Susie's Writerly Tales

A Splash of Colour

May 24, 2021

There’s a familiar sight outside the window of my writing room: blurred by heavy rainfall, beyond the rooftops of red brick houses, trees are blowing in a blustery wind. While searching for inspiration for tomorrow evening’s open mic, I thought of May’s challenging weather, and came up with my reading: The Story of the North Wind. It’s actually an extract from my novel, The Warder (Blood Gift Chronicles 2). In the book, Suni is a storyteller, among other things, and The Story of the North Wind is a story she tells. It is a fable from the land of Shendi, the setting for my books, and with nature being the theme for tomorrow evening’s open mic, the fable fits in well.

May 7, 2021

Change is afoot as Kate and I take our first tentative steps to consider moving house. It is no mean feat after 8-ish yrs of growing lovingly attached to these four walls. But change can be good, and when it is it is worth the effort.

There is another reason for this train of thought about change: it is the central premise to the books I am reading – Octavia Butler’s Earthseed series. In my opinion the books are many things, including brilliant.

April 29, 2021

It’s been a busy few weeks, spreading word of my new release, The Warder. Last week brought me close to home, with an invite to the Curiosity Café. One of the things I love most about where I live is the feel of community, and all those marvellous individuals working tirelessly to maintain the sense of a community hub. Not to be thwarted by lockdowns, the Curiosity Café sprouted last year. A virtual meet up, with invited guests from the local community, delivering talks and giving insights into a whole host of weird and wonderful topics that occupy their lives.

April 15, 2021

It’s approaching a month since the release of The Warder, and it has been a busy, few weeks, chatting with Devon Book Club, and appearing as a guest on Sarah Ash’s blogsite. Easter weekend was spent attending a virtual SFF convention from the comfort of my writing room. Convention days go by in a flurry, with the chance to meet writers and readers, be introduced to new work, and chat through an eclectic mix of topics that exposes what a fascinating and wide-ranging genre this is. At the end we are all left tired and inspired.

March 29, 2021

March 2021 has been a busy month. Alongside the publication of my new novel, I have also been involved in an art exhibit to celebrate International Women’s Day 2021: a month-long, virtual event hosted by the Menduina Schneider Art Gallery in Los Angeles.

Click here to view my video entry.

Considering which piece to enter from my collection of acrylics on canvas, I was drawn to the African landscapes and waterscapes.

Lagoon – (Actual size 50x50cms)

Beach Life – (Actual size 50x50cms)

Trading Bays – (Actual size 50x50cms)

From my time spent living and working in the Sudan and South Africa in the late 1990s/early 2000s, thoughts of the women who were my friends, colleagues, students and teachers, are never far away. I continue to paint these thoughts, memories and experiences into African landscapes and waterscapes, colourful panoramic views to pay tribute to these women.

Women’s Work – (Actual size 100x50cms)

The following collection entitled, Perspectives, was inspired by daily life in South Africa, in particular from the perspective of hawkers and the long distances travelled to sell their wares.

Perspectives Collection

Home – (Actual size 50x50cms)

Long Walk – (Actual Size 50x50cms)

At Market – (Actual size 50x50cms)

The work also considers the connection between people and land, a connection which is increasingly lost in a complex commercial world. The following piece, Desert Life, was the piece selected for the exhibit.

Desert Life – (Actual size 120x30cms)

All of my African views seek to highlight the rich colours of Africa. In Desert Life, the colours were also inspired by the symbiotic relationship between wildlife and land, in particular between flamingos and their habitat. I think of it as a painting that celebrates communities living in close harmony with the surrounding natural world.

The gallery stated that this piece was selected for its palette:

“When you think about the desert, you imagine something barren. You don’t imagine something this beautiful. It is filled with colours. Why? It could be the desert or it could be the life spent by yourself, filled with memories, with dreams, with different roads you have taken, and the ones still waiting for you. Are those trees and water there, or are they in the imagination of the woman that is carrying a basket? Are these her friends? The fact that Susie has travelled to these places, the insight she has, the work is tender and poignant.”

To view the live gallery video, click here.

To view more art on my instagram page, click here.

The Warder: A Sequel is Born

March 22, 2021

***News flash*** The Warder is here!!!

It is Monday morning following a busy few days. There’s nothing quite like answering a knock at the door, to find a box of long-awaited books. Needless to say, I am as pleased as punch!

Like its predecessor, The Warder has been a labour of love, with the writing, editing, thinking process spanning almost 10 years. I’m thrilled with the end result, and to see Books 1 and 2 proudly standing side by side

Available to buy from: Stairwell Books, Waterstones, Book Depository or Amazon

For anyone just joining us, The Warder is Book 2 in my fantasy series, Blood Gift Chronicles. It is the sequel to Return of the Mantra, though can also be read as a standalone. For a reminder of Return of the Mantra, click here for a full review.

(NB: Return of the Mantra is now also available on Kindle)

The Warder is told by three characters, who each have unique gifts that connect them to the land and each other. Suni and Wanda are back, ten years on, and are joined by Luna, a troubled girl. As each grapples to comprehend the gifts and curses that bind them, a new world is introduced…

Expect character-driven, fantasy adventure, with themes of wildlife and the environment, animism, magic, dragons and being true to oneself.

Blurb

What would you sacrifice for the ones you love? In a land of gifts and curses, is anything what it seems to be?

The King has been defeated and the spirit of the Mantra has been restored, Suni has been reunited with her father and all is – not quite right.

Wanda and his cousin Luna are living in the valley beyond the mountains: Luna is possessed and dreams of dragons while Wanda, gifted with the ability to communicate with animals, struggles with the curse of Orag. Ntombi blames Wanda for her daughter Luna’s condition.

Meanwhile, in the town by the sea, Suni fears for Wanda, and watches over him using her gift for dreamwalking. Many, including Suni’s father, suffer from a strange affliction and the townspeople are blaming the Mantra.

Then strangers arrive from the sea bringing hope for the town: but in this land of gifts and curses, is anything what it seems to be?

***

Of course, it’s a strange time to be publishing new work: with lockdowns we are missing the celebrations, and I look forward to a time when we can get out and about again. Thanks to everyone who has supported me this far on my writing journey: all those who follow me on social media, who take the time to offer words of encouragement, who read, buy, lend, review, share my work. I hope you enjoy. And particularly in light of the ups and downs over the last few years: despite everything I kept The Warder firmly in my sights, and thank those who stayed by my side.

Not forgetting Mia the cat. Last week was her eleventh birthday. She joined me on my writing journey as a kitten, and would like you to know she takes full credit.