MEET THE AUTHOR

Tony Park from Australia has published 15 thrillers since 2004, all set in Africa and often with a conservation focus – he’s been hailed as the next Wilbur Smith. Tony loves the bush so much that he spends six months a year in the Lowveld. He tells us more about his writing life and his novel Captive, which is set in South Africa and Mozambique.

Tell us about your first visit to South Africa. In 1995, my wife Nicola booked a self-drive trip for us around South Africa, Zimbabwe and Botswana. We flew from Sydney to Johannesburg and went straight to the Kruger Park in an old Toyota Corolla with no aircon. The first camp we stayed in was Pretoriuskop and it’s still our favourite camp. The trip was exciting and unpredictable and different to any sort of holiday I had known. It was supposed to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but by the end of the first week we were hooked and began planning our return to the bush.

You wrote your first book during one of your next trips? Yes, for our third visit we bought an old Land Rover and spent four months driving around southern Africa. At the first place we stayed – Pretoriuskop again – I took out my laptop to have another go at writing a book. I had previously tried to write a novel set in the Outback, but it had never been published. At Pretoriuskop, however, an overland truck was setting up next to us and I decided to write a novel about such a tour, based on the very trip we were on. I threw out the rules about plot and structure and just made it up as I went along. I wrote each day and that first book, Far Horizon, was published in 2004.

Do you still write your books on location while you travel? Yes – you can plot the course of our trips through game reserves and towns in the books! It’s about being there in the moment and drawing inspiration from all the human and natural elements. I need to listen how people talk about issues like poaching. I try to write 1 800 words per day for six days a week while we’re on safari. I don’t know the characters when I start off, but I get to know them while I write. I still write my first drafts without a planned plot or structure. I can’t sit in a two-bedroom flat in Sydney and capture the essence of the bush. I need to hear the birds and a lion’s roar and smell a braai at night. For example, when I’m at Mana Pools in Zimbabwe, I’m most likely to take out the laptop because the place is so inspiring. I sit there and I think I have to record this; I have to write it down. This is the only thing in life I’ve ever wanted to do. I love it. I don’t know what else I would do with my time.

Who enjoys your books? I was a bit surprised to hear that more women than men read my books. I write for anyone interested in the bush and conservation, and the problems that are facing African wildlife. But also people like me who – despite all the problems – remain hopeful and optimistic. I’m a sucker for a happy ending.

Which other authors’ work do you like to read? Bill Bryson is my favourite. I recently read The Road to Little Dribbling, where he revisits England like a grumpy old man. This is the follow-up to his Notes from a Small Island. I like his humour and ability to capture the essence of place and people.

These days you live in South Africa for six months a year… The Lowveld is my other home. My wife and I are fortunate to lead two different lives in two nice places. In Sydney we enjoy the big city life and at Sabie Park Private Nature Reserve, we live on the edge of the Kruger in a house in the bush, surrounded by wild animals. We have a resident leopard in the reserve and a lovely picnic site on the Sabie River.

You’re a regular camper. Any tips for our readers? Camping can be uncomfortable, which is why I always pack a pillow and a duvet. Camping is also all about refrigeration – any problem can be solved with a cold beer. Get advice about where to go, but then go yourself and make up your own mind about the places that you visit.

Tell us about your new book, Captive… I’ve met a few wildlife veterinarians in my time. These people are like soldiers in the war against poaching. They’re often exposed to trauma and tragedy yet they keep on. I knew there was a story that was waiting to be written, with a wildlife vet as one of the main characters. It’s also about the politics of NGOs, but one thing that’s bigger than all the problems facing this continent is the indomitable human spirit. I sometimes think we get so fixated on the losses that we overlook the huge effort that goes on every day to conserve wildlife. That’s what I wanted to focus on in the book.

What’s next? I’m publishing another novel, Scent of Fear, in December. It’s about tracker dogs used in the war against poaching. And I’m planning a new novel set in the Kgalagadi and Namibia, which means it’s time for Nicola and me to go on safari again…