Emmarentia resident and author Alissa Baxter has released her fourth novel The Blog Affair in the chick lit genre.
According to Baxter, chick lit is a genre of fiction where the main protagonist is a woman in her 20s or 30s, often living in a city. It tends to focus on other aspects of the heroines life other than just the romantic elements. Very much like the main characters in many chick books, Baxter is a true 21st century woman; she is a wife and mother to two boys under the age of two.
“I must admit that with children so young it’s hard to fit in writing,” she said. “I often end up working from 6pm to midnight. I suppose that’s modern womanhood for you.”
Baxter’s third novel Send and Receive and her new release use the Internet and social media as important threads running through the plot line.
“The book combines blogs and instant messaging and illustrates how technology has changed the way we communicate with each other. Social media is a very open platform where people reveal intimate details [yet] there is a more secretive side where people can post their innermost thoughts anonymously.”
Baxter believes in these new technologies so much that The Blog Affair is only available as an e-book so far.
“E-books are becoming more and more popular and can be read on handheld devices. The nice thing about them is that they are instantly available worldwide. Which is very exciting as it means many readers all around the world can now be exposed to South African fiction.”
Spending a few years in Durban and Cape Town, Baxter now lives in the neighbourhood her husband grew up in.
“Emmarentia is really a lovely part of Johannesburg and it allows an outdoor lifestyle with the abundance of green spaces. The houses in this area also have an old school Joburg charm which you don’t get in the suburbs further north. I like to set books in cities I’ve lived in as I can portray a unique sense of place.”
Emmarentia next? We’ll have to wait and see.
Details: www.alissabaxter.com
