A few years ago, I saw the
Phantom of the Opera and immediately fell in love with the plot and all the main characters. Shortly after that, I was lucky enough to move to the Caribbean. The moment I heard my first legend of a jumbee (a West Indian phantom who wants to steal your soul), I knew what I had to do. What better combination than a jumbee teamed with the most famous phantom in the world? When writing my young adult romantic thriller
The Jumbee, I tried to create a modern fusion of West Indian legends and Shakespeare, told through the classic plot of
The Phantom of the Opera. Emphasizing friendship, honor, and diversity,
The Jumbee weaves the theater of Shakespeare and the history of the Caribbean with one of the most compelling plotlines I’ve ever found in modern literature. Laced with eerie mystery and the seductive scenery of the West Indies, this new
Phantom is perfect for readers who like their love stories served with spine-tingling suspense.
When Esti Legard starts high school on Cariba, she's determined to step out of the shadow of her late father, a famous actor. But on an island rife with superstition, Esti can't escape the darkness. In the black of the theater department, an alluring phantom voice — known only as Alan — becomes her brilliant drama tutor, while in the light of day Esti struggles to resist her magnetic attraction to Rafe, the local gorgeous bad boy. When shocking accidents begin on the set of Romeo and Juliet, the islanders are sure the theater is haunted by a jumbee. Is Esti's secret mentor a wicked ghost? And what will it cost her — and those she loves — to unmask the truth?
I have always been a fan of Shakespeare, romance, musicals, and of course spine-tingling young adult thrillers like Twilight and The Hunger Games. I now live in Tucson, AZ, with my husband (a Forest Service engineer whose job has taken us to various awesome places, including the U.S. Virgin Islands) and our two great kids.