Great was her joy when Montaguer, Antoinette Diedericks, recently learnt that her children's book: "Spookskip" earned her a prestigious win in Die Burger se Klein B and Tafelberg Publisher's Children's Story Competition (for 8 - 12-year olds).
Antoinette could scarcely believe it when she heard the news as she entered the competition several months ago. "I could not believe it and I am so grateful that this actually happened to me!", she said.

Her story "Spookskip" has been published in 'Die Burger's' Klein B as from 7th August and it will be published by Tafelberg Uitgewers next year.

Antoinette is clearly not a novice as far as writing Children's stories are concerned as she has received several awards for her writing over the years. She says she feels totally at ease writing children's books because she finds children in the 8 - 12-year old age bracket incredibly imaginative. They also enjoy role playing. "I have a rich imagination myself and love reading children's stories and watching animation films", Antoinette says.

Antoinette first started writing some two years ago when she joined the Breederiver's Writers' Bureau in Robertson. She also attended several writers' courses which she feels were all a very necessary part of the learning curve for her.

"Thorough research is an imperative part of writing a good story and so is the importance of reading up on the genre of the subject you're writing on", says Antoinette.

This unassuming lady is not only a talented writer, in her spare time she also likes to paint and make teddy bears and is her husband Frikkie's right hand in the administration of his Computer & Internet business in town.

Can we expect more stories from Antoinette in the near future? "I'm already hard at work on my next story! Since winning this competition, I have more self confidence and am more inspired than ever"

Keep up the good work Antoinette! We're very proud of you, wish you well and will be watching out for many more successes in the near future.