Johan du Toit grew up in a remote community eight hours drive from Cape Town in South Africa. He immigrated to Australia with his family in 1994. Through membership of a writers’ group Johan found an opportunity to write short fiction. His two collections, ‘Meandering Road’ and ‘When Only Today Matters’ have been published in collaboration with Broadcast Books.
The eight stories chosen for ‘When Only Today Matters’ were shaped by Johan’s personal journey. The human truth element came from a place of gratitude or a sense that tomorrow may be a better day. There are stories fuelled by injustice and frustration, others with a whisper of hope.
In the 188th episode of The HYBRID Author Podcast host Joanne Zara Ellen Morrell, author of young adult fiction, women’s fiction and short non-fiction for authors, chats to Johan on:
- personal experience in his short story collection ‘When Only Today Matters’ What inspired the title, and how the theme of “living in the moment” resonates across the eight stories
- balancing emotional tone across short fiction, writing stories fuelled by injustice and frustration, while others carry a whisper of hope
- identity and displacement, shaping the way Johan tells stories or the kinds of stories he feels called to tell
- finding your writing voice through a writers’ group
- collaborative publishing with Broadcast Books
- Johan’s advice for emerging authors interested in hybrid or community-based publishing paths and much more.