The most important day of my life was a day I cannot remember. It was the day of my birth in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, where Lesley Marlene Riley made her first and noisiest entrance. My brother de...voir plusThe most important day of my life was a day I cannot remember. It was the day of my birth in Oudtshoorn, South Africa, where Lesley Marlene Riley made her first and noisiest entrance. My brother decided I should be named Dolly, and that is the name by which most people know me. My parents tried to call me Lesley, but it just never worked. When I was six weeks old, my parents moved to Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, where I was declared an illegal immigrant and they were given twenty-four hours to remove me from the country. After much dancing, my father managed to sort the immigration out, and I was thankfully allowed to stay.
At school, essay writing was my favourite homework subject, and after marking one of my essays, my English teacher suggested I consider writing as a career. Of course I wanted to be a pop star, but for that you first have to be able to hold a note, which was certainly not my forte. After school, I went to the Tech, where I studied secretarial skills and later became a personal assistant.
The Rhodesian war escalated, and now married with three children, we lived on the Mozambique border, a real hot spot, where I had to learn to shoot and, if necessary, defend my family. At the end of the war, we moved to South Africa and later to the Transkei, where I bought a florist/gift shop. My English teacher had piqued my interest, and I took a short story writing course and have written numerous short stories for my own pleasure.
At present I live with my husband in Gonubie, East London, South Africa. My interests being story writing, floral art, and antiques.voir moins