In the Shadow of the Springs I Saw is an exploration, and stories, of people who live in the Art Deco buildings of Springs.

It is the imagined lives of those who live in a space that is not theirs historically but one that they have reclaimed.

This work, in times of doom and complaint, creates a new narrative: one of revival, vigour and celebration.

Cape Town lawyer Peter Truman struggling to care for his wife, who is recovering from cancer, and be a father to their daughter, agrees to hire an au pair.

Blouwillestories is 'n keur uit Willem Theron se weeklikse rubrieke in Beeld, Die Burger en Volksblad die afgelope agt jaar en is geskryf in 'n humoristiese, tong-in-die-kies-trant. Dit handel hoofsaaklik oor die lewe in die Ou en Nuwe Suid-Afrika. Blouwillem vertel onder andere van sleepwabestuurstegnieke (of 'n tekort daaraan), snorkers in die Wildtuin, sonde met jou bure se honde en met jou honde se bure, bleskoppe en krullebolle, skooltake in die nuwe bedeling en treinry in die ou bedeling. Blouwillem se "skertse" sal geniet word deur mense van feitlik alle ouderdomme (die gesensorde verhale sal selfs die kinders vermaak) wat graag die humor in (soms ernstige) situasies raaksien en waardeer.

THANDO Weber is a half South African and half Swiss nerdy girl with hopes of going to the best university in Switzerland like her father did. She is also the last surviving descendant of the Watchers of Realms, a powerful race of light beings who watch over the Milky Way galaxy. Her mission is to find her lower-self, and her higher-self to complete her triad, so that she may bond with them and be the next Dreamer – an interdimensional traveller and protector of the Earth Realm.

Tortured by the transformation of moving from human to Dreamer, THANDO hallucinates, sleepwalks, and suffers sleep deprivation, which destroys her dreams of tertiary education. On one mundane high school day, she loses consciousness and plunges into a coma, not from exhaustion but because she encounters her lower-self and higher-self simultaneously.

She starts her training to be a Dreamer, experiences challenges and travels through South Africa to find ways to release her latent superpowers. As she trains, the Kryona terrorises people around her to get to her. On her journeys through South Africa, she meets powerful creatures of old, ancient water spirits and primordial dragons who help her with her training. She is guided to traditional healers to assist her and comes across other traditional healers who betray her due to influence from the Kryona. Through her adventures, she learns about her mother’s Zulu culture and inches closer to her goal, but will it be enough?

Are you yourself if you are unaware of whom you can become?

A once assertive Amari finds herself challenged as she attempts to assimilate into the life of a Kenryk and the ever-demanding role of an Avaris.

Will she be able to reach within and awaken that fiery warrior she stifled in time to defend the tribe from the looming threat of the Emoryk Army?

The first book of the Many Shallows series.

For a year, Felice had lived in the rundown house on the hill. She had moved there when her mother unexpectedly decided to remarry. Felice had never had a father, Frank would be her first. Shy and secretive, she wants nothing more than to be invisible, to be left alone to explore the strange forest that surrounds her new home. A tragic turn of events brings Felice and Frank closer together, but still she is drawn to the forest and its promise of freedom.

Many Shallows reimagines the lives and afterlives of Franz Kafka’s three great loves: Felice, Milena, and Dora. Rather than side notes in the famous writer’s life or vehicles for his desire, these women are reincarnated as the protagonists of their own surreal, macabre worlds. Felice is the protagonist in The Well, the first book in the Many Shallows series. The Well explores complex themes of social anxiety, loss and early sexual experiences.

Gert Garries: ’n Baaisiekel-babelas word in 2002 by die KKNK opgevoer en gee vleis aan ’n karakter uit Etienne Leroux se roman Magersfontein, O Magersfontein! Die plaaswerker Gert Garries ry vir drie dae met die verbrande liggaam van sy kind op sy fiets rond. Hy wil ’n doodsertifikaat bekom, ’n voorvereiste voordat hy die kind kan begrawe. Weens sy velkleur word hy egter deur die burokrate van bakboord na stuurboord gestuur. Na sy ontmoeting met Le Grange, ’n empatiese verkeersbeampte, ontstaan ’n sonderlinge verhouding tussen hulle. Hierdie verhouding suggereer ’n beter toekoms en menslike identiteit vir Gert, terwyl die kind simbool word van ’n bitter en wrang verlede. Eindelik begrawe Gert sy kind saam met die room van die Engelse.

Die gehoor volg Gert Garries op sy drie dae lange fietsrit en beleef saam met hom ’n prutpot van emosies.

Die drama word gepubliseer in 2019 as Gert Garries: ‘n Baaisiekel-blues.

Dan Sleigh’s latest work is once more an historical novel. While Eilande was published in English set at the beginning of the Western presence in the Cape, Afstande is much closer to the foundations of Western civilisation itself. It is based on the Anabasis of the Greek soldier and writer Xenophon, in which he reported on what has been described as one of the great adventures in human history. This “adventure”, which began in 401 BC, was nothing less than one of the clearest examples of human hardship and endurance. The adventurers were an army of ten thousand Greek mercenaries who were hired by a Persian prince to overthrow his brother, the king of the mighty Persian Empire.

He ingeniously introduced another main character besides Xenophon, namely the Jewish eunuch Nagri, who was hailed as a prophet in Babylon, where the Israelites were in exile at the time. In Sleigh’s version the prisoner, Nagri, is used by Xenophon to compile the Anabasis from his cryptic notes. Afstande is therefore an intertwinement of the stories of two writers, namely the soldier-writer and the writer-prophet.

Apart from being a grueling, authentic portrayal of one of the most remarkable military adventures in history, Sleigh’s novel is a representation of man’s search for identity and stability in a fast-changing, turbulent and unforgiving time. He shows how religion and ideology paradoxically guide and complicate this search. Through his two writer characters, their alliance and the friction between them, he also investigates the passion, desires, conflicts, but above all the emotion that underlies being a writer. In this way Sleigh transforms antique material into something absolutely contemporary and he achieves what all great writers achieve, and that is to confirm the permanence of that which is universally human.

Shelley Jacobsen is in her 40s and feels trapped. The coffee and décor shop that she opened with her bestie is proving to be a gilded cage. Meanwhile, her husband is consumed with Jewish guilt since having their twins, which reminds Shelley that she will always be a Shiksa to his family. Then she hires Wayde Smith, a sexy 22-year-old surfer who smells like a Pina Colada Coconut Vanilla Dessert, as a barista. He makes her feel young and Shelley just wants some fun. But will it stay harmless?

In a world where power and destiny entwine, Dumisani Ngcobo, a prince with unwavering determination, has always been groomed for the throne of the Twelve Kingdoms. He's been moulded by a lifetime of trials and tribulations, all leading to the moment he believes he's fated for. But when a haunting spectre from his past threatens to unravel the very fabric of his ambitions, he finds himself in desperate need of an unlikely saviour, the only one who can identify this ghost: Zizomila.

Zizomila Mabhanga, a fiercely independent and successful businesswoman, is a force to be reckoned with. She's never been one to bow to anyone, let alone an arrogant prince like Dumisani. Yet, fate has a twisted sense of humour, and their paths collide in a way neither can ignore. Their magnetic attraction defies reason, and they are drawn together despite the glaring warning signs that surround Dumisani's enigmatic persona.

As the dangers surrounding them intensify, their connection deepens, and soon, they find themselves ensnared in a love that's as intoxicating as it is perilous. Dumisani, driven by an unquenchable need to dominate, becomes addicted to Zizomila, making her his sole obsession and jeopardising the very plans he's spent a lifetime crafting.

Zizomila, torn between her desire for independence and her inexplicable yearning for Dumisani, faces a choice that could shatter their world. The chains of their shared past traumas threaten to pull them apart, but their passion burns brighter than any obstacle. In Chains That Bind, a dark romance unfolds as a prince and an unlikely princess ignite a destructive passion that could set their world ablaze, leaving them to question whether they can break free of the chains that bind them, or succumb to the chaos they've unleashed in their quest to be together.

Whiplash is a gut wrenching story of a Muizenberg Sex worker, Tess who Pops painkillers by the handful and sells her body to strangers. When a condom breaks, Tess's life swings one eighty degrees. She gives up her drugs until she can get to an abortion clinic. Her cold turkey opens up a window in her mind, whipping Tess into a shattering understanding of how she got here. Tess's quirky humour, raw honesty and deep love of beauty lead her to find redemption in astonishing places. This book has a huge heart, like Tess, revealing that there is something in everyone that cannot be touched. Not by human hands. Not ever.

Meet Tannie Maria: the loveable writer of recipes in her local paper, the Klein Karoo Gazette.

One Sunday morning, as Maria stirs apricot jam, she hears her editor Harriet on the stoep. What Maria doesn't realise is that Harriet is about to deliver a whole basketful of challenges and the first ingredient in two new recipes - recipes for love and murder.

A delicious blend of intrigue, milk tart and friendship, join Tannie Maria in her first investigation. Consider your appetite whetted for a whole new series of mysteries . . .

In the sequel to Heart in Two, Lotus finds herself sinking deeper into the world of the Wolves Gang. She tries to hide what she did from her boyfriend and in the process ropes in more people into the mess, burns some bridges and sometimes ends up with blood on her hands.

She also deals with a relentless stalker, death, loss and a drastic change in her life. She finally gets to meet her father but that does not go as expected. She forms an unexpected alliance that keeps her alive and saves her time and time again.

It seems like the more she tries to make things right, the worse they get.

Wat Frederik de Jager se verhale uniek maak, is die feit dat dit om mense sentreer, dat dit fyngetekende portretstudies is.

Of dit nou Jan Rabie, die enigste dogtertjie op ’n seunskoolbus, Mal Marina die klawerkoningin is of die seun op die speelgrond wat so stip kon kyk, of sy laerskoolvriend die aksieheld, dis karakters waarmee elke leser kan vereenselwig. Soms is die onderwerp die skrywer self, die skaam seun wat Sartre se selfbewustheid as bewustheid verstaan, die een wat weier om die klavierspelende sissie te wees. Die skryfwerk is dus tydloos en universeel.

De Jager het ’n fyn oog en ’n slag met die woord. Soos Dana Snyman kan hy ’n emotiewe snaar raaktokkel en nostalgie opwek. De Jager is egter eerder prosaïs as volksverteller. Hierdie verhale is raak woordprente wat die uitsonderlikheid van gewone mense vasvang, met deernis, humor en ’n skeut hartseer - Op een na het al hierdie stukke verskyn in die tydskrif Vrouekeur van 2015 tot met die sluiting daarvan in 2020, as aflewerings in die rubriek “Mense onderweg”. Die laaste, langer stuk was ook in Vrouekeur, maar as alleenstaande artikel.

‘n Boeiende historiese fiksie met hart. Dit dek ‘n fassinerende tyd in ons land se geskiedenis: die eeuwending van 1900. Die Tweede Vryheidsoorlog woed en in Parys is die sentimente oorheersend pro-Boer en anti-Brit.

Paul Roux is ‘n jong Afrikaanse argitek wat help ontwerp en oprig aan die ZAR se pawiljoen by die Paryse wêreldskou. Die leser beleef saam met hom die oorweldigende kleure, geure en teksture van die stad van liefde. Hy raak verstrik in absint en in die nagklubs van guitige Parys raak hy die spoor byster, maar hy het ‘n geliefde tuis, ‘n Joodse meisie.

Dis tegelyk liefdesverhaal en historiese roman, met volronde karakters en ‘n trefseker gevoel vir lokaliteit.

Thirteen year old James Clarke is always being picked on in school. He hates sports, and he particularly hates Stingers, a schoolyard game in which children throw tennis balls at each other. The other kids always seem to throw the ball harder, when it's at him.

His physical education teacher, Mr Evans, has no sympathy for the boy, believing he just needs to toughen up a bit. When James returns home from school after a rough game of Stingers, his mother is mortified when she sees the bruises on his arm and chest. She phones the school to try and put a stop to the cruel bullying of her son. But her phone call only makes things worse, as the bullying escalates to levels that nobody imagined possible.

Ravaged Souls follows the lives of four friends.

Luxolo and Vuyolwethu Ndamase are childhood sweethearts and are happily married until they lose their only son to an accident caused by Vuyo. From there life changes for them as they deal with their grief and loss, finding comfort outside their union.

Lubabalo Sobukwe is a pastor’s kid hiding his sexuality from his family and close friends. He lives a lie until he meets Ryan Cook and falls madly in love. He now has to decide whether to keep living the lie and jeopardise his chance at happiness or own his truth and risks killing his father and losing his family. Ryan on the other side still battles with scars of being abandoned and disowned by his family for his sexuality. He also has to deal with lies about his paternity. He has found a sense of belonging with Lubabalo but can he risk his mental health and give him a chance.

Dokter Isabelle Cronjé geniet haar loopbaan as vlugdokter, al bevind sy haar dikwels in die skadu van haar pa, die hospitaalgroep se grootbaas.

Dan rig een van haar ekskêrels sy visier op haar pa se pos en skielik is Isabelle se loopbaan en lewe in gevaar. Haar enigste bondgenoot is die lugambulans se dodelik aantreklike instaanvlieënier, Benjamin, maar hy het sy eie bagasie.

Gaan Benjamin haar deur hierdie onstuimige vlug kan stuur of is hy inderwaarheid die oorsaak van haar probleme?

Met hierdie klassieke verhaal oor die lewe van ’n mossiegemeenskap skep Hickey ’n werk vir oud en jonk. Kuif Kwaster en sy familie – ’n voorbeeldige en vername mossiegesin in die bodorp – neem die leser op ’n reis wat nie vir mense beskore is nie. Saam met Skeel At en Kuif verdedig lesers die mossie-eer teen die wraaksugtige en rebelse Beatnik-bende; en saam met Meks en Maja word daar vir die mannetjies in die bodorp flikkers gegooi.

Oor die ontstaan van hierdie uitmuntende werk skryf Hickey: “Gedurende April 1961 het ek by my skryftafel gesit. Deur die oop venster kyk ek na die doen en late van ’n elftal mossies. Hulle is bra baie vir ’n enkele gesin, maar daar is tog ’n intimiteit wat die indruk skep dat hulle meer is as terloopse kennisse.

Die groepie is verteenwoordigend van enige gemeenskap (daardie vaal, verkeerdeveer-wyfietjie lyk juis soos ’n skinderbek!) met die goeies en die minder goeies …”

Die sukses van hierdie eiesoortige werk kan gemeet word aan die feit dat die boek vanaf 1961 drie-en-twintig keer herdruk is.

Na vele mislukte verhoudings, staan privaatspeurder Willem Vasbyt Loriet uiteindelik op trou.

Dankbaar dat hy die groot stao kan neem viirdat hy 40 is, pak hy die taak aan om van seker aandenkings ontslae te raak. Dan gebeur daar skielik 'n klompie dinge bykans tegelyk.

Hy sien 'n man raak wat hy nie kan plaas nie, maar glo dis ;n skelm wat hy tevore teëgekom het en wil hom graag identifiseer en weer ondersoek.

Die onweerstaanbare Audrey Blignault het destyds die wêreld van die Afrikaanse vrou óópgeskryf en was haar tyd vooruit. Dié unieke keur bring haar beste werk byeen, van kort sketse uit die vroeë bundels tot langer essays en verhale uit latere publikasies. Hierdie baldadige, skalkse, “onwennige ouma” skryf dalk oor vervloë dae, maar op so ’n unieke, toeganklike manier dat dit vir vandág se leser kraakvars is, en jou ten diepste raak.

'Met my rooi rok voor jou deur: ‘n Keur uit die werk van Audrey Blignault' sal voorgelees word op RSG vanaf einde Mei 2021! Die briljante Rika Sennett sal die voorleser wees.