Wela Kabane

 Trigger warning: Anxiety attacks.   This week, I am supposed to be officially launching the cover and synopsis of the second book in The Kenryk Series. I've had a good week. I sold 4 books on Amazon, and my ranking went from 3,2 million to 120 000 in a matter of days. I finally understood how Amazon ads work and I watched with glee as every morning I refreshed my kdp page to find a purchase made of my book. I should be excited right? Over the moon? Look at me, climbing up the charts. No, that isn't what happened. No. The exact opposite happened. The PTSD from being caught in the KZN Floods, studying for exams, trying to finish my manuscript in time to have it edited, living with hyper-vigilance in a new Covid world, and my car battery dying on me cracked me open like a raw egg. What started as a normal day unfurled into one that ended spectacularly with an unwanted anxiety attack. For the first time in my life, I typed to a friend "I need help". I rode out the anxiet

And it has been mostly an amazing week for me. I have a tick-tock  page under the handle @welawrites   I have received moderate success on it. The video with the highest views is sitting at 1708 as of now. But you know what? I don't mind. It's a marathon, not a sprint. Also, I posted a series on how I self-published my book so if you want any tips on how to self-publish, simply check it out on my tick tock. Thank you to everyone who has viewed and liked my videos. You're doing the absolute most! Below is a sample of the kind of videos I post Now, for the hustling news. I realised my book sales had dipped. There wasn't much happening at books stores or on Amazon. I remember thinking back to the time I was ten in the school library reading books and imagining different endings. That was when I started writing my books. Then- Aha!- there are schools across South Africa that have school libraries just like the one I went to. I, therefore, decided to email them, not expectin

Almost a year later? I know, I know. I should have done this right from the beginning. However, now that you have read the first book on  Amazon  or  Exclusive Books  and  these different sites you hopefully pre-ordered book 2 The Rise of the Emoryk on  Amazon  and  on all these sites . So, what is this about? Well, I wanted to introduce you to how I saw the book characters in my mind when I wrote the books. Please note, that you're absolutely allowed to have your own version of them in your mind when you read. However, for you to understand the Kenryk, I will begin with the introductions of the key four characters. Name and age. Amari (20)   Korin (24). Yes, he's a man Forde (25) Arteryn (34) Say hello to the faces that will go through the fire with you for three whole books. When I said Korin was beautiful, I wasn't kidding. I'd like to hear your thoughts on what you thought they looked like.  Remember The Kenryk Series: The Rise of the Emoryk #2 comes out 26 August

I have had my first book, the fantasy fiction The Kenryk Series: The Avaris #1 out for a few months now. When I published the book for me it was for the "I did it" feeling. Then I started getting caught up with the numbers, the rankings, and the endless need for reviews. I was desperate. I wanted to be recognised.  It took the writer's block I've finally overcome to realise, that "I did it!" I published my book all by myself. I sourced the illustrator, the book cover designers, the formatter, the printer, and the distributor. I made it into bookshelves. Granted, I have not yet seen my book on shelves, but they are available in other provinces in the country. However, I did get reviews. A teen who has been badgering her father about when I will release the second book and my primary school friend who cannot get enough of Korin.  These are people in South Africa who want to read the next book. I got so caught up in gaining external validation, I forgot why I h

W hen I made the decision to self publish my first book, I didn't think anyone would buy it. Since I have been writing books since I was 10, I was driven by that "I did it" feeling. And I did it. I got my book published. It became available in book stores and online and there were sales. Then I got caught up in the numbers, the rankings, the sales, the reviews. I was consumed by what I could and should be doing to get higher sales and a higher ranking. I forgot why I had started writing in the first place. As a result, I have hit a major writer's block with Book 2 of the series: The Rise of the Emoryk. I forgot why I did this in the first place. Not even music could help until I had to pause and remind myself why I started. I compared myself to others. I started feeling inadequate. I just wanted to reach that level. What Level? That is the question. What level am I hoping to reach? Like my main character Amari in The Kenryk Series, I had worked towards a goal- to be a

The date is set.  May 2022, The Rise of The Emoryk, Book 2 to the Avaris will be released! Sounds exciting. Yay! Er Nay? Korin, Amari, Forde and Arteryn are refusing to cooperate with the storyline I have created for them. Nope, their fates will not be determined. I am struggling to finish the fourth draft of the book before it goes through extensive editing. So, what do I do? I'm giving them the silent treatment. I haven't written in 4 days because they insist on deciding what should happen. The problem is, where they want to go will change the whole story. So, I am locked in a battle with my characters. I am ready to delete the 2 chapters I just wrote that Amari and Korin took over.  In other news, I am officially available on South Africa's biggest online store. You can now get your paperback of The Kenryk Series the Avaris on Takealot  . Do not panic when you see the cover and blurb. That was the original cover and blurb before the cosmetic makeover. You know the book c

  Yes!!!! That 10 year old in me is in tears! I am officially in book stores. Not only is my book available on various online platforms such as Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple books etc, but I can now be found at  exclusivebooks  ,  Bargain Books  ,  Protea Books  ,  Uppercase Books  and  Wordsworth . I am beyond excited. The best part? I heard the news on my birthday, December 29.  This is an achievement for me, an achievement for that little girl who read Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Babysitters Club, transitioned to The Client and kept wanting different endings until she decided to write her own book. I am officially in book stores. (crying emoji. twerking emoji. dancing emoji- yes, I'm too lazy to look for the actual emojis 😆) The next update will probably come in 2022. This has been an exciting 6 months as a self published author. There have been a lot of ups and down. A lot of learning. A lot of sifting between everyone's advice and finding what works for me. Please continue