WHILE her classmates were chatting away during their breaks, Nabeelah Dada was penning her first book.
And after 13 months of writing and rewriting the result was The Thor at Her Side, which the Rondebosch East teenager describes as a werewolf romance.
“I was watching a lot of movies and read a lot and the idea just came up. I just sat down and I wrote.”
The book tells the story of a young woman, Skye Lambert, who falls in love with Thorian Thomas, who has kept his identity as a werewolf secret.
Dada said the book was aimed at teenagers but was for “anyone who loves a bit of supernatural romance set in high school”.
“I guess the message that the book is trying to convey is that love can be found in any place. It’s not up to us to determine how we find love.”
Dada, 18, said she achieved publication after visiting several self-publishing websites and while there were a few rejections she didn’t give up.
Her book was published by AuthorHouse and the teenager said she had received calls from an adviser from this service who helped her edit the final product.
The book has been made available online on Kalahari, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Dada, who matriculated at Islamia College and is studying law at Varsity College in Rondebosch, said she had been writing “seriously” since she was 13.
“It is my passion. I started with short stories. Hopefully this won’t be my last book. I have four more in the works.”
Dada said her advice to other aspirant young authors was not to give up on their dreams.
“It is tough and you will need to work at it. If you decide to publish, first try the rough draft out on sites like FictionPress or Wattpad. You will get the advice and criticism you need to improve.”
- Cape Argus