

Mohale Mashigo interviews Pumla Dineo Gqola and Siphokazi Jonas (PART 1) and Shana Fife (PART 2) for the Open Book Festival podcast series.
Author Qarnita Loxton features, along with Gretchen Haley and Uvile Ximba, in the latest episode of the Open Book Festival podcast series, speaking to Efemia Chela about her popular Being-series and complicated loves. Listen to the episode on the Open Book Festival website: The Thing About Love
“Last week was actually such fun! I was nervous before the event, as I usually am with anything where there is an audience. But the online part of it added an extra layer of nerves. What if I said stupid things and it was recorded forever? And online makes it harder to tell if what you are saying is interesting to the audience, it’s impossible to know if someone has fallen asleep in the front row. Yes, that happened to Pamela and me at the Franschhoek Literary Festival where we first met. It was my first as part of a panel discussion and Pamela saved the day. Nevermind the sleeping woman, Friday afternoon heat and stuffy venue, she had me and the rest of the room laughing. Last Tuesday was no different, Pamela made it so much fun that I forgot to be nervous and forgot that anyone else was watching!”
Qarnita Loxton Blog
You can watch the recording of the launch here: Exclusive Books FB
Friday, 10 September, 12PM: Live @ Somerset West Library FB @swestpl
Read Mervyn’s interview with Qarnita here:
Dianne is divorced but for the sake of her two daughters she lives next to her exhusband, sharing a joint double garden. Good for the girls but what about her? How can she move on if Alan and his new fiancée are always around?
Her postdivorce romances have stalled: Andile, her lover turned friend, and Faye, her secret Tinder date turned sometimes lover. Both Andile and Faye want more but Di is not sure what she wants. Her daughters were not thrilled with the idea of her with a boyfriend, will they freak out if their mom has a girlfriend? Is it even worth introducing them if Faye might turn out not to be the one for her?
But when Dianne’s eldest daughter deals with homophobia at school, Dianne feels compelled to speak out and be honest about who she is. With the support of her friends Kari, Lily, Shelley and now Shireen, she might just have the courage to do it. But what will the fallout be?
To find out more and to read an excerpt see qarnitaloxton.com!
The four authors – Qarnita Loxton, Amy Heydenrych, Gail Schimmel and Pamela Power – collaborated on a novel during lockdown and signed a contract with Pan Macmillan yesterday for the book to be published next year. Readers who know their work will be delighted at the news. We can’t wait!
Of jy nou glo in die noodlot of blote geluk of liefde met die eerste oogopslag, alle liefdesverhoudings moet iewers begin. Dié bundel bevat verhale oor eerste ontmoetings deur gevestigde skrywers soos Jaco Jacobs, Zelda Bezuidenhout, Refiloe Moahloli, Qarnita Loxton en Sally Partridge en nuwe stemme soos Cliffordene Norton en Mercy Kannemeyer.
Die verhale is soms romanties, soms snaaks, soms alledaags, soms buitengewoon … en die eindes meestal gelukkig. Die bundel is ryk aan diversiteit en bied ’n verskeidenheid wat betref identiteit, karakters en agtergronde.
Published by Pan Macmillan South Africa Children’s Books in July 2021.