Get to know me

When I was growing up, I was often referred to as "Miranda the Goose". Why, you're probably wondering. One of the children's picture books I read many times in my childhood was about Miranda the Goose, and she always had her head in the clouds. I would often be described as a child who used to live in her own dream world, not paying too much attention to what was going on around me. And I was always coming up with interesting stories in my head. My imagination ran rampant, filling me with creativity, awe, and wonder.

I have 473 books of all genres on my book shelves, ranging from classics to romantics to mysteries to self-help to poetry and plays - with even more books being added to the "to be read" pile and the "to be bought" list on a regular basis. My love for reading, essentially, is what sparked my love of writing.

The best place for me - and probably a place you could find me more often than not - is at a coffee shop with a writer's pad and laptop at hand, writing or typing away, or researching and gathering ideas about what to write and type. I'm learning what it means to enjoy the simple pleasures in life. Coffee and a blank page are my simple pleasures. Give me a good cuppa and a great idea over work any day!

I've attempted to write a fiction novel (although, it has never been nor will ever be published. It's not very good - yet. Maybe one day I'll sit down and rewrite it). I have already self-published two non-fiction, self-help books, and I am currently working on my third one. I do also wish to one day start writing children's picture books and short novels based on both biblical and psychological principles in an attempt to teach and impart positive morals and life values to children.

My study journey has been quite the interesting one and, funny enough, has actually played quite a large role in what I write. When I finished high school, I didn't know what I wanted to study, so I took a gap year and spent a lot of time serving in the local communities in Cape Town. It was during this year when I discovered my passion for helping others. And it was through serving where I found my passion for psychology. I started an undergraduate degree at a private university in Cape Town, specialising in psychology and counselling. However, at the end of my second year, I decided to transfer to the University of Cape Town (UCT), which meant redoing my second year.

During my first year as a UCT student, I experienced severe depression after a break up. Following my experiences within this unruly year, I attempted to write a non-fiction, self-help book in an attempt to allow myself to process what I'd been through. I spent more time writing my book than I did on my studies! No surprise here, but I failed a course and barely passed the others. By the time I made it to third year, however, I picked up my academic game, and graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science majoring in Psychology and French. I only ended up self-publishing my first book after I had graduated.

My overall reason for transferring to UCT is because I wanted to study my Honours in Psychology there - I was told I'd have a better chance of getting in if I was already a UCT student. Boy, how wrong was that! After many moments of frustration and another unexpected and unplanned 6 month "gap year", I ended up back at the private university I started at, working towards a BA Honours in Psychology degree, where I discovered a love for neuropsychology and a neural basis for understanding cognition. Thereafter, I studied a teaching certificate. During this year, I experienced another break up and started writing my second book. (Can you see a pattern here...? There's a running joke in my family that I should break up with people more often because break ups inspire me to write.) Afterwards, I decided to go into a Master's of Education degree at UCT, which I am still in the process of completing.

It's been a wild journey of studies, but having my writing when other extraneous factors (*boyfriends breaking up with me*) and huge amounts of work-related stress hit me, I've been able to find a way to heal, deal and cope with, and overcome dark periods in my life and, at the very least, find some peace, comfort, and solace in the process.

And here I am! I'm still a student trying to find her sense of purpose, with an immense love for writing and sharing ways to cope with and deal with the challenges life throws. I'm still learning and discovering new ways of approaching life. I'm far from being a perfect person and I don't have all the answers. But my fundamental wish is that I can help others in need by sharing my words with them.

Ultimately, my love of sharing my writing has only grown as I've learned more about the human psyche and what makes people tick, as well as experiencing even more of my own unexpected challenges in life. I'm really hoping that my words will encourage you in some way to work through all the difficulties in your own life and inspire you to become your best self.