It’s Meet the Author Monday! Each week we meet a new author and get to know a little about them, their writing process, publishing experience, and tips for other writers. Today we’re talking to Penny Haw, author of The Wilderness Between Us.
About Penny Haw:
Penny Haw worked as a journalist and columnist for many of South Africa’s leading newspapers and magazines for decades before she became an author. Her first book, Nicko, The Tale of a Vervet Monkey on an African Farm was written for children but has amassed a following among animal lovers of all ages. It was first published by Penguin Random House South Africa in 2017 and is now included in middle-grade school curricula.
Penny has, since then, written three novels for adults, all of which expound her interest in human conditions and relationships, and explore how animals, nature and the interconnectedness of all living things can help people find serenity. The Wilderness Between Us is the first of these to be published.
Penny lives on the slopes of a mountain near the Atlantic Ocean not far from Cape Town in South Africa, where she walks her dogs with her family, runs and reads when she is not writing.
About The Wilderness Between Us:
Faye Mackenzie and her friends’ anorexic daughter, Clare, are thrown together when a flood separates them from their hiking group in the remote, mountainous Tsitsikamma region of South Africa. With Clare critically injured, Faye is compelled to overcome her self-doubt and fear of the wild to take care of the younger woman, who opens her heart to Faye.
As their new friendship takes the women on an unexpected journey of discovery, the rest of the group wrestles with the harrowing aftermath of their own near tragedy. When the hiking party is reunited, their number is reduced by one.
Juxtaposing physical and psychological suspense, The Wilderness Between Us is a tale of two fragile women who unexpectedly find clarity, independence, and renewed purpose as they fight to survive. It is a vivid, moving story about family, friendship, adventure, and the healing power of nature and compassion.
Author Interview with Penny Haw:
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