Welcome to an author interview for ...

The Enemy’s Sister: a shipwreck, a soldier, and holding onto faith at Our House on Jakaranda Laan.

He learned a lot of things in the army. Falling in love with the enemy’s sister wasn’t one of them.

If you love a historical romance with frontier-flare and rediscovered faith, you’re sure to enjoy The Enemy’s Sister.

Lieutenant John Beauchamp’s faith is as tattered and torn as the storm-tossed ship transporting his regiment to Cape Town in 1795 when they shipwreck on a South African beach. But the steadfast faith of persecuted local, Anneke Terblanche, and her unlikely friend, a freedwoman, inspire John to remember how sweet a life of faith can be. If only Anneke's brother wasn't trying to kill him.

Anneke has never met anyone more important to her than her twin brother, until John sweeps into her life. John is both raging storm and fragrant breeze. But her brother loathes the English and fears they mean to control the Boer’s new settlement at Cedarfontein. If Anneke chooses John, she’ll lose her twin and any chance of hearing her brother say he loves her.

Will Anneke and John leave their hearts behind on that fateful South African beach, or does God have another plan for this war-torn soldier and his faithful frontier girl?

What is something interesting readers would enjoy learning about you?

I learned Australian sign language as a pre-teen. At first it was just a way to get out of schoolwork because my mum would give me the afternoon off from homeschooling. But I loved it so much I eventually signed up for accredited night classes and pursued a certificate level 3 in Auslan.

Learning Auslan is actually how I met my husband. I came to Melbourne to work with a deaf ministry in a church and to finish off the certifications that I couldn’t do in Tasmania. My husband was a hearing member of that church, but I would never have met him if I hadn’t wanted an afternoon off of schoolwork as a kid!

What makes up your ideal reading environment?

I have always loved reading at night once everyone else is in bed. To be honest, probably too late into the night, but there’s something about the dark and quiet that really lets me relax into the book. I don’t feel like I’m ignoring anyone or any to-do tasks. Yes, I’m ignoring sleep, but I’m okay with that. I need answers more than I need sleep!

What was your favorite scene to write in this story? And why?

My favourite scene to write was right after John and Anneke meet. She’s leading them back to her settlement, and she’s nervous about all these soldiers who just shipwrecked on her beach. John is trying to remember his Dutch, because he is a little rusty. But he also wants to help her relax and feel safe.

It’s the ‘getting-to-know-you’ conversation when two people just meet and start to realize there is something different about this other person, something they like.

What unique research was required to write this story?

There was so much unique research I needed. I had to learn about the Dutch revolutions in the 1780s and 1790s, what happened to the Dutch royal family during that time, how the English soldiers got to South Africa, what it was like for an English soldier on campaign, and of course, the South African history leading up to the 1790s and 1820s. I had several centuries worth of history to brush up on or learn from scratch before I could even write the book. It was a lot of work but also fun.

One memorable resource was reading a book written by an English explorer who travelled all over the frontier of the Dutch Cape Colony in the late 1790s. That was really cool.

What is one bit of research you wish you could have included in the story?

Charles Adam, a midshipman from Monarch, went to South Africa in 1795, and during a battle, Charles was put in charge of a ship. Yes, they put a 15-year-old boy in charge of a ship. I would have loved to have included that in my book, but I didn’t have space to write about it.

But I did put Charles in my story. He’s actually how my couple meet on the beach right after the English shipwreck.

What did you learn while writing this story?

I learned so many things! But two fun things were early Afrikaans and how it was developing even in the 1790s. The second was historical South African food. We all know that recipes change over time, and it was so much fun to dig into the past and figure out how iconic dishes of today were made and what they tasted like in the past. I wrote a bit about this in a cookbook put together for the Our House series on Jakaranda Laan.

The best way to stay connected is through my weekly email, Fireside News. You’ll receive cozy updates, behind-the-scenes book notes, and a complimentary historical romance novelette when you subscribe.

Until next time, may your reading bring both light and encouragement.

Happy reading!
~ Danielle.