After You Died...

For the lifelong friends jogging their regular morning route, along the sleepy suburban streets of Fish Hoek, nothing could have warned them of what was to come. Trying to take a short cut and win favour with his taxi boss, a young driver Tshepo Dlamini crashes into one of the runners. As Claire's lifeless body lies crumpled on the ground, Tshepo finds himself trapped in a metal carcass, close to death himself. Watching the accident happen, Maureen stands on her balcony and is the only witness. Yet she harbours another dark secret. For James, Claire's adoring boyfriend, his life begins to unravel as he wakes to the news that Claire is dead, leaving him to question life as it was and will be. No longer the awesome foursome, childhood friends Tanya, Liz and Kate reframe their friendship without Claire. After you died… draws on the seven stages of grief, each chapter a journey from shock to acceptance. Set against the complex backdrop of small town South Africa, each person steps into a new reality and learns to forgive themselves and others.

For the four friends jogging their regular morning route, along the sleepy suburban streets of Fish Hoek, nothing could have warned them of what was to come. Trying to take a short cut and win favour with his taxi boss, a young driver Tshepo Dlamini crashes into one of the runners. As Claire's lifeless body lies crumpled on the ground, Tshepo finds himself trapped in a metal carcass. What's left of his life is turned upside down. Watching the accident happen, Maureen stands on her balcony and is the only witness. Yet she harbours another dark secret. To save his life, Tshepo's leg is so badly injured that it must be amputated. Maureen must learn to deal with her husband's addiction and build her own life. No longer the awesome foursome, Tanya, Liz and Kate reframe their friendship without Claire and overcome their fears and inertia. For James, Claire's adoring boyfriend, his life begins to unravel as he wakes to the news that Claire is dead, leaving him to question life as it was and will be. From shock to acceptance, each chapter is a journey, and as each person tries to move forward with their lives, they must face their mistakes, set against the complex backdrop of small town South Africa. Showing that there is always hope, and that change is inevitable, each character must learn to forgive themselves and others, but for some, the hope of closure may be harder than they thought.

Melina Lewis is a Strategic Marketing and Communications specialist by day and writer by night. Her first book "After you died…" is a fictional novel set in the seaside town of Fish Hoek, Cape Town, where she resides. Melina's career began in health sciences but quickly leap frogged to something more fun, namely advertising. She has been working on creative copy one liners for over 15 years, and has amassed enough marketing knowledge to contribute towards several chapters of various Marketing Textbooks for South African colleges. Melina now consults to various businesses and is working on her second novel, which she hopes will not take as long as the first.