Novel set in 1917, Granville Village, Trinidad.
Latchmin is twelve years old, and dying of typhoid. There are crowds around her bed.
Extract 2
Everyone may not have had a chance to say their piece, but Bassandaye stood in front them and put her arms up and out, to stop them.She turned to the bed where Latchmin lay, still as a chicken with its neck broken, She called out, quiet and courageous, her hands clasped.
'Latchmin, baitee. You hearing me? Come! Come home.' Bassandaye reached out and touched her daughter's broad, bony forehead, and ran the flat of her palm over the child's face and the bulge of her closed eyes.
'She not dead.' A voice spoke from the doorway. Pundit Lall had heard from the gossip in the village. He knew the family well and hurried to the house as fast as he could. Pushing them aside, he made his way to the bedside, and stood next to Bassandaye, looking at the thin body wrapped in the white sheet. 'No,' he said slowly. 'She not dead, even though she looking like it.'
There was a sudden abatement of breath. Her pale skin twitched.
'It happens sometimes.' Someone spoke up before the crying became louder,
'No. She's not dead,' the pundit repeated. There followed a chorus of sighs, and intake of breath all at once.
About Me
- Marilyn Rodwell
- I have done lots of things that have made my life varied and very interesting. From Nursing, to running my own design and manufacturing company - hard work but great fun. Lecturing in Business and Marketing allowed me to communicate with people who I could help. A very important part of my life was being a mother and step mother, then a mother again. Now I am writing fiction set in Trinidad. The Last Year of Childhood, is the the first novel of a series, set in small village, Granville, during Colonial times. If you have enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, you might enjoy The Last Year of Childhood. The genre is similar.
Friday, 3 May 2013
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
The Last Year of Childhood
THE LAST YEAR OF CHILDHOOD.
WHAT IS IT?
It is a novel about two young girls who are best friends.
It is set in a small village in Trinidad, which is a British colony.
It is set in 1917.
It is set in tropical heat, but amongst fruit trees, rich in greenery, and close to the sea.
The main characters are Latchmin, aged 12, and Sumati, 14.
They are Indian girls, born of Indian parents, who want to keep Indian tradition.
The girls are in a community which mostly practices the Hindu religion.
But they attend the only local school, which is Roman Catholic, and teaches Christianity.
The style of education at school is British.
Parents do not trust what the school is teaching their children.
They need practical solutions to get jobs. But all that is available is manual work.
Indians mostly work in the sugar cane plantations, cutting forests, and burning charcoal.
Latchmin has contracted typhoid.
Her father is a jeweller, and is wealthy compared to the rest.
He pays for a doctor who is Scottish, to visit his daughter regularly.
But typhoid is a killer disease ....
EXTRACT 1
Early that afternoon, when the clouds were low and full, and waiting to burst open in tropical convectional rage, Latchmin's body shook and went limp and still. Screams from the bedroom flew out of the house, and were taken by the warm air for miles, travelling from ear to ear, and mouth to mouth with gossip, through the village of Granville, south Trinidad. Quick and fast, the word passed down the gravel road and across the grassy tracks, from thatched roof, to mud walls, through wooden windows and open doorways, until the whole village heard that a fourth child had been taken in that same month of October 1917, by typhoid.
Dear Reader
This is the first of a series of posts, about this novel, which is a cultural/historical novel, similiar to Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Half a Yellow Sun. To my knowledge, there is none similar to these, set in Trinidad. I will put up a new post every week with more information about what it is about, and an extract. If you have any comments, please post them in the comments box underneath.
Thanks, and see you next week!
WHAT IS IT?
It is a novel about two young girls who are best friends.
It is set in a small village in Trinidad, which is a British colony.
It is set in 1917.
It is set in tropical heat, but amongst fruit trees, rich in greenery, and close to the sea.
The main characters are Latchmin, aged 12, and Sumati, 14.
They are Indian girls, born of Indian parents, who want to keep Indian tradition.
The girls are in a community which mostly practices the Hindu religion.
But they attend the only local school, which is Roman Catholic, and teaches Christianity.
The style of education at school is British.
Parents do not trust what the school is teaching their children.
They need practical solutions to get jobs. But all that is available is manual work.
Indians mostly work in the sugar cane plantations, cutting forests, and burning charcoal.
Latchmin has contracted typhoid.
Her father is a jeweller, and is wealthy compared to the rest.
He pays for a doctor who is Scottish, to visit his daughter regularly.
But typhoid is a killer disease ....
EXTRACT 1
Early that afternoon, when the clouds were low and full, and waiting to burst open in tropical convectional rage, Latchmin's body shook and went limp and still. Screams from the bedroom flew out of the house, and were taken by the warm air for miles, travelling from ear to ear, and mouth to mouth with gossip, through the village of Granville, south Trinidad. Quick and fast, the word passed down the gravel road and across the grassy tracks, from thatched roof, to mud walls, through wooden windows and open doorways, until the whole village heard that a fourth child had been taken in that same month of October 1917, by typhoid.
Dear Reader
This is the first of a series of posts, about this novel, which is a cultural/historical novel, similiar to Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, and Half a Yellow Sun. To my knowledge, there is none similar to these, set in Trinidad. I will put up a new post every week with more information about what it is about, and an extract. If you have any comments, please post them in the comments box underneath.
Thanks, and see you next week!
Saturday, 13 April 2013
Thursday, 21 March 2013
Religion
Just a few thoughts on a subject that is very dear to the hearts of some, but for others, it is the worst word in the universe.
Religion = Controversy. Because man wants to control others, what they think, how they live, and punish them according to their own beliefs.
This mentality is forgetting that we were made with free will, and responsible for our own beliefs.
Religion is important to people who recognise that spirituality is part of the pie-chart of their life.
For those who see red when they hear the word religion, it is important to seperate the word religion from the word God. Both do not necesarily go hand in hand.
Religion is what man has created.
Man is what God has created.
God did not inadverteltly create religion though, because if he did, there would be One religion, not hundreds and thousands. He sent one Son for our redemption, not thousands.
God created man. It could have taken a day, or a million years. Argue about it if you must, but you will never know unless you or I, are fortunate enough to meet with him and ask.
Every religion has a link to some kind of god. There must be a reason for that.
Most people have a link to some religion, there must also be a reason for that.
What are your thoughts? Post me comment.
Religion = Controversy. Because man wants to control others, what they think, how they live, and punish them according to their own beliefs.
This mentality is forgetting that we were made with free will, and responsible for our own beliefs.
Religion is important to people who recognise that spirituality is part of the pie-chart of their life.
For those who see red when they hear the word religion, it is important to seperate the word religion from the word God. Both do not necesarily go hand in hand.
Religion is what man has created.
Man is what God has created.
God did not inadverteltly create religion though, because if he did, there would be One religion, not hundreds and thousands. He sent one Son for our redemption, not thousands.
God created man. It could have taken a day, or a million years. Argue about it if you must, but you will never know unless you or I, are fortunate enough to meet with him and ask.
Every religion has a link to some kind of god. There must be a reason for that.
Most people have a link to some religion, there must also be a reason for that.
What are your thoughts? Post me comment.
Saturday, 16 March 2013
Re-Writing
As part of the editing process of The Last Year of Childhood, I have decided to rewrite. It started with rewriting Chapter 1, then went on to Chapter 2, and 3 .... Now I am up to Chapter 8. Tedious as it sounds, I think that what is happening, is that I am using the main plot points, and making some changes where I have identified that change needs to be done.
I am also sharpening up the language, using more active verbs, and trying to concentrate on my characters, who they are, and that they have a good impact on the reader. I am mostly not referring to the previous draft. So I am really cutting out a lot of the bits that were not adding to the story.
Part of me is disappointed that I chose to rewrite, because it feels like a longer process than I wanted. But I am really hoping that it would be another learning curve for me, and with some luck, the next draft will be closer to something more ready for publication.
Something that happens while doing this, is that the brain does fresh thinking, and some aspects of the story turn a different corner - which is a better one. I choose not to turn some of those corners though, because it is easy to chase wild geese! In this draft, I have to choose carefully to make sure the whole thing does not go off course.
The Last Year of Childhood is the new title. Because it concentrates on two young girls, aged 11, and 14, who both have the same dilemma, of a marriage arranged for them, against their will. The book is set in 1917, Trinidad.
I am also sharpening up the language, using more active verbs, and trying to concentrate on my characters, who they are, and that they have a good impact on the reader. I am mostly not referring to the previous draft. So I am really cutting out a lot of the bits that were not adding to the story.
Part of me is disappointed that I chose to rewrite, because it feels like a longer process than I wanted. But I am really hoping that it would be another learning curve for me, and with some luck, the next draft will be closer to something more ready for publication.
Something that happens while doing this, is that the brain does fresh thinking, and some aspects of the story turn a different corner - which is a better one. I choose not to turn some of those corners though, because it is easy to chase wild geese! In this draft, I have to choose carefully to make sure the whole thing does not go off course.
The Last Year of Childhood is the new title. Because it concentrates on two young girls, aged 11, and 14, who both have the same dilemma, of a marriage arranged for them, against their will. The book is set in 1917, Trinidad.
Saturday, 16 February 2013
 |
| HONEY, ORANGE AND ALMOND CAKE from Weight Watchers |
Ingredients
- half tsp low fat spread for greasing. You could use any butter or margarine if you don't need the low fat.
- 6 eggs, separated in two different bowls
- 100 g brown caster sugar, or soft brown sugar.
- Grated zest of 2 oranges, and juice of half orange.
- 150 g ground almonds
To decorate
Juice of one and a half oranges, or 20mls orange juice
2 tbl sp clear honey
1 orange, pealed and cut into thin rounds.
Method
- Preheat oven to gas mark 180C or 160C in a fan oven.
- Line a 20 cm springform cake tin with baking paper, and grease with low fat spread.
- In a bowl, beat together egg yolks, sugar, orange zest and juice of half orange, and almonds
- Whisk egg whites in a separate, clean grease-free bowl for about 2 mins, or until it is stiff and forms peaks.
- Using a metal spoon, spoon in one table spoon of egg white into mixture to loosen it.
- Fold in the remaining egg whites into cake mixture.
- Pour mixture into cake tin, and bake for 35 mins, or until a skewer comes out clean.
- Leave to cool in tin for 20 mins.
To make Topping
- Put the orange juice and honey in a small pan and bring to boil.
- Stir once, and then without stirring, lower the heat, and leave to simmer for about 6-8 mins, or until reduced and syrupy.
- Remove cake from tin and use a fork to prick the top all over.
- Spoon three quarter of the syrup of the top of the cake.
- Arrange the oranges on cake and spoon over the remaining syrup.
- Let the syrup soak into the cake for a few minutes, then serve in 10 slices.
Serve on it's own, or with fromage frais, or clotted cream, or double cream.
Wednesday, 13 February 2013
A thought about Editing when it gets tedious
Just a Thought .... about the novel I finished last March - 2012
February 2013 - I have returned to editing my book - The Last Year of Childhood, which I would like to get published soon, preferably by traditional means, or self publishing. I realise that it might take some time, as it might need more editing than I thought. But it took longer to write, and I practically did some of that writing in my own blood.
Why did I leave it for so long?
I got bored.
I got complacent. I'd done the first draft.
It got tedious.
I got defocussed.
I thought I might like to try something else ...
Poetry!
A short story! Yes, I did get shortlisted by Choc Lit Publishing Competition. So that was worth it.
Social Networking - Face Book, Twitter, Linked in, Authonomy
Socialising for real, and concentrating on other parts of my life.
Editing became too hard to return.
And harder ...the longer I left it.
I felt I was stuck with it ... which way to turn?
How to structure?
Did I have a good first chapter?
Did I have all the right ingredients?
Did I have a compelling characters, especially a Main Character, POV,etc, etc.
Was there a good enough hook?
What about the first 3 chapters ... that I would need them spick and span before sending to an agent? Were they good enough?
Oh dear! I can't remember what I wrote in the middle chapters... ?
I bought some publishing and editing books - two of them.
I read them and marked them up.
I had lots of new ideas, and started editing again.
I stopped editing, and reread the whole 120,000 words (400+ pgs) of my novel.
I got a new notebook and wrote notes on each chapter in different colours as I went along. (colours denoting type of changes to make)
Still it was hard to re-start editing again.
Feb 2013 - I have started to edit again - The Last Year of Childhood.
I have realised that my book was not complete last March, nor will it be complete ....
...NOT UNTIL THE FAT EDITING SINGS!
LITERALLY!
.....THE WORDS, SENTENCES, PARAGRAPHS, CHARACTERS, STYLE, GRAMMAR, SPELLING, CHAPTERS, PLOT ..... JUST HAS TO SING IN MELODIC HARMONY ....
....LIKE AN ORCHESTRA.
SCARILY, I HAVE TO BE THE CONDUCTOR OF THAT ORCHESTRA !!!
SO MUST GET ON!
Bye for now,
Marilyn xx
February 2013 - I have returned to editing my book - The Last Year of Childhood, which I would like to get published soon, preferably by traditional means, or self publishing. I realise that it might take some time, as it might need more editing than I thought. But it took longer to write, and I practically did some of that writing in my own blood.
Why did I leave it for so long?
I got bored.
I got complacent. I'd done the first draft.
It got tedious.
I got defocussed.
I thought I might like to try something else ...
Poetry!
A short story! Yes, I did get shortlisted by Choc Lit Publishing Competition. So that was worth it.
Social Networking - Face Book, Twitter, Linked in, Authonomy
Socialising for real, and concentrating on other parts of my life.
Editing became too hard to return.
And harder ...the longer I left it.
I felt I was stuck with it ... which way to turn?
How to structure?
Did I have a good first chapter?
Did I have all the right ingredients?
Did I have a compelling characters, especially a Main Character, POV,etc, etc.
Was there a good enough hook?
What about the first 3 chapters ... that I would need them spick and span before sending to an agent? Were they good enough?
Oh dear! I can't remember what I wrote in the middle chapters... ?
I bought some publishing and editing books - two of them.
I read them and marked them up.
I had lots of new ideas, and started editing again.
I stopped editing, and reread the whole 120,000 words (400+ pgs) of my novel.
I got a new notebook and wrote notes on each chapter in different colours as I went along. (colours denoting type of changes to make)
Still it was hard to re-start editing again.
Feb 2013 - I have started to edit again - The Last Year of Childhood.
I have realised that my book was not complete last March, nor will it be complete ....
...NOT UNTIL THE FAT EDITING SINGS!
LITERALLY!
.....THE WORDS, SENTENCES, PARAGRAPHS, CHARACTERS, STYLE, GRAMMAR, SPELLING, CHAPTERS, PLOT ..... JUST HAS TO SING IN MELODIC HARMONY ....
....LIKE AN ORCHESTRA.
SCARILY, I HAVE TO BE THE CONDUCTOR OF THAT ORCHESTRA !!!
SO MUST GET ON!
Bye for now,
Marilyn xx
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)