Greetings, everyone,

I’m Jill Wallace. I was born and bred (though my mother would prefer ‘brought up’) in South Africa, and have lived the second half of my life in America. I often compare myself to the African baobab with roots that look like branches. Like the confused ‘Upside Down Tree’ I no longer know where the South African ends and the American begins. I hope it affords me some degree of complexity. A girl can always hope :o)

In South Africa, I was a contemporary dancer and a PRO for a shopping center conglomerate. I flew as an “international air hostess” for South African Airways, enjoyed 6 continents and hundreds of adventures. I married my dream man, Athol, a rugby player who makes me laugh. We moved to America with the promise of a career that never happened, and I inherited my two heart-children 24/7 in a strange, new country, where together we found compromise, laughter and love.

In the U.S., I’ve been a bad waitress and an excellent (but inconspicuous) movie extra for “Pretty Woman” director Garry Marshall, and a realtor for 28 years. As a screenplay, War Serenade (which was inspired by a true story) was twice optioned for a movie. As my first novel, War Serenade garnered multiple literary awards and a Rone and Reader’s Choice for the audio book version.

My second novel, Amazon Bestseller Zebra, is inspired by Athol’s life. It’s a searing, soaring, heart-breaking, heart-warming coming-of-age story about an unusual friendship between a Zulu and a white boy in South Africa during apartheid.

As immigrants, we’ve been humbled by poverty and blessed by kindness. Proud to be an American, my heart is strongly South African, and my books will always reflect my bicultural inclinations, similar to that of the topsy turvy baobab tree.

Thank you for letting me share!

Cheers, Cheers!

Jillxx