My eighth novel Marooned in Nova Scotia - a Story of the Jamaican Maroons in Canada, took me three years to write. It's the longest time I've ever taken to write a novel. On average, it usually takes me about a year.
Marooned in Nova Scotia involved extensive research, as the setting is 1795. Information on the presence of the Maroons (runaway slaves) in Canada, is not as much as one would have wanted, nevertheless, I was able to get enough information to take a peek into the lives of this brave and fearless people. The result is an intriguing novel that is bound to keep you glued to the pages. Read it!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Jamaica - the fair isle
Spanish Explorer Christopher Columbus was "off course" many times as he searched new lands. But one thing he was dead on with was the beauty of Jamaica. He certainly knew what he was saying in this instance when he declared "the fairest isle eyes have ever beheld." It's no wonder today that thousands of visitors flock to Jamaica's northcoast each year making it one of the top tourist destinations worldwide.
Jamaica's impact on the world didn't begin overnight. It has been blossoming for hundreds of years and here we are today witnessing with our eyes and our ears (Reggae Silver) just how much this tiny country is doing big things.
More soon! (www.horanesmith.com)
Jamaica's impact on the world didn't begin overnight. It has been blossoming for hundreds of years and here we are today witnessing with our eyes and our ears (Reggae Silver) just how much this tiny country is doing big things.
More soon! (www.horanesmith.com)
Monday, June 8, 2009
Jamaica and Sugar
After Spain was unceremoniously booted out of Jamaica in 1655, another colonial power moved in. England took the reins, and along with her desire for more wealth and power, came the decision to exploit the resources of the fair isle. Sugar and tobacco proved lucrative crops and with the Atlantic Slave Trade in full steam, labour would not be a problem.
From about 60 sugar mills in 1670 to over 400 in 1740, sugar was sweetening the pockets of many. Sugar had become king! No wonder Jamaica was considered a jewel in the British crown. In 1805, Jamaica reached its peak in sugar production during the slavery period. It produced 101, 000 tons of sugar to take the crown as the world's largest single producer of sugar back then. Another first for the land of wood and water - Xaymaca!
But while pockets and taste buds were being sweetened, for many others sugar had become a bitter pill. Read the nail-biting and intriguing popular novel Lover's Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend by Horane Smith www.horanesmith.com .
Stay tuned.
From about 60 sugar mills in 1670 to over 400 in 1740, sugar was sweetening the pockets of many. Sugar had become king! No wonder Jamaica was considered a jewel in the British crown. In 1805, Jamaica reached its peak in sugar production during the slavery period. It produced 101, 000 tons of sugar to take the crown as the world's largest single producer of sugar back then. Another first for the land of wood and water - Xaymaca!
But while pockets and taste buds were being sweetened, for many others sugar had become a bitter pill. Read the nail-biting and intriguing popular novel Lover's Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend by Horane Smith www.horanesmith.com .
Stay tuned.
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Jamaica and Columbus
When Spanish Explorer Christopher Columbus landed at what is now known as Discovery Bay Jamaica, on May 4, 1494 he couldn't believe his eyes. It's the fairest isle eyes have ever beheld, he commented.
That was the genesis of the awe and wonder of this little island in the years to come as its impact would be felt near and far. It would take just under two hundred years for Spain to loose control of Xaymaca, land of wood and water, as the Taino indians, the native population called it. The powerful English wrestled Jamaica from Spain in 1655. England sent privateers to Jamaica to help quell any possible Spanish insurgency. In later years, these privateers took on laws of their own and became known as the dreaded buccaneers or pirates, the most notorious among them Sir Henry Morgan. Their base was Port Royal, which earned the title "the wickedest and richest city on earth." Here we go again Jamaica. You are making a name! (See Port Royal, a Novel, by award-winning Jamaican author Horane Smith who has seven novels on various Jamaican subjects from slavery to piracy to reggae music. (www.horanesmith.com)
Stay tuned as the mystery unfolds.
That was the genesis of the awe and wonder of this little island in the years to come as its impact would be felt near and far. It would take just under two hundred years for Spain to loose control of Xaymaca, land of wood and water, as the Taino indians, the native population called it. The powerful English wrestled Jamaica from Spain in 1655. England sent privateers to Jamaica to help quell any possible Spanish insurgency. In later years, these privateers took on laws of their own and became known as the dreaded buccaneers or pirates, the most notorious among them Sir Henry Morgan. Their base was Port Royal, which earned the title "the wickedest and richest city on earth." Here we go again Jamaica. You are making a name! (See Port Royal, a Novel, by award-winning Jamaican author Horane Smith who has seven novels on various Jamaican subjects from slavery to piracy to reggae music. (www.horanesmith.com)
Stay tuned as the mystery unfolds.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
How Could Jamaica?
How could an island roughly the size of the state of Connecticut in the U.S. or the province of Prince Edward Island in Canada, has such an impact on the world?
We have given the world pulsating music, mouth-watering food, eminent people, and a sample of natural beauty found nowhere else on our green planet. For an island 4,411 square miles, a speck on the globe, its impact is immense. We're not part of the G7 or G20 group of nations, but has been classified as a part of the so-called Third World. Yet Jamaica is everywhere; its people have been taking a part of its culture beyond its shores and that culture is impacting lives much more than anyone would have thought.
Stay tuned, as we explore the phenomenon of "Jamaica gone abroad."
We have given the world pulsating music, mouth-watering food, eminent people, and a sample of natural beauty found nowhere else on our green planet. For an island 4,411 square miles, a speck on the globe, its impact is immense. We're not part of the G7 or G20 group of nations, but has been classified as a part of the so-called Third World. Yet Jamaica is everywhere; its people have been taking a part of its culture beyond its shores and that culture is impacting lives much more than anyone would have thought.
Stay tuned, as we explore the phenomenon of "Jamaica gone abroad."
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