and gave me their opinions, which helped me delete unnecessary words, sentences or incidents. I have kept journals since I was eight, so the writing came easily, sometimes too easily, and I rambled on.
Do you outline? If so, do you do so extensively or just chapter heading and a couple of sentences?
When I initially wrote, I never thought about chapters or chapter headings. I just wrote. Afterwards, I determined the chapters, but the chapter headings I decided on once my manuscript were completed.
Do you edit as you go, or do you wait until you’ve finished.?
I did simple edits while writing and generally wait until I had finished a section. Once I had a draft of my manuscript I edited chapter by chapter. I edited my final draft from the start to the end to ensure there were no repetitions and the story flowed.
Do you hire professional Editors?
Once I thought I had a good draft, I hired an editor. He encouraged me to delete some experiences and to go deeper into selected experiences or incidents.
Do you listen to music?
I write in silence. I try not to have any distractions and to focus on my writing.
About Publishing
Did you submit your work to an agent?
Yes, I did and got rejected. That is when I hired a professional editor. I also decided that I would not go through an agent but rather submitted my draft to a hybrid publisher; namely She Writes Press. It was a good decision.
What made you decide to go Indie, whether self-publishing or with an Indie publisher?
I felt that as a novice writer, I should go with a hybrid publisher. I knew nothing about self-publishing or publishing, so I knew I needed support and advice. I now realize just how little I knew about publishing.
Did you get your book cover professionally done or did you do it yourself?
She Writes Press did my cover, shortened my title, and wrote the subtitle.
Do you have a marketing plan or are you winging it.
Yes, I have a marketing plan, I reached out to an author marketing company, and they helped me determine my marketing plan. I still have lots to learn and regret not learning about marketing and publicity before I began to write and not after my book was accepted for publishing.
Any advice that you would like to give to other newbies considering becoming Indie authors.
Just do it, but know that writing is an art, and publishing and marketing are businesses.
So, begin marketing yourself when you start to write or at least when you have your first draft.
About You.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in South Africa and worked as a midwife before immigrating to Canada with my husband and two young children.
Where do you live now?
I live in Calgary, Canada, close to the Rocky Mountains.
What would you like the readers to know about you?
I was born a restless soul; even as a child, I always wandered off. I love to travel and explore the world. I also love photography. I have hundreds of stories, some very funny and can keep an audience entertained.
Where are you working now?
I am retired but keep busy, still writing and photography. I also do volunteer work.
End of Interview:
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