Lindsay Norman jokes that she writes with “an empty spice bottle and no steam in the iron”, which is ironic since the title of her book, Khaki Fever, is also a slang term for uniform-smitten young girls who had illicit relations with soldiers during World War I.

“The closest they get to being in bed,” the Newlands author said laughingly of the two romantic leads, “is when they are under the bed during a storm.”

If there were any spice in the book, the flavour would be braai spice because the book is safari-themed and packed full of South African flavours.

“I spend a lot of time in the bush. My parents loved the Kruger Park, and as a child, I went to the Kruger Park a lot, and I still go to the Kruger Park.”

Safari is a recurring theme in Lindsay’s books. Her first two books, which were both children’s books, are set in rural Zimbabwe and were inspired by her work with her NGO Hwange Schools Project.

“I travel a lot to Zimbabwe because I run a very small NGO with a friend of mine in Matabeleland. We supply schools with learning materials, books, and everything related to literacy.”

Most of the reading material donated to the NGO was not relatable to the children, Lindsay said.

“I realised that they don't have many books where they can recognise themselves. There are a lot of donated books, but those books are about things that are not within their context, and it's very important for children to develop a love of reading by reading books that are set in their context so that they can recognise themselves.”

To fill this gap, Lindsay wrote The Elephants are Coming and Aunt Alice and the Lion, which are both centred around a little boy called Themba and his adventures with farming, village life and wild animals in Ngamo Village in Zimbabwe, which is near Hwange National Park.

They were printed by Penguin Random House and had success with multiple reprints since their 2016 launch. Later, Lindsay also wrote an activity book based on Themba’s adventures.

Writing inspiration struck again last year, and Lindsay, who has more than 30 years of publishing experience in every sphere of the sector, set out to write Khaki Fever, which was published by Jonathan Ball earlier this month.

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Watch VideoExploring the humour and heart of Newlands author's Khaki Fever

Exploring the humour and heart of Newlands author's Khaki Fever