Natasha Mostert
Encyclopedia
Natasha Mostert is a South Africa
n author
and writer presently living in London
.
South Africa, Mostert grew up in both Johannesburg and Pretoria
. She now lives in the United Kingdom
, in Chelsea
, west London
although she still owns a house in Stellenbosch in her native South Africa. Mostert trains as a kickboxer and is raising money for CPAU, an Afghan charity that teaches women how to box and feel empowered in their lives.
, New York
.
As a political
op-ed
writer, she has written for the New York Times, Newsweek
, The Independent
and The Times
.
She also worked as a teacher at the University of the Witwatersrand
, Johannesburg and at the WNET
television station
in New York City before taking up writing.
She runs two online games on her website: The Keeper game, which is in the form of a personality quiz and which is used to support her book, Keeper of Light and Dust and The Season of the Witch Memory Game, which ties in to her award-winning novel of the same name.
psychological thriller
s with paranormal
and mystic
themes. Her first novel, The Midnight Side, both a murder mystery and ghost story
, was released in 2000. It was followed by The Other Side of Silence (2001), a thriller about music
and computer gaming, and Windwalker (2005), a Gothic
love story about murder, redemption and reincarnation. Her fourth book, Season of the Witch (2007) deals with remote viewing
, memory palaces and witchcraft
. Season of the Witch won the Book to Talk About: World Book Day Award 2009 with the £5,000 prize being donated to CPAU, an Afghan charity. Her latest novel is Keeper of Light and Dust (published as The Keeper in the UK) and deals with chi, mysticism, martial arts and quantum physics.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and writer presently living in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
Personal
Born in JohannesburgJohannesburg
Johannesburg also known as Jozi, Jo'burg or Egoli, is the largest city in South Africa, by population. Johannesburg is the provincial capital of Gauteng, the wealthiest province in South Africa, having the largest economy of any metropolitan region in Sub-Saharan Africa...
South Africa, Mostert grew up in both Johannesburg and Pretoria
Pretoria
Pretoria is a city located in the northern part of Gauteng Province, South Africa. It is one of the country's three capital cities, serving as the executive and de facto national capital; the others are Cape Town, the legislative capital, and Bloemfontein, the judicial capital.Pretoria is...
. She now lives in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, in Chelsea
Chelsea, London
Chelsea is an area of West London, England, bounded to the south by the River Thames, where its frontage runs from Chelsea Bridge along the Chelsea Embankment, Cheyne Walk, Lots Road and Chelsea Harbour. Its eastern boundary was once defined by the River Westbourne, which is now in a pipe above...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
although she still owns a house in Stellenbosch in her native South Africa. Mostert trains as a kickboxer and is raising money for CPAU, an Afghan charity that teaches women how to box and feel empowered in their lives.
Education and career
Mostert was educated in South Africa, and then Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
As a political
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
op-ed
Op-ed
An op-ed, abbreviated from opposite the editorial page , is a newspaper article that expresses the opinions of a named writer who is usually unaffiliated with the newspaper's editorial board...
writer, she has written for the New York Times, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
and The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
.
She also worked as a teacher at the University of the Witwatersrand
University of the Witwatersrand
The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg is a South African university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University...
, Johannesburg and at the WNET
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
television station
Television station
A television station is a business, organisation or other such as an amateur television operator that transmits content over terrestrial television. A television transmission can be by analog television signals or, more recently, by digital television. Broadcast television systems standards are...
in New York City before taking up writing.
She runs two online games on her website: The Keeper game, which is in the form of a personality quiz and which is used to support her book, Keeper of Light and Dust and The Season of the Witch Memory Game, which ties in to her award-winning novel of the same name.
Writing
To date, she has published five novels. She specialises in contemporary fantasyContemporary fantasy
Contemporary fantasy, also known as modern fantasy or indigenous fantasy, is a sub-genre of fantasy, set in the present day. It is perhaps most popular for its sub-genre, urban fantasy.-Definition and overview:...
psychological thriller
Psychological thriller
Psychological thriller is a specific sub-genre of the broad ranged thriller with heavy focus on characters. However, it often incorporates elements from the mystery and drama genre, along with the typical traits of the thriller genre...
s with paranormal
Paranormal
Paranormal is a general term that designates experiences that lie outside "the range of normal experience or scientific explanation" or that indicates phenomena understood to be outside of science's current ability to explain or measure...
and mystic
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
themes. Her first novel, The Midnight Side, both a murder mystery and ghost story
Ghost story
A ghost story may be any piece of fiction, or drama, or an account of an experience, that includes a ghost, or simply takes as a premise the possibility of ghosts or characters' belief in them. Colloquially, the term can refer to any kind of scary story. In a narrower sense, the ghost story has...
, was released in 2000. It was followed by The Other Side of Silence (2001), a thriller about music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
and computer gaming, and Windwalker (2005), a Gothic
Gothic fiction
Gothic fiction, sometimes referred to as Gothic horror, is a genre or mode of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Gothicism's origin is attributed to English author Horace Walpole, with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto, subtitled "A Gothic Story"...
love story about murder, redemption and reincarnation. Her fourth book, Season of the Witch (2007) deals with remote viewing
Remote viewing
Remote viewing is the practice of seeking impressions about a distant or unseen target using paranormal means, in particular, extra-sensory perception or "sensing with mind"...
, memory palaces and witchcraft
Witchcraft
Witchcraft, in historical, anthropological, religious, and mythological contexts, is the alleged use of supernatural or magical powers. A witch is a practitioner of witchcraft...
. Season of the Witch won the Book to Talk About: World Book Day Award 2009 with the £5,000 prize being donated to CPAU, an Afghan charity. Her latest novel is Keeper of Light and Dust (published as The Keeper in the UK) and deals with chi, mysticism, martial arts and quantum physics.