After The Storm is about two couples who set off together in a 37 foot boat
after knowing each other less than 24 hours to sail to a paradise island in the
Caribbean Sea called Roatan. But like most paradises it has its other dark side.
I made that sail of 138 miles from Belize City to Roatan and I was a complete novice at sailing. I could not have written After The Storm without that first-hand experience. Roatan is one of the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and is ringed by the third largest coral reef in the world.
I made that sail of 138 miles from Belize City to Roatan and I was a complete novice at sailing. I could not have written After The Storm without that first-hand experience. Roatan is one of the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and is ringed by the third largest coral reef in the world.
On my journey I kept a journal and took lots of photographs. I have always kept journals when I go on holiday and how very useful this one proved to be. It was full of descriptions of the food I ate, the fish I saw when I went snorkelling and the birds on the island. This is why conch stew, live lobsters, a battered grouper and pelicans landing on a mangrove tree make an appearance in the novel.
My photographs, now rather faded,
were also invaluable in helping me create the atmosphere of the island. They
reminded me of local details, like the duckboard jetties that lead to some waterside
houses. I used just such a jetty in a key scene where one of the characters
delivers a suspect package and ends up hiding in the water under that house!
This photo with the fishing boats
moored right next to the houses shows how much the communities depend on the
sea. You see working boats, shabby and much used, cheek by jowl with stylish yachts. Roatan is still a place of poverty
and wealth and I worked this into the novel.
The photo at the top of palm trees and coconuts lying on the white sand is perhaps everyone’s image of a paradise
island. Roatan has some glorious beaches and I wanted to capture moments of
peace and beauty in the novel, although the Roatan my characters experience has
a much darker side too.
The setting was starting to feel very
real to me again. My task was to create four different characters each with
their own fears and desires to put in this exotic setting. At an early
stage I created character sketches for all four. There is Anna an English
speech therapist who is scared of much in the physical world but is brave about
emotional crises. Her partner Rob has a strong Robinson Crusoe fantasy and would love
to find his own personal wilderness. The American couple Owen and Kim are less
straightforward and you sense they are escaping
from something. There is a frisson of sexual attraction between the
two couples and there are secrets too.
It is when they reach the island of Roatan that these secrets
will emerge and challenge the four of them to the limit.
My two novels are published by Head of Zeus.
I know we can find out so much on search engines etc Jane but you can't beat experiencing the real thing and sharing that can you.
ReplyDeleteThanks to Heidi for linking you with #TalkoftheTown.
A great post.
Wow - amazing that you've actually done the sail yourself. At the time of reading After the Storm I thought to myself how beautiful the island sounds and your photos definitely prove that! Thanks for linking up to #TalkoftheTown.
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