Sally Partridge

Izimvo has the distinct honour of introducing award-winning author, Sally Partridge.

Sally is the author of two novels for young people. Her first, The Goblet Club, has won two literary awards in South Africa and is on the International White Raven list for Children’s literature.

Website: http://www.sapartridge.com
Blog: http://sapartridge.book.co.za/blog
Twitter: http://twitter.com/Sapartridge
Location: Cape Town

Sally was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event?  i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: I’m 27 years old, I’m the Assistant Editor of the Callsheet Newspaper (www.thecallsheet.co.za), a freelance editor of novels and the author of two novels for young people, The Goblet Club, which won the I am a Writer competition in 2007, and the MER Prize for Best Youth Novel at the Via Afrika Awards in 2008, and Fuse, published in 2009.

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I have a crush on Max du Preez.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: I like driving along long stretches of open road that seems to go nowhere, like the West Coast Road or Tulbagh. I love the idea of just getting lost and letting time slip away.

Writing in South Africa

Q: What was the inspiration for you becoming a writer?

A: I’ve been a writer for as long as I can remember. When I was a child I used to make up stories about fairies and my imaginary friends to annoy parents. Later on I wrote these down and transformed them into actual stories. It really was just only a matter of time before I completed a novel.

Q: What are your thoughts on the South African market? Is an author able to make a decent living from writing for a South African reader or is international exposure essential?

A: The market is smaller in South Africa but I think that is what is so appealing about it. You don’t necessarily make any money, but there is a far better chance of actually publishing something you produce.

Q: Can you give us an insight as to the process that you follow when writing? For example, do you work according to a schedule?

A: I let the creativity drive the process, which essentially means I write when the mood strikes me. Sometimes that can mean one project is completed sooner than another, sometimes it can mean the opposite.

Q: How would you describe your style of writing to someone who has not read one of your books?

A: My style is very simplistic, economical, and fast paced. I like my chapters to draw the reader in, keep them there and only let them go when they really can’t read any more, or when the book is finished.

Q: Which of your characters do you most relate to and what is your source of inspiration for their personalities?

A: The characters in my first two novels were all boys (a female protagonist will appear in my third) so I can’t really say I relate to any of them. They just appear, most of the time fully formed, quite suddenly. It can be the smallest thing that inspires me. Someone standing in line at McDonalds, a rusty staircase, the city skyline at twilight… I have ideas for new stories waiting in line in my head at the moment while I finish my new book. I don’t ever run out of things to write about.

Q: What advice would you offer would-be authors?

A: Just write. Don’t emulate other writers. Don’t try and re-write a book that’s already been done because it worked. Just write from the heart and if the story is strong enough someone will notice.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: I’ve had close friends been held up at gunpoint. I’ve been mugged at Cape Town Station. Crime is a way of life. You get over it and you carry on. I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else in the world. There are worst places out there.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: No. There is no other city in the world I would want to live other than Cape Town.

Q: If you had the opportunity of working for any governmental department, which would it be and what would be your first actions when taking office?

A: Cape Town Tourism looks like a fun place.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: Cape Point: It’s just devastatingly beautiful there and visitors have this strange habit of building rock towers on the beach. They all do it. It’s bizarre. Table Mountain: There are some lovely trails up there, and you can walk down into Newlands Forest and the botanical gardens.  The V&A Waterfront: Maybe they’ll buy me a beer.

Life in Cape Town

Q: What do you think is Cape Town’s number one tourist attraction?

A: The Mountain.  You can see it from any part of the city. Plus it’s just lovely. I love how the city is built all haphazardly around it, as if the whole city is framing it.

Q: Where is your favorite bookshop in or around Cape Town?

A: The Book Lounge in Roeland Street. I launched my second novel Fuse there and participated in a short story reading on Halloween. It’s all wood floors, soft couches and it’s comfortably indie.

Q: Favorite restaurant for a lazy Sunday lunch?

A: Beluga in Greenpoint. Christ I love Sushi.

General

Q: Which author do you most admire and why?

A: Stephen King. He’s made a career out of writing what he wants, all of his books have been bestsellers and about 90% have been adapted into films. Plus, I just devour them. His teenage characters: eg, Mark Petrie (Salem’s Lot), Todd Bowden (Apt Pupil), Gordie LaChance (The Body), stand out above his adult characters. In many respects I think Stephen King would have made a killer young adult writer, he just writes these characters so well.

Q: Where do you draw inspiration from for your character’s names?

A: They just come to me.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow or one of mine. Fuse dealt with the big issue of school killings and how the media and basically everyone else is mishandling these situations. It’s a huge issue right now. Just throwing it out there.

Q: Which 3 South African’s would you most like to invite to dinner and what would you serve?

A: Inge Beckmann, Max Du Preez and Gavin Hood. Copious amounts of sushi, white wine and crème brulee. Three of my favourite things.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: I think you’re on to a good thing already.

We’d like to thank Sally for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her every success for the future.