4 April 2011
I tend to wax lyrical about the importance of plot in YA novels.
Teens want to be entertained. They want to be thrilled, to sit on the edge of their seats. That’s why I love Kate Cann. She’s written about twenty books for teens, which are all nail-bitingly brilliant. Instead of deadpan girl-meets-boy stories that have as much depth as a small puddle, her books are enthralling, plot driven and most importantly, real.
Continue reading “Interview with Kate Cann” →
18 April 2011
It’s an interesting time to be a youth writer in South Africa.
International trends change almost daily. One day vampires are all the rage, the next its ghosts or angels or even steam punk. South African authors are far from asleep to what’s happening abroad. Lily Herne, for example, just published South Africa’s first zombie novel, Deadlands; the Trantraal brothers released their second graphic novel last year, and John van der Ruit’s Spud was adapted into a feature film starring John Cleese.
28 April 2011
Book trailers are neat little things. They’re like film trailers, except instead of trying to get audiences excited about upcoming films based on novels, they showcase the novels themselves.
For my upcoming book, Dark Poppy’s Demise I called up girl power director extraordinaire, Kirby Kruger, to help me out with a trailer.
Continue reading “Behind-the-scenes of the Dark Poppy book trailer” →
1o November 2010
The global best seller lists are teeming with paranormal romance titles from Melissa de la Cruz’s Blue Bloods and PC Cast’s House of Night series to Maggie Stiefvater’s werewolf love-fest Shiver. Speculative teen fiction is big business. Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga has sold over 100 million copies globally and has been adapted into three equally record-breaking films, with two more on the way.
Continue reading “Why do teenagers love vampires?” →
30 November 2010
Modern day super hero story reflects dark times in British slums
“Goodbye normality. It was nice knowing you.”
Continue reading “Review and interview – iBoy” →
2 December 2010
Here’s another interview I conducted with a brilliant author as part of my quest to discover the secrets of writing the perfect teen novel.
1 August 2010
I’ll be the first to admit I’m not a regular theatre-goer. The last play I saw was Mother to Mother, based on the novel by Sindiwe Magona. Before that it was Die Diensmeisies, adapted by then matric student Fanie Fourie from the Jean Gene play.
It could be the length of most plays, or all that talking that I find utterly tiresome, but plays just don’t do it for me. Until now.
Last night I attended the opening night performance of Samuel Bekcett’s Waiting for Godot, directed by Sam Mathias at the Fugard Theatre in District Six (Harrington Street in Town, just up the road from The Assembly).
It was my first time at the Fugard and to put it simply – its gorgeous. The theatre is housed inside the Congregational Church, built in 1830, and comprises several spaces – the theatre studio, the roof top, the auditorium and foyer, which all have a distinct character. The foyer is decorated in industrial chic, with wooden floors, exposed brickwork, oil drums and Victorian gothic windows. Parts of the floor are covered in glass panels revealing the original cobble stone beneath. The place screams history. You can almost feel it.
Climbing the wooden stairs to our seats in the auditorium, we were immediately struck by a collective feeling of anticipation and scramble to find good seats. The auditorium seating is arranged in a horseshoe shape, with a section of comfortable, red fabric seats placed directly in front of the stage, and the rest arranged around it. It’s very intimate. When the lights dim there is a sound of scuffling as those in the second row all lean forward to look down on to the stage. Waiting.
A soft whisper of music starts then stops, then suddenly Ian McKellan scrambles through a hole in the stage, dressed as a hobo. Then Roger Rees appears and in his crinkled elderly eyes I recognise him as the Sheriff of Rottingham from Robin Hood, Men in Tights. From then on it’s pure magic. McKellan is like a puppeteer. Every time he says something humorous, the audience laughs. When he does a little dance shuffle across the bare wooden stage floor, the room erupts in applause. At 71 he still commands the audience. He is electric. A favourite grandparent. A superstar.
The play, originally written by Samuel Beckett in French in 1948 is absurdist. Two homeless men, Estragon and Vladimir, with nothing to live for but each other, wait for their friend Godot to come and rescue them from wretchedness. While they wait they meet the larger than life Pozzo, and his downtrodden manservant Lucky who stay for a chat and some vaudeville craziness before continuing on their way. The friends continue to wait, and it soon becomes apparent that Godot isn’t coming. The wait, it seems, is the only point to their existence.
I wish everyone could experience what I did. It feels as if I’ve seen something special, something I can keep as a story to pass on to others. “Remember that time when…”
I think the venue had much to do with it. It’s like being inside a place from another time, filed with memories and that old building smell that is so common in churches. If you haven’t seen a play at the Fugard you’re missing out. Seeing Ian McKellan perform at the Fugard is otherworldly.
McKellan and the rest of the cast will be performing the play at the OR Sports Centre in Khayelitsha for a once-off pay-what-you-can performance. This doesn’t happen every day, which is why I’m going to be there, to experience the magic all over again.
10 September 2010
I recently interviewed several prominent novelists about their take on the young adult genre, asking them, among other things, what elements a young adult novel should include, what teens like to read, and how they deal with an aging readership.
The answers I received were quite surprising.
20 September 2010
I have just completed my article on young adult literature, so once its published, I’ll post it on my blog in its entirety. But before that, I wanted to post the leftover bits of the interview I had with young adult novelist extraordinaire, L.J. Smith.
27 October 2010
The annual Cape Town Horrorfest kicked off tonight with the second Bloody Parchment event at the Lounge of Horror (Book Lounge).
Some of SA’s best writers, like Sarah Lotz and Maya Fowler entertained the crowd with something scary, and in Sarah’s case, a sneak peak at her new novel, The Mall.
I wrote a little something short and sweet for the occasion. It was particularly fun seeing the audience cringe at the more grislier parts. Hope you enjoy!
Sally Partridge 