Excerpts from the Novel "The Secret of the Veil"

At a recent book signing, I read the opening of Book 3 of my novel, "The Secret of the Veil". Although the novel is a work of fiction, I often employ areas of my own personal experience, especially in description, as a part of the storytelling process. That's exactly what I did in this novel.




After reading the opening of that section, I thought ... Although attributed to the heroine of the story, what a perfect and honest account of my first impression of St. Thomas; an impression that I should perhaps share here on my blog.

So, below are selected excerpts from Book 3 of "The Secret of the Veil".

From pages 291-292:
From the sky the ocean was a deep, mystical blue, but when the shoreline came into view before landing on St. Thomas, the water turned a translucent and beautiful shade of deep turquoise.

When the airplane landed and I walked down the steps into the bright sun, the heat hit me like a solid wall. For a few moments, I felt like I was suffocating and frantically wondered what I was doing on this island. Gratefully the trade wind breezes I had heard so much about kicked in and cooled me down some.

When I reached the ground, I stopped and stood staring at Sammy's hills; green slopes checkered with colorful houses. As people brushed past, I continued to stand transfixed by an eerie sense of familiarity with a place I had never seen and only recently had heard about. I had an odd feeling of inevitability combined with a peculiar sense of homecoming.

Of the four major islands in the Virgin Islands chain of St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John and Water Island, I had chosen St. Thomas because it was where Sammy had lived. I hadn't a doubt it was the right choice.

From page 293:
On the drive from the airport, we passed the harbor in Charlotte Amalia and it was pure majesty. Cruise ships lined up at the dock across the bay had disgorged hundreds of passengers who filled the streets and the colorful shops to overflowing.

Once through town we were driving up and down hills so steep, I was lighheaded and breathless, and more than a little bit afraid, but pretended not to be.

You can read more about the "The Secret of the Veil" on my website, www.claudettejones.com.

St. Thomas: My New & Beautiful Tropical Home

So, I relocated to the small Caribbean island of St. Thomas, Virgin Islands. A U.S. territory since 1917 when the island was purchased from the Danish for 25 million.

And, there I was ... a stranger in a strange land. But, as I said before, although there was some cultural difference, I felt right at home.

Immigrants from the U.S. mainland are called state-siders ... and not always with the most positive reference.

My biggest difficulties were adjusting to the heat, and understanding the speech of the islanders, which was English spoken quite rapidly, often with heavy accents. I found the lilting accents beautiful; almost musical. In time, I not only easily understood the speech, but when I returned to the states for visits was told I had acquired something of an accent myself ... although I never heard it.

My living situation was quite exceptional as I lived on a hill above town and had a wrap-around balcony that afforded me an enviable view of the cruise ships in St. Thomas Harbor. The harbor was in the town of Charlotte Amalie, the Capital of the Virgin Islands.

St. Thomas Harbor in Charlotte Amalie as seen from my balcony

St. Thomas harbor at sunset from my balcony

During high season, which ran between December and May, the island could accommodate as many as 16 ships spread out between Havensight Harbor, St. Thomas Harbor (hailed as one of the deepest harbors in the world), and Sub-Base (an area that had been a naval base for many years).

I did not need to become accustomed to my surroundings, which were amazingly colorful and beautiful. My yard contained plentiful fruit trees, like Genip, Tamarind, and Mangos; lush flowers like the Bouganvillea, Oleander and Flamboyant; and exotic animals like the Iguanas that boldly crossed the yard as if they, not me were the rightful tenants of the house.

Iguana on an early morning yard crossing

Iguana on tree limb in yard

As a visitor from Cleveland, Ohio once so appropriately put it:"It's as if everything where I came from is in black and white, while everything here is in technicolor."

I couldn't have said it better myself.