jamarchThe promotion of Jamaica’s south coast as a tourist destination will get an added boost, with the publication of another novel on the legendary and poignant tale of Lover’s Leap, in St. Elizabeth.
Award-winning Jamaican-Canadian author Horane Smith’s sixth novel is Dawn at Lover’s Leap, the sequel to his popular first novel, Lover’s Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend, which was published to international acclaim in the U.K. in 1999.
Dawn at Lover’s Leap, which is being released this month by PublishAmerica, continues the touching story surrounding a secret romance between two slaves in southern eastern St. Elizabeth in the nineteenth century.
The prequel, Lover’s Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend, has been Smith’s most successful novel of his sixth published works, five of which are historical fiction. At the time of its publication, it even caught the attention of the late British best-selling author John Prebble, who described Smith as one of four best emerging writers.
Dawn at Lover’s Leap is set during the post-emancipation period, and continues up to the time of the Morant Bay rebellion.
“A sequel was never in my plans,” Smith said from Toronto, where he lives. “But the countless requests I’ve received from all over the globe for a sequel forced me to write this intriguing story that continues to appeal to all races and cultures. My readers want to keep Lover’s Leap alive.”
Smith, who has won a BURLA Award for Outstanding Contribution to Canadian and African-Caribbean Literature, said the sequel is as gripping as the original. “For those readers who said they couldn’t put it down, here’s another piece of Jamaica that you’ll treasure. It’s a kind of entertaining history…you learn something about our history in an entertaining but informed way.”
Smith, who was a journalist in Jamaica for more than twenty years, was born at Yardley Chase in St. Elizabeth, the same district where Lover’s Leap is located. He was also recognized recently by the Jamaica Diaspora Foundation Canada for his outstanding contribution to Jamaican literature.
“To have a son of the soil write about stories that touch everyone who’s familiar with the Lover’s Leap theme, or ‘Jamaica’s Romeo and Juliet,’ as some people describe it, makes me feel proud to be able to contribute to promoting the south coast,” he said.
Dawn at Lover’s Leap will be launched in Jamaica in July. Launches are also planned for several cities including New York, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal. Smith’s other publications are Port Royal, Reggae Silver, Underground to Freedom and the Lynching Stream. It’s available at www.amazon.com or www.horanesmith.com www.barnesandnoble.com
Contact: Horane Smith [email protected]
Joylene Griffiths [email protected]
Media Writer
