Sally Partridge's Blog, page 7

5 local YA novels to love this winter

There is absolutely nothing better in the whole world than curling up with a book when it’s cold outside.

The little cottage I currently stay in has a fireplace, so I’ve been spending many weekends in front of it, with a book or three or five. My favourite cold-weather reads are young adult novels – stories that transport me to new places or bear witness to the doomed romances of their young protagonists.

I love the all-or-nothing emotion, the drama, the twists.

In honour of South African Youth Day, I wrote an article for The Sunday Times about the importance of young adult fiction in the world today. I focused on books that stand up to authority and the brave new voices that show us different perspectives to our own. I also listed a few local publishers who work tirelessly to make books in all languages accessible to South Africa’s young readers.

Space was limited, so I only mentioned a few upcoming titles that fit the brief, but there are so many more books by South African authors that I absolutely loved this year and more that I can’t wait to read.

Here are some of the titles I will be reading this winter. I hope you find a few from the list to keep you company during the cold snaps.

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Elevation: The Fiery Spiral by Helen Brain

Book three in this gorgeous fantasy series released in February this year. I’ve been waiting for the perfect opportunity to read this trilogy in one go and I can’t wait to get stuck in.

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Trinity on Track by Fiona Snyckers

Trinity Luhabe is back, this time in grade ten to solve a mystery about the ghost haunting her school boarding house. I first encountered Trinity ten years ago in Trinity Rising and still have my signed copy. She’s such a fun character and I’m loving the YA spin.

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The Wickerlight by Mary Watson

Anyone who knows me or follows this blog will know how much I adored The Wren Hunt by Ireland-based, South African author Mary Watson. The Wickerlight is set in the same magical world. This time we meet Zara, new to Kilshamble, who is about to find herself in the middle of the magical feud laid out in the first book. It’s available locally next month.

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The Choice Between Us by Edyth Bulbring

I mentioned this book in The Sunday Times article but it’s worth another bump. The Choice Between Us is the story of two girls living in Johannesburg more than fifty years apart. I’m a huge fan of Edyth, and this mystery is definitely on my must-read list.

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The Turnaway Girls by Hayley Chewins

This mesmerising middle-grade fantasy takes readers to the stormy island of Blightsend and introduces the turnaway girls, who can turn music into gold. This debut novel by Johannesburg-based Hayley Chewins was chosen as one of Kirkus’s Best Books of 2018 so I’ve been itching to read it for a while. While officially a 2018 title, it released locally in March this year.

While you’re here…

My own teen doomed romance novel, Mine, is currently on sale at Takealot. Get it for 50% off now.

Mine won the M.E.R. Prize!

Last month I shared some recent book news – including being shortlisted for the Media 24 Literary Awards M.E.R. Prize for Youth Fiction.

I’m happy to announce that I won!

The awards took place last week and I couldn’t believe it when my name was called out. It was such a strong shortlist that I was convinced it wasn’t my year, so much so that I didn’t even write a speech!

When it was my turn to speak I thanked my publisher, Simone, and expressed my gratitude to Human & Rousseau for always allowing me to write what I like. I tweeted a few more coherent thoughts the next day, and explained just how much awards like this mean to me. Writing is a long, hard road with no guarantee of success, so being recognised for my work does wonders for my confidence.

The award was for Mine, my fifth book for teens. published last year by Human & Rousseau. This is the fourth time I’ve won the M.E.R Prize (Fuse didn’t make the shortlist). The first time was in 2008 for The Goblet Club. 

Thank you once again to everyone who has read, loved and supported my books. It’s been an incredible journey.

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Hiking in Hogsback

Anyone who has ever encountered this blog will know that road-tripping is my happy place. I love the feeling of getting away and leaving everything behind, the end destination hours if not days away. No worries, no responsibilities, no deadlines. Last year I road tripped five or six times, and this year looks to be no different.

During the Easter break, the Wild Child and I left the cat with a sitter and stole off into the night, with just a backpack and a handful of books for entertainment. Our destination, as always, was the Eastern Cape. Only this time we decided to drift away from the coast and aim for the mountains – specifically, Hogsback.

The drive is decidedly different, and longer. On our previous road trips to Jeffrey’s Bay, the landscape was characterised by lush forests, giant wind turbines, and crashing waves. Head inland and you’re more likely to encounter a herd of goats in the road. Or cattle. Or donkeys.

Hogsback is a little village tucked away in the Amathole Mountains. A colleague described it to me as “fairyland” and it really is. The village is perched on top of a breathtaking mountain valley and is encircled on all sides by forests, waterfalls and jaw-dropping views.

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We arrived on the cusp of Autumn and were greeted by an astonishing display of colour – gold, red, green and plum. Another surprise was seeing troops of wild monkeys darting through the trees. Naturally, one of the first things we did on arrival was to go for a long walk through the forest.

There are some great hiking trails in the area and several waterfalls. For our walk, we wound our way through the Arboretum to the 39 Steps Falls, stopping to admire the seemingly hundred different varieties of mushrooms along the path.

Our accommodation wasn’t as amazing as the scenery. Imagine if the Bates Motel was located in Twin Peaks, with a little bit of The Shining thrown in. But in a weird way, it worked. Hogsback is such a strange little town and our rented rooms were straight out of an X-Files episode.

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The strangeness is echoed in the attractions – crystal shops that make you dizzy with incense, peaceful garden labyrinths and a bathtub perched on top of a plunging cliff to name a few points of interest. But if your end destination is Hogsback, the main attraction has to be the forests, the views, and the incredible stillness. It’s a stunning part of the world, especially at night when all you can see are the stars above.

My favourite local gem was the restaurant at The Edge. The food was dependably delicious and it’s a great spot for a gin cocktail at sunset. A quick shortcut through the garden takes you to a spectacular viewing spot. Standing on the edge of the cliff, all you can see around you are endless unspoiled forests, with the occasional bark of a baboon breaking the silence.

See for yourself below.

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If you ever see me in a café or a bookstore, I’ll tell you about my encounter with some very interesting local characters. That story requires a lot more than a blog post, let me tell you.

I’ve got some exciting news to share

They say no news is good news, but good news is always worth shouting about. Thankfully I do have some lovely news to share.

I’ve been shortlisted for not one, but two literary awards, and I couldn’t be more excited.

I really wanted to enter the Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature this year. In the past, each time the call for entries went out I’ve either been in the middle of editing a manuscript or knee-deep in one project or another.  But this year I was ready and made sure I had something to submit. You never get anywhere if you don’t try, right?

I am delighted to announce that my entry for the English category made the shortlist. There are some amazing writers on the shortlist, so I’m doubly excited to be counted among them. Now it’s a matter of crossing fingers and toes until the winners are announced in October.

Read the shortlist announcement here.

Now for my second bit of good news.  Earlier this week I found out that my YA novel, Mine, was shortlisted for the Media 24 Literary Awards’ MER Prize. It’s my fourth nomination for this prestigious prize since The Goblet Club won in 2008.

I put so much of myself into Mine. It might sound cliché to say that it’s an honour just to be nominated, but in this case, I really mean it. Just for a panel to recognize something special in a book so close to my heart is enough. Besides, the shortlist is fierce. You know I’m going to be wearing my battle heels at the award’s evening. (Just joking. Heels + me + public events = disaster waiting to happen).

Read the shortlist announcement here. The winners will be announced in June.

Hold thumbs for me, guys!

What D&D can teach you about character building

I have been playing Dungeons & Dungeons (D&D) for about two years now – not that long compared to some players, but long enough to know the ins and outs (and get the jokes).



I love it. I love spending hours in a character’s head, deeply engaged in strategy and gameplay. I love the camaraderie and the banter. A campaign can take hours, but it’s so much fun, you hardly even notice the sky outside change colour.

Before each new campaign, players have to select a character and fill out their character sheet. Those characters become the campaign party that plays out the game set out by the dungeon master (DM).

Decisions and outcomes of battles are made through the medium of dice, but ultimately, it’s the DM who has the final say.

I have created my own campaign, which I look forward to testing out on my group, but for the purpose of this blog, I want to talk about character building.

There is a lot that writers can learn about character building from D&D and adapt to their own character sketches.

Personally, I prefer not to start a new book until I have a fairly good idea of who my characters are. I keep notebooks full of information, including their appearance, likes, dislikes, worldviews, etc. The D&D character sheet is a perfect cheat sheet to adapt for this purpose.

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Basic information

On top of the character sheet, you will see entries for name, class, level, race, background, experience points and alignment. If you’re not writing an epic fantasy about a wood elf, simply swop these out for contemporary fields like age, personality type, rank at school, etc. I think the alignment field is the perfect fit for young adults. (Chaotic evil – yass!)

Stats

The stats column on the left-hand side is a fun way to determine how your character’s mind works. Fill out the figures to assign intelligence, strength, wisdom, charisma, etc. This works especially well for books with multiple characters, as it can help you frame their interactions with each other.

Proficiencies and languages

What is your character good at? What languages do they speak? You can even add their hobbies, after-school activities, favourite foods and shows to help you create a well-rounded human being (or vampire if that’s your genre).

Armor class and hit points

The middle column on the character sheet helps players calculate attack and damage scores in-game, so unless you’re writing about a Viking horde or a friendly neighbourhood superhero, I wouldn’t worry too much about these fields. But if they do apply to your story – great!

Equipment

Here you can note down anything your character tends to carry with them. So while your protagonist might not carry a longbow at all times, they might have a backpack, handbag, lucky pen, or even a utility knife.

You can also use this slot to describe their home, their room, the type of clothes they like to wear. This sort of detail translates super well when building your character on the page.

Personality traits

What type of person are they? Brave, always up for a fight, argumentative, easily-spooked, easily embarrassed? A character’s personality determines how they engage with other characters and influences their decisions. By knowing your character’s mind, you will know how they react, feel, and ultimately change.

Ideals, bonds and flaws

What does your character really care about? What are they passionate about? Who or what are they fiercely protective of? What is it they want and what is the one flaw that stands in their way of achieving it?

Features and traits

Here is where you can go into detail about their appearance and mannerisms. Every YA character ever written has bitten their lip or rolled their eyes at least once. Here is your opportunity to list the distinct ways your character reacts to things. How do they speak? Loud, rushed, in a whisper? How tall are they in relation to their friends? Every detail contributes to the bigger picture.

Background

Every character has a backstory. Where did their family originate from? What tragedy happened in the past that changed their circumstances? Who are their parents, friends, teachers? Where do they go to school? What is happening in their world that frames their day-to-day life? Not every detail will make it into your book, but it helps you get to know your character and understand their world better. Knowing every aspect of your character’s world makes mapping it out for your reader so much easier.

Levelling up

In D&D, when your character gains a level, they unlock new abilities and achievements. While the same might not be true in your contemporary young adult novel, your character will have at least undergone some sort of change by the end of it. What did they learn? How did they grow? What fundamental part of their personality changed between the first and last page?

The D&D character sheet is designed to help players put together a well-rounded character quickly, but it can be a wonderful tool for writers too. There is so much information you can include on this single piece of paper!

You can download your free D&D character sheet here. Try it!

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Sadly, this blog was not sponsored by Pizza Hut.

Where to go on a date in Cape Town

When I write stories set in Cape Town, I love painting a picture for readers who may not be familiar with the city – the blanket of cloud sweeping down Table Mountain, the paragliders slowly descending in circles around Lion’s Head, the graffiti-covered trains snaking into town.

Cape Town is the best place to go on a date, even fictional ones. Like the secret bridge at the end of the Kirstenbosch Gardens Braille Trail, where Jenna and Robert make out in Dark Poppy’s Demise, or the little sushi restaurant in Mowbray where V and James share a rare, happy moment in Sharp Edges.

The characters in Mine fall in love along the Century City walking trails, and spend time together at scenic spots like Kalk Bay harbour and Rhodes Memorial.

As for real life dates, here are some of the places where the little cartoon hearts have floated out of my own head.

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My Favourite Date Night Dinners

Chef’s Warehouse

A tad on the pricy side, but there is nothing more romantic and intimate than this ever-changing sharing menu. I love the attention to detail, the amazing flavours and the beautiful presentation of the bite-sized tapas. There is also something incredibly cute about running down Bree Street together and making sure the other person doesn’t get run over as you rush to secure a seat after work. (The restaurant does not take bookings.)

El Burro Taqueria

Resembling a set from a Wes Anderson movie, the pastel decor and sunny corner location make this a sweet little spot for a quick after work cocktail. And the ceviche is great.

Royale Eatery

An American diner-inspired eatery with big burgers and even bigger milkshakes served in iconic silver shakers. We usually reserve this romantic hotspot in Long Street for special celebrations like month-aversaries or the time we got to meet Raymond E Feist on his Cape Town tour.

The courtyard between Clarkes and Hail Pizza

I’m not sure whether it’s a Cape Town secret or not, but if you choose a table in the leafy courtyard between Clarkes Diner and Hail Pizza you get to order from both menus. Clarkes is my absolutely favourite date night spot. We are burger people and the juicy medium rare patties between flaky pastry buns are to-die-for. Plus, they have a great two-for-one special on Tuesday nights.

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Sushi

My favourite sushi joint will always be Hamachi in Kenilworth, with Willoughby & Co at the V&A Waterfront and Sushi Box in Newlands coming in second and third respectively. But for dates, nothing beats Active Sushi in Bree Street with their white paper tablecloths you are welcome to scribble on and cozy, plush seating. For a quick lunchtime rendezvous, the colourful Bento boxes at Obi get my vote.

The Creamery 

Another sweet pastel spot perfect for a quick date is The Creamery, which specialises in delicious artisan ice cream. The flavour of the month changes monthly, so look out for daring flavours like matcha green tea, peach crumble, birthday cake and red fig.  It’s that ‘fancy artisan place’ Kayla refers to in Mine. Shh.

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The Best Dates Ever

The Grand Daddy Rooftop

One rainy evening last year, the Wild Child and I raced down the wet streets and took the tiny clunky lift to the roof of the Grand Daddy Hotel in Long Street to watch an old movie under the stars. It was cold, so the staff supplied blankets we could snuggle under and complimentary hot chocolates to sip on. That night we had the whole roof to ourselves. Sadly, I’m not sure if the Pink Flamingo rooftop cinema is around anymore, but the rooftop bar is still going.

Galileo Open Air Cinema

This travelling inflatable cinema ends up at some of Cape Town’s most beautiful venues including Kirstenbosch Gardens and the V&A Waterfront. My favourite location is the Vergenoegd Wine Estate in Somerset West (home of the famous duck run). It’s such a peaceful place, with old Dutch homesteads and a placid lake creating the perfect setting to await the sunset with a picnic. Their wine is great too. I bought tickets for both The Neverending Story and Murder on the Orient Express and both evenings were equally memorable.

Theatre on the Bay

With apologies to The Fugard, The Theatre on the Bay is my favourite theatre in Cape Town. With its stunning Camps Bay sea view and intimate seating, it’s a great evening out and something fun to dust off the high heels for. We went to see The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie’s legendary West End play. Naturally, I threw on my vintage 1940s inspired dress for the occasion. Other than accidentally booking seats in the front row, it was perfect.

Dinner at the Aquarium

So, it turns out the Two Oceans Aquarium hosts a Valentine’s Day dinner every year. In other words, they close the aquarium for the evening and sell only a select number of tickets for an exclusive dinner around the exhibits. I was lucky to secure tickets before the event was sold out. Our picnic blanket was set up right in front of the predator exhibit, which served as our private entertainment for the evening. Dinner was a delicious basket of breads, cheeses, salads, sustainable fish and other treats. At the end of the evening, we had the whole aquarium to ourselves, and I can tell you that wandering through the jellyfish exhibit at night is beyond magical.

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Pokémon hunting

I love Pokémon Go. So does my partner. Our favourite thing to do on a free weekend is to take a drive along the Whale Coast taking over gyms and catching water Pokémon before stopping for fish and chips at the beach. I also love making the most of Community Days and roping in a few friends to participate in raids. The best venues for Community Days are Kirstenbosch Gardens, Sea Point Promenade and Green Point Urban Park. It’s amazing who you run into while you race from Pokéstop to Pokéstop.

Kirstenbosch Summer Concerts

Picture the scene: a picnic blanket and snacks, your favourite local band performing a few meters away and a magnificent mountainous backdrop. The concert series at the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens is synonymous with summer and entry to the beautiful gardens is free with your ticket.

Babylonstoren (worth the drive)

The sprawling gardens are an idyllic setting for a quiet walk or having a farm-to-table brunch near the glass conservatory. It’s my favourite place to get lost in. The gardens change seasonally, so there’s always something new to see. And there’s a giant tortoise in there somewhere too.

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Where are your favourite places to go on a date?

The Outcast Hours in LEGO

This is not a review of The Outcast Hours. Well, not really.

I have a story in the collection, which makes it hard as a blogger and reviewer, because I really, really, really want to tell you all about these stories, but then I would be reviewing something I’m involved in, which would be weird.

So instead, I made LEGO stories of my favourite pieces from the anthology. No conflict of interest whatsoever.

This Book Will Find You by Lauren Beukes, Dale Halvorsen and Sam Beckbessinger

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Ambulance Service by Sami Shah

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Blind Eye by Frances Hardinge

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Bag Man by Lavie Tidhar

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Gatsby by Maha Khan Phillips

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Swipe Left by Daniel Polansky

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Not Just Ivy by Celeste Baker

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Above the Light by Jesse Bullington

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Welcome to the Haunted House by Yukimi Ogawa

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See? I didn’t give anything away.  Now you’re safe to go discover these stories for yourself.

I will say one thing though.

I love short stories. I love how things can go from bad to worse to the very extreme that an author’s imagination can go. And these little snapshots of what goes on during the ungodly hours do exactly that – they up the ante to the next level, going that much further than you thought was possible.

You think Matt in Daniel Polansky’s story Swipe Left is having a bad date. You have no idea how much worse it’s going to get.

Find it on Goodreads. 

 

 

Win a copy of The Outcast Hours

The Outcast Hours, a brand-new anthology edited by Jared Shurin and Mahvesh Murad, officially releases worldwide this week. (Jared and Mahvesh are the dynamic duo behind the highly acclaimed The Djinn Falls in Love and Other Stories. Read my review here.)

From Cape Town to Karachi, The Outcast Hours features short stories by a diverse lineup of authors from across the globe. What ties them together is the theme of night.

Everyone knows that nighttime is when the bad guys come out, when the shadows deepen our fears, and when a sudden sound can make our hearts thunder in our chests.

This anthology explores those stories. The bad guys, the monsters, the events that take place when most of the world is fast asleep. It’s a collection designed to make your imagination run wild.

I am so thrilled to be part of this collection. My short story, aptly titled The Collector, introduces a man who feels out of touch with the world, and who can only find peace under the neon lights at night.

It’s a little retro, it’s very dark and like most of my stories, it blows a kiss to my favourite city in the entire world – Cape Town.

The Outcast Hours features stories by China Miéville, Frances Hardinge, Lavie Tidhar, Will Hill and fellow South Africans S.L. Grey, Lauren Beukes, Dale Halvorsen and Sam Beckbessinger among others.

The reviews so far have been great. I couldn’t believe it when SFX Magazine gave my story a special mention in their review.

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This was my reaction:

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Win a copy of The Outcast Hours

To celebrate the worldwide release, I am giving away a copy of this brilliant collection. To enter, simply pop me a mail with the message THE OUTCAST HOURS GIVEAWAY.

If you’re the lucky winner I’ll get in touch via email to arrange delivery.

Competition closes Friday, 1 March 2019.

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The importance of place in storytelling

I’m currently binge-watching Broadchurch on Netflix, a murder mystery set in an English coastal town. I love moody, atmospheric mysteries, and this one got me thinking about a story I once wrote that takes place in a similar setting.

As a South African growing up in the nineties, I was raised on a diet of Poirot and Midsomer Murders on SABC3. My love of the good old-fashioned English whodunnit evolved into a lifelong passion for anything remotely Agatha Christie-related. It was only natural that once I discovered a love of writing that I would attempt a whodunnit of my own. The quaint English village with its old stone vicarage and wild bramble lanes seemed an obvious setting.

But setting a novel in another country involves a fair amount of research. There is a lot of detail that needs to be taken into consideration, like the weather, seasons, flora, accents, currency and of course all the different police ranks, which are completely different to their South African counterparts. And once you’ve navigated your way around the sergeants, inspectors and chief inspectors, you have to wrap your head around the police procedures.

I wanted to set my story in southern England, which meant flying to the UK and hiring a car to explore the area – twice. It was a lot of fun, but expensive. (I always tell my writing students that you can’t write from the perspective of a night nurse until you’ve gone and seen exactly what a night nurse actually does.)

Don’t get me wrong, research is a thoroughly satisfying exercise, in the same way that getting all the little details right in a piece of historical fiction makes all the trouble worthwhile. (There’s quite a lot of satisfaction in knowing that heels were only added to Victorian women’s lace-up boots after 1861.)

But as I settled back to enjoy episode five of Broadchurch, it struck me that part of the reason I was enjoying the series so much was because it was so quintessentially English (the vicarage, the windswept cliffs, the old-timey inn etc). It made me feel like I was there. Just like Luther’s London reminded me of my own gloomy holiday to the city a few years ago.

Authenticity of place is so important in storytelling. Half the joy of reading a book set in a country you’ve never visited is the feeling of immersing yourself somewhere new. You can stroll through the sunny streets of Paris, the rainy forests of Forks or the colourful markets of Morocco. You can even explore the pyramids of Giza.

And say what you want about Dan Brown, Angels and Demons is better than any guidebook about Rome.

Writers draw you in through your senses. In The Map of Salt and Stars, author Jennifer Zeynab Joukhadar shares the tastes and smells of Syria to deepen her readers’ experience of the story. When Nour savour’s her mother’s aromatic lamb I found my mouth watering too.

Cape Town has always been a character in itself in my books. As a writer, I can’t help but include some of my favourite aspects of my home in my stories. It grounds a book and adds a sense of familiarity for local readers. But now I wonder how non-South African readers must experience them.

And suddenly the idea of place and setting seem all the more important.

It must be wonderful to discover Cape Town for the first time between the pages of a book – the way the mountains hug the city, protecting it from the sea. How lovely it must be to explore the Bo Kaap, marvelling at the brightly-coloured homes and cobbles peeking out the pavement as the sound of the call to prayer heralds the evening.

The Mother City is truly a feast for the senses.

Every morning the smell of the sea is a sharp reminder that you are in one of the busiest ports in Africa, known hundreds of years ago as the Shipwreck Coast and the Cape of Storms. No matter where you are, the sight of Table Mountain with its white tablecloth is the only point of direction you need. And even after living here my whole life, I still get a fright from the daily boom of the noonday gun being fired from Signal Hill.

It was my love of the English countryside that once inspired me to choose that setting for a murder mystery. And that love was inspired by the beautiful work of writers who have called England home. Cape Town is my home, and its one of the most magical places in the whole world. I want to invite readers to experience my city. I want to show them streets and places they’ve never seen and describe all the lush details that make this place so special.

Researching new places is fun, but how wonderful – what an absolute privilege – it is to write about your own country.

I’m almost jealous of the readers that get to experience South Africa for the first time through books.

 

 

 

Mine: a year since publication

It struck me this week that I never posted a blog reflecting on the year that was. I wrote about my favourite reads from the past year, but nothing that touched on my personal highlights from 2018. Yes, it’s February already, but the timing couldn’t be more perfect.

For me, 2018 was dominated by the publication of my fifth book – Mine – a teenage love story set in Cape Town, published exactly a year ago, just in time for Valentine’s day.

Mine tells the story of Fin and Kayla, and traces how they met and the romance that blooms after.

It’s a rollercoaster of a love story and it’s been a rollercoaster of a ride.

Thanks in part to the beautifully illustrated cover by Cape Town artist Astrid Blumer, news of the book’s publication was picked up by Bleeding Cool and then other sites followed.

There were launches at The Company’s Garden and The Book Lounge, followed by a host of kind reviews by even kinder reviewers in the national newspapers as well as the glossies (although my debut spread in the Fair Lady was overshadowed by a camera-loving squirrel!)

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Here are some snippets from my favourite reviews:

One of SA’s best voices in teen and young adult fiction, Sally delivers another stellar and heartbreaking book which kept me reading well into the wee hours of the morning. It’s not an easy read, but it’s an important one. Women24, May 2018

Mine is real. The characters you can see in the faces of that kid in the back row at school, in the sad glance across an office cubicle, in the overheard conversation in the queue and in the douche nozzle that feeds you that line at a club – Mine is real broken people, trying to find redemption in love. In other words, a perfect read for someone wanting more than just the typical YA novel. From the Library Floor 

I will just say that this book should be an essential part of any YA selection in libraries or in private ownership! Buy it, read it and share it – you will, laugh, you will cry, you will get angry and at the end you will say “Jesus I did not see that coming!” (well that is what I said anyway), I am still not over it – thanks Sally! Mine is a beautiful, broken love story that will remain with you long after you have finished reading. Teen Librarian 

Be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions as Sally Partridge brings you her best work yet. Marie Claire, April 2018

Mine is exceptional, from the fast-paced plot, evocative landscape and haunting characters to the awesome cover art by illustrator Astrid Blumer. The Sunday Times, March 2018

Mine will appeal to anyone who has dared to defy his or her one’s own demons for love. Partridge is an acclaimed novelist and short story writer. Three out of her previous novels published locally were awarded the prestigious M.E.R. Prize for Best Youth Novel. The fifth one appeared only in German translation. She has been recognised by IBBY International for her young adult fiction. Mine is her best work to date. Cape Times, March 2018

Through Fin and Kayla, Partridge explores serious issues that are often ignored, such as ‘player’ culture, manipulation and peer pressure. And she does it in a way that’s bound to grab teens’ attention. You Magazine, April 2018

Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read and review my book. And thank you to all the amazing local bookstagrammers for their incredible pictures on Instagram. It made it real to me that there were actually people out there reading my book – and liking it!

As part of the publicity tour, I travelled to Joburg for a couple of school visits as well as the Kingsmead Book Fair and was invited to participate in literary events in Knysna, Franschhoek and Cape Town – including the Open Book Festival and FanCon (where I cosplayed Rick Sanchez on my panel with Mohale Mashigo).

I met the most incredible people at every stop, especially the schools. I absolutely love speaking with learners, so for me the tour was incredibly rewarding. I made sure there were plenty of Mine bookmarks and stickers to go around and even left some at bookstores in all the places I visited.

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It was a year of highlights, but one moment that stands out was the impossible moment Mine was chosen for the Exclusive Books Homebru list, making it accessible to a whole new audience of readers.  The announcement was followed by another launch, more readings (and bookmark drops), one TV and two radio interviews. (Thanks everyone who got up extra early for my breakfast TV slot.)

I also received some of the most incredible feedback from readers.

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Having a book published and seeing it in print is a very proud moment. You made something and put it out into the world and that’s incredible. But when readers tell you how meaningful the book is to them it’s completely surreal. Thank you to every person who wrote to me or came to talk to me at events and readings. It made a very proud moment in my life even more special. I love what I do and thanks to all of you, I love it even more.

So here, finally, is my best-in-9 collage that sums up the best moments of 2018.

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Actually, one more thing happened in 2018 that I didn’t mention above. I found love. And while a year has passed and Mine will inevitably disappear from the front-of-store shelves to make room for newer books, I get to enjoy another year with my special someone and experience all new highlights.

So happy Valentine’s Day everybody. May your year ahead be filled with love and romance and cherished memories.

Here’s to love.

If you’d like to buy a copy of Mine, you can do so online from the following retailers:

Exclusive Books

Raru

Loot

Graffiti Books

Leisure Books

Takealot