A Letter from Manare

Welcome, and thank you for visiting my corner of the internet.

If you had told me I would write a novel, I would have laughed. I have a background in science and have worked in the production side of FMCG for 28 years—that is my day job. I came to writing with no formal language background at all. The name Manare (which means “Mother of Buffalo” in Sepedi) is what my colleagues gave me, and it represents the unexpected journey that led to this book.

The Birth of Monyetla

The truth is, Monyetla was born out of a dream—an intense, vivid scene, specifically Chapter 53, that played in front of me as if I were watching a movie. I tried to ignore it, but the scene stayed with me, keeping me awake at night until I finally started writing it down on a tablet with one finger. Though the initial draft was “horribly written,” the rest of the story of Josh and Mari simply told itself to me.

Monyetla is about opportunity (the meaning of its name), but it quickly became much more than a simple story.

Confronting a Difficult Question

As the narrative unfolded, Chapters 150 and 158 arrived, demanding I confront a deep theological question I had never truly faced. This conflicted with everything I had been taught. I found myself thinking, No, this cannot be. I believe without a doubt that God loves the LGBTQ+ community, but I had to personally wrestle with whether God accepts them to love each other.

I tried to duck and dive—I genuinely did not want to write Chapter 158—but the story refused to let me bypass this truth. My doubt forced me onto a path of searching and research. I spoke to a same-sex-attracted colleague who attended church and searched extensively. Then, the peace that you will read about in Monyetla settled over me.

A Dedication to Truth

To handle this theme with the seriousness and respect it deserved, I heavily relied on the academic work of Professors R. Barnard and E. van Eck from the University of Pretoria. Their article, Homoseksualiteit en sewe klassieke Bybelse tekste: Antigay of misverstaan?, provided a crucial foundation. Professor van Eck graciously allowed me to translate this work, and the English version is available for you to read here on the website.

It took me just three weeks to pen down the basic story, achieved by fitting it in around the demands of my full-time job and caring for my family. It then took five years of dedication to craft Monyetla into the book it is today.

My earnest prayer is that God will use Monyetla to tell everybody out there that He loves them dearly.

I hope you enjoy reading Monyetla.

Please click the “Contact the Author” button below. I genuinely want to hear your thoughts, your story, and who you are. I promise to do my best to respond as soon as I can.

With warm regards,

Manare