The novel, Between Embers, launches this month as a conclusion to Bound By Fire, a book about friendship written by two friends who did not meet in person until the manuscript was finalised.
As both authors lean into their respective heritages for the story, it seems poignant that the book launches this Heritage month.
When online friends Eleanor Douglas-Meyers(38) from Kariega and Faziela Harris-Davids(35) from Cape Town wrote their first book Bound By Fire last year, they could not anticipate the support for the book or the overwhelming request for a sequel.
"Our debut novel was really just a fun challenge for us, so we were pleasantly surprised that this self-published book would get orders both locally and from abroad.
"We both almost passed out when we hit the first 100 orders and we certainly didn't expect all the DMs requesting a sequel," said Eleanor who runs a small media company and digital magazine.
The duo formed a strong bond during the COVID-19 pandemic and found out that they both had a dream of publishing a book.
Based in the Eastern and Western Cape respectively they became friends while communicating over social media as bloggers, and used this distance as inspiration for their book. They also slipped in their other passions including their support for the K-pop group Stray Kids.
Their two-part series follows two young South African women who met as roommates at University. After a falling out, they end up on different sides of the world and communicate through email.
The unlikely pair are each looking for a connection to their families, one in a physical sense and the other in an emotional one.
While Jen, a free spirit with a heart for charity work tries to find independence from her wealthy overbearing parents, Zin, orphaned in infanthood, tries to locate her family.
Zin's search becomes even more important as she comes to terms with magical powers which can only be explained through her heritage.
Jen on the other hand finds herself bound to Zin through these powers, grappling with the question, "Just how deeply are we Bound by Fire?".
The second book acts as a conclusion to the story, with more secrets, more love and much more magic. It answers the question, "After the flames what is found Between Embers?"
This time the authors broaden their writing style by including the character's points of view in between the emails.
"We wanted to showcase that no matter how close friends are, there's always more to the story," says columnist and artist, Faziela.
The pair tease that although neither of them has magical powers - that they know of - they lean into their respective heritages within the book.
Faziela added a character of the Islamic faith who like herself balances between traditional Islamic beliefs and a modern lifestyle while Eleanor leaned into her Eastern Cape coloured heritage with the use of Afrikaans phrases and colloquial sayings.
"Even within the different religious and ethnic groups there are differences, no two people are the same even if their cultures technically are. So what we lean on is our personal individual experiences. From wearing hijab to Sunday morning koeksisters and even issues around hair textures," said Eleanor.
Faziela agrees saying; "Being South African means you grow up in a melting pot of cultures. So it was really important to us to showcase how no matter where you go in the world, you're a South African at heart."
The book was a labour of love for the duo who wrote, edited, illustrated and even created accompanying artwork for both novels themselves.
"Between the two of us we are no strangers to writing, editing and designing projects for other people, but we must admit it is a little more difficult to have yourself as a client," said Faziela adding that they were happy they went the self-published route with both books.
Between Embers is a light read for those looking for a little escapism, but does not shy away from topics like mental health and infidelity.
The book sells for R220 and is available through 068 110 9930 or admin@041online.co.za