Summer Shifters - Interview With Rita Kruger

1) Tell us about your book/series.

My series is named DARLING’S DAUGHTERS. It is about the tiny South African town, Darling. It has a small population of around five hundred people. About half of them are shapeshifters. The idea for this series was born from real-life local crossdresser, Evita Bezuidenhout, who bought the abandoned railway station in Darling and used the buildings to present satirical shows addressing political and societal issues. A crossdresser is as close to a shapeshifter as one can get in real life.
Book 1, Diana, is about an artist student, the daughter of Rose Brown, a world-acclaimed fine artist. When Rose dies, the family is plunged into turmoil. Her stepfather, Tyler, tries to force Diana into signing a contract with his gallery. Her sister, Kim, intervenes. The two young women find themselves losing their mother, father, and home within a week.
Diana returns to university to finish her studies, unsure of what she and Kim will do at the end of the year. In the middle of this chaos, something is happening to her body. Something strange. Diana writes it off to stress until she is confronted with the truth. She turns into a fox. Then Jan-Hendrik Lubbe enters her world. He invites her to South Africa, where her grandmother left them an estate and a sizable inheritance. One of the prerequisites for the inheritance is that they come to visit the town.
Diana and Kim arrive to the open arms and hearts of the people of Darling. They fall in love and become the daughters of Darling. Yet, their father has ideas of his own.
Book 2, Susanna, will be released on 30 April 2024. Susanna, or Sana to family and friends, is finishing her last year in school when she falls for the new girl, Mary. Sana was born and bred in Darling. She was only six when she first shifted. She inherited her shapeshifter genes from her mother, Gerda. They are Portia, from the species of Arachnida (jumping spiders). Everyone knows and loves her.
After a tragic life-event, Sana leaves Darling and joins a traveling circus. She is looking forward to seeing new places and meeting new people. However, life with the circus isn’t what she expected. Life with David, the artist who trains her for their trapeze performance, isn’t a beautiful dream either. Can Sana find her way back to Darling?
 
2) What type of shifter features in your books?

Book 1: Diana is a Fox shifter.
Book 2: Susanna is a Portia (spider) shifter.
Book 3: Mallindra is a Watersnake shifter.
Book 4: Felicity is a Scorpion shifter.
 
3) What abilities do they have?

Diana has excellent smelling, jumping, and running skills. She is agile and supple. She can wiggle through small spaces.
Sana has excellent hearing and hunting skills. Being protective of those she loves is her superpower. She can fly in short bursts, cling to surfaces, and heal quickly. Summing up a dangerous situation, and planning an attack is also valuable Portia skills.
 
4) If you could transform into an animal, what would you choose and why?

A lizard. They are resilient. They can rejuvenate themselves. They can regrow parts that are damaged or lost. Lizards thrive in all habitats. They are bold, agile, and crafty. Lizards are the kings of survival.

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