Happy New Year! I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than to share some good news. A new year means new stories to enjoy! And this year I am excited… More
Join me for the launch of my first children’s book
My first children’s book for ages ten and up, Leo Jantjies and the Esports Championship, is coming out in August 2023 from Human & Rousseau and features amazing illustrations by Johann Strauss.
Leo Jantjies loves playing Theatre of Gods and Heroes (TOGAH). He’d play all day and night if he could – if it weren’t for nuisances like school and chores. The game has quickly become part of the professional esports scene where teams from around the world compete for millions of dollars in prize money. When a clip of Leo playing TOGAH goes viral, he doesn’t expect to be branded the best King Shaka player in the world. And he certainly doesn’t expect to get a call from a pro team to recruit him for the Esports World Championship in Paris! But soon Leo, his best friend Fiks, and his sister Lauren jet off to Europe for an adventure none of them thought was possible.
The launch is happening on Saturday 5 August 2023 at 12:00 Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront. ACGL will have gaming setups available for kids to play games like FIFA, Brawlhalla, Rocket League and Minecraft, plus there will be plenty of snacks to keep everyone energised. It’s going to be a blast.
RSVP to events@exclusivebooks.co.za
The Witches of Hogsback Murder Mystery Game
To celebrate the publication of my eighth novel, The Witches of Hogsback, I created a murder mystery game based on the book. I’ve been running the game at a few Exclusive Books stores and they’ve gone so well I’ve decided to offer it as a free download for anyone who wants to play it at home.
Continue reading “The Witches of Hogsback Murder Mystery Game”
Upcoming July events
The Witches of Hogsback is officially haunting bookshop shelves and online stores nationwide. The book transports readers to the atmospheric mountain town of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape. And while I’m all for immersive storytelling, I really wanted to bring the pages to life. So, I wrote a murder mystery game based on the book.
Continue reading “Upcoming July events”
Cover reveal! Leo Jantjies & the Esports Championship
This might come as a surprise to many of you, but I have written a children’s book for readers aged ten and above.
Continue reading “Cover reveal! Leo Jantjies & the Esports Championship”
Roundup of recent events
It’s been a fun few weeks promoting my eighth novel, The Witches of Hogsback. I recently returned from a whirlwind trip to Johannesburg to attend the Kingsmead Book Fair. I was originally going to talk about how to write a crime novel, but my final topic was much more delicious – The Midnight Hour, covering our ongoing fascination with all things dark and spooky. I was joined by one of the college’s English teachers, Louisa, suitably attired in crescent moon earrings and a snake ring, and together we covered a range of subjects including the origins of Wicca, Hermione Granger’s suitability as a witch, the bad PR witches got from the Romans, the Brothers Grimm, and Disney, as well what makes small towns like Hogsback perfect for spooky crime stories.
The Witches of Hogsback is a whodunnit set among the mountains and forests of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape. The location has such a spooky, magical atmosphere, especially in autumn when all the trees turn red and the forest seems to swallow everything. Its easy to imagine witches and ghosts in those forests, especially at night when the samango monkeys bark unseen from the trees.
In my version of Hogsback, everyone has a secret, and the witches who inhabit the forest make the perfect scapegoats for when things go wrong.
I also drove out to Franschhoek for Bridge House School’s Book Week, which coincided with the Franschhoek Literary Festival. I had a great chat with grades 4-6 about the stories they like to read and then all the seniors at the school assembly. Not scary at all.
Thankfully, some of the students had just completed a hiking trip of their own (like the kids in The Witches of Hogsback) so I could riff off of that to lighten the mood.
I always take heaps of books with me to give away, and always stick around for a while to chat to anyone who has questions. For me, that’s always where the value of these visits lie. Everyone has a story inside them, and sometimes all it takes is a little encouragement to tell it.
Thank you to both Kingsmead College and Bridge House for having me.
Next up, I have a few Exclusive Books events which promise to be fun. Watch this space for an update, which I will post as soon as I know more.
Sea Star Summer awarded the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize
My sixth novel for young adults, Sea Star Summer, has been named as the joint recipient of the Percy Fitzpatrick Prize for youth literature awarded by the English Academy of South Africa.
My co-winner (twinner?) is Penny Lorimer for Luntu Masiza Tells the Truth.
This is what the judges had to say:
“There were two novels that stood out. Both are not only well-written and – crafted, but also explore current issues as part of the lived experience of the protagonists and are very distinctly youth-centered. Both are engrossing and embody hope.”
Published in 2020, Sea Star Summer follows sixteen-year-old Naomi’s journey of self-discovery while on holiday in the Eastern Cape town of Jeffrey’s Bay.
You Magazine wrote:
“A story about young love and self-discovery which cements Partridge’s status as one of SA’s best young adult authors.”
The award ceremony will be taking place in July.
Out this May – The Witches of Hogsback
Inspired by the absolutely breathtaking mountain town of Hogsback in the Eastern Cape, and my love of a good old-fashioned whodunnit, comes my eighth book for young adults, The Witches of Hogsback.
It has been a dream in the making.
As a child, I devoured anything by R.L. Stine, Christopher Pike and yes, Agatha Christie. I love the fast pace, whittling down the list of suspects and navigating the red herrings. Today there has been a resurgence in the good ol’ teen crime caper, and I am beyond excited to have finally added my own interpretation to the mix.
My crime solver and lover of true crime podcasts, Zelda Scott is a detective for the new generation. Smart, quick-witted and razor-tongued, she’s ready to put herself in danger to unmask killers, and find justice for those society has turned its back on.
After a humiliating breakup, she gatecrashes a school hiking trip to Hogsback, and discovers a wild world of intrigue, secrets and mystery.
Here’s the blurb:
A girl on a high school hiking trip to the mountain town of Hogsback.
A fatal accident.
A coven of witches who seem to be the obvious suspects.
None of these are what they appear to be.
Zelda is a self-proclaimed do-gooder who simply cannot stay silent if she sees something wrong. Unfortunately, this doesn’t win her any popularity votes. Even her boyfriend Dylan couldn’t put up with it anymore.
Desperate to escape from everything for a while, Zelda signs up for a school hiking trip to Hogsback. Her illusion of having a nice, relaxing time shatters when she stumbles across a mystery nobody seems to care about: the death of local teen Stefan Dale.
Soon, Zelda finds herself knee deep in trouble: from having her room vandalised to nearly being killed by an unknown assailant. Someone clearly doesn’t want her looking into Stefan’s death. Her prime suspects are a group of teenagers known as The Witches of Hogsback, but are they really the most dangerous people in the forest?
The book will be hitting all good bookshops and online stores in the coming weeks. I’ll update this post with links when they become available.
Cover reveal! The Witches of Hogsback
Happy New Year! It’s January, which means I can officially reveal the cover of my new YA murder mystery, The Witches of Hogsback, coming out in May this year with Lapa.
Here’s the short of it:
Seething from a recent breakup, wannabe sleuth Zelda Scott ditches Muizenberg and heads to magical Hogsback, where mystery and murder lie in wait.
The novel was inspired by my own holiday in Hogsback, which is a wonderland of forests, waterfalls, valleys and clear night skies full of stars. Its the perfect small mountain town to set a murder in, with a suspect pool of some very strange characters.
This book was a joy to write, so expect plenty of mystery, twists, love, friendship and of course MURDER.
Here is the cover in its full glory, teasing one or two important plot points from the story! I’d love to know what you think.
Book sale and signing at Tokai Library
Join me and a host of other local authors, radio and TV personalities at Tokai Library on Saturday 10 September 2022 for a morning book sale and signing.
I will have most of my books on sale, including limited edition signed sets of selected titles. For those looking for copies of some of my older out-of-print books, I will have copies of Fuse, very limited copies of The Goblet Club and one very rare copy of Dark Poppy’s Demise for sale.
See you there!
The Girl Who Chased Otters audiobook featuring Daniel Lasker
The Girl Who Chased Otters will be available as an audiobook from 1 August 2022!
The main character, Nathan, is voiced by actor Daniel Lasker, who many will recognise from TV shows like Raised by Wolves and Noughts + Crosses.
The book is written in first person and told from the perspective of Nathan, a keen observer of human behaviour. I can’t wait to hear him speak in a voice that isn’t mine! And based on what the character looked like inside my head, Daniel is perfect!
Here’s Daniel at Kirstenbosch Gardens next to the otter statue. I was told by producers that he really loved the book!
The audiobook was produced for Modjaji Books by BiB, Africa’s Audio Library. Check out their app on 1 August.
If you’d like to read the book, you can buy the paperback version here.
Sally Partridge 