The practise struck a deep chord within me. And, I had a firm idea of how to present each viewpoint.Īt what stage did you do your research and how did you weave it in to your story without it showing?Īs I mentioned earlier, I spent some time researching the topic of human body part trafficking a few years ago. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to tell this story from both sides of the kidnapping, the mother’s and the witchdoctor’s. Once I’d done all the research and character planning I wanted to for the novel, I wrote precise outline highlighting the key plot elements and main turning points of the novel. This is a story that deserves telling properly. However, with Strong Medicine I felt I couldn’t just wing it. Someone who plants the seeds of an idea and watches it grow. I’ve always been a ‘pantser’, what George RR Martin calls a ‘gardener’. How clear an image of your novel did you have in your head before you began?
I’d say that once I decided to actually write this novel, I let it stew in my brain for about three months before I actually sat down to write it.
Strong Medicine itself came out of research I did, about five years ago, into human body part trafficking for a sceptical blog I used to write, as well as discussions with my American friend about the similarities and stark differences between our cultures.Īnd, of course, I love writing dark fiction, so putting the two together with a healthy dose of my deepest fear (losing my children). Every good story is a delicate blend of all our creative influences, whether that is other books, our environment, the people around us, or great TV. It’s always hard to say exactly when the idea for a novel first occurs to me. To celebrate we asked her some questions about her writing and publishing process. I'll definitely be recommending this one to all my crime/thriller junkie bookish friends.Angela Meadon, a past creative writing participant launches her book on 25 August. I loved the use the local lingo and the endearing flaws of the characters, they were easy to connect with from the get-go. And if I can live in, and learn from, a story, then I'm happy to have read it.
I have to admit that I did not enjoy enduring the feelings it brought to the surface, but I did appreciate the research and felt wholly educated in a part of my own country's tapestry of traditions as a result. While the reading was hard to bear emotionally, it could only be that because it is so well written. If the kidnapping of a child isn't bad enough, add to that the sinister killing for muti and you have every parent out there imagining their worst nightmare. Strong Medicine explores a crime that stems from a deeply superstitious branch of South Africa's diverse nation: muti killings - and it's a page turning crime- thriller - family- drama of note.īut be warned: Strong Medicine is a very hard to book to read for a mother.
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