Salina Christmas

Mind-numbing. Highly addictive. Captivating. A reader shares her enthusiasm with us after reading The Keeper Of My Kin. She gave the novel a five-star rating. I’m amazed and impressed at her ability in imagining the tales beyond what was intended.

I’m very happy, embarrassed almost, by a generous review given by another UK reader of The Keeper Of My Kin. She bought the first novel to while away her time in convalescence. She said she was numbed upon discovering aspects of our country’s history, and that she was impressed by the ‘macabre detail’ in which I described some events – historical and fictional – in the novel. I didn’t mean to spook people that much – my marketing proposition is that of light entertainment – but I take that as a compliment. My reader also finds my stories “highly addictive and captivating”. “Make sure you finish off those household chores first,” she recommended in her review. She gave the book a five-star rating.

“Make sure you finish off those household chores first,” she recommended in her review.

I’m amazed at how this reader is able to imagine my stories beyond what I intended. She really gets the concept around the were-tiger and the flying blades. Initially, I harboured doubts on these concepts but when my reader corroborated my story with folklores that she’d heard, I felt reassured. After providing a glowing review, she and her friends proceeded to arrange a group trip to the V&A Museum in London to see the artefacts mentioned in the novel. In marketing, we always talk about brand extension. This extension of the book user experience, however, is like watching fans at a comic convention bringing their favourite characters to life through cosplay. It’s flattering but it’s also a ritual that sees the author taking a back seat. At this point, the story belongs to the reader. It’s up to them to interpret it and to contextualise it within their own universes. The author must have the humility to acknowledge this.

I find that my reader appreciates the rigour with which I researched the history and the occult practices that serve as plots and arcs for the book. My story is about magical practices, but I referred to medical and social anthropology for the framing. To write my fantasy, I refer to science. It doesn’t make me unique. I’m simply following the stellar examples of the likes of Diana Gabaldon, the author of the Outlander series, who has a PhD in behavioural ecology. As said before, this fiction can’t happen without the non-fiction – written by other authors – that feeds into it. To paraphrase Neil Gaiman, fiction is about telling ‘a lie’, but you tell the truth via this ‘lie’. This ‘lie’ also has to be believable for the readers to be entertained. So the premise must be well-researched.

I’m pleased with the review, and grateful to my reader for teaching me a thing or two about fiction writing.

Photos courtesy of the reader.

My story is about magical practices, but I referred to medical and social anthropology for the framing. To write my fantasy, I refer to science.