Juleus Ghunta talks about his life and the experiences which led him to write his first children’s book, Tata and the Big Bad Bull
Category Archives: Caribbean Lit News This Week
New Book Teaser: Adult Fantasy in a Caribbean Setting
Formed by a group of enslaved men during Trinidad’s British colonial occupation, The Order has maintained the delicate balance between the world’s realms for centuries, preventing the Grey’s occupants from hunting in the Absolute and ensuring that humans remain unaware of the Grey’s existence. But not everyone believes these worlds should be separate. Some long for the days when fear ruled the earth, and The Order finds itself embattled by enemies outside and traitors within who conspire to unite the Absolute and the Grey. With the very essence of human existence under attack, Rohan, the last surviving member of the Stone Chapter of The Order, must act.
Assisted by Katharine, a soucouyant who has lived on the outskirts of a Trinidad swamp for more than a century, Rohan takes up the Order’s mantle, combining Kat’s wits and his fighting prowess to defeat the forces working to bring dangerous creatures across into the Absolute. They are joined by an eclectic group of recruits who risk torture, dismemberment, zombification, and death as they face a growing variety of grave threats and gruesome creatures.
About the Author
Trinidadian born Derry Sandy is a corporate lawyer barred in New York and living in Washington DC. He is new to creative writing—his previous writing credentials include articles for the Howard University Hilltop and legal briefs, articles and analyses written at his firm and at New York University School of Law where he received his J.D. Greyborn Rising is his first novel, but there is no doubt, this is what he is meant to do.
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2018 Round Up
Even though we are already looking forward to 2019 and the exciting line up we have scheduled for the new year, we like to take a look back at the accomplishments of the past year. Here are some highlights:
- We published five children’s books this year, all launched to high acclaim.
- Musical Youth by Joanne C. Hillhouse was included on the book list for third-formers in Antigua and Barbuda. It is also on a book list in Trinidad.
- Tata and the Big Bad Bull by Juleus Ghunta received glowing reviews from the Midwest Book Review and Old Schoolhouse Magazine.
- We published our first books in Spanish.
- We took part in two book festivals, the Brooklyn Book Festival in September and the Miami Book Festival in November.
- Joanne C. Hillhouse was a featured author at the Miami Book Festival.
- Our books were once again distributed by Hands Across the Sea and included in a brand new library in Entrepot, St. Lucia.
- We made two new artist partnerships, one with Trinidadian Daniel O’Brien, the other? You will have to keep checking in with us to find out!
In 2018, we have an interesting cross-section of books, children’s picture books, children’s poetry books, activity books, and adult fiction. Stay tuned!
Here is what we published in 2018:
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Zing Magazine November 2018
Our November 2018 Zing article featured Socamom Eva Greene Wilson whose Caribbean-centered parenting blog is taking the internet by storm, Tracey Baptist’s Minecraft, De Rightest Place by Barbara Jenkins, and How to Love a Jamaican: Stories by Alexia Arthurs
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Not One But Two Spanish Titles from CaribbeanReads
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CaribbeanReads’ first Spanish language titles made their debut at the Miami Book Fair Street Fair November 16-18. The beloved Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure which reimagines the true story of an Arctic seal which found itself stranded in the waters off Antigua and Barbuda, is now available in Spanish. Also in Spanish is our most recent title, Sweet Victory (Dulce Victoria). Check them out at online retailers and bookstores near you. |
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MBR – Another Great Review of Tata and the Big Bad Bull
The Midwest Book Review posted a very positive review of Tata and the Big Bad Bull by Juleus Ghunta.
“Written in musical verse, Tata and the Big Bad Bull is a West Indies morality tale, with more than one kernel of wisdom about human and animal relationships and interaction. … The colorful illustrations present animals as large, almost human creatures, and contain clues and context to the secrets of the story. All the musical verse is full of cheer and specific images of common island life… Tata and the Big Bad Bull is an island wisdom tale with messages of compassion for all.”
Nancy Lorraine
Senior Reviewer
Full review here.
Pick up a copy of Tata and the Big Bad Bull in bookstores or on Amazon. Read more reviews on GoodReads.
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The Old School Magazine Review – Tata and the Big Bad Bull
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine posted an enthusiastic review of Tata and the Big Bad Bull by Juleus Ghunta. Among other things, the reviewer points out that “This cute children’s story is perfect for a read-aloud or beginning readers…This is an excellent story for toddlers up through upper elementary aged children. …There are so many huge life lessons tucked into this small children’s book that it is definitely one you’ll want to read multiple times.” Full review here.
Pick up a copy of Tata and the Big Bad Bull in bookstores or on Amazon. Read more reviews on GoodReads.
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Write a Winning Novel
The 2019 Burt Award for Caribbean literature aimed at young adults is now open for submissions and you may have written next year’s winner. The competition is getting increasingly tight and so it’s crucial that you submit your strongest and most polished work.
CaribbeanReads, as a part of its mission to provide quality Caribbean literature, is extending its editing services at special rates to qualifying young adult novels.
Services:
| 100 word review of plot summary and 1000-word sample | Free |
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Skype chat and 250+ word review of plot summary and novel |
US$250 |
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Editing of novel |
US$750 and up |
If you are interested in our services for your Caribbean young adult novel, email us with your novel’s title, its length, and a one page synopsis along with details about your Caribbean nationality and your writing history if any. We will respond with details on the services we can offer.
Note that CaribbeanReads does not have any connections, influence, or special knowledge of the Burt Award, its administrators, or its judges. We cannot guarantee any results, we can simply assist you in submitting your best work.
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Five Months, Twenty Thousand Words
The Burt Award for Caribbean literature is an annual prize given by CODE, a Canadian NGO committed to developing literacy world-wide. The Caribbean version of the competition is open to Caribbean nationals and submissions should be at least 20,000 words and suitable for readers aged 12-18. This year’s deadline is October 31, 2018.
Previous winners have been clustered around particular islands, with winners from smaller territories, like Antiguan Joanne C Hillhouse’s Musical Youth, being the exception. I don’t believe that this is a reflection of lack of talent in some islands rather than in others. I do believe the results reflect perhaps, a lack of access to the resources that may be key to producing a polished manuscript that has a shot at winning. With this in mind, we have conceived the special offer presented below.
While it is true that the award accepts manuscripts (work that has not yet been accepted by a publisher) these manuscripts are expected to be at the same level of structural soundness, grammatical and logical accuracy, and thematic relevance as any published manuscripts that may be submitted. So it is important for would-be submitters to ensure their work is in the best possible condition.
If you are planning to submit a novel, there are a few things you should do. If you haven’t already done so, read some of the work of previous winners and of highly acclaimed young adult novels that are similar in theme to yours. This is not so you can copy their plot or style but so that you can get a feel for the type of writing that appeals to young people (and to the judges). If you don’t enjoy reading these books, the young adult genre may not be right for you.
Secondly, if you haven’t started writing it may be too late for this year, but get started anyway, especially if you have a fully formed idea in mind for your novel. You should complete your novel with enough time to let it sit for a while, to have others read it, and ideally to have it edited by someone familiar with the editing process. It is possible to submit a competitive novel right after you’ve typed the last period, but this usually only works for very experienced writers and even those writers understand the value of having a professional editor review their work. If you aren’t finished within a month of the deadline, don’t despair, keep at it. You’ll have a much more polished submission in the following year.
Note also, if you submitted a novel to the Burt Award in the past, you can resubmit IF you have made significant, documentable improvements.
CaribbeanReads is offering a few specially priced editorial service packages to writers considering entering the Burt Award. If you are interested in having editorial comments and perhaps a full edit of your Caribbean young adult novel, email us with your novel’s title, its length, a one page synopsis, along with details about your Caribbean nationality and your writing history if any. We will consider your novel for the offer and send you information about our discounted services.
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Dolphin, the Arctic Seal, Returns to Antigua and Barbuda in an Inspiring Children’s Book
MEDIA RELEASE
Dolphin, the Arctic Seal, Returns to Antigua and Barbuda in an Inspiring Children’s Book
St. Johns Antigua November 30, 2017 — Author, editor, and writing coach Joanne C. Hillhouse releases her latest children’s book, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure. Beautifully illustrated by Trinidadian artist Danielle Boodoo-Fortuné, Lost! is inspired by the story of an Arctic seal which found itself in the Caribbean seas a few years ago. The book pulls children into a fun adventure about kindness and friendship that will leave them with a greater appreciation of our marine environment. Lost! includes a fun maze which gives children a chance to help the lost seal find his way home.
Kirkus Reviewers dubbed the book “appealing …, all the more so for being based on real life” and praised it for giving children “…a chance to learn more about the work of environmentalists and Caribbean sea life.” –Kirkus Reviews
Marine educator, Carole McCauley, who has worked in both the Caribbean and the US, declared Lost! “A wonderful and inspiring story for all ages.”
In the book, Dolphin, much like his real life counterpart, the young male hooded seal Wadadli, finds himself stranded in the Caribbean Sea, and far from his home in the North Atlantic. Wadadli was rescued by the Coast Guard of Antigua and Barbuda, while the fictional seal, Dolphin, has a little help from a new underwater friend.
Award-winning author Joanne C. Hillhouse is the Antiguan and Barbudan author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Fish Outta Water, Oh Gad!, Musical Youth, With Grace, and now Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure. Her fiction, non-fiction and poetry have been published in various Caribbean and international journals and anthologies. Joanne lives in Antigua and from there she freelances as a writer, editor, workshop/course facilitator, and writing coach; and runs the Wadadli Youth Pen Prize writing programme to nurture and showcase the literary arts.
Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure is published by CaribbeanReads Publishing. Books are available at bookstores across the Caribbean and at online booksellers. Lost! is a reimagining of Hillhouse’s book Fish Outta Water which was published by Pearson Education in 2013. Visit www.caribbeanreads.com for details.
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For more information on this article contact:
Carol Mitchell
info@caribbeanreads.com
inc. Photo of author, Cover image of book.
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