It is quite hard to picture someone like popular author Wilbur Smith, pen in hand, with a stack of books in front of him, waiting for people to come to get his books signed. That was when he began writing and now, the situation seems to have changed. There was a teeming queue of book lovers, waiting for him to sign their copies of his books, new and old on Saturday. Speaking at the release of Those in Peril, Wilbur recounted the expectations he had as a young author and how his hopes of becoming a bestselling author overnight was nipped in the bud more than just a few times. “I thought maybe even the Queen would invite me for a cup of tea at the Buckingham Palace,” he joked. “I would go to bookstores to find my book hidden at the back with the kids books. I would take the books and put them on the display window,” he remembered. Commenting on his book, he said, “It is more about piracy than oil.” Those in Peril is also the story of a woman who has her teenage child taken away. “She doesn't even know if her child is alive. The story follows her efforts to recover her child.” Wilbur takes great pride in what his books have done to his readers' lives. “I write not only to entertain people, but also to make a difference in peoples' lives." He loves it when he gets letters from educationists and parents thanking him, especially when his books have been the reason for a child to start reading, he added. Writing fiction, is also hard, he told. “Anything you do with your heart and soul is never easy,” he reasoned. “But once I get past the initial butterflies in my stomach, I let the characters take over the action. I feel like I'm hunting with a pack of dogs and I let them chase the story.” “I've been doing this for 47 years now. There have been ups and downs, but mostly ups, tears and laughter, but mostly laughter. When I look at you lot, I think it is definitely worth it,” he said.
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