Christien Neser

I trained as speech therapist at the University of Pretoria, qualifying in 1978. Subsequently I completed a BA Hons with French as major, followed by a Masters in Translation Studies at the University of Johannesburg. I worked as a school speech therapist for almost 30 years. I started writing late in my life, publishing my first novel just before my 50th birthday. For years I juggled writing and private practice, until ten years ago, when I decided to forfeit therapy for writing. School visits and talks on reading on behalf of my publishers have become a part of my routine. I also offer writer’s courses for teens, workshops for teachers and parents. It has also been a privilege to become involved in literacy development in rural communities. My special loves and hobbies: time with my two grandchildren, hikes and cycle rides with a group of friends.

What genre(s) do you write?

I have been writing youth literature for the past 20 years. My entry into the world of writing was a coming of age novel about a 15 year old girl going to boarding school for the first time. This book was the first in a series of 12. Interspersed with this series for girls, I wrote a number of youth novels with more substantial themes, which have been used (and still is) as prescribed books for the 12-16 age group. These novels have all been published in Afrikaans. In addition to fiction, I also write factual. My first non-fiction book is a self help book on early intervention for parents and teachers. Chapters were dedicated to issues like neurodivergent development, hearing loss, speech and language issues, anxiety and multi-lingualism.

Do you have a newly released book? What is the title and a link to buy the book?

I have two recent books, both in Afrikaans and both available in South African bookstores. The first is aimed at readers of 10-13 yrs, called Nuwe trieks vir ou honde (New tricks for old dogs). This is the story of a boy that stutters and a rescue dog at a local shelter. The other one is aimed at girls, 13+. The title is Sprokie in ‘n streepbaadjie (Fairy tale in a striped blazer).

Are there any other social media links, websites, or other places to learn about you that we should add?

I have a Facebook Page, called simply Christien Neser

My website: www.christienneser.com

If you are traditionally published, who is your agent? If you are self-published, what publishing software do you prefer/ who is your publisher?

I have two publishers: Lapa/Penguin/Randomhouse and JonthanBall. Both are situated in Cape Town. In South Africa, few writers have the luxury of an agent. An editor at the publishing house take on that roll. At Jonathan Ball my editor is Michelle Cooper. At Penguin, it is Shawa-Leze Meiring.

As a speech pathologist, you engage with children and the way they develop language daily. What made you decide to start writing novels?

Speech therapy involves a lot of narrative therapy, i.e. stories. I have been writing stories and telling stories for children for as long as I have been in practice. These stories were child-specific, short and therapeutic in nature. But in 2006 I attended a writer’s course and a year later, my first book was published.

How do you incorporate your knowledge as a speech pathologist into your novels?

My most recent novel has a stuttering boy as the protagonist. I love to draw inspiration from families and children that have crossed my path. With the co-operation of the parent and the consent of the child, I wrote my first youth novel about an autistic boy. The child was 6 at the time. Ten years later, I wrote the follow-up. He was 16 at that stage and contributed largely to the storyline. Amper Einstein/Almost Einstein (2009) and Absoluut Einstein (2019)

How important is it to read to children from a young age?

This is the one topic that I feel passionate about. The Brits call Bedtime Reading an essential part of Home Literacy. And this is the one aspect that sets children apart in academic and linguistic achievement. Studies by Staneeva of the University of Sydney and of Flewitt from the London University, indicate how reading at home improves attention span, vocabulary and language development. The well known study at the Ohio State University (2019), now dubbed The Million Word Gap study, showed how children who are read to daily for the 5 years before entering Grade 1 of formal school, having heard about 1,2 million words more than those who were never read to. This Million Word gap has been touted as the reason for this group of children outperforming their peers. Apart from linguistic success, reading also improves sleeping and connectivity in the brain. Studies at the Emory University, by prof Hutton, showed that students who read a novel before going to bed, had more connectivity in the brain upon waking, compared to students who studied on screens until bedtime. This was tested with MRI scans. So reading to children at bedtime should become a life long habit, which should ensure better academic performance. From personal experience, the special time spent with a child and a book at bedtime, is one of the most important emotional bonding exercises. Children often relate to the characters, and would start unburdening their own fears or worries.

It is a well-known fact that a mother’s voice elicits the production of oxytocin in their infants, starting in the womb and continuing through infancy. That is why a mom’s voice is so effective in soothing a crying baby. Oxytocin is also secreted when a child feels safe and secure, like when they are being read to by a parent. Optimal learning takes place when a child is relaxed, safe and secure. Oxytocin is one of the best antidotes to anxiety, which is triggered by adrenaline. Reading stories and facing all kinds of monsters in the books you choose, may be the best thing for your child’s mental health.

What is the most fun and most difficult part of the writing process for you? Eg. first draft, editing, researching?

If one finds a thread, an idea, a specific theme, then the rest is fairly simple. You need to know what you want to write about, you need a character, you need a beginning and a satisfying end. Once those elements fall into place, the writing becomes an all consuming effort. The research is enriching, but the editing is torture.

What is your favorite part of being an author?

To reach a child’s heart and mind. To know that you have the power to enter a young reader’s bedroom and to turn them into readers. I see my books as starter packs for readers. They are springboards to catapult them into the more serious world of literature. Because a child who reads for pleasure, is a child who can read for understanding. It is the basis for all future studying.

If you could give any advice to parents, educators, and even librarians when it comes to choosing books for children to read, what would it be?

*You cannot force a child to read. You have to start young, enticing them with the kind of books that appeal to them. The MOST important thing is the shared attention. It is the parent’s presence, the shared time with a book. At pre-reading age, a book is a selfish creature: it forces a parent to spend time with a child. Once the child is a reader, around age 8-9, parents should still read to them, even if it is a page a night. That special bonding of listening to a parent’s voice is ultra special, a gift of a lifetime. A parent can also read genres like poetry to the older child. What a magnificent way to drift off to dreamland!

*As for the choice of books, make the child co-responsible for the choice? And slip in a book of your choice from time to time. Even books you read as a child. It is a wonderful way to introduce them to the backyard you grew up in! And it makes for great conversation.

*Remember that some children do not like fiction. If cartoons of jokes make your son listen to a bedtime story, so be it. A book with short jokes is one of the best ways to get a boy reading. The more revolting the jokes, the better! There is a method to your madness: that child will be reading joke upon joke, not realizing that they are actually reading for pleasure, which is the ultimate goal. Some children prefer non-fiction, which is fine. Even if you just page through a brightly illustrated book on trucks/dinosaurs/volcanoes, the home literacy event is happening!