Cynthia Jele is a South African-born writer. She grew up in the small border town of Komatipoort in Mpumalanga. Cynthia holds a BA in International Business from North Central College, Illinois, and has recently established an economic development consultancy, Lombuso Consulting Group. She lives in the northern suburbs of Johannesburg.
Cynthia’s claim to fame was winning 1st and 4th prize in the 2008 BTA/Anglo-Platinum Short Story Competition. Happiness is a Four-Letter Word is Cynthia’s debut novel and won the Best First Book category (Africa region) in the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize 2011, as well as the 2011 M-Net Literary Award in the Film category. The novel was also shortlisted for the 2011 Booksellers Choice Award.
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What inspires you to write?
I like to make up stories; people fascinate me. Sometimes I would look at a person and try to imagine his or her life, most of my characters are created like that.
How long have you been writing for?
About five years ago I started writing short stories because I found them easier to write compared to novels.
What is difficult about writing?
Writing requires a lot of discipline. It’s not easy to actually sit down and write even when you have good ideas in your mind.
What do you enjoy about writing?
Writing provides an escape from the real world. I am most happiest sitting in front of my computer contemplating my character’s next moves.
A word of advice for young writers?
The best way to become a writer is to write, there is no other way. So start writing today!
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