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Although the Demontange Saga is fiction, St. Lucia is a real place with a wonderful story of its own. We are psychotherapists with an intimate knowledge of psychological processes and motivations. The columns in this section provide insight into the settings, culture and characters in our works as well as perceptions about the writing process... We want to share this material and our perceptions with other authors but believe that many of our readers will find these columns of interest as well.
Recently we took back all our rights to A Dream Across Time and are now self publishing the Demontagne Saga. It is very gratifying to have the entire publishing process under our control.
If you would like to see what we have been up to and to see some of what we are dealing with as we move to self publish, go to our blog at http://letmedigress.blogspot.com. We want it to be interactive so join in. The columns from the Author to Author section will also appear in the blog.
At the end of the latest column, you'll find clicks for past columns.
Column 7
What's It Like Living in the Tropics, Part I ?
That question is best answered by asking two questions in return: "Which tropics?" And "Why are you asking?" "The tropics" is nothing other than a region near the equator. The setting for A Dream Across Time is a windward tropical island in the Caribbean which is a very different place from a village in the interior of a country such as Colombia, for example. So, in this instance "tropics" refers to a small island relatively near the equator which receives the trade winds off the Atlantic Ocean.
The Caribbean is diverse and every island has a different character depending on its weather, topography and cultural background. St. Lucia has a blend of French and English because it was passed back and forth fourteen times between the two powers. Barbados is much more solidly English with lots of old English money because it was always a British colony. Martinique has always been French and is a department of France. All three of these islands had the institution of slavery which leaves a particular stamp.
In contrast the Cayman Islands never had slavery because the islands were not worth farming. And on and on across the region. Some islands are virtual deserts and others are replete with rain forests. It is a truly remarkable region with each island standing out as a particular kind of jewel.
It was one of these "tropics" in which Jamie Elliott landed by chance. But, we'll get back to that experience in a moment.
The second question relates to why the reader wants to know about living in the tropics. Naturally living in a place full time is very different from visiting on vacation. If you want to know simply because you are curious - well and good. If you want to know because you would like to move there, the question is of a vastly different magnitude and the most fundamental consideration is that you are going to need a plan.
Why a plan? What kind of a plan? You need to be clear about why you are relocating and what you are planning to do with yourself. Are you trying to escape something? What is your motivation? And what are you planning to do with yourself? Jamie had a husband who happened upon a job opportunity and such jobs usually pay well. She followed him. She used her time to redo their house, engage in her artistic interests and ended up with a career of her own.
What happened to their relationship is not unusual. Generally it can be said that if there is a flaw in the marriage, it will probably get worse and if there is a substance abuse problem, it will probably get worse. Having a plan for creating a new stable environment for yourself and your relationship is crucial. Having a plan and a direction is important anywhere anyone moves. The trap in the tropics is that fantasy gets in the way and people commonly overlook the plan. Now that you have your plan, you are ready to embark and reasonably want to know what life would actually be like. Think back to what Jamie confronted and lay aside some of the problems she faced ranging from Paul to loup garous.
Come morning, about 6 am, the sun will go "pop" over the horizon. If you are a morning person you will want to rush outside and get something done while it is deliciously cool. By 9 it is definitely much warmer although, if your house is placed properly, you will have the breeze always. You will spend a lot of time on your covered terrace enjoying the breeze and the flow of colors and light. You quickly become clear that you are NOT going to spend a lot of time lying on the beach in the sun. Why would you want to do that? It's ALWAYS there.
Whether you are oriented toward the idea of a siesta or not, the Spanish definitely got it right. A long nap after lunch is ideal. That way you skip the hottest part of the day which, nonetheless, with the breeze, may not be all that hot. Late afternoon you get energized again as things cool. Then around 6 pm the sun goes "thud" over the horizon and the tree frogs open up with their chorus. You now have a luscious evening ahead. This 6 am sunrise and 6 pm sunset goes on all year with only a little variation. No more lingering summer evenings or dark forbidding winters. The nights are lovely.
But don't forget having that plan for yourself. More next month.
Tropical factoids:
The Green Flash
There really is a green flash at times when the sun sets. It happens just as the last of the sun goes over the horizon. But the conditions must be right. The humidity must be low. There can be no clouds on the horizon. Generally you need a clear knife edge horizon.
Little Birds
The little bird, Rufous, Jamie talks to is a Lesser Antillean Bullfinch. The male is dark gray with a red breast. The female is mostly light gray with other subtle colors mixed in. They are very social and easily tamed. It seems they are always ready to keep you company at your meals but often do not appear to be interested in food. They listen intently to the sound of the human voice, so they make great companions.
Past Columns
Column 1 - St. Lucia
Column 2 - Jamie Elliott
Column 3 - Andre Demontagne
Column 4 - Paul and Danielle
Column 5 - Marcus Deroche
Column 6 - Bertille Deroche
Column 7 - What It's Like Living in the Tropics, Part 1
Column 8 - What It's Like Living in the Tropics, Part 2
Column 9 - Taylor, Clarisse and Barbara
Column 10 - How Does Our Writing Partnership Work?
Column 11 - Goal, Motivation, Conflict and Creativity
Column 12 - Family Life is a Saga
Column 13 - Toward A Circle of Dreams; I don't believe in ghosts.
Column 14 - A Book Walked in the Door
Column 15 - Every Woman Knows This Story
Column 16 - The Bridge
Column 17 - Why the Mystical Element in A Dream Across Time?
Column 18 - Gaia and myth in the Demontagne Saga
Column 19 - Carl Jung, Mythology and the Demontagne Saga
Column 20 - Carl Jung's Concepts in the Demontagne Saga
Column 21 - Martinique
Column 22 – Janine-Yvette Demontange (Yvie)
Column 23 – Anne-Clarisse Demontagne (Lissa)
Column 24 - Philippe Diamant Demontagne (Philippe)
Copyright© 1987-2006 Annie Rogers LLC dba Bivens and Jensen Publishing. All rights reserved |
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