Author in PA to launch her latest children’s books
Living apart from her granddaughters in Australia, inspires series
Bargain Books Port Alfred hosted a book launch for author Roz Potgieter last Saturday, which was attended by different age groups, from little children to adults and even senior citizens.
Speaking on her motivation for writing, Potgieter cited her deceased mother for her never-ending support.
“My mom’s inspiration for me to continue writing played a huge role in my life, and her enthusiasm throughout my writing journey means the world to me,” Potgieter said.
Potgieter has written 25 books, 17 of which have been published so far.
She is currently writing a political thriller in collaboration with her brother, as well as a sequel to her debut book Deceit by Design.
Following Deceit by Design, Potgieter branched out into writing children’s books.
“Picture books are a source of enjoyment, they can educate, and they make you feel closer to the children you’re reading to.
“But most importantly, picture books are also a child’s introduction to language and art,” Potgieter explained.
She said she started writing children’s books when her first granddaughter, Gabriella, was three.
“Because we were living so far from each other, unfortunately I couldn’t share all my wonderful Australian experiences and adventures with her.
“There was so much I wanted to show her, the different animals to what we have here and wonderful places to see, and because she couldn’t experience these in real life, I made it all possible for her to see everything in her dreams in the books.
“That was the emergence of the Gabriella Rose Dreams series”.
The series follows the tales of an adventurous little girl who, in her fantastical dreams, embarks on imaginary quests encapsulating Australia’s iconic attractions.
In the book, Gabriella Rose sings at the Opera House which she believes is a mermaid’s castle, and from there she enters the magical kingdom of the bluebell fairies, embracing the charming fairies and lovable animals.
The Gabriella Rose Dreams series has five books.
“All books in this series have a whimsical and educational element as well as interesting information about the specific attractions, all with a mini comprehension,” Potgieter said.
Like all grandmothers, Potgieter couldn’t do something special for one grandchild and not do the same for the other, so when her second granddaughter, Anastasia, was born she decided to write an adventure series for her as well. Anastasia’s series were supposed to be based on the United Arab Emirates where Potgieter had previously lived.
The author explained that because the series material was very limited to only Arabs, camels and deserts, she changed the concept to Anastasia Grace’s Mystical Adventures around the world.
This series is of a little adventurous girl who lives on an island with her family after they were shipwrecked. One day while fishing, Ana reels in a magical locket and instantly becomes its custodian.
Whenever the little island girl wants to travel, she recites a poem and a pink pashmina floats down towards her, transforming into a rocket and takes her away on adventures to faraway places.
After writing books dedicated to her granddaughters, Potgieter wrote the GabAna series, which was also inspired by them
This series, designed for parent and child interaction, is told in rhyme and easy for little ones to comprehend.
Each book includes a fun questionand-answer component at the back of the books.
Elaborating on the inspiration behind these series, Potgieter said: “I just thought I want all little children to be as amazing as them, for every child to be an awesome little being.
“These books introduce children to the wonderful concepts of being kind, friendly and respectful.
“We need to get back to basics and instil good old-fashioned values into our children.” Potgieter also writes books which cater to boys with her Benjamin Bums series.
At the weekend launch, Potgieter highlighted the Sipho & Co educational series which helps provide insight into multicultural SA.
She is very excited to see how this series develops as there is still so much to teach about the different languages, cultures and customs in the country.
Potgieter expressed how humbled she felt to find her books available in South African stores.
“I will always be a proud South African even if I’m not living here at the moment. There’s no place like home.”
The books are available at Bargain Books stores countrywide.