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A Garden Magician Sings Down the Stars
It's a Bite-Size Wednesday with author Nerine Dorman
Nerine Dorman is a monster of many talents:
She’s a musician, an editor, an artist, a singer, a magician, and has spent many years growing an indigenous garden that I adore spending time in.
She’s also a pretty fantastic writer of speculative fiction.
Recently Nerine has had success with both indie published work when The Firebird won the 2019 Nommo Award in the novella category, and traditional publishing when her YA science fiction novel Sing Down the Stars won the 2019 Sanlam Prize for Youth Literature.
The Sanlam Prize judges described Nerine’s novel as “a brilliant piece of dystopian writing .”
1: What inspired Sing down the Stars?
Honestly, I was in the mood to write something space opera-ish, but wanted to combine my love of parkour and the Orphan of Mysterious Parentage trope with an academy-type setting. I've had folks draw parallels between Sing down the Stars and The Hunger Games, but if I had to sum up the story in a few bites, I'd say it's Star Wars meets Oliver Twist, with a splash of The Ship Who Sang.
2: What has been the biggest difference for you between indie publishing and Trad?
Less heavy lifting. I'm far more hands on working within the framework of indie publishing with my fellow Skollies in the Skolion co-operative. I'm very lucky in that I had an editor I absolutely adore over at Tafelberg, whose edits were invisible. And then of course having my book available in book stores nationwide. The only downside is how the ebooks are priced because they obviously favour print sales.
3: When you're not writing, what are the passion projects/hobbies that keep you going?
I love playing in my garden, but I have my menagerie, my art and my music. I am very fortunate in that I've been able to own a property that has a pretty large yard filled with indigenous trees and plants. This is my solace, maintaining a small slice of wilderness to remind me there's more in the world than seething humanity. So long as I have a peaceful place where I can keep the world at bay, I'm happy. It's becoming increasingly difficult to leave my home as I grow older, and honestly, I don't really mind.