Greenwood Park author launches first novel
The Celtic Road resident, whose book is a love story, has a local setting, that of the Midlands which also holds special significance for author, Shan Lee.
FIRWOOD Road Library represents an important part of Greenwood Park resident Shan Lee’s life. It was where she fostered a love for reading at a young age and last week it was the scene of the launch of her very first novel, Love Leiyah.
The Celtic Road resident, whose book is a love story, has a local setting, that of the Midlands which also holds special significance for Lee.
“It was incredibly special launching my book at Firwood Road Library as that’s where it all started for me. By the age of nine, I’d read most of the children’s books and it was then that I started on the classics, authors like Emily Bronte, Thomas Hardy, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen all captured my imagination, especially with their settings. My family and I spent many weekends in the Midlands and I actually lived in Hilton for a number of years and it has always held a special place in my heart.
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“The settings in the classics, I felt, bore a resemblance to the landscape of the Midlands, but with more valleys and mountains. In many ways I see Love Leiyah as the South African version of Wuthering Heights, which is one of my favourite novels. It’s a passionate, romantic tale with a very real-world setting to ground the book. I actually approached the owners of The Knoll Historical Guest Farm in Hilton, where a portion of the book is set, and they were only too happy with the idea. Another area of significance is Dargle and I felt both locations in the Midlands were the perfect setting for the book. My hope is Love Leiyah will be a set book some day,” Lee explained.
The novel, which took eight years to complete, has garnered accolades with Lee being named on the shortlist of the Sound Advice Book Awards (SABA) for ‘Best New Author’.
“The SABA awards looks at authors from around the world and to be shortlisted was such an honour and incredible feeling. I was so happy when I made the longlist in the category, but making the shortlist was absolutely amazing. I wanted my novel to be a timeless representation of South Africa and to be considered in a global competition is indescribable. I was also so proud to be the only South African author chosen in an international award ceremony for this category. I’ve also had such positive feedback from those who’ve already read my novel and that has inspired me to write more. I’m now currently working on my next story which is going to be a teen fantasy,” she said.
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Her novel is available at Sherwood Books in Westville, on the Exclusive Books online site and is also available from Lee herself, through her website www.shanlee.site. You can also email: shanleeauthor@gmail.com to purchase a copy.
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