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Where I got the idea for the setting of the Billionaire Island Brides series
My writing career began at age 9 on the Caribbean island of Nevis, so it's natural that I would want to write a romance set in the Caribbean, steamed in all the flavors of island life.
But as I began to pen the first draft of Seduced by Passion, set on an island much like the one I grew up on, I had a "What If?" moment that came from watching Black Panther, where the culture and lifestyle of the fictitious African country of Wakanda had not been touched nor influenced by Westerners, or any other outsiders.
I thought, what if there was an island in the Caribbean that was never colonized by Europeans? What if the Taino, or the Kalinago, and other indigenous people who occupied this island for thousand of years before Columbus showed up were left to practice their way of life without outside influences and ideology? And what if that island was also inhabited by the descendants of former enslaved people—some who escaped during slavery, and others who immigrated after the British Emancipation Act of 1833?
And so, the ideas for the island of Akilina, and the Megiri, an indigenous people with a mixture of Taino, Arawak, and Kalinago cultures, were born.
My research led me down multiple paths. I learned so much about the pre-Columbian history of the islands and their inhabitants, especially Dominica, the island that inspired the idea to split the population of Akilina, with the Megiri occupying one half, and African descendants, the other.
- To learn more about my journey as a writer, visit the FAQ Section on the About Ana page on my website.
- To get more familiar with the island of Akilina before Seduced by Passion is released, visit the FAQ section of the Billionaire Island Bride series page on my website. I will be adding more information, so check back periodically.
And now for the excerpt I promised you last month...
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