As we are now about half way through the rehearsal schedule for our next concert, I thought it might be interesting to turn from musical to broader artistic activities for a few weeks.

Did you know that a number of Choir members have not only musical but also other artistic talents?  One such is Cindy Broadbent, whose voice has augmented the mellifluous tones of the altos for the past eight years or so and whose first novel, The Afghan Wife, was published last year.

Cindy was born in the UK and studied at Birmingham University. A life-long interest in Middle Eastern culture was first sparked when she spent two years teaching English in a small town on the Black Sea coast of Turkey.

Since emigrating to Australia in 1975, Cindy has studied at the University of Sydney, where she furthered her interest in the Bronte sisters, about whom she still lectures, and in Jane Austin.  She has also guided visitors around the City, written on a number of topics, and taught English both in schools and as a second language to immigrants.  The stories she has heard from refugees, combined with her interest in Middle Eastern culture, have been the inspiration for The Afghan Wife.

Cindy describes The Afghan Wife as a love story set against  the background of the Iranian revolution in 1979.  Having read and thoroughly enjoyed it, I would add that in addition to the love story, there is a high level of action with many twists and turns in the plot, not unlike a John Buchan story such as The Thirty Nine Steps.

Cindy is currently researching and writing a sequel, The Revolutionary’s Cousin, set in the USA and Australia at the height of the American hostage crisis in 1980.  It promises to be another very engaging read.

The Afghan Wife is published under Cindy’s pen name, Cindy Davies, by Odyssey Books.  Click here for the Odyssey Books website.  Click here for Cindy’s own website, which contains some more interesting reading.