Any South African reader will tell you that Zelda Bezuidenhout is a huge deal in the local young adult scene. Her books are extremely popular and she has a huge following. So naturally, I was ecstatic when she was chosen to translate my novel Sharp Edges into Afrikaans. Skerwe was released earlier this year and I get a thrill every time I see both our names on the cover.
Continue reading “LEGO Book Review: Confessions of a Ginger Pudding” →
I am back in my favourite beach town, this time during the coldest part of winter in the middle of a global pandemic. Sounds like a terrible idea right? Thankfully I’m now fully vaccinated, its the first time I’ve left the house in months, and I never go anywhere unmasked. Most importantly, after three disastrous attempts to eat at restaurants in Cape Town during the last year I have officially given up eating out till this virus is officially obliterated from this planet.
But that doesn’t mean a girl can’t order in right?
There are several restaurants in Jeffrey’s Bay I always return to. In fact, some of the food is so good these eateries often become my first stop. Here are some of my must-visits, even during adverse conditions.
Continue reading “Where To Eat In Jeffrey’s Bay” →
It feels strange to release books in the middle of a global pandemic, yet somehow I have four out this year, and they’re all available in September.
Continue reading “2021 Titles Now Available” →
How exciting for an otherwise dull Monday. As soon as I saw the email I shouted a little ‘woohoo’ for myself.
This is the cover for my upcoming novel The Girl Who Chased Otters, which is being published by Modjaji and will hopefully hit shelves in September. It was illustrated by artist Carla Kreuser. The cover scene features characters Nathan and Olivia hanging out at Kirstenbosch Gardens – one of my most favourite places on earth. I love how it fits in with the Modjaji style – soulful and dreamlike, and distinctly local in flavour.
Continue reading “Cover reveal time!” →
It’s been a wild recent few weeks…. months. I’ve been mad busy with work, upcoming projects, other projects, life… But it hasn’t just been all work, work, work. In between the craziness I’ve attended a few digital events.
Recently, I had the best time discussing my novel Skerwe with the ladies from Boekemakranka and author Zelda Bezuidenhout. It was my first time meeting Zelda, who translated the novel into Afrikaans. We got on so well we might be cooking up something special soon. (Watch this space!)
Continue reading “Recent and upcoming events” →
I’m not quite sure how many days it’s been. Many. More than a year for sure. The country isn’t under strict lockdown anymore, but with so many falling ill and vaccines still a way away, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
My partner and I both work from home. We’re very lucky – many can’t. My team are amazing, and we get along great (a rarity in offices let me tell you). We chat and laugh and send each other GIFs to keep the morale up. When you’re busy it’s easy to forget that you’re stuck at home. After work there’s cooking and chores, followed by Netflix or Minecraft. Now that winter is settling in, I think reading in bed is in order. I want to order all the Grisha books after binging Shadow and Bone on Netflix. I loved, loved, loved it. The alternating storylines weaved together expertly, and the characterisation and dialogue were just superb!
Continue reading “Lockdown diary” →
It’s been a while since my last post. I don’t know about you, but after a year in lockdown and worrying about vaccine availability, the last thing on my mind was updating my website.
I do have a little bit of news to share. My fourth novel, Sharp Edges, is now available in Afrikaans from Lapa as Skerwe. I am thrilled with the translation by Zelda Bezuidenhout and even more so with the amazing neon cover by Megan Bird.
Continue reading “Something new for 2021 (updated)” →
We can all agree that 2020 was an annus horribilis of note – for many reasons, not least of which was a global pandemic that’s forced most of us to stay home.
The Wild Child and I have been in lockdown since February last year – almost a year. We went out to eat once (never again) and took a safe-as-we-could-manage roadtrip to Jeffrey’s Bay to end the year off, just before the beaches were closed, so even there we had to stay indoors.
Continue reading “How To Survive Lockdown” →
Last year I wrote a blog to end off a very difficult year. My father passed away in August and I left a good job to deal with it. It took me a long time to get back to a place where I felt happy and fulfilled, plus I had a new book coming out to look forward to. But as you know, 2020 happened and with it came an avalanche of disasters: a global pandemic, lockdown, cancelled book launches and tours, all culminating in the death of my mother, a year after my father.
Continue reading “Good riddance to 2020 (almost)” →
It’s been an insane year, most of it spent under strict lockdown conditions. Local businesses took a huge knock with many small enterprises only managing to hold on.
The local book industry was one of the many sectors hit. If you look past the bigger publishing houses and chain bookstores you’ll see a wide network of independent bookshops, small publishers, authors, freelance designers, editors and proofreaders, and bright young people just starting out their career.
Continue reading “How To Support Local This Christmas” →
Sally Partridge