Have you ever made a devastating choice?   The one that leaves you crying out, “Oh God, what have I done? “  It is painful watching those we love struggle with life-changing decisions. I have made them. And sometimes my friends have made them. There were when I had to cradle a friend in my arms as I would my children. My heart cried out for them trapped in choices they could never undo. There are some choices that we can patch up and fix. Sometimes we emerge stronger than before.  And sometimes we can only ask for the lesson in our pain.  But what I have come to  realise is that in every painful situation , there can be a purpose. A time to help others who have stumbled along the path. When you have decided out  of fear and regretted it, have to courage to help others make better choices.  The temptation is to cocoon ourselves and pretend it never happened, but reach out and love others when they need it. www . kimvermaak.com https:/...

We all face giants at some point.  For David, it was Goliath. For Nadine, it was Muquin. For someone else, it may be debt or a toxic relationship. But they all have the power to trap up.  To keep us captive to fear.  In the series's first book,  Muquin represents what many of us would cower from.  Seriously, if I woke up one day and saw my village being burned down, I would look for the first Uber out of here. Yet. Muquin holds a key to a destiny that Nadine never imagined.  When Nadine was desperate for a way to rescue her family, she took the first steps.   I knew that I wanted to change my life, to catch hold of that dream that I always wanted… to write books that help people find their courage. But fun fiction ones that speak to the hero buried inside you. I love motivational books. But novels allow you to be the hero inside them. To identify with the characters.  I w...

Questions that Readers Ask What is your inspiration? My middle child inspired the book.  She is a bit of an adrenaline junkie, tormenting us with her tree and roof climbing tactics.  She is also a fiercely independent and stubborn person but has moments of such tenderness when she is with her cat.   She represents the multidimensional facets of strong women. Sometimes as strong women, we are seen in a one-dimensional way.  That we can overcome anything. That we are difficult and high maintenance. Yet strong women can have moments of utter despair and fear when faced with monumental tasks. Strong women often feel lonely and isolated.  As if the expectations of others of what they believe us to be somehow separated us from offers of help, compassion and sympathy. I portrayed the reality of frustrations and tears intermingles with passion and fearlessness.  Not that we are afraid.  It is that we push through the fear a...

I want my readers to get the second book as quickly as possible. In today’s scene, one of the sworn protectors of Lady Christine finds there is an intruder that has infiltrated her tunnels. I chose this photo by Jeremy Bishop on Pexels , because it shows what these underground tunnels in my book are like. Tunnels are a key theme in many parts of the series. In each of our lives, there are hidden parts. Some are unknown to us. Some represent our inner strength, still to be discovered . Then there are some hidden parts others use to lay traps for us. The intruder in this scene poses a big risk. Nadine is not yet trained . Danger looms and their heroine still has to go through her rights of passage. Evidence of an intruder shows a vulnerability in their defences. What are your vulnerabilities? What are your plans to reinforce your life and relationships? For those of you are tracking my progress, this scene is another 786 words. So at this morning’s co...