Romance with a South African Heart

I received a toy typewriter for Christmas when I was about six years old, and I think I’ve been writing ever since. From that age, I carried a notebook everywhere, jotting down what I thought was news and creating my own fictional stories. I always knew I wanted to be a journalist and built a career as a hard news reporter. Alongside journalism, however, storytelling never left me. In 2014, while sitting at my desk, an idea popped into my head. I pulled out my BlackBerry and started writing. Before I knew it, I had a manuscript. In 2021, I finally shared that side of myself with the world when my first romance novel was published. Writing has always been part of who I am. The little girl with the toy typewriter, the notebook full of stories, and the dream of becoming a journalist is probably my greatest inspiration.

I’m passionate about projects that celebrate diversity and challenge stereotypes, which is why the Rally Romance series means so much to me. Through these books, I’ve created South African romance stories that reflect my community and culture in a genre where South African Indian representation is still rare.

My journey as a female author in South Africa has been exciting and incredibly rewarding. I’ve had the privilege of sharing stages and panels with other authors and contributing to conversations about storytelling, including how romance can add authenticity, emotion and depth to a narrative.

My first book was a personal account of my journey with polycystic ovarian syndrome and infertility. I’ve since written six romance novels. My new book, It’s Complicated, is part of a two-book series set in the fictional town of Rally in KwaZulu-Natal. After walking away from the big city and an international modelling career, Kaavi Archary is beginning to find inner peace. She is making friends, volunteering in a programme for troubled teenage girls and relishing a fresh start in life. But she has a secret: her estranged husband, Neel.

So when Neel shows up in Rally with divorce papers, Kaavi’s life is thrown into chaos. He says he’s here to end things – but what he really wants is to win her back. Beneath the heartbreak lies a chemistry that neither of them can resist. As Kaavi faces the truth about her past and her family, she and Neel must decide if they can trust each other again. Right now, I cannot say what I am working on. You will have to read It’s Complicated to find out.

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