How an Idea Turned into a Novel

This is a book about people … people with an identity.Twelve Shades of Black sees writer Joy Martin attempt to shed light on the daily lives of black people within the racially charged context of South Africa during the apartheid era.The result is a series of interviews presented as a collection of twelve essays, each focused on the life of an individual person living in the townships outside Johannesburg.The stories include that of a priest, a “witch doctress” and a poet whose work conveys and carries the weight of the painful experiences of the past.

THE IMAGE OF LAURA, ULICK'S DAUGHTER and THE MOON IS RED IN APRILAll three women were intrepid, travelling into foreign lands.. One fought to protect her image, one to find out who she was, the third to fight for the man she loved and to take him from her rival.  Three novels set in the shadow of war and impending tragedy in three very different lands.

There wasn't much left of the house by the lake, but in its ruins there was a story. In this first episode, we uncover how a single image of a run down home sparked the idea for Seeking Clemency, a haunting and lyrical debut by Joy Martin. From quiet inspiration to a fully formed novel, we trace the path of creativity, memory, and persistence.