Dark Poppy’s Demise by S.A Partridge

Reviewed by Bobby

What the books about:
Jenna often feels like those around her don’t “get her”. She is a perfect product of a broken home, with a father who would rather be at work than with his children and a younger brother who she can only just bear to be around. Besides that, she has a best friend who is her polar opposite and is hopelessly in love with a boy who just started dating the school’s It girl. The only place Jenna really feels like she belongs is online, where she goes by the name of Dark_Poppy. Jenna receives a Facebook invitation by a rather gorgeous stranger called Robert Rose who seems to be completely into her. Jenna quickly falls head over heels for this mysterious boy but things go horribly wrong and she learns the hard way that people are not always what they seem, especially not people you met on the internet.

What I thought:
I was transported back to teenagerdom from page one of this book. Jenna is like so many young girls who spend time obsessing over things that seem to matter so much during adolescence and who just want to belong and be loved, I definitely recognised my teenage self in some of her behaviours. She is also the perfect example of what might happen when a child is allowed unsupervised internet access, something which I’m vehemently against. I think this is a must-read for any young adult girl as the lesson that can be learnt from this book is definitely an invaluable one.

Author interview: Sally Partridge

Sally Partridge may still be young -  but she has already had three of her young adult fiction novels published, won awards for her writing and was recently named one of the Mail & Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans for 2011. As if thats not enough, she finds time to contribute to various publications and is currently the editor of  The Event Newspaper.
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 This week I got to ask this talented writer a few questions.... 

Your latest novel, Dark Poppy's Demise, has just been released in South Africa. Can you tell me a bit about it?

Dark Poppy’s Demise is my third published novel for teen readers. Sixteen year old Jenna Brooks is your average teen trying to get through high school without making too many waves, crushing after the class hunk, and living vicariously through her best friend’s love life. When Jenna meets a guy online she believes her greatest wish has finally come true: to be loved. But anyone who’s read my previous two novels will know that I don’t do happily ever after and terrible things tend to happen to my characters. Long story short: meeting strangers online is a bad idea. Full stop.

How long did it take you to write this book?

This book took an inordinately long time. After I had finished it in third person I then decided to re-write the entire thing in first person. I’d say it took me about six to eight months before I finally let go.

What mainly inspires and influences your writing?

Anything and everything. Here’s a list: Karen Russell’s short stories, Winter, Overcast days, The White Stripes, The smell of second hand books, Chapman’s Peak, The little streets in Noordhoek that abound with gnarled trees, Ivy covered houses, De Waal Drive at twilight, The ocean, Mountain drives, The X-Men cartoon series, Roman Polanski movies, Tom Waits, Abandoned houses, Dub step (don’t ask me why), The TV series 'Skins', Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Are your characters ever based on people you actually know?

I always joke that Principle Crabtree from The Goblet Club was based on my own high school principle who used to make us sing hymns over and over again until he was satisfied but usually I stay clear of basing characters on people I know. That said I can safely say that Jenna in Dark Poppy’s Demise has a little bit of me in her.

Have you already started work on your next novel?

I’m generally busy with at least two projects at any given time, but its not like I slave away day and night writing novels. I have a full time job so what generally happens is I’ll lie in bed jotting down thoughts in a notebook or if I have a spare Saturday I’ll write a few chapters. I do have a completed manuscript waiting in the works so hopefully something will happen with that.

So far all your books have been young adult fiction, would you ever write in another genre?

I never set out to write for the youth. I enjoy writing about young people. They tend to experience life on a much grander scale than the rest of us. (Plus I enjoy doing terrible things to them ala Christopher Pike) I wouldn't want to change.

Who is your favourite author?

I have several authors that I really enjoy. Growing up I devoured anything and everything by K.A. Applegate, Christopher Pike and R.L. Stine. I thoroughly enjoyed the Twilight and Harry Potter series (even though by that stage I was well into my adulthood). I also read a lot of South African fiction.

Do you have any advice for writers who are struggling to finish their first novel?

Just finish it. When you get halfway you’ll probably start to lose interest and write less and less. Push through that. It’ll be worth it at the end when you have a completed manuscript.

Where can people buy your books?

Exclusive Books, Wordsworths, Kalahari, Loot.
 
Thanks, Sally.
 

You can follow Sally on Twitter @Sapartridge

and can visit her blog here

Review: Murder is as easy as clockwork

A review by Sally Partridge (writer)

Margie Orford's Like Clockwork is a gritty crime novel set in the Cape Town most tourists don't get to see: the underground.

A serial killer is murdering young girls and arranging their bodies publicly in grotesque poses meant to shock. The police call on the expertise of part-time profiler and journalist Dr Clare Hart, but she's already way ahead of them, and is about to crack the lid on a human trafficking ring that could be the answer to the whole mystery.

 The book is structured like a cat and mouse chase, with Clare and her on-again-off-again squeeze Captain Riedwaan Faizal racing after a killer before he murders someone else. There's a also a juicy back story between the pair that's hinted at throughout the novel, as well as Clare's own mysterious past that is inextricably linked to the case. Ms Orford is a terrible tease. These tasty titbits are designed to make the reader reach for the next in the series to find out more.

The book delivers a glimpse into the inner workings of the local sex trade which is nothing like the glitzy billboards you see on national roads. Even the V&A Waterfront is shown to have a shady side, and whether its fact or fiction is anyone’s guess. It also offers a unique insight on the challenges faced by the South African police force on a daily basis which I’m sure will challenge many preconceptions.

Like Clockwork is definitely recommended as a holiday guilty-pleasure read, especially if you're in Cape Town and want to read more about the places you're seeing, whether a murder took place there or not.

Five reasons to read Margie Orford

1. She's South Africa's queen of crime
Margie Orford is something of a legend. She's a Cape Town local cum crime writer extraordinaire with international book deals coming out of her ears. She's also fabulous, never attending a function without dressing the part.

2. It’s not overly gratuitous
Any fan of crime novels will know that serial killers do some nasty things to their female victims. Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is testament to this fact. Orford's murders are just as violent, but they're not as grisly as the more established crime novels out there, which read like they’re extensions of the movie Saw.

3. Its like a tour of Cape Town
Like Clockwork is set in Cape Town and if you look past all the crime scenes and gangsters, there's some lovely descriptions of the Mother City. Look out for the V&A Waterfront, Sea Point Promenade and even Century City.

4. Because chicks rule
Dr Clare Hart is an awesome. She's a tough-as-nails hardened journalist and criminal profiler, but she's also sexy. She keeps her body toned with morning runs and never hesitates to show it off when the rugged Riedwaan is around.

5. It's the first of three
If you hate that depressed slump that comes after finishing a good book, fear not. Like Clockwork is only the first in a series of crime novels featuring Dr Clare Hart. When you're done with this one, get straight into Blood Rose and then Daddy's Girl.