In this week’s blogpost I would like to introduce you to two of the main characters in my upcoming historical fiction novel, Children of the Ocean God. The story unfolds on the tiny West Indian island of St. Vincent (called Hiroona by the Black Caribs), over the...
“Peace to our neighbours. But anathema to the French name. Hatred eternal to France. This is our cry.” – from the Haitian proclamation of independence from France. The Black Jacobins is an enlightening and thought-provoking tome which is a must-read...
In a recent blogpost about authenticity in writing historical fiction I mentioned that I would elaborate more about how the Garifuna language has evolved since the 1790s. It has indeed been quite a dramatic transformation which has its roots in the tragic deportation...
The ideas of the French Revolution reached the shores of St. Vincent in 1795 due to the concerted efforts of one man. Victor Hugues, French revolutionary commander and Commissioner of Guadeloupe. Hugues, who was officially sent out to the Windward Islands to implement...
I am currently busy writing part two of Children of the Ocean God. As you can imagine, in a novel such as this it is important to create an authentic picture of what life was like during the historical period in which the events are set. To achieve this I am weaving...
