Sally Partridge's Blog, page 5

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.

[image error]A Slip in Time: Time Mavericks – Book 1 by Fiona Snyckers

Jasmine Bear has one goal in life – to stay out of trouble until she turns eighteen so she can be released from the California foster care system and start living life on her own terms. This does not include being kidnapped by a secretive couple calling themselves the Controllers. They recruit Jasmine to save the world, but what if she wants to save herself first? Book 2 available now.

[image error]Tata sikuxolele by Thembisile Kundlwana

Sanlam Gold Winner. Twins Silinda and Sinekusasa go to live with their uncle and his family after the passing of their mother. They are treated terribly and decide to travel to find their father. When he turns them away, Mrs Jali adopts them and puts them through school. The focus of this story is the abuse of orphans by their relatives. It is also a motivational story that illustrates how working hard and being resilient can help one to succeed. (IsiXhosa)

[image error]Toring van Jasmyn by Derick van der Walt

Sanlam Gold Winner and nominated for the M.E.R Prize. Markus Combrink travels to Istanbul with his father, sister, and friend Neil, who moves in with them after the death of his parents. While their dad goes about his business, the three teenagers explore the city and befriend two local teens. But the city is restless: Bombs go off and Markus’ sister disappears. Immersed in the culture and getting to know the people and everyday life in Turkey, this will be the most unexpected trip of their lives! (Afrikaans)

[image error]The Choice Between Us by Edyth Bulbring

Nominated for the M.E.R Prize. It is Johannesburg 1963 and Nelson Mandela is on trial for his life. Nine-year-old Margaret Channing-Court unwittingly attracts the attention of the security police to her home. Forced to make a choice, she watches helplessly as her family is destroyed. More than fifty years later, Jenna Moore, a troubled fifteen-year-old, is packing up her Aunt C-C’s Johannesburg house. She prises open a locked drawer and finds an old letter addressed to her aunt. One of a few words stands out clearly: MURDERER.

[image error]Brand by Fanie Viljoen

Nominated for the M.E.R Prize. Arian and Estie are in Grade 11 in the same school. Estie befriends Arian on social media and starts to stalk him: online, at first, and then in reality. At first he is nothing more to her than an interesting stranger, but by watching him, Estie learns more about him than he’d want anyone to know.

[image error]Sindikaat by Annerle Barnard

Sanlam Silver winner. Sixteen-year-old Paul is a witness in a sensitive court case. While visiting a friend he discovers illegal smuggling goods and when he is found out, the smugglers make his life very difficult. Paul’s father is worried and sends him and two friends on holiday to Botswana and Zimbabwe, accompanied by Bossie, his dad’s recce friend. But the gang is in pursuit and their holiday becomes a nightmare flight. (Afrikaans)

[image error]Sing Down the Stars by Nerine Dorman

Sanlam Gold Winner and Nommo nominated. In a future society where various alien races mix with humans, twelve-year-old Nuri performs crimes for Vadith until the day she is called away from her home in the slums by an irresistible song only she can hear. Nuri ends up in a secret training facility with the cream of Terra’s youth, who are all competing for the ultimate prize . . .

[image error]U Kondelela by Mbedzi Nyelisani

Sanlam Silver winner. When Lion dies Maemu takes up the throne and does a good job. He gains the trust of the animals. Lion’s son (Nemashango) returns in the hope of taking the throne. Sankambe and Ndou are introduced as friends that are up to no good, particularly Sankambe who is involved in shady dealings constantly. They are banished from Dzimaule for plotting to kill Maemu. But Nemashango shocks all the animals by being submissive to Maemu’s rule and instruction. (Tshivenda)

[image error]The Music Box by Toby Bennett

Sanlam Silver winner. Johnathan has an uncanny ability to fix things, almost anything, except his very religious and very erratic mother. As his mother’s episodes become more worrisome, he sets out to his hiding space in a magical cave, while making a new friend from a group of gypsies passing through his sleepy town. The arrival of a stranger sets off a chain of events that leads John and his new friend Lu into a magical dimension that reveals his family secrets.

[image error]Sea Star Summer by Sally Partridge (aka me)

All sixteen-year-old Naomi wants to do over December is read books and avoid other people. Jeffreys Bay promises the perfect drama-free holiday. But when she encounters the strange and imaginative Elize on the beach, everything changes. Elize, however, isn’t the first to notice the awkward, red-haired newcomer and soon Naomi finds herself caught between a blue-eyed local surfer and Elize’s dark and mysterious brother. But what if Naomi is drawn to someone altogether different…

[image error]Lang pad onnetoe by Jason Reynolds, translated by Nathan Trantraal

You only have sixty nail biting seconds to make the most important decision of your life. Will is fifteen years old. He has a gun. His brother Shawn had just been killed. And Will knows the rules. You’re not crying. You don’t carry stories. You take revenge. This is where Will is heading,  The novel was translated into Afrikaans by the award-winning author and poet Nathan Trantraal. (Afrikaans)

[image error]The Wickerlight by Mary Watson

While we all eagerly await Mary’s new book, there’s still plenty of time to delve into her gorgeous magical duo.

Zara’s family moved to Kilshamble for a new beginning. But everything changed the night her sister was found dead on the village green. Two months later, Laila’s death is a riddle that nobody wants solved. Where were her injuries? Why was she so obsessed with local folklore? And what does all this have to do with David, the boy who lives at the big house? The Wickerlight follows on from The Wren Hunt. 

[image error]Water Birds on the Lake Shore: An Anthology of African Young Adult Fiction edited by Zukiswa Wanner

Between September 1st 2018 through November 30th 2018 young writers from all over Africa were encouraged to send in their submissions of short stories for the Afro Young Adult initiative, whose goal it is to increase the availability for African Young Adult literature. This is the stunning anthology.

[image error]Die vlerke van naaldekokers by Cecilia Steyn

The accident tore apart Kylie’s life. She lost her left hand and her younger sister, Lieke, is gone forever. An unplanned road trip with her eccentric grandfather and his young assistant is Kylie’s chance to escape. And maybe this is her opportunity to do something for Lieke, to mark a few things on her sister’s bucket list. It will be a vacation that Kylie will never forget. A journey back to herself, to healing. (Afrikaans)

[image error]Night of the Red Moon by Bontle Senne

Book four in this highly-entertaining adventure series for kids. It’s a race against time for the Shadow Chasers. Led by the General, an army of monsters is intent on destroying this world. The Shadow Chasers have discovered that if they defeat the General on the Night of the Red Moon, her army will sleep forever. Books 1, 2 and 3 also available.

[image error]Kwezi: Collector’s Edition 4 – Issues 10 – 12 by Loyiso Mkize, Clyde Beech and Mohale Mashigo

Mpisi has been working very hard to create an “anti-Super” campaign, while our team of heroes have been saving lives and helping Mamadou find his family. A show-down in the desert plus new supers are a mere distraction from what’s actually happening in the pit. Mohao finally sees the prophecy of his people come true but realises that the story may have been distorted. Is our team ready for “anti-Super” sentiments, new bad guys and a prophecy come true? (Graphic novel)

[image error]Onderwêreld 2: Donker Web by Fanie Viljoen

The long-awaited sequel to Onderwêreld is coming next month!!!

Greg Owen, former head boy of the elite private boys’ school Lawson College and cyberhacker of note, is a first-year Matie after the year in which his family’s life falls apart. His father and Dok Pienaar are unmasked as the Baker and Candlestick Maker of Project Nursery Rhyme and are behind bars. But who and where is the Butcher? Greg will not be able to rest until the third member of the unscrupulous triumph goes to the pen. If you want revenge, you have to dig two graves. Release date: 15 June (Afrikaans)

[image error]Bones Like Bridges by Cat Hellisen

I can’t wait for this new lush fantasy/YA crossover by one of my favourite fantasy writers.

War is coming to Oreyn. Magic is vanishing. Neither problem matters much to Jek until he is pulled out of the slums and forced into the world of the Great Houses. A bastard heir to a dying magical family, Jek is caught up in the scheming of his half-sisters, who see him as the proof of their father’s betrayal. He’s powerless, out of place, and has no-one he can trust. Jek’s scramble to make a home for himself in a world that will never accept him takes a strange turn when he finds himself drawn to one of the forbidden low-caste vampires, and the illegal magic they carry in their blood. Release date: 30 June

That should keep you busy for a while.

So stock up, snuggle up, and escape the panic for a little while. Reading is certainly helping me manage my stress. If I missed any local YA that’s new or relatively newish and currently available, get in touch.

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.

If you would like to buy a copy, here are a list of stockists.

Ebook:

Amazon

Kobo

Snapplify

Paperback:

Takealot

Exclusive Books

Raru

Loot

Uppercase Books

A personal favour

Launching a book during lockdown has been near impossible. Books were not able to leave the warehouse in time, which meant when restrictions were lifted, not many stores had stock on hand. (Even I don’t have a physical copy yet.) Review and giveaway copies are all waiting patiently to be rescued from a locked office.

Now that books are finally making their way to readers, I need your help to spread the word.

If you’re a bookstagrammer, I would LOVE to see Sea Star Summer all dressed up and prettified on Instagram. Tag me or use the hashtag #SeaStarSummer so I can pick it up.

And if you can, please leave a review on Goodreads! Every review or mention helps get the word out.

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!

The clouds are gathering ominously, and the air is tensed for rain. When I reach the rocks where the fishermen usually stand, the first clap of thunder rumbles above me, followed quickly by a bright stab of lightning.

Panic shoots through me. What if I get struck by lightning? I whip my head around, searching for shelter, but there is nowhere to hide and nothing between me and the sea.

I pick up the pace as the sky shouts and rages above me. Not Poseidon this time but Zeus. Or as Daniel would say, Jupiter.

I smile at my own joke, and before I know it, I’m laughing. It breaks the spell of fear.

I stretch out my arms and spin on the spot, marvelling at how bright the sky looks through the cracks in the dark clouds and how different and brilliant the storms are here compared to Cape Town’s dull downpours. I dance in circles, feeling the cold sand slide between my toes and the air lift my hair with invisible fingers.

I have never seen the sky so illuminated, as if everything I’ve read about the old gods was real after all. The air is electric. I imagine them warring up there, gigantic and raging. The thunder booms again. I change course towards the caravan park to find Elize.

Read the whole excerpt here.

Don’t forget my virtual launch!

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Please send me any questions you have about the book and I’ll answer them all at the virtual launch. 

You can register to join the virtual launch webinar here.

Date: 28 April 2020
Time:17:30

Pre-order your copy for after lockdown here.
Exclusive Books
Raru
Loot
Uppercase Books

 

 

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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The gorgeous cover was designed by Cape Town mixed-media artist Catherine Holtzhausen. Catherine has a BA in Visual communication from the Stellenbosch Academy of Photography and Design and earns her living from illustrating and personal commissions.

Catherine dealt with my publisher directly, so it was a wonderful surprise to see the final cover. The brief centred around the ocean and the character of Naomi, who does a lot of self-reflection during her holiday in Jeffreys Bay.

The cover shows a girl looking out over the ocean, surrounded by coastal vegetation, shells and the waves.

I asked Catherine to share some of what went into the design and what inspired the whimsical paper-craft creation.

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What scene does your artwork depict?

I chose to bring to light the inner storm and glimmers of beauty from Naomi’s journey of self discovery. You can see the storminess of the sea and the dark skies yet she is positioned high above it all on a beautiful hill in a powerful stance with the wind blowing her hair.

What materials did you use to create this design?

The artwork is a collage of hand-painted and cut-out paper, and different painting and printmaking techniques. The sea was created with alcohol inks and the wave splatters were added afterward with a combination of alcohol ink and acrylic ink. The sky was created using ink and water. The biggest conglomeration of techniques was used for the foliage. I have an archive of paper I make using printmaking techniques such as monoprints, colographs, marbling, linocut, and then just conventional painting with various types of paint. These papers are then cut by hand with fine scissors to create the various plants and leaves.

What materials do you like working with the most?

Lately I have been obsessed with inks. It’s a very meditative medium to work with, but honestly whatever new technique I discover or something I haven’t used in a while tends to be my favourite at the time.

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In the book, I write a lot about the different moods of the ocean. What is the ‘mood’ on your cover?

I wanted to depict the sea as restless and anxious as an outward visualisation of Naomi’s emotional inner turmoil and confusion.

Do you take a lot of inspiration from nature?

Very much so! I draw almost all my inspiration from nature and how it affects the human spirit. I suffered a very severe burnout a few years back and nature was my salvation. I would go for short little hikes in the mountain every day while in recovery and walk on the beach with the salty wind in my hair after therapy sessions. I often felt far more healing was happening on the beach than in therapy. (But don’t tell my therapist) My mom is also a queen gardener and I recently got into gardening myself. I find myself jealous of how beautiful some of my plants are compared to my artworks.

Follow Catherine on Instagram.

I’m so in love with this cover and can’t wait to see it up close. What do you think?

 

You can pre-order Sea Star Summer from Raru for R150 and use Code RCCLOCKDOWN5 at checkout to get an extra 5% off.

 

Video: 5 days till Sea Star Summer lands

My new book, Sea Star Summer, officially lands 20 April – right in the middle of lockdown!

I recorded a short video to tell you all about it. There’s going to be an ebook and a virtual launch and an incredible giveaway. So even though we can’t celebrate together in person, there’s still loads to look forward to. 

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Please send me any questions you have about the book and I’ll answer them all at the virtual launch. I’ll update this post with the Zoom link once it’s available. 

 

Why I’m living for Harley Quinn right now

Harley Quinn has been on my mind a lot recently. Even though I’m a fan of both Marvel and DC, she is, without a doubt, my favourite comic book character. There is a huge neon poster of her above my bed, and on the opposite wall, a signed poster by cover artist Laura Braga.

To mentally prepare myself for the Birds of Prey movie, I decided to haul out all my Harley Quinn, Suicide Squad, DC Bombshells, and Harley & Ivy comics to get into character, so to speak.

I also delved into the semi-recent Harleen graphic novel, which sent me down the rabbit hole of other origin stories about the “dizzy doctor” (as Joker refers to her in 2015’s Batman: Harley Quinn).

The comic book multiverse is a kinda like an episode of Black Mirror. How many times have the same characters been reinvented, reborn and recast? Doomed to play out the same tormented scenes over and over and over. How many times has poor Harley been double-crossed by her crown prince of crime?

But out of all the origin stories out there, what is the truth behind the devoted doctor?

We know she was a psychiatrist at Arkham Asylum with direct access to the Joker. In one arc, she is an intern, in another, she is a researcher trying to pinpoint the moment a patient loses their empathy. In all these incarnations she believes she can help the grinning supervillain.

For me, this is the true essence of the character. Harley Quinn is a defender of the underdog; this is obvious in all her capers – a villain with a heart of gold. A great take on this is offered by Mariko Tamaki’s reimaging of teenage Harley in Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass.

Yes, she can get pretty violent with a baseball bat or a giant mallet (even a gun), but this chaotic character’s intentions are ultimately good.

Her persona is an odd one though. She reinvented herself as a sidekick for the Joker, with a manner as ditzy and dumb as any old-school mobster’s broad, the antithesis of the serious Dr. Quinzel, trying to make a name for herself in the dry halls of psychiatry. In universe after universe, Harley is unceremoniously ditched, abused and nearly killed by her bad-boy beau, only to forgive him after one buttery word. In other universes she branches out on her own, retaining the cutesy, fun-loving persona as she unleashes her carnage on the world at large.

Perhaps its because this persona is the very opposite of Dr. Quinzel that she decides to keep it after the big break up. After all, we know that her background was hardly one of privilege. In Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass, she grew up in a trailer park where she brawled frequently with neighbourhood kids. In Harleen, she’s stigmatised for sleeping with her college professor and that reputation follows her wherever she goes. She thinks she’s found a kindred spirit in the Joker, another outcast, only to be abandoned by him as well.

So what does she do? She starts living her own life for the first time.

The Harley Quinn persona represents the free-spirited, new-hair-don’t-care attitude that the world has judged her for in the past. Only now she’s decided to own it. She’s still the kind-hearted soul wanting to help the little guy, but she does it on her own terms, without anyone holding her back and without fear of reprisal. Who in their right mind would take on a crazy-haired villain with a giant mallet and a dead beaver?

Harley had a tough time in the past and now she’s free to be herself – larger than life, silly, sexy, and very, very dangerous. She is the Patron Saint of the Underdog, the hero of the downtrodden, and the girl who gave her all to someone only to reinvent herself after been betrayed one too many times.

Hard relate. In fact, I’m sure most of us can relate, but we can’t just let go and go after those who wronged us with an Acme wrecking ball.

She is the ultimate villain in the world’s eyes, but to me, she’s a revelation, and I will continue to live vicariously through her adventures.

So if anyone out there is part of the Harley fandom, take a leaf out of her book during these dark days of self-isolation. Wear what you want. Eat that junk food. Dye your hair. Laugh out loud. And talk to your stuffed animals. Why should we care what others think?

Harley doesn’t.

And if you are going to spend some time working on your Harley fan art, make it a happy story. After what she’s been through, the girl certainly needs a break.

Don’t we all.

 

[image error]Meeting Harley Quinn cover artist Laura Braga at FanCon

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photos from my recent visit to Jeffreys Bay

My new book comes out next month! And it’s set in my favourite place in the whole world – Jeffreys Bay, in the Eastern Cape. The Wild Child and I visit as many times as we can manage. Our current record is four road trips in one year.

We recently snuck away for an unplanned holiday in February. I was taking a much-needed break and he had some leave days available, so we thought, why not?

Jeffreys Bay is a coastal paradise where the sea is as warm as bathwater, the sky seems endless and the shoreline stretches on forever.

This time around it was like returning home. I’ve been editing and proofreading Sea Star Summer back and forth for months now, so it feels like I never really left.

As soon as we arrived everything was immediately familiar and I started seeing scenes from the book everywhere – the town road sign covered in surf stickers, Nina’s restaurant with its colourful everything-and-the-kitchen-sink menu (the sushi is great), the putt-putt course with its retro decor. And of course, the wooden steps leading to Dolphin Beach, which will now forever be known as Naomi’s steps.

But I’ll tell you more about Naomi and Elize closer to release date. I just know readers are going to love them.

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Instead, here are some snapshots from my recent trip, my first visit during the February off-season.

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LEGO book review: The Wicked Deep

I’ve always wanted to write a book about the ocean. Not the blue sky and sunshine kind, but a gloomy one that evokes that timeless, haunted feel only the sea can conjure – of countless wrecks and lost souls, of buried secrets and quiet, solemn knowledge.

So naturally, when I find a book that ticks all these boxes, I’m one very happy reader.

The Wicked Deep by Shea Ernshaw is one of those books I continue to see everywhere, especially on book lists – the must-read books for Winter, fans of the supernatural will love these titles, the biggest books coming to Netflix. So while the book actually came out in 2018, it’s been on my radar for a while, mostly thanks to Book Twitter.

The story takes place in a small coastal town with a dark past. Two centuries ago, three sisters were drowned for witchcraft. Sparrow has been cursed ever since. Every year during Swan Season, the sisters return to exact their revenge, and claim a life for every one of theirs taken.

Seventeen-year-old Penny Talbot lives on an island just off the coast of Sparrow. She and her mother keep mostly to themselves. They’ve been directly affected by the curse and know only too well how bad things get when Swan Season starts. But everything changes when a stranger named Bo arrives in town, and Penny can’t stop herself from trying to keep him out of danger.

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This book definitely evokes that moody, haunted feeling I’ve been looking for. Penny is as haunted as the town itself. She lives on the ocean, but is tortured by what it represents in her life and yet, she can’t live without it. She’s head-strong and complex, and readers will come to realise that there is so much more to her than meets the eye. As soon as Bo arrived like a washed-up sailor from a shipwreck, I began rooting for these underdogs all the way.

The Wicked Deep is a magical read and can be swallowed in two afternoons if you pace yourself correctly. I found it very difficult to put the book down when the real world needed my attention.

It’s thrilling, lyrical and lovely. Exactly the type of read that lovers of the ocean will appreciate.

See more of my LEGO stories here.

 

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Karen Russell’s Orange World in LEGO

In 2007, a friend told me I should read St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, a short story anthology by American writer Karen Russell. It was the type of book that took you to Neverland, she said. So I bought a copy, and was passed the baton as Russell’s next evangelist, telling as many people as I could about the magical, dreamlike stories hidden inside that much-loved paperback. (Another friend went on to emigrate with my copy.)

Russell became one of those authors I followed organically. Each time a new title appeared, I would buy it and add it to my collection. I don’t know much about the author. She’s not active on social media and most of the articles that mention her are book reviews. It’s a beautifully simple relationship. She sends her books out into the world without fuss or fanfare, and readers like me buy them because they’re wonderful.

Russell pushes the boundaries of storytelling and manages to evoke a real sense of wonder with her prose. Her second anthology, Vampires in the Lemon Grove, is just as whimsical and daring as her first collection. I love what she does with simple descriptions, transfiguring them into new creatures – familiar but also fantastic. Vampires sating their thirst with lemons, sports fans following the battle between whale and krill, pioneers sharing a window to fool the government.

I received a copy of her third anthology, Orange World, for Christmas. It has taken this long to savour every story, absorbing them and reflecting on Russell’s skill with the written word. She manages to perfectly blend this world with the imaginary, sewing them together seamlessly. There are stories about runaways who find themselves in the past, a new mother who encounters the devil, a boy in love with the dead, and a doctor plagued by rumours. These stories are both beautiful and terrifying, captivating and gripping. Each is a slice of life of someone who could be real, in a world that may or may not be.

Instead of going through every story one by one, I’ve created a LEGO story of each. The only exception is The Tornado Auction, about a retired storm farmer who decides to take one last swing at growing a tornado – a bit hard to mimic with LEGO.

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The Prospectors

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The Bad Graft

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The Gondoliers

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Bog Girl: A romance

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Madame Bovary’s Greyhound

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Black Corfu

COVER REVEAL! Sea Star Summer (coming April 2020)

2020 is here and I can finally reveal the cover of my upcoming YA novel, Sea Star Summer, published by Human & Rousseau.

All sixteen-year-old Naomi wants to do over December is read books and enjoy a drama-free holiday – but Jeffreys Bay has other ideas…

Set over the December school holidays, Sea Star Summer is a coming-of-age story about first love and self-discovery in the surfing capital of South Africa, Jeffreys Bay.

Jeffreys Bay is a place very close to my heart. It is a place of raging waves, electric skies and wild shores. It is one of the most beautiful stretches of coastline in South Africa and my absolute favourite road-trip destination.

I think the cover captures the essence perfectly.

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The beautiful hand-painted paper art cover was designed by local artist Catherine Holtzhausen.

I was absolutely blown away by illustrator Astrid Blumer’s cover for Mine. This one has left me speechless. The level of detail in the coastal plants and seascape is just incredible.

Sea Star Summer will be available in stores in April.