FORBIDDEN ROMANCE, ROYALTY, HEROINES... FANTASY SPECTACULAR FROM SA AUTHOR!

 

For those readers seeking the thrilling trappings of an addictive romance captured within a gritty, exotic desert land rife with hidden danger and difficult choices, all bound together in a female heroine more than capable of holding her own, look no further than this soon-to-be-released debut novel by Gameedah Riffel, Lady of the Desert.

 

Lady of the Desert is the brilliantly penned debut novel of 23-year-old Gameedah Riffel. Born in Cape Town, South Africa, Gameedah is a graduate from Stellenbosch University with a BSc in Food Sciences. Presently she resides in Dubai, studying at the International Centre of Culinary Arts to receive her Diploma in Patisserie. Although food is evidently her passion, poetry was her first love and it was not very long before the talented young upstart discovered an appetite for writing, completing Lady of the Desert at just sixteen.

 

“Having always loved writing poetry, I started submitting my poems for publication when I was in my teens, after being encouraged by one of my teachers,” she said. “Before then, I never imagined myself as a writer, but I was always curious to see if I could accomplish the task of writing a book.”

 

“I took a short story that I wrote for one of our English classes and expanded it into the novel that is Lady of the Desert. As I started writing, though, I discovered that it became about something more than me. I was no longer writing the book just so that I would be able to say that I have written one. Rather, I was writing it to be read.”

 

Lady of the Desert is the first book in a young adult fantasy trilogy. It centres on a seventeen-year-old girl named Dahlia, who has just lost her father and, honouring his last wishes, sets off to the Northern Desert in order to throw his ashes off The Edge. During her journey, she ends up encountering and saving the young Prince of Zaera, Prince Arõn. With Dahlia being a skilled warrior in her own right, and Arõn being the exact opposite, the pair embark on an adventure to return the Prince home. As the makings of romance blossoms, Dahlia attempts to ignore the Prince’s advances for she is constantly reminded of her unwilling betrothal to the soon-to-be-leader of the Tarqhi Tribe, the most feared tribe in all of Zaera. In a journey of self-discovery, freedom, ethical choices, and imminent peril all encased in the rich, vibrancy of middle-eastern inspired culture, Lady of the Desert will undoubtedly grip the imagination and not let go until the very last page.

 

For those aspiring writers desiring to be published, Gameedah’s advice is sage and honest.

 

“Just start writing; don’t plan the story too much and don’t worry about the spelling mistakes as you go along. The storyline will definitely change and you will find yourself going over your work over and over again. So just begin the process and keep going.”

 

“There were times when I didn’t write anything for months and then there’d be times when I’d write every day, so don’t give up. It is one of the best feelings in the world when you write that last sentence down, so use that as motivation to finish it.”

On working with Durban-based KREST Publishers, Gameedah is happy to recommend them to other hopeful writers. "My editor was a pleasure to work with and I have enjoyed the process tremendously. KREST Publishers is a breath of fresh air compared to other previous publishers I have approached, and I am very glad that I got the opportunity to work with KREST. I thank them for seeing the potential in my book and giving it a chance."

 

DO YOU WANT TO BE PUBLISHED BY THE KREST HOUSE?

 

KREST Publishers is an independent publisher based in Durban, South Africa, accepting manuscripts from writers all across the country. If you wish to submit your own manuscript for publishing consideration, you can do so via the manuscript submissions page. While submissions are presently closed, you might like to take a look to prepare yourself for when they do open again. Competition is tight and an estimated only 1% of manuscripts submitted each year get accepted for publishing - but there's no reason it can't be you!

Avid readers might also like to purchase second-hand and brand new books at discounted prices on our online bookstore. You'll never pay more than R220 for a brand new book (of any size!), and delivery to any address in the country is R60. We advocate making local books available to local people FIRST.

Written by guest blogger Cherise Pillay