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Yurika Kotzé
Born in Limpopo, South Africa, in the bushveld town of Polokwane, Yurika Kotzé grew up in an Afrikaans family. She discovered the great world of books at age 4, and has been hooked...view moreBorn in Limpopo, South Africa, in the bushveld town of Polokwane, Yurika Kotzé grew up in an Afrikaans family. She discovered the great world of books at age 4, and has been hooked to reading ever since.
Moving to Phalaborwa, right on the border of the Kruger National Park, she discovered that she also had a great love of nature. Her environment planted a seed that would take root as an incredible passion for the African continent. She is never happier than when she is sitting next to a massive fire, deep in the bushveld where the animals can roam freely through the camp (which often results in some interesting stories that she likes to relate on her blog).
As a child, she followed her family all across South Africa as they regularly moved from one place to the next. This instilled in her a love of new places and she firmly believes in changing her surroundings at least once a year - "for sanity's sake."
It was at age 13, with the release of Peter Jackson's 'The Fellowship of the Ring' movie, that she discovered the vastness of the fantasy genre. From there on out, she 'practically inhaled' every fantasy book she could get her hands on. This would set the tone for every project she embarked on.
Graduating high school in George, Western Cape, she went on to study BA Communications at the North West University in Potchefstroom. Within her first week there, she wormed her way into the local student radio station - and moved on to present their morning show for more than a year. Moving up in the ranks, she became Production Manager at the station, in addition to working back stage at the local theater and mixing the sound for her church's band on Sundays.
During her years at university, she found that she had a deep love of Art History, which she then took on as a major subject. This - in addition to her other subjects of English and Creative Writing - set her on the path of becoming a fantasy author.
A hobby at first, her characters and stories soon permeated everything she did: it dictated the subjects she researched for her Art History studies (medieval swords and battle tactics), took over her dreams at night ("hey, a character can pop up from anywhere") and influenced the way she looked at books forever.
It wasn't long after marrying her high school sweetheart (whom she often refers to in her blog as The Man), that she made the proud announcement to him that she wanted to become a full time author. Many years, hundreds of rewrites, a chaotic desk, and a solid supply of coffee and highlighters later; her first ebook is now available and she is on the road to realising her dream.
Currently, she is working as the Head of Research for Aquavision Wildlife Filmmakers in Johannesburg - very happy to be paid to read books all day! She is combining her experience in media, passion for Africa and compulsive urge to read... a pretty good deal.
At night, she eagerly jumps into her world of evil nymphs, flying beasts called 'hrakar' and red-eyed Captains of the Guard. She shares her home with her ecologist husband; and their cross-bred, spotted, slightly deranged cat.
To learn more about her, and to follow her on her writing journey, check out her blog and social media feeds.view less