Former editor of The VOICE Newspaper Kayra Williams will soon be releasing her next novel ‘Better Not Fall’.
The upcoming publication spans the period before and after the island of Saint Lucia was ravaged by the fury of Hurricane Tomas (2010). Aptly titled, the novel is book one of the author’s Mars romance trilogy. Better Not Fall is a fictional love story and touches on topics like island tradition and conservativeness, tourism, inequality, and other pertinent subject matter.
As a whole, the Mars trilogy reflects current and historical events in a light hearted manner. This includes chapters focusing on Hurricane Tomas which affected Saint Lucia and other islands in the vicinity in October 2010. The hurricane goes by a different name in the book (Torrent), but the events remain the same; how it ravaged Saint Lucia and affected the livelihoods of people who not for the first time were forced to rebuild.
The series also touches on Soufriere as the epicentre for tourism in Saint Lucia, specifically the Sulphur Springs which houses a community of people seemingly forgotten. Questions arise from all of this: why isn’t such a significant community so near to one of the prime tourist attractions in Saint Lucia be made part of the tourism product much like the Kalinago community in Dominica? Why are the people who live there constantly being threatened to move? Is there a way that the community can be better supported, included and also benefit from tourism’s bounty? These and other questions come into play as the main character Camille navigates her own life, falls in love, gets her heart broken, and takes off on an unexpected yet much needed journey to find herself.
About the series
According to the author, Mars was written over the space of a few years. It transitioned from being a single novel, to a trilogy.
The author shared, “I was compelled to write this based on my own experience and knowledge I felt needed to be shared. Like so many others I have experienced the heights of love and heartbreak, and it teaches you so many things. I was also able to share bits of my own experience as a journalist as well; assignments that stood out, in a fun way.”
In the words of the author, “Mars shows that it is possible to learn, grow and triumph past what you think you know and reach a place you never thought you would be. Starting with Better Not Fall, this series is meant to show what real life in Saint Lucia is like, it is meant to uplift, to challenge… and just to be enjoyed. I really want readers to be able to relate to the characters and and learn from their perspectives — really map and notice their growth.”
Overall, the author says the trilogy which begins with the launch of Better Not Fall on September 15th, 2021, is meant to bring smiles and perhaps a bit of nostalgia to readers as they embark on a whirlwind of a journey!
Williams first book ‘Meraki’ a non-fiction novel, was published in 2016.