These days, I hardly recognize the Dominica of yesteryear. It used to be that everything of substance had to be procured in Roseau, but now several mega marts have sprung up on the outskirts of town. Jolly’s Wholesale is the latest example. Modeled on something like Costco, it’s a huge building with an ample parkingContinue reading “Wellbeing in a Bottle”
Author Archives: kristinesimelda
Let Your Eyes Boil Your Peas
As I’ve said before, a real author doesn’t just write a first draft and then sit back and wait for fame and fortune. It takes a helluva lot of time, work, and faith to coax a manuscript from first draft to publication. For five years, I’ve continued to work on my 5th novel, Rise Up,Continue reading “Let Your Eyes Boil Your Peas”
CARNEGIE
When I first moved to the island of Dominica, I read every Caribbean book in the Roseau Public Library to acquaint myself with my adopted homeland. Unfortunately, Hurricane Maria ravaged the historic landmark, and up until now, it stands in ruins, roofless and forgotten. Nor has the treasure trove of Caribbean books it contained beenContinue reading “CARNEGIE”
Advice for Writers of Short Fiction
Tidbits of Advice for Writers of Short Fiction from Kristine Simelda, Editor at River Ridge Press, Dominica. A short story focuses on one incident, as opposed to a novel with more room to explore. It has a single plot and a limited number of characters, including protagonist and antagonist. It occurs over a relatively shortContinue reading “Advice for Writers of Short Fiction”
How to Set Up a Short Story, Screenplay or Novel
Suggested Set Up for a Short Story, Screenplay or Novel from Kristine Simelda, Editor at River Ridge Press, Dominica. Plot + character =story. ( Skeleton + great characters = the point of the story.) Does a character we care about reach their goal? What is the question they are asking? What happens if they fail?Continue reading “How to Set Up a Short Story, Screenplay or Novel”
Carnegie
© Kristine Simelda Storm force winds slam loose shutters against my splintered window frames. A few more shards of broken glass litter my rotting floorboards where trash has collected since the last hurricane. Whining, a stray mongrel coaxes her puppies under the abandoned circulation desk while rain streams through my bare rafters. The dog knowsContinue reading “Carnegie”
Where I’m From
A while back, I joined a Zoom session with a writer I once met in Key West entitled “Wild Wisdom Writing.” (I had been rereading Women Who Run with the Wolves, by Clarissa Pinkola Estés, and it seemed apropos.) Most of the participants were about my age, white, female, and anxious to express the factContinue reading “Where I’m From”
Remembering to be Fearless
We have an expression here in Dominica, ‘Old is to throw.’ Nah. I don’t believe it. As women turn older and hopefully wiser, we finally have a chance to gather our thoughts and express them in whatever creative form we choose. While aging can be a physically challenging time, it is also liberating—a time whenContinue reading “Remembering to be Fearless”
Better Here Than There
Hi friends. Here is a personal narrative that was posted on the for the Women Who Live on Rocks website https://womenwholiveonrocks.com/better-here-than-there/ on February 12, 2021. It’s a fun site to visit, especially when experiencing the winter blues way up north. Better Here Than There (But we knew that already.) Before I was aware of theContinue reading “Better Here Than There”
Peace and Love
Forever the optimist, I’m looking forward to positive transformation in the years to come. Like what, you might ask? How about exchanging global war for world peace? Overconsumption for sustainability? Sickness for health? Ungodliness for spirituality? Separateness for community? Throwaway culture for organic living? Loss of biodiversity for letting being be? Lack of perception forContinue reading “Peace and Love”
