Karina Author, Book, Festival

24 May: Karavan Press at the KBF

The literary festival season continues and we are delighted to announce that the following Karavan Press authors will be participating in the Kingsmead Book Fair this year:

09:30-10:00 DOT TO DOT | The Book Room

Meet the Freckolions and the Spots who are bitterly arguing over Face’s vast landscape. Then one day an alien craft descends on Face and sends the Freckolions and Spots into panic! SA actress Lisa Trudoux introduces her first charming and quirky children’s book Dot To Dot which teaches kids the invaluable lessons of self-love and kindness towards others in the most enchanting way.

09:30-10:30 WRITING OUR PAIN: Contending with traumatic narratives | Chapel

Sewela Langeni (Making Friends with Feelings) provides a safe space for Jeffrey Rakabe (Led by Shepherds) and Thobeka Yose (In Silence My Heart Speaks) to chat about transferring pain to the page.

11:00-12:00 PRETTY PROTAGONISTS: Crafting heroines with humanity | Mackenzie 1

Amy Heydenrych (Chasing Marian) examines the creation of the powerful women at the centre of the works of Zukiswa Wanner (Love Marry Kill), Michelle Kekana (The Fragile Mental Health of Strong Women) and Qarnita Loxton (What’s Wrong with June?).

12:30-13:30 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS: People and place in historical fiction | Lange Hall

Penny Haw (Follow Me To Africa: A Novel), Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu (The Creation of Half-Broken People) and Louisa Treger (The Paris Muse) discuss facets of historical fiction – beyond the period in which it’s set – that really matter with Michael Boyd (Weight of Shade).

12:30-13:30 Life is the greatest teacher: Writing from experience | Music Centre

Merle Levin (World According to Merle: Memoir of a Deliciously Daring Granny), Costa Ayiotis (Matriarchs, Meze and the Evil Eye: A Memoir) and Glenn Orsmond (Crash and Burn: A CEO’s Crazy Adventures in the SA Airline Industry) tell Karina Szczurek (Karavan Press) about their weird uncles and the strange lady from the office.

14:30-15:30 LITERARY FITION VERSUS GENRE FICTION: What makes a book ‘literary’? | Chapel

Peter-Adrian Altini (Salt Water Pool Boy) and Charl-Pierre Naudé (The Equality of Shadows) discuss style and complexity with Craig Higginson (The Ghost of Sam Webster).

16:00-17:00 Navigating our life stories: Lessons learned and unlearned | Lange Hall

Khaya Dlanga (Life is Like That Sometimes) and Gavin Evans (Son of a Preacher Man) tell Anna Stroud (Who Looks Inside) about what they have learned while writing about themselves.

16:00-17:00 Stretching the imagination: Pushing boundaries in storytelling | Mackenzie 3

Onke Mazibuko (Canary) follows Nick Clelland (Good Hope), Siya Khumalo (The Queer Book of Revelation) and Sam Wilson (The First Murder on Mars) into the detailed, fresh worlds of their books.

16:00-17:00 Publish or perish: Women in the publishing industry | Chapel

Queen bees Karina Szczurek (Karavan Press), Melinda Ferguson (Melinda Ferguson Books) and Zukiswa Wanner (Paivapo Publishing) underline the importance of curating stories from a feminine perspective with Sewela Langeni (Book Circle Capital).

Full programme: KBF 2025

Get your KBF tickets here: Webtickets

Karina Author, Book, Event

DOT TO DOT by Lisa Tredoux launched at Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront

Our first children’s book (for children between five & hundred and five) was officially launched at Exclusive Books V&A Waterfront last night: Dot to Dot by Lisa Tredoux. It was a truly heart-warming occasion.

Lisa was in conversation with fellow actor and children’s book author, Bianca Flanders.

It was an evening of sheer storytelling delight. Thank you to all involved! I went home smiling, and this morning, the coffee in my Freckolion mug tasted so much better than usual 🙂 Happy reading!

Karina Author, Book, Event

DOT TO DOT by Lisa Tredoux to be launched at V&A Exclusive Books

Our first children’s book (which adults will love too) – Dot to Dot by Lisa Tredoux – is going to be launched at the V&A Exclusive Books on Wednesday, 4 September 2024, at 6PM. Lisa will be in conversation with fellow actor and children’s book author, Bianca Flanders.

Join us for the event and stand a chance at going home with one of these Freckolion mugs!

RSVP: DOT TO DOT launch at V&A Exclusive Books

In case you are wondering who is my (Karina’s) favourite character in Dot to Dot … 🙂

Karina Author, Book

Karavan Press title: Dot to Dot by Lisa Tredoux

Face is a very faraway land that many of you might not have heard of before. Although the name will probably be strange to you, the goings-on there are all too familiar. As with most beautiful places, its inhabitants – the Freckolions and the Spots – are bitterly arguing over Face’s vast landscape.

One day an alien craft descends on Face and sends the Freckolions and Spots into panic. Is this another opponent to try and conquer their home, or is it the answer the Spots and Freckolions have been looking for?

ISBN: 978-1-7764726-1-1

Publication date: July 2024

Meet a few of the characters of Dot to Dot …

… Spot and Zit Zat …

… and (my absolute favourite!) …

Meet the author …

LISA TREDOUX is a South African actress with a passion for storytelling across various mediums, making her literary debut. Through her enchanting children’s book, Lisa taps into the simplicity of childhood narratives, reminding adults of the clarity in communication found within these tales. With a heart for conveying meaningful messages, Lisa weaves a delightful world for young readers to explore and learn. Her mission? To teach kids the invaluable lessons of self-love and kindness towards others.

The original and the published book.

Lisa wrote, illustrated and put together the original Dot to Dot during the lockdown. The moment I saw the book, I knew it would become Karavan Press’s first publication for children (and all those who love meaningful, fun, illustrated storytelling). I look forward to sharing this delightful story with readers of all ages.