Shameez Patel from Goodwood has carved a name for herself in both the fantasy and romance genres, captivating readers with magical realms and modern love stories. The author of Selene Trilogy — The Last Feather, The Eternal Shadow and The First King — as well as the cheeky contemporary romance Playing Flirty, Patel is proof that imagination knows no bounds.
“I’ve been writing for as long as I can,” she shares. “One of my earliest writing pieces was titled “The Treasures on Zombie Island” — which hilariously featured no zombies.”
Like many writers, the journey wasn’t always linear. Patel recalls periods of doubt where the words wouldn’t flow the way she wanted. But everything changed during the Covid-19 lockdown.
“During lockdown, I managed to find the stories I wanted to tell, and in 2020 landed my first book deal,” she says.
Her debut fantasy novel
That spark gave rise to her debut fantasy novel The Last Feather, the first in a trilogy that follows a woman who is pulled into a magical realm in a desperate attempt to save her sister. “If she stays too long, she’ll be trapped there,” Patel teases. The immersive world-building and emotional stakes quickly garnered praise, paving the way for the sequels The Eternal Shadow and The First King.
Romantic comedy
But Patel doesn’t stop at fantasy. Her romantic comedy Playing Flirty offers a delightful change of pace. “It’s about two rival gamers — a board gamer and a video gamer — who have to team up for a board game competition,” she explains. “The two quickly realize they’re not only trying to outplay each other, but also trying to outflirt each other.”
Fans of Playing Flirty will be thrilled to know that a second romance novel, Next Level Love, is on the horizon and set to be released in January 2026.
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