Since international travelling was restricted for most of the lockdown in South Africa, a Nelson Mandela Bay talent consultant decided to write a children’s book about travelling to create a dream world for young ones to escape to, as though they are actually on holiday.
Sue Bennie, owner of Leading Talent Consulting, recently had her first book, Mary and Mac go to Rome, published by Bengals Publishers.
Although she has never written a book before, Bennie said that she had been thinking about it for ages but never had the time to just get on it and start writing.
“I love reading, so writing a book seemed a worthwhile activity.
“The COVID-19 lockdown allowed me the chance to focus on writing and I’m really excited to have published my first book!” Bennie said excitedly.
“I like to buy books for the children in my life and always look for topics that I think will be fun but also educational.
“I believe encouraging children to read from early on helps them learn to love it, which I think is a lovely gift to give them,” she added.
When asked how she had decided on travelling as a theme for the book, Bennie answered that she loves travelling and since no one was allowed to travel last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she thought that a book about siblings going somewhere would be interesting and fun.
“I have travelled quite a bit so that seemed like the best topic. I’m from Port Elizabeth and first attended Collegiate Girls’ High School before studying at Nelson Mandela University. After that I did my honours in psychology at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia. I then spent a year working in London and travelled a bit with my sister before coming home.
“My family loves to travel, too. My mom first took us overseas when I was eight years old, so the travel bug bit early.
“I believe that this book could help children learn about the fun of travelling, all the wonderful sites to see in Rome and what an interesting city it is. I really hope the book will inspire them to save up to visit there one day.”
According to Bennie, the writing bug has had a lasting effect, which means that she doesn’t plan on stopping after just this one book.
“I plan to write a series of books with Mary and Mac visiting different cities in the world, writing time and first book sales allowing, of course,” she added.
Mary and Mac go to Rome is available from Bengals Publishers for R90 and can be ordered at bengalspublishers@gmail.com.
