Natasha Mostert
Natasha Mostert
Natasha Mostert 'One of the most original voices on the literary scene...a master wordsmith' - Glamour Magazine

Female
102 years old
London, London and South East
United Kingdom



Last Login: 3/9/2010
Mood: argumentative Mood Image
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    Natasha Mostert's Interests
GeneralI am an avid kickboxer and train five times a week. My trainer is Carlos Andrade, former WKA European Light-Heavyweight Kick Boxing champion and every Friday morning at eight he gets to kick me around in a full-on sparring session.
My new book, Keeper of Light and Dust, is a suspense novel about chi, tattoos, quantum physics and martial arts. Kickboxer

My other great love is music. Without it, I would not be able to write.
MusicI am passionate about music, so much so that I wrote a novel about it. Titled The Other Side of Silence, it tells the story of three friends trying to solve the riddle of The Pythagorean Comma – one of the oldest mysteries in the science of sound. But this is a mystery not meant to be solved...Read more about it on my website: www.natashamostert.com.

Who do I like? A few favourites:

Nina Simone: voluptuous sophistication and crystalline purity.
Leonard Cohen: Super sexy poet.
Shahin and Sepehr: My favourite background music when writing.
David Hykes and The Harmonic Choir: They do things with their voices that is not humanly possible - every time I listen to Hearing Solar Winds it takes my breath away.
Opera: My mother is a voice coach for opera singers and I was fed baby food while Casta Diva was playing in the background. That kind of indoctrination is hard to shake. I've fallen hard for Jonas Kaufmann but what girl wouldn't :)
Loreena McKennit: She sings the way I wish I could write.
Tori Amos: Strange (wonderful) little girl.
Bruce Springsteen: He's the boss.
Dragonforce = Metal poets.
Borodin's second string quartet.
Pachelbel's Canon – the Leppard/English Chamber Orchestra rendition.
I'll take any Bach I can get. And any Mozart.
Vanessa Mae playing Classical Gas.
Ottmar Liebert
Francis Cabrel
The Killing Floor
Seal's Kiss of a Rose.
Any Hans Zimmer soundtrack.
The soundtrack to the Inspector Morse series
New Order. Crystal is best.
Razorlight
Incubus
R.E.M
Cengiz A personal friend. A cool guy making great music. Check out his new album Everwished.
When I'm homesick I listen to Splash, Patricia Majalisa and the Dalom Kids - all great performers of South African Mpantsula jive.
MoviesToo many to mention. Old favourites that relax me: Gattaca, Lawrence of Arabia, Stakeout, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Hero, Tootsie, Manon des Sources, When Harry met Sally, Picnic at Hanging Rock, The Year of Living Dangerously, Children of a Lesser God, 84 Charing Cross Road, What's eating Gilbert Grape, Pride and Prejudice (with Keira Knightly). John Sayles movies. Alan Parker movies. Michael Mann movies. Kathryn Bigelow movies. Jackie Chan movies!
TelevisionInspector Morse, Flashforward, Battlestar Galactica, Ultimate Fighting Championship (I'm a huge Randy Couture fan – his first fight with Lidell is one for the ages – and the fight against Sylvia - Randy, you beauty!), Simon Schama on Power of Art, Firefly, Shark - if only for James Woods. Best timing of any actor around.
BooksToo many to list. A few favourites: Jean Rhys's Wide Sargasso Sea.
Donna Tart's The Secret History (but not The Little Friend).
I am fascinated by Cormac McCarthy's use of language, if sometimes perplexed by his narrative.
Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris – how is it possible for any one to be this clever and erudite without being irritating?
Neil Gaiman: imagination to the square
Anything by Jorge Luis Borges.
William Gibson's Neuromancer. Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash.
The English Patient, Michael Ondaatje. The Apothecary's Daughter by Patricia Schonstein.
Sports books: Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas. Dark Trade by Donald McRae.
Suspense writers: Barry Eisler, Arthur Rosenfeld, The Cutting Season - the hero is a pony tailed neurosurgeon and martial arts master!PD James. Tana French. Horror: Stephen King.
HeroesPeople who manage to face up to everyday drudgery and routine with humour and determination. The nine-to-fivers whose lives may not have much heroic content but who stick it out for the sake of their families and still manage to see the funny side. The ones who, as the Neil Young song says, "never get to fall in love, never get to be cool," but who keep the faith.

     Natasha Mostert's Details
Status:Married
Here for:Networking
Hometown:Johannesburg
Body type:5' 3"
Zodiac Sign:Capricorn
Education:Grad / professional school
Occupation:Novelist



Natasha Mostert There is often bad blood between writers and critics. Check out my latest blog entry on the topic and let me have your thoughts! Posted at 11:07 AM Feb 23
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   Natasha Mostert's Blurbs
About me:
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Author of five suspense novels
Brilliant, raven-haired psychic
Saw her first ghost at age four
Likes to take midnight rides on horseback and practices levitation
twice a day

OK, the part about the levitation and the horses is made up. The 'raven-haired psychic' description might be slightly over the top as well. And I haven’t seen a ghost yet, but I plan to. The bit about the suspense novels is true.

I live in London and I write dark, psychological thrillers with a strong dash of mysticism and the paranormal.

My fourth book, Season of the Witch, is a modern gothic thriller about techgnosis and the Art of Memory and has won the Book to Talk About: World Book Day Award 2009.

It received a starred review in Kirkus, which describes it as a 'brain-squeezing thriller' and another starred review in Publishers Weekly, which calls it 'goth SF at its finest'.

World Book Day Award
Receiving the 2009 World Book Day Award for Season of the Witch

My fifth book, Keeper of Light and Dust,(UK edition, The Keeper) is a story about chi, martial arts, tattoos, quantum physics and the strongest desire of all: to live forever. Jon Land describes it as "Daring and original. A hybrid of Eric Lustbader's groundbreaking "The Ninja" and Ann Rice's "The Vampire Lestat."

Keeper has also garnered praise from Robert Twigger, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award (Angry White Pyjamas): "Brilliantly original and compelling. I read this book in one sitting." Harper's Bazaar has chosen Keeper for their Hot List as a Must-Read-Book.

I grew up in South Africa and have also lived in New York City. Previous jobs include selling shoes, teaching Afrikaans at a South African university and moonlighting as a project coordinator in the publishing department of a public television station in New York City. I now write full-time.

To read an excerpt from Keeper of Light and Dust, click here.

Keeper Booklaunch

The Keeper Launch party in London.

Please subscribe to my newsletter if you are interested in receiving updates on my work and author appearances. Click here to subscribe.

Book Covers

If you'd like to know more about me and my work, please visit my website: www.natashamostert.com

WIN AN IPAD! The Keeper Game: Try it out!

WIN AN IPAD! The paperback edition of Keeper of Light and Dust, was just launched in the US. To celebrate, my website includes a game, which I designed and which is based on the book. It is in the form of a fun personality quizz. Discover if you are a Warrior, a Healer or a Thief! You can also win some cool stuff: the new iPad, book vouchers from Amazon, or Barnes and Noble and pink or black boxing gloves. Hope to see you there!

The site also features a synopsis of the novel and I have posted notes that will give you a behind-the-scenes peek at how I plotted this book. Click here to visit the site: www.thekeepergame.com.

Why mysticism?

My interest in mysticism started in early childhood when I was growing up in South Africa. My aia (nanny) was a Zulu woman who introduced me to African legends and the world of the insangoma (witch doctors). For many years I thought she was the coolest person on the planet and tried to emulate her in every way. I remember exasperating my mother by insisting on stacking several bricks below each corner of the bed to keep out of reach of the tokkelosh – an evil gnome with an enormous head but very short legs! Years later I would write about this in The Midnight Side. The concept of witches and witchcraft would surface again in Season of the Witch.

A different kind of woo woo

Even though I write about subjects, which many people consider far-fetched and fey, I always embed them firmly within a realistic, every-day framework. The ghost in The Midnight Side does not drag chains or howl outside windows - she finds it more amusing to manipulate the stock exchange. My witches in Season of the Witch do not use boiling cauldrons as their tools, but computers and code. By carefully blending hard fact with paranormal conjecture, I hope to seduce my reader not into a 'willing suspension of disbelief' but into accepting unquestionably the veracity of the world I build in my books. My research for my novels is intensive and rigorous.

Praise for Natasha Mostert's novels

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'Bedtime reading for the brave'
The Times (London)

'Renders suspense, an atmosphere fraught with eroticism, and compelling characters. Fans of Anne Rice and Joyce Carol Oates should appreciate Mostert's take on mysticism, magic and the ancient art of memory.'
Booklist

'A unique, wild imagination'
Bangor Chronicle

'Classy psychic thriller...original, unsettling... kicks the usual preconceptions into shape'
The Literary Review

'absorbing psychological detail... climactic surprise, a humdinger'
Kirkus Reviews

'hauntingly elegant'
Booklist

'Highly accomplished'
Toronto Globe and Mail

Who I'd like to meet:
Oscar Pistorius: fastest man on no legs
Aung San Suu Kiy
Thomas Friedman
Neil Gaiman
Joyce Carol Oates
Archie Moore if he were still alive (imagine still being the world
light heavy weightboxing champion at age 49.)
NASA's Voyager 1


   Natasha Mostert's Friend Space (Top 23)
Natasha Mostert has 1622 friends.
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 THE KILLING FLOOR 


 Withywindle Books 


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 Witchy Woman 


 Barry Eisler 


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 Paul H. Smith 


 The Village Bookshop 


 Paul 


 david 


 morrighan 


 Lisa Kessler Writer 


 Lulu in NY... 


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 John 


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 Debs 





Natasha Mostert's Friends Comments
Displaying 25 of 1100 comments  ( View All | Add Comment )
~Author~Betty C. Blevins (Bond)~Official Profile~

Betty Blevins



Mar 10 2010 5:02 AM

Dr Phil to Betty: That's a heck of a Book you wrote there Author Betty C. Blevins!

Ellen Dean

Ellen Dean



Feb 22 2010 9:40 AM

Thank you. I enjoyed reading Season of the Witch, and the Keeper. Seems we have a shared interest in Quantum Physics.
AngeliqueRaeven

AngeliqueRaeven



Feb 18 2010 10:42 AM

God this weather is abysmal..i agree..
Angry white pajamas was of course the first book that friends gave us when he started doing aikido 6 or so years ago. Even i loved it! I cant believe that you do martial arts! Corne was dead impressed :-)..
Im hoping we can go to cape town this year..im so home sick!
x
AngeliqueRaeven

AngeliqueRaeven



Feb 17 2010 1:29 PM

Hi Natasha
Am back in the UK. Just too much sunshine in florida.:-)
Loved your new book BTW..my husbands very into aikido and mma, so at least he was thrilled by it. Can you believe they had it stocked in the library in Jacksonville?? was very impressed, and thought you would get a smile from that fact.
Hope you are well and enjoyed your holiday!
xx
THE WOLF

THE WOLF



Feb 15 2010 11:39 AM



Passing on through to wish you a truly awesome day filled with lots of fun, love and laughter. Sending you nothing but friendship love and respect....Ralphy
[DieTrich Thrall]:: RIP Kristov 10.28.74- 01.26.09

DieTrich Thrall



Feb 14 2010 11:31 PM

happy <3 day!!
Alina Murder

Alina Murder
Online Now!


Feb 11 2010 12:26 PM

Happy Valentine's Day!
White Door

White Door



Feb 11 2010 11:11 AM

Good luck with the Keeper in the USA Natasha
J. W.

J. W. Thompson



Feb 8 2010 11:38 AM

Hello nice to meet another author ---

My Facebook page is

http://www.facebook.com/pages/J-W-Thompson/136105451065
Embrace Environment

Embrace Cooperation Ltd



Feb 7 2010 11:01 AM

Thank you for accepting my friendship request
DragonIntuitive.com

DragonIntuitive.com



Feb 6 2010 5:16 PM

…you get what you are…now
Enjoy Spirituality for Living at dragonintuitive.com.















Alina Murder

Alina Murder
Online Now!


Feb 6 2010 5:07 PM

Thanks for the add! - Alina
GRACIE BARRA PHOENIX

Gracie Barra Phoenix



Feb 3 2010 6:39 AM

Thanks for the Birthday wishes. Today was a good day and it's been a great year so far. keep happy. --GBP
Bubblegum Screw

Bubblegum Screw



Jan 16 2010 11:12 AM

Hope you can make it to either of these gigs.

Feb 5th
Dublin Castle
CAMDEN

Feb 20th
Club Aquarium
OLD STREET

BUBBLEGUM SCREW
~Author~Betty C. Blevins (Bond)~Official Profile~

Betty Blevins



Jan 12 2010 1:28 PM





May brightness and good peace fill your heart today and always
May happiness and harmony follow your footsteps always
Blessings of Love & Light your way.
~Author~Betty C. Blevins (Bond)~Official Profile~

Betty Blevins



Jan 11 2010 10:04 AM

Sending you wishes for a Monday that is extraordinary and brings
you surprises and dreams come true! Thank you for your comments and
being my friend! Huggles~n~Snuggles

Morpheus Tales

Morpheus Tales
Online Now!


Jan 8 2010 3:34 PM

Morpheus Tales love our friends!
Morpheus Tales #5 out now featuring fiction by Joe R. Lansdale!
Undead Special Issue out now!
Morpheus Tales #7 featuring fiction by Ray Garton (Author of The Haunting in Connecticut) out now!!
Scream Queens Special, Femme Fantasy Special Issue coming soon!
Plus Christopher Golden, Michael Laimo, Ray Garton, Joseph D'Lacey, Joseph McGee and much more!
www.morpheustales.com
Flash Horror Fiction Special available for FREE! Check the blog for details!
Writers needed! Check blog for details!
White Door

White Door



Jan 7 2010 11:00 AM





thanks for the comment, started reading the keeper out of curiosity, can't put it down
and my daughter and her mates at Manchester Uni (twighlight freaks) love it.
Thanks and continued success. x
H2O (NOW CASTING FOR FEATURE FILM AND SHOWS)

H2O (NOW CASTING FOR FEATURE FILM AND SHOWS)



Jan 3 2010 6:16 PM

Happy New Year!!! Add me on Facebook if you wanna network, I hold media orientated networking events every month. Dr Kaya H Osbourne
B.G. WETHERBY AUTHOR

B.G. Wetherby



Jan 3 2010 1:27 AM

I am looking forward to friend and fellowship with you.
I truly hope that you visit
my page often and feel the
presence of the HOLY SPIRIT
at work here.

Place us in your top friends for easy
access for your friends
and for yourself.


......Check your bulletins daily for my inspirational post....
......Ask me about my latest book!
......My writings can be re posted, with proper credit.



ALL OF YOUR FRIENDS
ARE WELCOME HERE!!!


Prayer For A Friend
- ---------------------

I sent a prayer to God today
Because you are a friend.
I asked that He bring your problems
Abruptly to an end.


I prayed for resolution,
And for all your trials to cease.
But most of all, oh friend of mine,
I asked for God to bring you peace.



B.g. Wetherby

Michael West

Michael West



Jan 1 2010 4:39 PM

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Ann

Ann



Dec 31 2009 11:20 PM

Dear Natasha,

At midnight I want to wish you a happy new year. You deserve to be smiling and happy. I hope this 2010 year will be the best for you.

Love you, Ann
Mary

Mary



Dec 27 2009 12:52 AM

Many best wishes for the holiday season.

Hugs,

Mary
Ann

Ann



Dec 26 2009 8:32 PM

Thank you so much for comment me back. It was the best present for my lonely Christmas this year. I can't wait for you to make us happy with another of your incredible books!!

- With love, Ann
Lisa Kessler Writer

Lisa Kessler Writer



Dec 26 2009 5:20 AM

Happy Birthday Natasha!!!

I hope you're having a wonderful birthday and CHristmas with all your family!!!

Can't wait to see some pictures from your trip... :)

*HUGS*

Lisa :)
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