Yvonne Maphosa

"Not every woman marries for love and come on, a wedding ring won’t magically heal a cheater"

"That’s the power of fiction. You never know who’s going to see themselves in it"

"I want readers to feel something, anything, even if it’s messy"

"I even get DMs from side chicks who say they feel seen and wives who were ‘driven’ out of their marriages by infidelity"

"I write to entertain but I like it when readers feel something, even if it’s anger or annoyance"

"There’s room for soft love stories where women leave when they should. But there’s also room for the stories where women stay too long, love too hard, forgive too much and sacrifice more than they should"

"That’s what I hope my work keeps doing. Not just telling stories but building relationships between like-minded people"

"I don’t write with the aim of teaching a lesson,but if people take something meaningful from it, then I’m happy"

"These stories are fiction, yes, but they’re also a mirror. They are a reflection of the emotional reality many people live in silence"

"Sometimes when readers get mad at my characters, I think maybe it’s not the fictional girl they’re angry at, maybe it’s their younger self. Or their sister. Or their best friend. That reflection, that truth, that’s what I’m chasing."

"My characters are not just figments of imagination; they are reflections of real people navigating relatable dilemmas. They deal with real-world issues such as love triangles, societal pressures, abuse and the pretensions around monogamy. I explore the shades of grey in human relationships because love is never black and white. It can be messy, beautiful and sometimes tragic"

"The duality of cultures shows up in my characters. I love capturing their internal battles. They often grapple with balancing their cultural heritage against the pressures of modern life"