Author
Author, composer and qualified medical doctor,
Cathy Donald excels at more than just writing.
About Cathy
I was born in Port Elizabeth in 1959, where I lived and attended school until the end of Matric. My love of the English language and the spoken word led to my involvement in Speech and Drama throughout my school career, and in 1976, during my Grade 11 year, I became an associate of the Trinity College of London in teaching Speech and Drama.
However, my career path led me in a different direction. I embarked on my university training, first at the University of Cape Town and then at the University of Witwatersrand, and qualified as a medical doctor in 1984. Since then, I have practiced Medicine in both rural communities and urban private practices. I recently retired from my medical practice in Somerset West, where I now live. There I practiced as a women’s health practitioner for twenty years.
I have been involved through the years in writing scripts, as well as music and lyrics, for amateur dramatic productions, mostly for schools and youth groups.
My first novel “The Reluctant Cuckoo” was published in 2016 and since then I have published 5 more novels.
In 2022, I was awarded the Jury Prize at the Milan International Literary Festival for my book “The Silence of the Shadows”, a novel about five South African women, united in their resolve to help each other through the abyss of gender-based violence, in an attempt to bring healing and justice for the perpetrators.
I live with my husband, Roy, also a medical doctor, and have three adult children, two sons and a daughter.
The Reluctant Cuckoo
Hannah, born to a young South African student, desperate to follow her career dream, is adopted at birth by a British couple. This is the story of Hannah’s struggle to mend her fractured identity. It is a story of courage and determination, but mostly of the healing power of love.
Miles to Go
Miles to Go is a story about the journey two young companions take – a journey of many physical miles, but also one that is filled with many emotional milestones, in a journey of healing, after each one has suffered a terrible loss.
The Silence of the Shadows
This is a novel about five women confronting issues of gender-based-violence and forming emotional bonds that will be their salvation. It is about the strength and frailty in each of us and the recognition that, at different times, we can be either the helper or the helped.
Breathless
Breathless is a story about one of the worst crises that the world has faced and about the life, loves and failures of those men and women who fought bravely to defeat the enemy.
The First Stone
A troubled teenager and her old-fashioned, crusty aunt band together against all odds to try to find a runaway. In doing so, they come to appreciate each other’s strengths and forgive each other’s weaknesses.
Legally Blind
Set thirty years after the end of apartheid, Legally Blind explores the shadows that linger long after political conflict ends. With empathy, nuance, and suspense, it asks urgent questions: Can justice ever be truly impartial? What do we owe the past – and each other – in our search for the truth?
Purchase a copy of the printed book
If you would like to purchase a copy of the printed book, and not use Amazon.com printed book. Please deposit money according to the listed price of the book (see the relevant book page) in the account given below, plus an additional R100 for packaging and postage if you would like the book to be posted to you.
Bank Details:
Account holder: C. Donald
Bank: Capitec
Branch number: 470010
Account number: 1488416034
Account type: Cheque/current
If you would like to fetch a copy of the book, please email the author at cathy@cathydonald.co.za to organise collection.