Sally Partridge's Blog, page 9

A birthday to remember in Hermanus

The last few weeks have been fairly anxious ones with big changes causing all sorts of disarray in my life. My birthday fell smack-bang in the middle of it all and I was really worried the occasion was going to be undone by stress.

Thankfully, past-Sally seemed to anticipate a weekend of self-care was going to be sorely needed by future me and planned something very special.

Which is how the Wild Child and I ended up at The Marine this past weekend.

Anyone who has read my blog knows my obsession with Agatha Christie. Stepping over the threshold of The Marine is like walking into the pages of a Poirot mystery. The white-washed hotel is set on a plunging cliff overlooking the sea. It was easy to imagine the fictional Belgian detective strolling across the lawns exercising his little grey cells, the waves crashing below.

I was immediately struck by a sense of timelessness. From the monochromatic tiled floors and huge arched windows overlooking the ocean, to the comforting creak of the wooden floor under the carpet, every detail evoked a sense of old world charm and elegance.

Full disclosure: Hermanus isn’t exactly overflowing with reasonably priced accommodation, especially during whale season. So instead of trying to find sea view accommodation for two nights that wouldn’t obliterate our savings, we decided to splurge on one night somewhere really nice that offered a special winter rate. This turned out to be the best decision ever.

As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by whales in the bay. Past-Sally had cleverly made a reservation at Bientang’s Cave, a restaurant tucked inside an ancient sea cave. Our table was right on the rocks, where just steps away, two juvenile Southern Right whales frolicked in the shallows.

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After lunch, we decided to head down the cliff path to check out The Marine’s tidal pool, which was teeming with urchins and anemones and other pretty things. Then we braved the winter sun and spent the rest of the afternoon in the hotel’s solar heated pool.

While we were away, the staff left some birthday treats in the room as well as a very generous voucher we could use to upgrade our room, book a spa treatment or redeem at Origins restaurant. We decided to have dinner at Origins, which was the right choice as our seafood dishes were absolutely delicious.

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The old-fashioned feel, spectacular cliff-top location, and warm hospitality were exactly what I needed to restore my spirits. The whales were there to see us off, and we hung around to enjoy a delicious gelato as the majestic creatures breached in the sunlight.

It was a very good birthday.

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Some more pics from our stay:

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Last few weeks to order the Ultimate SA YA Book Box

To celebrate my birthday and the six-month anniversary of Mine being on the shelves, I’ve put together a curated collection of South African YA books.



Introducing the Ultimate SA YA Book Box, a celebration of local youth fiction, with all proceeds going to charity.

Some Twitter friends who have supported the cause have already shared the contents online.

 

So what’s inside?

A generous selection of recently published South African YA books from NB Publishers and Cover2Cover books (including signed copies of Mine and Fuse)
Treats to enjoy while you read from brands like Nomu
Some of my absolute favourite things, including LEGO, a book bag and stickers!

Only ten boxes are available so order yours now to avoid disappointment. The price is R400 including postage or delivery if you’re in Cape Town.

The proceeds of the boxes will go to Nazareth House, a home of compassion run by the sisters of Nazareth. The sisters provide both short and long-term care to disabled orphans, orphans affected by Aids and vulnerable children. Incredibly, the sisters also care for the elderly and frail.

Order yours now.

All unsold boxes will be donated to the kids at Nazareth House.

LEGO book review: Shadow Chasers

I was lucky enough to get all three books in Bontle Senne’s Shadow Chasers series recently, so armed with snacks and a more than willing cat companion, I got stuck in over the weekend. It’s what I call self-care, Sally style.

I’ve known Bontle for years and was super excited when I heard her first book for young readers was being published. Now book three is out with number four on the way and they’re winning fans countrywide. (I know this firsthand – while I was waiting for my talk to begin at the Kingsmead Book Fair this year, I had to help a boy desperately looking for the Shadow Chasers venue.)

To say I was hooked would be a complete understatement. I devoured them.

In book one, Powers of the Knife, we meet Nom and Zithembe, two seemingly ordinary kids who suddenly find their world threatened by strange creatures with glowing eyes. I absolutely loved Nom. Not even her father’s wealth and reputation as a taxi boss can protect her from the bullies at school, but Nom doesn’t let that affect her fighting spirit in the slightest. Besides, she and Zithembe have much more important business to take care of.

To save their loved ones, Nom and Zithembe have to accept their ancestral duty as Shadow Chasers, the world’s only defense against an army of shadows. It’s a fast-paced, thrill a minute.

In book two, Lake of Memories, we’re plunged deeper into the world of the Shadow Chasers and encounter more characters and frightening beasties, including the fearsome Mami Wata and her watery allies.

The fun doesn’t stop there. Book three introduces even more danger in the form of a crafty witch and Ndadzi, the lightning bird. I just couldn’t get enough and raced through the pages till there was simply no more adventure to be had and I didn’t know what to do with myself. Thankfully, book four, Night of the Red Moon, hits shelves in December.

These South African urban fantasy books are perfect for younger readers. They’re action-packed and bursting with adventure and local flavour. They’re guaranteed to capture the imagination of younger readers. I only wish I could have read these when I was a kid.

Even the cat approves.

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LEGO book review: King of Ashes

Firstly, let me just say this is a blinder of a book.

The last time I tackled a major fantasy saga was in my teens, so I was quite excited to get stuck into this one. I was sent a copy of this beast to read in preparation for my Q&A with Raymond E Feist at his Exclusive Books launch in Cape Town. (Thank you Jonathan Ball!)

It was a huge honour for me, and after reading the book I had plenty of questions. (I literally finished it in two days it was so good!)

King of Ashes is the first book in the Firemane saga, a brand-new series that has nothing to do with the Riftwar saga at all. Naturally I wanted to know all about this new world called Garn and its twin continents of North and South Tembria.

At the Exclusive Books event Raymond explained that the inspiration for his rival kingdoms was 15th century Florence when the Medici and Borgia were in power, while the Hidden Kingdom was based on 17th Century Japan. But mostly, he says, he ‘made it up as he went along.’

As soon as you open the book you’re plunged into the War of the Five Kingdoms and the great betrayal of King Langene, which results in the execution of his whole family. But unbeknownst to the evil King of Sandura, a baby survived the bloodshed – the heir to the Firemane throne.

Dun, dun, duuuuuun.

We then fast forward to the future to see how this heir is doing. The orphaned Hatu is being raised on the island of Coaltachin, also known as the Hidden Kingdom. He is being trained by an ancient order of assassins and has no idea of his royal heritage. His best friends are Hava and Donte, and the three get up to all sorts of mischief on their missions. (Plenty of action takes place on the high seas, which I loved.)

We also follow another orphan named Declan who has just earned the title of Master Swordsmith. After his village is attacked by Slavers, Declan and his apprentice go off in search of greener pastures.

Both Hatu and Declan’s paths lead them towards the same destination, setting the scene nicely for book two to carry on. Raymond revealed it will be called Queen of Storms and will focus a lot more on Hava (and her piratey aspirations).

King of Ashes serves as an introduction to this new world, its politics and its players. But there is also a sense of pieces being moved into place, like a giant chess game. The author masterfully builds up the intrigue and suspense, so the reader is left feeling like something enormous is about to happen.

Dun, dun, duuuuuun.

It’s a thoroughly entertaining journey with as much action crammed into the five-hundred and twelve pages as possible- sword fights, hand to hand combat, ship chases, sea monsters, secret plots and ancient curses.

It was an absolute dream come true to chat to the author about this must-read in person. He also took the time to give me some invaluable advice about my career, which was a defining moment for me as a writer.

Just wow.

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Mine update: five months since publication

My fifth novel, Mine, has been on the shelves for five months exactly (it was published to coincide with Valentine’s Day.) It’s a love story set in Cape Town, but I was totally unprepared for how much love it has received from readers.

The first few months were a whirlwind of activity. I’ve been trying to keep track of everything on my blog, including some glossy magazine reviews, my amazing experience at FanCon and some recent festivals.

Since my last post there was a lovely review in The Big Issue, which is such a great initiative (R12.50 of the cost price goes to the vendor) a piece in Rapport and I received another shout-out on the Women 24 books page.  I was also invited to chat to radio host Pippa Hudson on Cape Talk for Youth Month.

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You can listen to a podcast of that discussion here.

I’ve been trying to visit as many bookstores as possible to drop off bookmarks designed by my brilliant friend Emma, which is how I noticed that Mine was the number five YA bestseller at Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront!

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And then, incredibly, this happened …

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Mine made the Exclusive Books HomeBru list! Which means it will be promoted in all stores nationwide for the whole month of June. (Cue Macaulay Culkin shocked face.)

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To celebrate, Exclusive Books Table Bay Mall hosted its own launch for Mine, which was such a special evening attended by some of my favourite people in the world. I was introduced by my wonderful publisher Simone and interviewed by bestie Karina (four years after I interviewed her at her own book launch – how perfect!) There were Mine cupcakes and Steri Stumpies and interestingly, quite a few people who attended had already read the book so we ended up having the most wonderful chat about how they experienced the novel.

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Hopefully the fun will continue in the coming months. You can visit my upcoming events blog for updates on forthcoming appearances.

Buy your copy now:

Exclusive Books

Raru

Loot

Graffiti Books

Leisure Books

Takealot

LEGO book reviews: Women’s Prize for Fiction

There’s a theme I’ve noticed more and more on Twitter: read more women. It’s something I’ve been consciously doing myself, which is why if you’ve been following my blog, you would have noticed outpourings of devotion to writers like Emma Cline, Mary Watson, Sophie Hannah and Karen Russell among others.



My most recent outpouring of praise was for Madeline Miller’s Circe, which was phenomenal. You can read my review here.

Recently I’ve been juggling two fantastic titles, The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock by Imogen Hermes Gowar and See What I have Done by Sarah Schmidt – the former was shortlisted for and the latter longlisted for the Women’s Prize for Fiction this year.

Both novels are exceptionally beautiful, and very, very different.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock follows the interweaving tales of working girl Angelica Neal and widowed merchant Mr Hancock, who happens to be in possession of what he believes is a fossilised mermaid.

Their fates collide when Angelica sets her sights on Mr Hancock after he lends his treasure to a house of ill refute to amuse customers.

The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock is lyrical historical fiction at its finest, and is peppered with memorable female characters trying to make a life for themselves in Georgian England.

It’s wonderfully atmospheric and visual with the mermaid theme skillfully carried through to the end. I loved the imagery of nautical London obsessed with the curious and grotesque, as well as the fine attention to detail paid to the costumes and homes of the period. It makes for a fully immersive, spellbinding read.

But while reading The Mermaid and Mrs Hancock was like being carried over a sea of words towards a past perfumed with atmosphere and magic, See What I have Done was a different experience altogether.

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A re-imagining of the Lizzie Borden murders, See What I have Done opens with Lizzie finding her father’s body cracked open, and once the police arrive, her stepmother. Both were killed by multiple blows with an axe.

The novel is feverishly told through the alternating perspectives of everyone who was in the Borden house at the time – Lizzie, her sister Emma, Bridget the maid and Benjamin, a stranger.

It’s very dark and claustrophobic, with stunted, intense prose detailing the tension in the house, making the family’s misery tangible in every scene. Lizzie has her sister in an emotional stranglehold, her stepmother believes she is being poisoned, Bridget is abused and resentful, and the father is a tyrant. This style of writing keeps the pace as taut as a string about to snap.

See What I have Done is a gothic masterpiece so expertly delivered that I couldn’t read too much in one sitting without having to go stand outside for some fresh air.

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Both novels are excellent in their own ways, and while they’re highly-readable works of fiction, they are also indicative of a movement of exceptional women’s fiction being put out into the world.

Plus I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, my all-time favourites being Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall and Susanna Clarke’s Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell. In South Africa alone there’s an abundance of recent historical fiction by female authors available. Two I’m dying to get my hands on are Softness of the Lime by Maxine Case and Under Glass by Claire Robertson.

It’s put me in the mindset to go out and find the rest of the Women’s Prize titles and more importantly, inspired me to put fingers to the keyboard myself.

As always, you can see more of my LEGO stories on Tumblr. 

How to turn a business trip into an adventure

Promotional book tours help get the word out once a book hits the shelves. They’re especially important in the first six months after publication, which is generally the period authors become adrenaline-fueled squirrels of activity.

It’s been four months since Mine was published, so I’ve been really, really busy. In the last few weeks alone, I was booked for FanCon, the Kingsmead Book Fair and the Franschhoek Literary Festival, which meant a lot of time off work, a fair amount of travelling and a lot of public speaking.

It’s hard work, but also extremely fulfilling and humbling. I’m grateful for every opportunity to discuss my work, and always give 100% when I do. I also try to make the most of every trip and see and do as much as I can.

For my mini-Johannesburg tour, my travel partner Hevette and I squeezed in as many school visits as we could. Armed with stickers, bookmarks and posters, we spent a day chatting to young readers before popping into Love Books. We then had a fabulous dinner with fellow local YA author Jayne Bauling. It was so nice spending time with Jayne and unwinding after a busy day.

The next day was all about the incredibly jam-packed Kingsmead Book Fair. It was my first time taking part in the fair, so I was surprised when my event sold out a week prior. I had a blast chatting to learners and sharing my journey with them. But most of all I loved spreading the word about Fin and Kayla and seeing the excited look on the faces of those who bought the book.

We stayed at the gorgeous Dunkeld Manor, a garden oasis of old school luxury and charm. Accommodation makes such a huge difference to these trips, and Dunkeld Manor made us feel super comfortable. From staying up late to welcome us after our flight and waking us up with steaming cappuccinos to going out of their way to organize a soap for me and asking us what pastries we wanted for breakfast the next day, our every need was catered for. The tranquil surroundings and vintage furnishings did much to create that luxurious mini-break feel.

For the Franschhoek Literary Festival, I was booked into Macaron Guest House, which is seriously lovely. The refurbished Victorian guesthouse is so so beautiful. I fell in love with the antique brass shower, despite only being able to enjoy it for two minutes due to water restrictions.

Even though I was a guest of the festival, I was seriously spoiled with delicious macaroons in the room, a hot water bottle in the bed at night and a hearty breakfast. I was so ready to tackle my events after that.

My schedule was quite busy, but Franschhoek is just too stunning to not take full advantage of. So the Wild Child and I decided to make the most of the gap between my school visits and panel by checking out some of the local restaurants and wine farms.

Our first stop was the Tuk Tuk Microbrewery, which is a relatively new eatery I’ve been dying to check out. In addition to its delightful craft brews, Tuk Tuk offers an exciting Mexican-themed menu. The pork belly tacos with pineapple were delicious.

Wine tastings at Moreson and Babylonstoren followed, with a leisurely stroll around the latter’s seasonal garden which changes every time I visit. Sadly, we didn’t have enough time to visit Noble Hill and the Cosecha restaurant, which is high on my bucket list. Next time.

Since I had already taken two days off work to attend the festival, we decided to enjoy the weekend fully and joined some friends in Kleinmond for non-stop braais, potjies and beach walks.

Working hard is important, but taking a little time to enjoy life is even more so. Instead of rushing home, we took it slow, enjoyed the scenery, slept late, laughed – our smartphones lying forgotten at the bottom of a bag.

So if you’re travelling for work, make the most of it and turn that business trip into an adventure. That way you can return to work feeling like you’ve had a holiday, and not just run a marathon.

LEGO book review: Snitch 2

Sometimes book bloggers come across books by accident. This weekend I flew up to Jo’burg for the Kingsmead Book Fair. On the flight home, my companion, who happened to be the youth books publicist for NB, had a nap, leaving an upcoming YA title poking out the magazine sleeve in front of her. It was too tempting to resist.

And that dear readers, is how I got to read Snitch 2 by Edyth Bulbring.

Snitch 2 follows on where Snitch left off. Ben Smith is happily dreaming about his girlfriend when he’s woken by his mother to say she has to rush off to deal with an emergency. Ben is then abandoned by his sister Helen, who decides to go off on her own mission, leaving Ben to fend for himself with hilarious results.

We also learn more about Ben’s relationship with his girlfriend Elizabeth and the challenges they face – including a mysterious new guy joining the school and an unfortunate incident involving an illegal pit bull ring. I don’t want to give too much of the plot away as this book is so fresh it still has that new paper smell, but like all of Edyth’s books, Snitch 2 is packed with riotously funny family antics, new characters and just loads and loads of fun.

I’m a huge fan of Edyth’s easy comedic style and this book is no different. It’s laugh out loud funny. I loved the local in-jokes and the diverse cast of characters, with Helen, Ben’s non-conformist green-haired gay sister, being my absolute favourite of them all.

I must confess that I haven’t read the first Snitch, but that didn’t affect my enjoyment of this book in the least. I’m sure this novel is quickly going to become a South African school favourite.

Snitch 2 releases at the end of May. Pre-order it at Raru.

See more of my LEGO stories on Tumblr.

LEGO book review: Circe

Mythological heroes serve many purposes. They reveal the best and worst of us, they give us something to aspire to, and they mirror our lives on a grand scale.

Most of us will know the goddess Circe from Homer’s Odyssey. The legend goes that when Odysseus arrived on her island, she transformed all of his men into pigs. Odysseus had to use every trick up his sleeve to save them, including deceiving the great witch herself.

Madeline Miller’s exquisite retelling delves deeper into the origins of this mysterious character.

Circe is an ‘other’ – she is not accepted by the other gods and is not quite godly enough to be worshipped by mortals. Like Norse mythology’s trickster god Loki, Circe was a true underdog god (undergod?)

The least favourite of Helios’s children, Circe becomes the family scapegoat after Zeus discovers the sun god’s brood of witches and is sent into exile. To add insult to injury, her parents and siblings continue to make sport of her misfortunes.

But it turns out exile is exactly what Circe needed. Being away from her family enables her to finally develop her witchy abilities.

But in this harsh world of gods and monsters, a woman can never truly be allowed to prosper and that’s where the beauty of this book truly lies. Circe discovers her true power, but her naïve faith in the goodness of others betrays her again and again. She is used by her family, by other gods, by mortals.

Circe endured. A lot.

Her suffering is something she struggles to fully articulate to her own son. The magnitude of the cruelty she has experienced seems unfathomable to him, and that in itself was a marvel. Miller’s skill has greyed the line between reality and myth and created a character so real and relatable that I want to hold this book to my chest and become its evangelist.

Circe swallowed me whole. I was reminded of Marion Bradley’s Mists of Avalon that explored the lives of the Arthurian heroines Morgaine and Guinevere and exposed the ugly reality of the female players in the heroic tales of men.

This book is everything. If you love Greek mythology, if you love beautiful writing, if you love witches (hail!), if you’ve endured… then you absolutely must read it.

See more of my LEGO stories over on my Tumblr.

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Highlights from my FanCon experience

There are some dates on my calendar that are permanently reserved for my favourite events – The Franschhoek Literary Festival, The Open Book Festival and FanCon.

I’m a huge comic book geek. Not only am I a fan and a collector, but I also review comics for Women Write About Comics.

I’ve been involved in FanCon as a moderator since the early days, when the inaugural event was such a hit the queue to get in far exceeded what the venue could handle. The following year it once again exceeded everyone’s expectations at one of the main halls of the CTICC.

This year I was asked to moderate again, but I was also, to my surprise, invited as a guest to promote my comic-book themed new novel, Mine.

FanCon is such a great convention. Its name says it all. It’s a celebration designed by and for fans, run by the great team at Reader’s Den who realized their Free Comic Book Day event was becoming a mini-con in itself. Now FanCon has become even more popular than its predecessor.

The two-day event is always huge fun. The shopping is super rewarding as you always find rare items not available anywhere else – be it a Neko Atsume wallet, Sailor Moon handbag, One Punch Man figurine, deer horns, vintage Hufflepuff scarf or Gravity Falls necklace.

Cosplaying outside of the official competition is hugely encouraged and most people arrive in costume over both days. And it really doesn’t matter if your costume is nothing more than a wig and a lab coat (like my Princess Bubblegum outfit two years ago). Anything goes.

Plus, it’s all about the comics really. This year the festival opened with pro-guests and team members invited to an Avengers Infinity War pre-screening. Going to see a Marvel movie with fellow geeks is like attending a private screening with friends all shouting “Oh!”, “OMG” and “What?” in unison. Without giving any spoilers away Infinity War was incredible. I was so happy to see Steve and Bucky reunited. And that’s all I’m going to say on that.

Back to FanCon. There’s a diverse and interesting programme of panels and live events – including the hugely popular cosplay competition – stalls selling all kinds of pop-culture and geeky merchandise (Funko had a stand this year and the queues to get in were off the charts) and an artist’s alley featuring local artists showcasing their work.

There is also a line-up of pro international guests. Last year it was Ron Marz and the Top Cow team. This year saw Yannick Paquette and artist Laura Braga grace the stage.

I was asked to interview Laura for her event. I’m a huge fan of DC Bombshells and Harley & Ivy meet Betty and Veronica. Laura’s also working on Wonder Woman and Dazzler this year. (I fell in love with Dazzler Thor in the A-Force series, so I’m really, really looking forward to this once-off. Laura hinted that it’s a new take on Dazzler that ultimately ties back to the original character – whatever that means!)

Laura is a true inspiration. She first drew the attention of Top Cow’s Ron Marz on social media and was invited to work on Witchblade. Offers from Marvel and DC soon followed. This is astonishing since she’s based on the island of Sardinia and hardly speaks any English! Her story shows just how important it is for artists to put their work out there. (This goes for writers too.)

I love Laura’s style. Her characters come across as strong, charismatic and sexy without being exploitative. I bought her limited-edition Harley Quinn print drawn exclusively for FanCon and got a stack of comics signed. (You have to take these one-in-a-lifetime opportunities by the horns!)

As a guest, I appeared on a panel with author and comic-book writer Mohale Mashigo. Mohale is funny, captivating and absolutely brilliant and I can’t wait for her upcoming short story anthology from Pan Macmillan. She’s currently writing for the popular Kwezi comic series and gunning for her own spin-off.

I did my panel in cosplay, which was completely normal considering most of the audience were in costume too. This year my character of choice was Lady Rick based on Rick & Morty’s Rick Sanchez. There are infinite Ricks, so theoretically, a Lady Rick must appear somewhere. (Sadly, my Morty couldn’t make it.)

So to sum it all up, FanCon was bigger and better this year and it’s only going to grow. I can’t wait to see what this convention has for us in store next year.

Thanks to everyone who attended my panel and bought a copy of my book. It was such an honour to be there to talk about my work.

Till next year folks.

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