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Katja Willemsen
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What do you think about writing the sequel to The Elephant Whisperer?

 

A friend of my brother's worked with Françoise Malby-Anthony, widow of the book's author, and had told him that she was looking for a writer but I didn’t take him seriously. 

Yes, I was writing full time and yes, I dreamed of The Big Break. Just not this big. 

Nine years, five novels, not a book deal in sight, and my brother wants to know if I want to write the sequel to a book I loved? Sure, Oz. 

 

For those who don’t know, The Elephant Whisperer is the true story of a rogue herd of elephants that Lawrence Anthony, and his French wife, Françoise, saved from being shot by giving them a new home at Thula Thula, their game reserve in Zululand, South Africa. The book describes the magnificent spiritual relationship between Lawrence and the herd.

What had happened to the herd?

Like readers all over the world, I wondered what had happened after Lawrence died of a heart attack in 2012. Had his widow gone back to France? Was the herd okay? I didn't live in South Africa anymore and didn't even know if Thula Thula still existed. 

The idea of writing the sequel to that best seller seemed so out of my reach.

 

‘What the hell?’ I thought. ‘I’ve got nothing to lose.’

 

Françoise replied immediately to my email and spontaneous woman that she is, invited me and my husband Dave to Thula Thula. I was lucky to be in town for my mother’s 80th - only a hop, skip, and a jump away compared to the hamlet where we live in France!


Chemistry

We liked each other from the word go. Over dinner outside in the Zululand bush on a steaming summer’s night, Françoise and I discovered fascinating parallels in our lives. 


She was an ex-Parisian, now living in the middle of nowhere in Africa, and I was once a city girl too, now living in the middle of nowhere in the Pyrenees. She speaks English with a French accent and I speak her language with an accent. We had both ditched corporate careers to do something more meaningful with our lives. We had a string of friends in common. The list went on and on.


‘There’s just one thing,’ I said. ‘I need to finish the book I’m writing first.’


That wasn’t as casual a request as it sounds. My father was diagnosed with lung cancer in August the year before and had been given two years to live. His greatest dream was for me to fulfil my dream of making a living from writing so the minute I heard how sick he was, I decided to start a new book and get it published before he died. He only lived another two months but nothing – not even this heart-thumping opportunity – was going to sway me from my promise to him.

 

‘No problem,’ Françoise replied. ‘I’m in France later this year. Let’s meet up and talk some more then.’

Chapter 1

A few months before we were due to meet, I offered to stop work on my book to write the first chapter. I figured it would give us both an idea whether we had the right magic to create a best seller together – and I could make sure that the jump from fiction to non-fiction was doable!

 

Françoise thought it was a great suggestion and immediately made herself and everyone at Thula Thula available to me. I got to work and on 19 July 2016, pressed send - chapter 1 of An Elephant in my Kitchen was on its way to her. The days that followed were the longest couple of days in my life! 

 

She loved it. She didn’t just like it. She loved it.

And best of all, I had loved writing it.

The magic didn't stop

I was planning a trip to Cape Town and suggested that the two of us meet with publishers in South Africa to talk about our project.

 

‘I’ve got a better idea,’ Françoise said. ‘The London publishers are reprinting The Elephant Whisperer. Why don’t I speak to them?’


A week before Christmas 2016, we sent our chapter to Pan MacMillan.

We had a book deal one month later.

 
And now to write the book
I finished the first draft of my own book and in January 2017, I started on our book. 
Gingerly at first, to build trust between us, but I soon discovered that despite being a very private person, she is also a very courageous one. No subject was taboo. No question was side-stepped. Françoise was fantastic to work with. She has an extraordinary memory and an ability to locate very old information that constantly surprised me! Her capacity to dig deep to answer some of my questions will be one of the things that makes the book so powerful.
D-Day: 26 July 2018
The book is out! From Singapore to Cape Town to New York to Melbourne, photos are pouring in of thrilled readers with their books. Within two weeks it was #1 in South Africa.

We had big boots to fill after The Elephant Whisperer but the reviews are telling us that we did it!
rated it it was amazing 
AN ELEPHANT IN MY KITCHEN BY FRANCOISE MALBY-ANTHONY AND KATJA WILLEMSEN - At 2.15 am I sadly finished the last page of this 'unputable downable' book!!! Francoise Anthony is the loveable French wife of the late Lawrence Anthony, author of The Elephant Whisperer. For those that have not heard of Lawrence Anthony, in my humble opinion he certainly must have been an elephant in his previous life because... read more....


5.0 out of 5 starsHeartfelt & thoughtful.
ByBingogalon 10 August 2018
Format: Kindle Edition|Verified Purchase
Read all of the Lawrence Anthony books and loved them all. And this book as a continuation from those as well as a book in its own right didn’t disappoint. Thoughtfully written and heartfelt. Although the book recaps some of the events from the Lawrence Anthony books, it was nice to see from another’s point of view. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Five stars - Heartfelt & thoughtful
Bingogalon on 10 August 2018

Read all of the Lawrence Anthony books and loved them all. And this book as a continuation from those as well as a book in its own right didn’t disappoint. Thoughtfully written and heartfelt. Although the book recaps some of the events from the Lawrence Anthony books, it was nice to see from another’s point of view. Thoroughly enjoyable... read more.