Bertha’s Law
with a French adaptation, D’après Bertha
(coming February 2026)
A wild, wondrous ride across the African continent — a tale of freedom, friendship, and fierce resistance.
Told through fictionalised episodes and haunting illustrations, this novella brings to life the mysterious, unforgettable Bertha, a warrior spirit on a mission to liberate animals from captivity, cruelty, and indifference. Along the way, she forges bonds with children, rebels and outcasts, and faces off against hunters, gangsters, circus men, and supernatural foes.
Hilarious and heartbreaking, 𝘉𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘢’𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘸 is a powerful tribute to animal freedom and the uncompromising courage it takes to protect it.
“Wonderfully intriguing, hilarious, poignant … and the dialogue positively sings” – from the back cover
Available online and in most major bookstores. In South Africa
buying directly from the publisher is recommended
Join Bertha’s World and you will discover that the untold stories are usually much more interesting, and the comedy and tragedy of human existence are where you least expect to find them.
Quirky, dark, comic, and sometimes just plain nutty, this is a place where the ordinary is the extraordinary and you are free to discover that meaning has a different flavour.
See my newsletter page for the monthly Bertha’s World world newsletter or sign up below.
This website is about my books and other writing. If what you find resonates, sign up for my newsletter, or just enjoy the free reads. Have a look at my reading preferences and the FAQs, which will also give you an idea of whether my writing will appeal to you.
If you asked me what genre of fiction I write and I had only a few seconds to respond, I would make it up and say nutty and noir. Now, I know that’s not a real genre, but I call the genre ‘nutty’ because it’s all a little quirky. The characters are, well, often a bit odd and the locations and storylines are unusual. What’s more, my fiction (and non-fiction) is very much off trend and anyone who writes for a living will know that’s a nutty thing to do! And ‘noir’ because there are sometimes menacing elements or a bit of dark mystery or dark, whimsical humour.
Some of my stories have a flavour of magical realism and I like writing stories with atmosphere.
I really like it when readers tell me they didn’t know what was going to happen next! Or that they find the stories genre benders!
If you like the sound of any of this, you may like my fiction.
Writers often find it easier to describe their genres by telling you about their reading preferences.
You will find mine on Goodreads or have a look at my reading preferences here. You welcome to contact me and suggest reading recommendations from these preferences for my newsletters, especially if they from lesser known authors. I am particularly keen to promote their works.
My non-fiction is becoming quite a mixed bag. I am currently planning a range of things (memoir, photos essay), but my previous book (and almost of all the other articles, medical newsletters, etc.) relates to my work as a professor of biology and as a pathologist. My book deals primarily with the evolution of mortality. It may come as a surprise to you that death, at least its evolutionary history, is not what you expect. It’s for those with an advanced level of biology, but in 2026 there will also be a book on death that is more appropriate for a general readership.
Fiction
The drawing on the right, is from one of Bertha’s episodes that took place on
Mont Choisy beach in Mauritius.
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Non-Fiction
A synthesis from interdisciplinary areas, The Evolutionary Origins Of Life And Death reveals that traits promoting life and death coadapted, highlighting their interconnectedness from the earliest cellular organisms. If that piques your curiosity, or if you interested in biology, medicine and related material, see the non-fiction section.