My favorite five books come from a variety of genres. At the top of the list is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, because it deals with romance in a time period where good manners, morality, good upbringing were highly valued. And of course the characterization is so rich we feel like we identify with the characters by the end of the book. Another of my favorites is Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt This is a memoir in which McCourt deals with poverty in his childhood Ireland in the early 1900s. He handles the topic so skilfully I was able to laugh and cry at the same time. Then there's The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. What can I say? Ms. Morrison writes about topics most of us tend to shun - rape, incest, racism, self-loathing, and she does this in her own inimitable style. More recent titles that are among my favorites are Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese and the Life of Pi by Yann Martel. The former is an epic tale of twin boys born to an Indian nun and an English doctor. A gripping story of sibling rivalry and betrayal, it held me spellbound for hours. Life of Pi drew me in with its philosophical and humorous look at survival.

Novels from every genre except horror and sci-fi.

My tablet

Book signings and virtual book tours

I grew up in Trinidad and Tobago and this continues to influence my writing. The novel series that I'm working on right now follows the lives of two sisters overcoming the effects of childhood abuse, and is set in Trinidad. I have also been greatly influenced by writers like Vidia Naipaul and Elizabeth Nunez.. I especially try to imitate their use of humor and satire. I also make lavish references to Trinidad culture - food, festivals and lifestyle - in my novels. They are not travelogues, but I want the reader to feel they have paid a visit to Trinidad when they put the book down.

I first started writing in high school. I used to write silly, little love stories and pass them to my friends who would hide them under their textbooks and read them instead of following what the teacher was doing. Then they would urge me to write more, which I was only too happy to do.

My work in progress is the second in a three-part series, which I call the Egypt series, since it is a metaphorical comparison to the exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. This book has to do with a young woman, who suffers from guilt at having murdered her father on account of incest. Afraid to go to the police and having no one to confide in, she contemplates suicide and ends up almost killing herself, not by choice, but by accident.

My published book is a non-fiction Christian book. I knew that without a following, it would be difficult to convince an agent to represent me. Knowing that independent publishing is a growing trend, I decided to take the plunge and self-publish.

I don't know if I can call it success yet, but I'm happy to see that my book is selling, albeit slowly.

I am an occupational therapist working in behavioral health, and this occupies most of my time. Between that and writing, I try to squeeze in some time to spend with friends and family, go to church, try my hand at some photography and read.