Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I was born and raised in South Africa. I started writing Fantasy when I was twelve and chose to study English Literature and Social Anthropology. Recently, I have also become a certified transformational life coach and this change in career has further boosted my writing. I write what I term, transformational fiction, examining our human potential for transformation and our capacity to achieve success in the face of adversity. I have published five novels and a host of shorter works and am currently working on three series concurrently. Each is in a different sub-genre of Fantasy. I have retellings of lesser-known fairytales, a fantasy/space-opera cross-over series and a series of invented tales that read a lot like historical fantasy although they are set in an entirely fictional universe. I’m also collaborating on two group projects at the moment. The first is a young adult Academy Fantasy series of four anthologies where each author writes from the perspective of a different species attending the school, and the second is a charity set of short stories about magical water creatures. This last aims to raise funds towards marine conservation by donating all proceeds to the ocean protection charity, Oceana.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
The Artist and His Muse is one of the novellas in my Historical Fantasy series, The Wordmage’s Tales.
First and foremost, this story was inspired by a vivid dream and several scenes in the book have stayed absolutely true to the images in the dream and what it invoked in me. Additionally, I was inspired by my love of art. My best friend in school and my paternal grandfather are artists and they instilled in me a love of paintings and the art of creating them, which I hope to have done justice in this novella.
The Artist and His Muse is also inspired by fairytales and my dissatisfaction with the most commonly known ones. Why do all relationships in fairytales have to lead to marriage? Why can people not love in different ways? This novella explores the kind of love that does not involve sexual attraction and the desire to be together in that way. Instead, it looks at the way two souls can come together and offer each other support and solace with intimacies other than the sexual ones.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I am a mother of two children and have a full-time day job. I write whenever I can and I don’t have any rituals at this point in time. When I have a moment, I sit down and write.
When I first started writing, I used to have to write by hand–in ink, to be precise. I’ve grown up from those environmentally unfriendly and impractical fancies. I type everything, even my notes and ideas.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I had the good fortune of being raised in a family that reads. My mother was the fantasy nut in the family and she definitely passed that on. We read Tolkien and Rowling when I was younger, and in my teens, I devoured Pullman, Jones, LeGuin and Martin, among others.
My father and paternal grandmother added to this with their German heritage and I grew up on the collected works of the Grimm Brothers, as well as the complete works of Ottfried Preussler and Michael Ende. Later I also discovered Cornelia Funke. The German style of Fantasy has also heavily influenced my writing.
Another love came when my mother introduced me to Jane Eyre. I devoured everything by the Brontë sisters and Jane Austen. This appreciation for English Literature also pushed me towards studying a BA in literature, where I was introduced to some of the amazing American authors of the 19th century and also George Elliot, whose writings inspire me.
What are you working on now?
I am currently finalizing The Last Warrior which will publish very soon. This is another novella in The Wordmage’s Tales series. Each book in this series is a stand-alone and it’s been fun writing this one which is a tale of true love and our capacity to overcome our own self-imposed limitations and self-sabotaging behaviours.
I’m also working on The Naiad’s Curse, my short story contribution to Enchanted Waters, a collection of short stories about magical water creatures aiming to raise money for the ocean protection charity, Oceana. The Naiad’s Curse is a short retelling of The Nixie of the Mill-pond, a lesser-known Grimm fairytale about a miller who makes a deal with a naiad without being certain what he’s getting himself into. This short story accompanies my novel, Naiya’s Wish, which recounts the same tale from the perspective of the naiad, the miller’s wife and his son’s wife. It’s been a lot of fun getting into the heads of all these different characters and experiencing the events of the fairytale from these different points of view.
Enchanted Waters releases on July 16th 2021. It is a fully illustrated anthology of short stories including stories by fantasy authors I really admire very much. It has been an immeasurably rewarding project to work on and I look forward to continue collaborating with these incredible authors in the future.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I love Instagram. I find it is a great platform to share my love of books and my followers enjoy finding out what I’m working on and all the themes behind my works in process.
I also use Facebook a lot and have expanded into using YouTube as well, sharing my interviews and playlists for my stories.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Believe in yourself. Only you can write the story you’re working on. From my background in Social Anthropology, I’ve learned to understand that one of the key things that makes us human is our ability to tell stories. For generations we did that around a campfire, but now the scope of storytelling has changed. I personally believe every one of us has at least one story in us that we need to tell. Others, are a fountain of tales, and it would be a loss for all these stories to vanish because they were never told. So, please, whatever you do, write down the story that’s taken shape in your head!
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
It will never be perfect. There is such a thing as good enough. Write. Edit properly with three rounds, and get feedback from readers in-between those rounds to help fine tune the story so there are absolutely no loose ends. That is all. That said, even if perfection is impossible, do not skimp on the editing. That is a very important phase in the process.
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished Necessary Sins by Elizabeth Bell, which is an incredible historical novel set in 18th century Charleston. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it!
On my tbr are several books, but two I’m most looking forward to are The Fair Queen by Lyndsey Hall and Wings of Insurgence by Skye Horn.
What’s next for you as a writer?
I have so many books in my head, it’s always a struggle to know what’s next. One that’s taking shape nicely is the next book in the Wishmaster series, Finding the Way. This one is the next novel I think I’ll write.
At the same time, I’m also continuing with the novellas in The Wordmage’s Tales. Warring Lions and The Destitute Countess are two tales that I’ll be publishing in early 2022.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Tolkien omnibus, Lewis omnibus, the collected works of Jane Austen and the Asterix omnibus in french. That should do for about six months 😉
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