South African OCSA rep is getting published!

 

 

Imagine, for a moment, what it feels like to be a person who has everything. Contemplate being an extraordinary individual who has managed to achieve everything that one could ever possibly desire, only to watch it all go up in smoke. Worse still, envision the very destructive flames that reduced that charmed life to cinders, slowly consuming one's sanity.

In a fascinating, thrilling tale delving into the darkest depths of human despair and the convoluted tribulations of mental illness , Joseph is the debut novel of Shaleen Jacobs, being published by KREST Publishers South Africa. Readers who enjoy the blood-curdling chill of horror, and the nail-biting tension of thriller genres, will find elements of both brilliantly woven together in this gripping tale. For those fully prepared to slip down the metaphorical rabbit hole of the human mind, Joseph is well worth a read.

Born and raised in Kraaifontein near the scenic city of Cape Town, Shaleen Jacobs is by no means an idle individual. Pursuing her BA in Creative Writing at UNISA, the 33-year-old also happens to be the South African representative for the American non-profit organisation OCSA (Ovarian Cancer Symptoms Awareness.) Plagued with uncertainty about her own health, Shaleen reached out to the organization in 2015 to inquire about symptoms, and coincidentally met the very co-founder of OCSA, Vallie Szymanski. Although Shaleen's personal health concerns were allayed, she found herself invested in the work of the organization as she began to view her meeting with Vallie as more than being simple chance.

"We met by accident, but I personally think God had a hand in it all. I was later encouraged by Vallie to spread the word. It has been a wonderful journey. It's amazing being associated with these wonderful human beings whose main goal is to ensure that women from all over the world are to be made aware of Ovarian cancer, and its symptoms."

Despite adoring literature from a young age, Shaleen never fully grasped her desire to be an author until her mid-twenties. Inspired by a grandmother with a  fondness for storytelling, as well as the colourful children's tales of South African author Louise Smit, Shaleen's imagination developed splendidly. She often daydreamed, never particularly  putting those creative thoughts into words.

"I have this huge imagination and I tend to daydream a lot. I needed to get some of these daydreams on paper. It was, and still can be, a struggle at times."

From Oscar Wilde and Steven King, to the beloved local Margaret Bakkes and Magdaleen Walters, Shaleen's taste in literature is extensive. However, she possesses a love for the horror genre and it's little surprise that Joseph falls into that category.

Named fittingly so after the protagonist of the story, Joseph unfolds the twisted tale of a successful neurosurgeon who plays God and consequently loses his job. With his life unraveling at the seams, Joseph discovers that the extensive history of mental disease plaguing his family has begun to fester in him. As he deals with the insidious, frightening and relentless shadow of mental illness stalking his every waking moment, his behaviour becomes destructive and his once-perfect life decays into a chaotic nightmare. Delving fearlessly into the polarizing stigma of mental disease and the humiliation, degradation, and ultimate crumpling of the human spirit, this thriller will engross you from the very first page and draw you into an obsessive, compulsive need to decipher the ominous undercurrents lurking beneath the surface. The sheer tenacity of the protagonist to cling onto his humanity, to remain a good man at heart, offers a flesh-and-bone character with tangible flaws that is entirely relatable and incredibly vivid. The inspiration behind the story is equally as vivid.

"The inspiration behind Joseph? I always wanted to write a medical horror. The human brain has always fascinated us. Think about mental disorders: what causes them? Those who show signs of mental illnesses later in life - are they born with it? Is it just waiting there in our subconscious, waiting for something to trigger it? The story also plays on the stigma behind mental illnesses. I just decided to take a man that once had everything, then have him lose it all. What more does he have to lose before he breaks completely? His sanity of course."

As for the underlying message behind the story, Shaleen explains that it's all about self-forgiveness and acceptance. 

"If it feels like it all seems to be unbearable and you don't feel like going on anymore, hold on to the tiniest thread. Tomorrow will look a bit better.”

For those writers who aspire to be published themselves one day, Shaleen's advice is simple and sage.

"Keep on keeping on. I know you've heard this before. You are going to get rejected once, twice or maybe more. It's part of becoming more. As JK Rowling once said: 'Every writer must have a chip of ice in his (or her) heart.' "

KREST Publishers confirms that the book is currently undergoing a rigorous editorial process. More information on the expected release date will be issued as the publishing process unfolds. 

For information on the publishing house behind Shaleen Jacobs' Joseph, visit www.krestpublishers.co.za