It's published! THE WEDDING DRUMS

Hi All

It's out!

A novel set in 1917 Trinidad, with characters that will make your eyes stream, your heart break, and your arms reach out to protect them.

Two girls. Two arranged marriages. Two different paths. Both perilous.

The Wedding Drums is now on Amazon. Here is the link for the UK, but it is on all the Amazon territories, so you should find it in most regions in the world. If you go on Amazon books and type in The Wedding Drums by Marilyn Rodwell.

You will find that the paperback is available, as well as the ebook.

I hope you enjoy reading it after all this time waiting for the novel. Also your feedback would be much appreciated, on this blog, also review on Amazon. But please do not give away any of the plot which will spoil it for others.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=TheWedding+Drums&i=stripbooks&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Just to tell you, that the book came our on Amazon 9 days ago, and readers worldwide - USA, Canada, UK, Australia, and at the moment, a copy is in Egypt cruising down the Nile.


HAPPY READING!

Find me on my Author page on:

 Facebook - www.facebook.com/marilynrodjohnatty
Twitter- www.twitter.com/outofthecocoa
Instragram@sumai105
Blog - Http://www.outofthecocoa.blogspot.com

Finally!

Finally, I have gotten round to writing my blog. I never forgot you!

Sorry to all my readers and followers who have been disappointed by my lack of attention to my blog this year. But this year so far has been a rollercoaster of incidents, happenings, occasions, celebrations, shocks, and surprises, from the death of my brother, to the birth of my first grandchild, conferences, writing courses, illness, getting my last daughter through her GCSE's and reeling with joy at her fantastic results.... and so much more.

One thing I have learnt from it all, is that whatever happens in life, is not a reason to give up or give in. Because once you do, you are on a very slippery path to destruction.

Last night I completed the last edit of my novel - The Last Year of Childhood.

It stands today at 466 pgs long, and 119,725 words.

I cannot tell you the relief I feel. Of course that is just a milestone to being published, whether the book is traditionally published or self published.

My next goal is finding an agent I can work with, who will believe that my novel will interest enough people, who will buy it, so it will be worth a traditional publisher taking it on.

That is where you, my followers come in....

Personally, during my final edit I enjoyed reading it so much that I forgot that I had written it. There were places where I was so pleased no one was in the room when I burst out in tears. Another day I was in such hysterics I really couldn't stop laughing.

It is a multicultural novel about two young girls who spend their last year of childhood in self-discovery. The novel spreads across many serious issues about people and how they relate to their environment. But it is also about relationships between friends, husbands and wives, parents and children, finding love, making decisions, who influences you, reaching your goals, and so much more. When you think the novel is over, there is more - another twist and yet another. I hope I have tied up all the loose ends, whilst still leaving the reader thinking about the human condition.

If you want to know more, please follow me on twitter www.twitter.com/outofthecocoa

And I promise the next post won't take that long!

Bye for now

Marilyn x

2nd July 2010

Dear All

I've just spent two days at the Indo Caribbean Conference at the University of Warwick. It has been an extremely stimulating experience, where I have learnt so much about the variety of elements of Indian life in Trinidad. The religion, festivals, music, film, the history of these, and aspects of them in modern life, and their role, were of particular interest. It was good to have these creative elements of life included in the Conference, as well as the academic and historical studies. Although I really enjoy the academic bits more.... it is a saves me researching it myself, the creative bits give me that other dimention useful in depicting life in fiction as more three dimentional, and real.

Importantly, however, I have met some really interesting people, some good people to keep in touch with, and some very friendly fellow Trinidadians and other people from all parts - Guyana, Mauritius, Toronto, California, London, Leeds, New York, India, Germany, and those based at Warwick Uni.

The team at Warwick University were brilliant with the organisation too. Everything ran on time, the refreshments were excellent, and of course they were most hospitable.

Well., I am tired out! So I will continue this another day.

Bye for now

Marilyn x

Trinidad, West Indies

This section is about TRINIDAD and the background to my "Cocoa" books. Some of the issues and information include:

- How people got from India to Trinidad in the mid 19C,
- That today they make up almost 40% of the population,
- How they struggled to make a living and endured great hardships, poverty, ill-health and injustices
- How they dreamed of escaping their difficulties,
- About how they actually fulfulled their dreams.