Umbhali wenganekwane eqanjiwe u-Alexis Henderson uzithole esesimweni esithandekayo sokuba nenoveli yokuqala abantu abangakwazi ukuyeka ukukhuluma ngayo. Sekudlule amasonto nje amabili edlule Unyaka Wokuthakatha hit ezitolo zezincwadi futhi uma ukubuyekezwa kukhona okukhombisa ukuthi kungokokuqala ezikhathini eziningi esizobona igama lakhe eminyakeni ezayo.

Phakathi kwesithandwa esifanelwe kakhulu, uHenderson uthathe isikhathi sokuxoxa ne-iHorror ukuxoxa ngenqubo yokuletha inoveli yakhe yokuqala emhlabeni kusukela ekuqaleni ukushicilela usuku. Kwakuwuhambo olwamguqula futhi lwavula amehlo akhe ngezindlela ayengazilindele.

"Kube yinto engajwayelekile ngale ncwadi," kuchaza uHenderson. “Ngavele ngaba nesithombe esivele ekhanda lami ngelinye ilanga sentombazane icashe ehlathini phansi kwalesi sidalwa, uLilith, owayenesidumbu sowesifazane nenhloko yokhakhayi lwenyamazane. Uhlobo lwendaba lwavela lapho. Ngizwe sengathi kunesipiliyoni esikhulu sokubhala le ncwadi, bengimane ngijaha lesi sithombe ngenhloso yokuzama ukusinika umongo. ”

Ngandlela-thile bekufana nomsebenzi wobuphenyi kumbhali njengoba ebefuna izimpendulo zokuthi le ntombazane ibingubani, uhlobo luni lwamandla umlingiswa anayo, lokho abekuzwa, njalonjalo.

Lokho akwembulile ekhasini kwakuyindaba yentombazane yomdabu egama layo lingu-Immanuelle Moore ehlala emphakathini we-puritanical obizwa ngeBethel okhombisa ngokusobala izingxenye zomhlaba esiphila kuzo namuhla. Uyavuma, nokho, ukuthi ngokubhala uhlaka lokuqala, wayengaqapheli isibuko ukuthi indaba yenoveli ekugcineni izoba yini.

“Ngesikhathi ngibhala le ncwadi, ngangivalelwe ngokuqinile embonweni ka-Immanuelle kangangokuba ngesikhathi sohlaka lokuqala angicabangi ukuthi ngaze ngabona ukuthi umhlaba ugula kangakanani ngaze ngafika ekugcineni kohlaka lokuqala,” kusho yena. “Kwakuyinqubo engokwemvelo kakhulu yokuthi nganginohlobo lokuthola ukujula kobumnyama balo mhlaba eceleni kwakhe. Ngemuva kokuphothula le ncwadi futhi ngazindla ngayo, ngazibonela ukuthi lokho kungalinganisa kanjani iminyaka yami yobudala nokuthi kubukeka kanjani njengobumnyama obudlalwa ezweni lethu. ”

Lapho sixoxa kabanzi ngo-Immanuelle nohambo lwakhe lokungena Unyaka Wokuthakatha, kwacaca ukuthi kunokuxhumana okucacile phakathi kombhali nomlingiswa wakhe. Esingazange sikuqaphele ukuthi ukuxhumana kwakwakhiwe cishe kwasekuqaleni lapho leso sithombe sokuqala somlingiswa sifika kuye.

"Ngenkathi ngiqala ukuthola leso sithombe sika-Immanuelle ehlathini, ngabona ukuthi wayeyingxube yezinhlanga," kusho uHenderson. “Ngaleso sikhathi, ngiyakhumbula ngicabanga ukuthi ufana nami. Angiyena owomdabu. Ngimnyama, kepha ngixutshwe nezinto eziningi. Angijwayele ukubona abalingiswa abanjengami noma ngizibone ngivezwa, futhi kunalolu hlobo lokulangazelela ukufunda izincwadi ezikhuluma ngokwethuka noma ubuthakathi noma izinto ezinjengalezo kodwa ngezinhlamvu engingazazi futhi ezibukeka njengami. Ngicabanga ukuthi, njengomfundi, kumane nje kufuna ukufunda izindaba nokwamukela abalingiswa abangiveza kanye. ”

UHenderson uthi yena no-Immanuelle nabo babelana ngokuthakazelisa ngobumnyama, into edlala kaninginingi kule noveli.

Njengoba ngishilo kwasekuqaleni, le noveli ibe ngesinye sezikhulumi ezikhulunywa kakhulu ngonyaka onyakeni wezinganekwane. Okuningi kwalokhu kuhlobene nokuthi u-Immanuelle umelana nohlelo lwezinzalamizi lwaseBethel futhi yize kukhona intshisekelo yothando eyakhelwe kule ndaba, akalokothi ancike kuye ukuthi amsindise noma amvikele phakathi nobunzima bakhe.

Ngokujabulisayo, uHenderson uyavuma ukuthi le yindawo lapho u-Immanuelle ethatha khona izimfanelo afisa ukuba nazo.

“Ngicabanga ukuthi iqiniso lokuthi uthando analo, akamdingi noma ancike kuye ngingathanda ukuba njalo,” kuchaza umbhali. “Ukuze ube namandla okuthi yebo kukhona lo muntu omthandayo kodwa uzimele kubo futhi awudingi ukuthi aqine noma afeze izinto ezithile. Angazi ukuthi ngiphumelela kangakanani kulokho, kepha leyo yinto engiyazisayo. Ngifuna ngempela ukufana no-Immanuelle lapho sengikhulile! ”

Njengoba inoveli isiqediwe ngemuva kwenqubo ende yokuhlela, uHenderson wabhekana ne-Final Boss yobunikazi: usuku lokushicilela. Wayengazi ukuthi isikhathi sasizoshuba kangakanani lapho Unyaka Wokuthakatha waphuma waya emhlabeni futhi wayengakulungele ukuthi lokho kwakuzomenza azizwe engelutho kangakanani.

“Umuzwa omuhle futhi owesabekayo,” kusho yena. “Inqubo ayipheleli kuze kube abantu bayayifunda le ncwadi bese beyiphendula. Ngicabanga ukuthi yingxenye ebalulekile yenqubo yonke yokwakha, ukubhala, nokushicilela. Ngasikhathi sinye, ngicabanga ukuthi ngabe ngiqamba amanga uma ngithi bekungemnandi ngoba kuzwakala sengathi ngiphana ngocezu lwami. Kuzwakala sengathi kungaphansi kwemayini encane. Ngicabanga ukuthi kuhle lokho. Le ndaba ngeyabanye abantu manje ngendlela ethile, kodwa ngasikhathi sinye ngizizwa sengathi ngiphana ngocezu lwami. Kuzwakala sengathi ngibeka idayari yami ukuze ngiyithengise. ”

Ngaphandle noma mhlawumbe naphezu kwalokhu, uHenderson okwamanje usebenza kwincwadi elandelanayo ezongena kulokho okwenzekayo ngemuva izehlakalo zenoveli nezinguquko ezenzekile emhlabeni waseBethel. Kuyinto esizobe sibheke phambili kuyo ngokukhishwa kwayo okwenzelwe i-2021.

Ngenkathi ingxoxo yethu ifika esiphethweni, angikwazanga ukuzibamba kodwa ngacabanga futhi ngalokho uHenderson ayekwenzile Unyaka Wokuthakatha. Nayi inoveli esabisayo futhi ethinta inhliziyo egcwele izinhlamvu ezigxuma ekhasini kanye nomhlaba ongokoqobo ongacishe uzizwe lapho ufunda. Futhi konke lokhu kuzalwe ngesithombe esisodwa esangena emqondweni wakhe wentombazane, umthakathi, kanye nehlathi.

Le yi-alchemy yokubhala ngokusemandleni. Lokhu kungukufuna ukudala okubaluleke kakhulu, futhi njengo-protagonist wakhe, uHenderson umane wabona uhambo oluya ekugcineni. Thina, izilaleli, sinothiswe yileyo nqubo njengoba enjalo njengombhali.

Unyaka Wokuthakatha ngu-Alexis Henderson uyatholakala ukuthengwa ezitolo ezidayisa izincwadi ezweni lonke naku-inthanethi kusuka e-Amazon, eBarnes naseNoble, njll. Thatha ikhophi namhlanje!