Westbrook teacher Deanne Warman releases debut novel

Drawing on personal tragedy and a life of teaching English, Westbrook resident Deanne Warman has self-published her first book.

The Reddam House Ballito teacher (64) has been educating the next generation for the past 42 years, 15 of which have been spent on the North Coast.

Although Warman’s passion for education has fuelled her career, becoming an author was always in the back of her mind.

Koi Kingdom: The Colours of Courage was inspired by her time spent resting at a Koi pond after she was widowed at the age of 30, left to be a single mother to her young son.

“I would go out and just watch the fish, reflecting on everything I was experiencing. I soon realised these fish had a society of their own, with relationships, community and a hierarchy,” she said.

So came the idea for Koi Kingdom which plays out like a fable, holding strong lessons for both children and adults alike, though it is targeted mainly for those aged 11-14.

The seemingly idyllic lives of the Koi characters hold difficulties of their own, with danger in the shadows and from the humans above the surface.

But with the ever growing courage and strength of young protagonist Sanke, there are endless life lessons to be gleaned from this quirky and cheerful debut novel.

“I tried to include subtle humour for the parents while also making sure that the central lessons were easy enough to follow for the children.”

Though the book was only published in 2022, it had been mostly written over years after Warman began work on it in her late 30s.

“It probably took me about five years of spare moments and minutes at the dining room table between the demands of my career and raising my son.”

Since then, she has written much more, completing other novels in the Koi Kingdom world and outside of it too.

For now, however, only Koi Kingdom is available and you can find it on both Takealot (R235) and Amazon ($9.99), with prices varying depending on shipping costs.

The paperback version is chock-full of beautiful illustrations from local artist Toni Brink, as well as Cape Town-based Greg Davies.

To save on delivery costs, you can also buy directly from Warman if you are local, the price will be less than anywhere else. Call her at 082 782 9989 for further details.

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