Litnet

"It did start as memoir, as many of my stories do. A draft of this was written as and when it happened. But a life story does not always a good short story make. I had this in my trunk for years, and when the opportunity to submit it for Power came around, I wove in the power cuts so that it had a literal symbol, and then realised I’d thematicised the voyage from disempowerment to empowerment of the women in the story."

"There is a freedom in speculative fiction that doesn’t exist in any other genre – anything can happen. That kind of freedom, once tasted, is addictive. And that is what fantasy has provided me – a place to articulate these stories fully. This particular story begins with a dream, possibly the oldest of all that is speculative."

"Every exercise of domination exposes dependence; every condition of vulnerability reveals subterranean forms of strength. This is the specific love story trope I have investigated in 'Xabanisa', where M/F cis-het gender-binary friction is exacerbated by 'the colour of the skins we are wrapped in'."

"'Standing still' was first inspired by an image that existed in real life: a vehicle broken down on the side of the M3 in Cape Town with a horse box attached to it. As I drove past, I noticed the horses peeking out at the traffic passing by and I couldn’t help wondering what the story was."

"Humour, in my story, was used as a tool to lighten what could otherwise be considered a volatile social issue, while still taking the bull by the horns."

"I would really stress to writers, especially creative writers – of fiction and also of creative nonfiction – to develop your voice, your style; don’t turn to AI to develop it for you. There’s a wooden quality to this sort of prose that’s a bore to read."

"I’ve always been much better at writing in the first-person narrative; being able to visualise my characters through their own eyes makes it easier for me to know what their next move will be or how they’ll react to a situation."

"This story came about through my love for spirituality and my fascination with the divine powers intrinsic to humans, animals and nature. I come from a long line of diviners and healers, and also sinister sorcerers, who all propelled me, involuntarily, to write this story."

"Writing is a passion-driven art form, but at the end of the day it’s still a job, so at times it needs to be difficult."

"I wanted to express the differing textures of space in South Africa, the different backgrounds that brush up against each other in all kinds of spaces."

"You cannot leave parts of yourself at the door as you enter the places where you spend most of your time."

"I often want to look away from all that is broken here, and often still do, but there is something that makes looking away in South Africa particularly haunting, I find. If you look away with your eyes, does it mean you look away with your mind, your heart, etc?"

"I’m interested in writing queer South African stories and normalising these experiences. I write about intimacy, gender and sexuality, and I would love it if my writing could really give a voice to intersectional people, often ignored or overlooked."

"It’s gratifying to see how many people from diverse backgrounds want to write, how many stories are waiting to be told, how many new talents are emerging. That does make me optimistic."

"We all have those roads-in-the-yellow-wood dudes – the unready loves who left us, or we left. Sometimes, in the small, shuddery hours, they come back. I think about them; I’m glad I knew them."