‘Being a supporter of South African fiction, I want to recommend Henrietta Rose-Innes latest novel, Green Lion.

Compelling, and tightly written, a page-turner peopled by characters I believe in. It’s a story of loss, and healing, and shows all too clearly a changing world. Yet there is still beauty to be found in the places we live, and people are still able to show compassion.

I’m also dipping into Sindiwe Magona’s poetry collection Please, Take Photographs. The poem which forms the title of the book, is especially poignant. Take photographs, and put them on the walls, So the image of the dear face will love forever on.’

Joanne’s latest book is Divine Justice, published by Mercury, the fiction imprint of Burnet Media. The latest instalment in the Rae Valentine series of crime thrillers, Sweet Paradise is on the way…

Follow Joanne on Twitter: @joannehichens

Or Facebook: Joanne Hichens – Writer

Writer, mother, taxi service, provider of take-aways, friend, and some-time lover. The lines blur between truth and lies, and truth is often harder to bear than fiction. Sweet Paradise follows crime-thriller Divine Justice, and is the second in the Rae Valentine trilogy. I’m currently working on a deathday memoir towards a PhD. My husband died last year, a great tragedy. I miss him so much, and maybe writing about it will help in some way. I also curate the Short.Sharp.Stories Awards, a project I’m truly proud to be associated with. Short.Sharp.Stories provides a publishing platform for established and new writers of short stories. There’s a great first prize too – R20 000.

More about Joanne can be found on her website www.joannehichens.co.za or the Short Sharp Stories website: www.shortsharpstories.com