Renewal – A Writing Retreat in Jamaica

Jamaica is where Bliss was born. I don’t mean just the character from my bestselling debut novel of the same name, but also the book itself. Although I wrote Bliss in the United States, the inspiration for its character and places, its emotion and its conflicts, all came from Jamaica. The book isn’t about an…

Who Knew: The Laid Back and Necessary — Renewal: A Retreat for Writers

Once I decided to let the vibe of Jamaica have its way , I found myself experiencing the authenticity of the country. Every sound, every taste reminded me that I was away from home, away from my every day. I loosened up and the simplicity of sky and water, bush and sand, created a connection…

Thailand White

The young German girl and I bonded over the lack of non-whitening body lotion in Thailand. Like me, she had run out of the allotted 100 ml for the flight and had gone into one of the ten thousand 7-11 stores to buy more. After the third store and nothing without whitening cream – including…