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Who is Sabine?
This is how it began ...
Sabine was born in Ghent, Belgium, July 20th 1967, a true astrological cancer, and in Chinese astrology a goat. Her parents owned a butcher shop untill she was 4; she remained an only child. Back then, kids still played in the streets and the intrusive and now so indispensable internet and social media did not exist. You went to the library - which she read nearly completely - or asked your teacher. You were - in short - free and only had to be inside in time for dinner or at least before dark after sitting on a window sill with street friends and improve the world. Her childhood and adolescent room in the family's moderate first-floor apartment overlooked the famous Campo Santo cementery which left her with a lifelong fascination for cemeteries which much later, led to a poetry (the revenge...) booklet and exhibition with painter Erwin De Bie about cemeteries. A cemetery also plays the lead role in her first children's book "The Other World. She continues to wander cemeteries all over the world, making up stories to go with the names and pictures on the crooked graves. A writer finds inspiration éverywhere.
Growing up carefree and loved, she sang 1st soprano in the church choir where she found the boys more interesting than God, and was very active in the scouts (untill she went to university).
Her first introduction to a microphone and a stage was when she presented the annual scouts fest. She loved being on a stage, she realised. In contrast however, a poetry competition at the age of 10 ended rather dramatically with the last place and prize: a boring booklet no one had choosen about environmental pollution. She still has the booklet; the trauma is long gone; the revenge taken by becoming a published writer. Lesson learned: never let anyone tell you you can't do something. Try. And if you fail, try harder.
Studies
Sabine loved going to school and was a good student. She couldn't take in enough knowledge, was extremely curious, loved good grades and a little harmless mischief now and then, and she bit hungrily in life. Because the still strict, dogmatic-Catholic education was not 'her thing', having fallen of any religion at an early age, ànd because the need for more intellectuel freedom (and boys at school!) beckoned, she studied Economics and Languages for one year when she was 14, before finishing her last two years of high school in a Ghent school where she had finally had the feeling to belong. She graduated in Modern Languages (Dutch, French, English, Spanish and German).
Meanwhile, she played korfball, tennis, aerobics and worked as a dishwasher, waitress, hostess and model or sold newspapers at night for hte nightly edition of a newspaper at at the annual 'Gentse Feesten', a overwhelming, free festival. And then the really big adventure began, university, and 'biting in life' began to take up much more time.
At the Ghent University, she got a Masters Degree in Oriental Philology (majoring in Japanese, with classical and modern Chinese as well) and graduated with honors, followed by another Master in Language Mastery and Business. Her studies took her to Taiwan for studying and a backpacking roadtrip in southern China. By then, she had fallen in love with travelling and would stay a convinced, non curable travel addict.
Radio
While she was still working on her thesis for her second Master's degree in 1990, she was invited to participate in a talent show on tv. She didn't win (she came out 4th), but was invited for a voice screening for national radio by a well known radio presenter/producer. A few months later, she was presenting her own show on Wednesday afternoons alongside him. We all need that first chance. The show ran for years and more weekly solo shows followed for more than ten years.
Tv
Only 1 year lter, in 1991, she was invited to do a screen test to become an announcer on national tv, the VRT (Flemish radio and television). To her great surprise and even greater joy, she was choosen and could start working immediately. Sabine remained at the VRT for more than ten years. Her favorite quote about being a presenter was 'It's not difficult but you have to be able to do it. You only notice that when you see someone not doing it well.' Email did not yet exist, viewers and souls in love sent her letters, cards, red roses and bottles of champagne, marriage proposals and their life stories. Sabine still has them all.
Meanwhile, she settled in the green Belgian artist village Sint-Martens-Latem and became a mom, twice. In 1997 she gave birth to her first son Indiana and barely a year later to a second, Noah. Both are now wonderful men and the 'achievements' she is most proud of.
Another year later, in 1992, she was invited to present a family tv show that became a huge hit and pushed her career forward. In the show, people's dreams came true. It ran several years. Sabine was nominated several times as Best Presenter. Meanwhile, she collaborated on several other tv shows, as presenter, regular member of the panel or guest. Amongst many other fun jobs, she commented the wedding of the now Belgian king Filip and queen Mathilde and was allowed to give the points for Belgium in the Eurovision Song Contest. In a show series on intelligence, she won the one on Emotional Intelligence. For years, she was one of the regular reporters of a travel program and was allowed to travel for a lot of other shows too; and she presented her own humoristic panel show. All producers and production companies knew she loved a challenge and called Sabine when they needed someone to bungee jump, parachute jump, water-ski, fly an ULM for a shoot or be a guinea pig for alternative medical therapies. On her YouTube channel you can find excerpts from some of her shows.
In 2022, she switched to a commercial tv chain where she presented the popular show 'Lost without a trace' for three years, tracking down people who had lost contact all over the world. In short: she worked for all Belgian tv chains. Also in 2006, her agenda was more then full. She was about to fly around the world for a new travel program and take on a few voice roles for an animation series - one of her favorite jobs - when bad luck struck: she received the hard news that she had cervical cancer.
Health
Her schedule was immediately cleared; no one turns out to be indispensable, especially in the media. Sabine underwent surgery, recovered and did everything possible to became healthy again. But barely a year later, the tumor had returned even more violently. More surgeries followed, this time accompanied by very agressive chemo and daily radiation. That combination saved her life but gave her a serious uppercut and kept her confined to her bed and couch for months. But again, she recovered. She 'lost' two years of her life. But all that time, she had continued to write her very popular weekly columns for a magazine, this time on her cancer story, helping fellow patients. Today, she's doing very well, thank you, ignoring the 'forever' side effects. Carpe diem!
Writing
One doesn't 'start' writing. Writing is something you've always done. It's a passion. As a child, her favorite homework was writing essays. She also conscientiously kept a diary as a child and, in high school, wrote book reviews for free for those who did not like to read (yes, they apparently exist). Becoming a writer was meant to be. During and after her tv and radio career, she worked as a journalist for magazines and newspapers, again involving travelling a lot. All that writing had to lead to a 'real' book someday. And it did.
In 1997, a publishing company asked her to write a 9+ book on her travels to third world countries as an ambassador for the Belgian ngo Cunina on which she had been writing in magazines and newpapers, a book 'for young people about young people'. So, véry pregnant for the first time, her first book was also 'born': 'In America everybody wears shoes'. And she bought a house, and moved. All three were a success. Pregnant women can move mountains.
Thanks to positive responses to her first book, a fun, supernatural 9+ five books adventure series followed at the pace of one book a year. The series is about young Remi and Lamya and their friends, a bunch of irregular, totally uneducated, crazy living dead. This series is being translated into English and will be available as paperback and ebook. Join her NewsLetter to be the first to know!
In 2007 and 2008, two 4+ picture books were published about 5-year-old Oscar who firmly believes that his best friend lives on Mars, but how FAR is thàt! And how do you gét there?
She wrote the beautifully designed 9+ art 'picture' book for 9+ (but actually for people of all ages) 'Master Raveel', together with and about the Belgian painter Roger Raveel, about how to become an artist...or don't you 'become' one, but 'are' you one? All illustrations are drawings and paintings by master Raveel himself, some even unknown ones from his kitchen and living room. The artist handed them out to nurses on his deathbed, according to his wife. A memory to cherish.
Throughout the years, Sabine bought thumbed-down treasures of booklets on ancient legends and tales from around the world, online or strolling in second hand book markets in every country she visited. She adapted and turned them into an enchanting collection of 30 funny, mysterious, unknown fairy tales and myths from distant and ancient cultures: 'And then the Dragon said...'. A delicious and large hard cover to keep for the next generations, with a golden edge and a golden reading ribbon. She loves giving letctures and enchant kids with these stories.
She gives lectures around the country with some of her other books too as a subsidised author. She also gives courses on writing for children and sat in book competition juries.
In 2009, she published her first adult novel, the intimistic and very sensitive 'The 23rd of August' about 41 year old Jess who is dying of cancer and contemplating on her life, her relationship with her two very different children Nic and Penny, her parents who already lost one daughter, her two close besties, her abusive ex AJ and her lifelong friend Jim; and on her traumas and secrets.
In 2010, she took another literary leap and published 'High Heels', book 1 out of a erotic series of three, in collaboration with two other female writers. The series sold like 'hot' cakes and was sold out in no time. If she finds the time, she intends to translate it and publish it in English. Do sign up for her NewsLetter to be the first to know.
And, once a journalist, always a journalist. Thus, two non-fiction books followed: 'Moms in Jail' about mothers in captivity, and the 'C-book' about life before, during and after cancer, how to deal with it, healthy food, do's and don'ts, money, sex, love and friendship during cancer, being sick yourself or caring for someone who is sick.
Together with the Belgian illustrator and painter Erwin de Bie, she also exhibited poems about death at the wonderful, medieval castle Gravenkasteel in Ghent, "Cemetary Blues," where he exhibited paintings based on her poems. (the ultimate revenge for the poetry contest she came in last)
Together with her partner Prof. Dr. Dirk De Ridder, a neurosurgeon, she is currently working on a scientific novel about how he/we think the brain works; and what about beauty, religion, philosophy, the organization of a society? How can you explain all that from a brain point of view? How did our brains originate, how do they evolve during our lifetime, and what do we humans have in common with bacteria, sponges and elephants? And what can go wrong between your ears? Quite a lot, as it turns out, and genetics and epigenetics play a crucial role in this. Main roles in this book are also for Aristotle, philosophy, Thomas Bayes and art. And meanwhile, both authors take you on their own world journey and life path. Interested? Join Sabine's NewsLetter to be updated when it will be published and on all other new relesaes, new ebooks and audiobooks.
Voice over and voice acting
Sabine is also a much sought-after multilingual voice over and voice actress for commercials, audio guides for musea and exhibitions, tv series, audiobooks, animation series character, ads etc. She loves working with her quite specific, low and warm voice, an instrument she loves to use in her home studio or in large studios. She voiced Mata Hari for an American museum, a Disney princess, a tree with cold or a grumpy dog for animation series, Nefertiti for an audio guide, she is the voice of STAM museum in Ghent and she voices Paddington Bear's mom (in Dutch) in the film series. Bookings and enquiries can be made via Contact.
Animation
Together with artist Sabine Martens and animation studio Creative Conspiracy, she created 'Ray & Ruby', an animation series on a mouse twin that lives in an enchanted castle where they have to deal with an old count who HATES mice, as do his lazy cleaning lady and the mouse-murderous gardener. But there is so much to experience in such a HUGE castle with their wacky friends, like a mouse who thinks he is a bat but unfortunately can do anything but fly. Production is expected to start in 2025.
In 2022, the short film 'Bobonnekoekjes/Les Biscuits de Mamy' was released in Belgian and French theaters for which Sabine wrote the screenplay, based on one of her other kids books. It won the Young People's Prize ànd the Schools Prize, both prizes given by the kids and the schools, making them even more rewarding to receive, at the 'Les Nuits magiques' festival. The film was featured at several animation festivals and more than 175 000 kids have already seen it.
Trailers of both can be found on her YouTube channel.
Travel
It should be obvious by now: Sabine was born with the travel bug. Besides going to college and traveling around Taiwan and China, love took her to Marbella in Spain where, to earn money, she worked in a mega-dancing as a hostess for the artists who performed there, such as Rod Stewart, Queen, Sade and so on. That love story didn't last and consequent lovesickness took her to a kibbutz in Israel, followed by a trip through Egypt where she a stomach bug confined her to her cheap bunk bed mostof the time. But nevertheless, her wanderlust was and is unstoppable.
She was fortunate enough to travel a lot and often for her tv work, as an ambassador for the ngo Cunina and as a journalist. In her books, she takes her young readers on a mind travelling journey; to India, South Africa or to the ocean floor (Sabine is a diver herself); and her world fairy tale book 'And then the Dragon says...' is even a full world trip. And for the ngo Cunina, she traveled to the Philippines, Haiti, Brazil, Congo, Uganda, South Africa and Nepal.
The countries she visited privately are beyond counting, but there are many more on her wish list (warm places are preferred, she HATES the cold!). She often resides in New Zealand where her partner is a university professor. It is a certainty that travelling will continue to feature prominently in her future plans.
Ambassador for ngo Cunina
Since its start in 1990, Sabine has been a volunteer (read: unpaid) ambassador for the Belgian ngo Cunina. She was immediately won over by the idea of sponsoring children in developing countries to study and is 100% reassured that Cunina works transparently. Cunina helps build schools, educate teachers, make sure the interns have decent dorms, clean toilets and showers, and health care, always with respect for their needs, input and contribution as the ultimate goal is for them to become self-sufficient, so that one day Cunina will no longer be needed. Teaching people how to fish, don't just give them fish. Proof it works: hundreds of doctors, nurses and teachers have graduated, and an equal number of plumbers, carpenters and seamstresses.
As an ambassador, Sabine tries to raise awareness through free media, present Cunina events, voice all videos, helps find new financial partners and private sponsors, together with her co-ambassadors. Sabine herself first helped Marlon Joseph Parong from the Philippines get a diploma. He graduatd as an computer enigneer and is living with his own family in their own house - he even bought one for his mom - and his children go to a good school. The circle of poverty has been cut. After Marlon, the timid orphan Bhuwan Khatri from Nepal followed. Both his parents died of AIDS. He lived for a long time in a Cunina hostel high in the Himalayan mountains and graduated as a teacher. Together with her partner Dirk, Sabine now supports little Manisha Gurung, also from Nepal.
Sabine wrote the biography of the passionate and inspiring founder, Sophie Vangheel, 'Mother of 12000 children' (only available in Dutch).
Politics
Sabine was an city councilor in her Belgian hometown in Sint-Martens-Latem from 2000 to 2006, and from 2006 to 2012, an alderman responsable for Environment, Education, Family and Development Cooperation. Nearly all national political parties asked to join national politics, but she has never said yes because in Belgium, you need to choice a political side, and she has none. She cherishes political independence and finds commons sense the only valuable mind set to get anything done/changed in the world, something so many world leaders now seem to lack completely.
Fun 'facts'