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.

Where To Eat In Jeffrey’s Bay

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.

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How To Support Local This Christmas

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.

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Review Roundup

Sea Star Summer has been out in the world for five months. It had a bit of a delayed start due to the pandemic. Books weren’t able to leave the warehouse before lockdown, and review copies were locked away in an office while everyone worked from home. But we got them out in the end, and books soon made their way to readers.

Here is a roundup of all the reviews and press coverage I could find so far.

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Win a copy of Sea Star Summer

It’s giveaway time!

I had to wait for my giveaway copies and bookmarks to be rescued from a locked office, but they’ve finally arrived!

I am giving away a copy of my brand new book, Sea Star Summer. If you love romance, roadtrips, the beach, and dreamy South African coastal towns, then this might be your next read.

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Stay inside, read a book

It’s winter and it’s cold and there’s a pandemic raging. If you, like me, would rather stay inside and nest underneath a fort of fluffy blankets, it helps to be entertained.

I have been stocking up on ebooks and more recently, placing orders for the paperbacks I just have to own. (I just finished My Dark Vanessa and wow – just wow). I also have a book that just came out, but it feels wrong to promote it without mentioning the other amazing local YA titles available to read. Besides, who buys just one book?

So here is a list of South African YA fiction that you can read right this very minute and a few you should definitely pre-order.

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Where to buy Sea Star Summer

My new book, Sea Star Summer, which was published in April, had to go into lockdown with the rest of us. The good news is that copies are finally making their way to stores and orders are being shipped.

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Read an excerpt from Sea Star Summer

I just received the best Friday surprise. The Sunday Times Books section has chosen an excerpt from Sea Star Summer for their Fiction Friday segment!

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The Making of the Sea Star Summer Cover

Sea Star Summer is officially out today. I say officially, but in reality, I have to wait till the end of lockdown before I can get my hands on a copy. So in a way, it’s more of an un-book-birthday or a book un-birthday.

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