Lynda R. Edwards's Blog: "Beyond Paradise: The Untold Stories of Caribbean Literary Voices, page 3

FACT VS FICTION:

As the countdown to the release of I AM CUBA is in full swing (June 21), I thought it would be fun to do some posts on the fact vs fiction elements of the book.

In 2003, I watched a documentary that suggested Cuba sat on the lost city of Atlantis. I thought to myself, what if that were true, and the premise of the book was born. The families at the heart of this story are all amalgamations of families that went through the devastation of the Cuban Revolution, the Missile Crisis, and the Mariel Boatlift.

Lucien Walker is an amalgamation of what we now know about the United States’ intentions for both Fidel Castro and the island of Cuba. They sought the financial gains they had enjoyed in Cuba during Batista’s regime and were determined to regain them at all costs. Fidel’s hold on Cuba only increased their chagrin and desire to regain control of the island’s economy.

Ian Davidson and the Canadian involvement were based on the long-standing relationship between Canada and Cuba, starting with the friendship between Pierre Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, Michael Manley, Prime Minister of Jamaica, and Fidel Castro. The red triangle of socialism surrounding the United States was one they did not want to tolerate.
The Soviet Union’s race to beat the Americans to space wasn’t a stretch to link Cuba and Orchicalem to the Soviet Union's success in that race.

The Caribbean has always been cast as pawns, and all this political tension has inspired my imagination. It wasn’t hard to envision Isabella’s dedication to Cuba and Gabriel being torn between the two worlds he was forced to inhabit. In the 1970s, most Caribbean people were given only those two options. Their love story stems from their desire to connect with the island that gave them birth.

Hey beautiful readers!

Your June-born author Lynda here!

As a true Gemini who lives and breathes this season, I'm beyond thrilled to share my latest baby with you - I AM CUBA!

You know how us Geminis crave variety? Well, summer reading season is basically our love language - give us ALL the beach reads, spicy romances, and those mind-bending thrillers that make us completely lose track of time!

I wrote I AM CUBA with my fellow Geminis in mind because I know we're never satisfied with just one vibe. This book is calling your name if you're the type of Gemini who:

Gets that instant rush from travel and adventure (been there!)

Is always moving, always exploring (can't help ourselves!) Collects words and stories like precious gems .

Lives for astrology and wants those cosmic connections everywhere.

Has a TBR pile that's basically a small mountain by now (no judgment here!)

Writing this book felt like channeling all my Gemini energy onto the page, and I can't wait for you to experience it!

Summer + books + fellow Gemini magic = pure bliss

Who's ready to dive into I AM CUBA with me? Drop a 📖 and let me know what kind of summer reading vibes you're craving!

Returning to Jamaica: Where Time Stands Still and Everything Changes

There's something uniquely bittersweet about returning to your birthplace. Last week, I found myself back in Jamaica, the island where I was born. These visits home always stir a complex mix of emotions - joy at reconnection, sadness for those no longer with us, and wonder at how much has changed while somehow remaining eternally the same.

Kingston presents itself as a study in contrasts. The Liguanea Club still stands proudly, serving the island's best pumpkin soup exactly as I remember it. Yet the open spaces that once surrounded it have vanished, sacrificed to a version of progress I struggle to appreciate. My mental map of backroads and shortcuts - once my pride as a navigation specialist - now leads to unexpected traffic jams and unfamiliar landscapes.

As I move through the city, I find myself disoriented. Landmarks that anchored my memories have disappeared, replaced by new structures that hold no personal history for me. Kingston has evolved without me, continuing its story while my memories remained frozen in time.

Despite this transformation, my connection to Jamaica remains unbreakable. I feel it immediately upon landing - that instant recognition as I walk through the airport and drive along the Palisadoes road into Kingston. It's as if my body remembers what my mind has forgotten.

Each visit becomes a ritual of reconnection: calling cousins, looking up old friends, making lunch and dinner reservations to catch up on years compressed into hours over food and conversation. The island pulls me back into its rhythm, even as I sit in the endless traffic that has become part of modern Jamaican life.

Yes, Jamaica has changed drastically, especially compared to the place preserved in my memory. But the ties that bind us to home and family stretch across time and space without breaking, always unyielding. For all its transformations, Jamaica remains my source of rejuvenation - the place where I remember who I am by revisiting where I began.

My Author Copies of I AM CUBA Just Arrived — And It's More Than Just a Book

Today, the box arrived. My author copies of I AM CUBA, my third book, are finally here.

For most writers, this is a celebratory moment — a day filled with excitement, the promise of book tours, interviews, sales, and exposure. And yes, I feel those things too. But more than anything, today is a day of reflection.

Writing this book wasn’t just a creative process; it was a spiritual and emotional one. Getting this story out of my head and onto the page was like birthing something that had been growing inside me for years. And now it’s real — bound in paper and ink, ready to be read, interpreted, and felt by others.

But why did I write I AM CUBA?

No one is clamoring to read a dry historical account of colonization, exploitation, and loss. But if you take a cue from the Anansi storytelling tradition — weaving truths inside of fables, love stories, thrillers — you can take readers on a journey where they’re learning without even realizing it. They’re experiencing history as we did — not as a list of dates and names, but as life: complex, painful, joyful, full of love and struggle.

That’s what I aim to do with every story I write. Because our history isn’t just in textbooks — it lives in our bones, our culture, our language, our resistance. It’s a choir of voices, all telling the same story: how we’ve turned misfortune into fortune, again and again.

Understanding our past helps shape our identity as a people. It forces us to examine who we are versus who the world expects us to be. We have lived with the stories others have told about us for too long. I choose to tell our own.

So, yes — I AM CUBA is here. But more importantly, so is our story. Our voice. Our truth.

For the Love of Books: A Caribbean Writer's Confession

Another book arrived for me to read yesterday. My husband casually pointed out that it was my fourth book last week and asked how I could possibly read that many books and still write. I marched indignantly into my office, pointed to the overflowing bookshelves, and announced that as long as I found a space, I would buy a book to fill it. "Good luck," was his response.

My bookcases are overflowing, books on top of books, but also books I've loved reading. As I tried to make space for a new addition, I lovingly reviewed the titles and decided to post reviews from the notes I'd made at the front of the books. I added a lot today, and I'm sure you'll see a pattern. I love Caribbean writers.

Why wouldn't I? I write about the Caribbean, so it only stands to reason I would love to read about the region. Anthony Winkler's "The Painted Canoe" was the first book to entrance me so much that I wanted to become a writer.

But to be fair, I also love writers like John Grisham and Sarah Penner. I guess what I'm trying to say is whether I read them or write them, I love stories! I love Caribbean stories, and I love good storytellers.
So I need another bookshelf. Sigh. Let me go and tell my husband!

Fact vs. Fiction: The Caribbean Cold War and My Novel

Hey there! I wanted to share a bit about how I blended historical events with imagination in my novel. It's amazing how real history can spark creative storytelling, isn't it?

So when I watched that documentary in 2003 suggesting Cuba might be sitting on Atlantis, my mind just ran with it! I thought, "What an incredible premise for a story." But that's definitely in the fiction column—archaeologists haven't actually found Atlantis under Cuba!

The historical backbone of my story comes from several real events that shaped Caribbean families. The Cuban Revolution really did displace countless families, the Missile Crisis brought the world to the edge of nuclear war, and the Mariel Boatlift saw thousands fleeing to America. These events weren't just headlines—they tore families apart and forced impossible choices.

My character Lucien Walker isn't real, but the American interests he represents certainly were. The U.S. had massive financial stakes in pre-revolutionary Cuba and, yes, they absolutely wanted to regain economic control after Castro took power.

As for Ian Davidson and the Canadian angle—that's inspired by the fascinating real-life friendship between Pierre Trudeau and Fidel Castro. Trudeau actually visited Cuba in 1976, much to the annoyance of American officials! The idea of a "red triangle" of socialism makes for great dramatic tension, though I played that up for the story.

The Soviet space race connection? That's where I really let my imagination loose. The Soviets did beat Americans to many space milestones, but linking that to a mythical Atlantean metal called Orichalcum under Cuba? Pure fiction!

Isabella and Gabriel's love story comes from something very real though—that tension so many Caribbean people felt being torn between two worlds. In the 1970s, the political climate often forced impossible choices on ordinary people just trying to live their lives.

What aspects of blending history with fiction do you find most interesting?

5am Thoughts: The Anxiety of Book Promotion

It's 5am and I've been up since 3:30am when my husband turned off the fan. I woke up feeling hot, listening to his gentle snoring, and realized sleep wasn't returning anytime soon.

So here I am, typing away in the dark, my mind racing with all the things keeping me up at night.

My new book is scheduled for release on June 21st. Yesterday was particularly stressful as I struggled to load all the files onto KDP. One hurdle cleared, but now I'm facing the daunting mountain of book promotion. The questions swirl endlessly in my head:

Should I organize a Goodreads Giveaway? Would a Freebooksy Feature promo be worth the investment? Is it time to brave the complex world of Amazon Ads? And if so, how do I even begin to navigate that labyrinth?

As a niche writer focusing on the Caribbean Islands, my path feels both clearer and more obscure. I've reached out to fellow Caribbean writers, bloggers, and websites for guidance—they should understand my audience best, right? But then comes the next challenge: how do I expand my reach beyond the islands? How do I introduce my stories to readers who might love them but not yet know they exist?

I believe so deeply in my book's message. The stories of these islands, their people, their magic and challenges—they deserve to be heard widely. But, the gap between writing and successfully promoting feels wider than the Caribbean Sea itself.

What I wouldn't give for a fairy godmother of advertising to appear with a wave of her wand and a sprinkling of marketing pixie dust! Then, I could focus solely on what I do best: write.

But for now, I'll keep researching, keep reaching out, keep trying different approaches. Perhaps there's a certain magic in this process too—finding the readers who will truly connect with my words, who will feel the warm Caribbean breeze through my pages.

Dawn will break soon. My husband sleeps on, unaware of my 5am publishing anxieties. And somehow, putting these thoughts into words has made them feel more manageable.

Perhaps that's the greatest power of writing after all.

The Lonely Echo Chamber: Why Blogging Feels Like Shouting Into the Void

There's something uniquely vulnerable about hitting "publish" on a blog post. Unlike casual social media updates or quick text messages, a blog post feels weightier—more permanent, more reflective of who you really are. It's your thoughts, carefully arranged, revised, and presented to the world. And then... silence.
That silence is what makes blogging so terrifying.
When I write, I pour pieces of myself onto the page. Each post becomes a little extension of my mind, my heart, and my perspective on the world. I spend hours crafting sentences, reworking paragraphs, and polishing thoughts until they shine just right. Then I release these words into the digital wilderness, and immediately the doubts begin:
Is anyone actually reading this?
Do these words matter to anyone but me?
Am I just talking to myself?
And yet...
Every so often, someone reaches out. "Your post really spoke to me," they might say. Or "I've been feeling the same way but couldn't find the words."
These moments are pure magic—proof that the bridge between minds can be built with nothing but carefully arranged words.
Perhaps the scariest thing about blogging isn't the silence itself, but what that silence forces us to confront: Are we writing for others or ourselves? Would I still write if no one ever read another word I wrote?
The honest answer shapes not just how we approach blogging but how we approach our creative lives altogether.
So we keep writing, keep publishing, keep sending our thoughts into the void. Not because we're certain they'll find readers, but because the possibility that they might is worth the vulnerability. And maybe, just maybe, the act of arranging our thoughts is valuable enough on its own.
The publish button remains scary. The silence that follows remains heavy. But somewhere in that digital wilderness, someone is reading. Someone is nodding along. Someone is thinking, "Yes, exactly this."
And that possibility makes all the difference.