From the Darkest
Continent
By Nerine Dorman
If you’ve ever
wondered what it’s like to live in the Tavern of the Seas, or the Mother City,
as we Capetonians love to call the city of Cape Town, then it’s as easy as
picking up a copy of one of my novels. Most of my contemporary fiction is set
here, and you’ll step into a version of South Africa that you won’t see in
the tourism brochures or indeed on the Discovery Channel.
What I love about Cape
Town is that there’s a little bit of everything. Cape Dutch architecture from
the 18th century meets Victorian and Edwardian-era England or gets a
post-modern twist with contemporary trends. A walk up Long Street in the CBD
might fool one into thinking of New Orleans’s French Quarter yet the nearby winelands
will hint at Bordeaux. During winter and spring, you can watch whales along our
coast, or take the cable car up Table Mountain for awesome panoramic views. Early
spring sees our West Coast floral display cover the somewhat drab scrublands in
brilliantly hued carpets of colour.
This entire region has
so much history and beautiful sights it’s no surprise so many overseas film
companies visit the Fairest Cape to shoot. As a local I’ve gained so much
inspiration from my surroundings, I hardly feel like I *want* to look
elsewhere. But I’m grateful for my day job, which has offered me opportunities
to go on media visits that have taken me as far afield as Zambia and Ireland,
among other destinations.
My most recent
release, Inkarna, tells the story of a woman, Lizzie, who’s a member of an
ancient Egyptian reincarnation cult that has its chapter house in the far south
of the Cape Peninsula. Things get pretty interesting for characters who’re
almost impossible to kill permanently, as Lizzie finds out. Sent back to find out
what happened to her partner, she comes to not in the body she was
promised—that of a three-year-old girl—but in the body of a twenty-one-year-old
barman. What follows is a supernatural thriller as Lizzie—now Ash—tries to
puzzle out the mystery of why she’s in the wrong place, why she’s being haunted
by an angry ghost and what to do about a dangerous secret she never knew she
was supposed to keep from falling into the wrong hands.
A number of the
readers have offered glowing reports in their Amazon reviews:
“Ms. Dorman has a
wonderful hand with description. I felt as if I were familiar with Cape Town
when, in actuality, I've never set foot there. Ms. Dorman's love of South
Africa is evident on each page.” ~ Amy Burgess
“Inkarna was a great
read that was full of emotions and conflict. I loved the detail the author put
in to everything and I loved her characters. I hope there is a sequel so I can
learn more about them and everything else going on. Ms. Dorman definitely did
her job in keeping me interested.” ~ Brianna Lee Reviews
“Dorman writes
beautifully and effortlessly incorporates magic, Egyptian mysticism and an
airtight plot that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last
page. Inkarna is easily the best book I've read this year. Nerine Dorman is now
at the top of my must buy list.” ~ Melissa Ecker
Granted, this is
definitely the kind of feedback that gives me a warm, glowing feeling after so
many hours of hard work. Inkarna was definitely a “heart” story for me. The
novel came to me in a dark patch in my life that was tainted with the deaths of
two people who were very dear to me, during a time when I was battling with my
own black dog of depression.
The writing process
gave me a sense of purpose, and kept me going, and in all likelihood
contributed to me pulling through a particularly bleak period. Those who’ve
been begging for a sequel will be glad to know that book two is in the
pipelines, but to say more will be to jinx the story.
In the spirit of
Halloween, and to honour the two men who passed in 2010, I’m giving away an
ecopy of Inkarna to the first lucky reader who mails me at nerinedorman (at)
gmail (dot) com to tell me how old Ash is in the novel.
Inkarna on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Inkarna-ebook/dp/B0085R5OME/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top
Add Inkarna to your TBR pile at Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13582064-inkarna
Other than that, feel
free to stalk me on Twitter @nerinedorman or check out my website at
www.nerinedorman.weebly.com for further titles I’ve written.
Welcome, Nerine!
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