Rae of Light

This month as we celebrate the centenary of the right for some women to vote, I find myself remembering the remarkable women in my family who have shaped my life but never had the vote in their lifetime. By the time Mandela was released in 2014 my maternal grandmother had been dead almost a decade. It wasn’t until after Mandela’s release that the question of the right for all South Africans to vote was a viability. As South African women under the yoke of the Apartheid system, my grandmother and mother were denied the vote because of their racial status, never mind the fact they were female. Voting for all in South Africa finally became a reality in the 20 th century. This is a stark reminder the struggle for equality is very much an ongoing one. When I reflect on what these women gave me in terms of self-belief, psychological nourishment and love, I’m overwhelmed they did so despite the odds. It highlights the strength of character inherent in their natures. I have no do...

When Rainbows Dare [ WRD ] is the final book in The Rainbow Quest Series of Science Fiction for young adults.  The series is set in an environmentally fragile domed London of the future.  People with limited resources are forced to remain in the Dome unless they can find another way to get off planet. Wealthier denizens rely on artificial intelligence to cater to their every need and prefer living off-world. In   Where Rainbows Hide  [ WRH ], Book 1 in the series, people use genetically engineered chimpanzees (Gen-chimps) to do menial tasks. As is often the case, these Gen-chimps have little rights and suffer constant abuses. A small group escape and set up a resistance movement. So we meet 19 year old Neera Luxquaera who inadvertently becomes embroiled in the resistance when she finds employment on-board a shuttle heading out on an expedition beyond her Domed world.     On-board she meets Chi, a genetically engineered chimpanzee who ha...