Who is the Passenger to Paradise? Another Book, Another Thought

Who is the Passenger to Paradise? I still contemplate that question. She is the little girl with giant dreams that continue to haunt the now grown up woman. She is the child of adventure, the woman with her bag already packed and ready to go at a moment's notice.

Years ago, when we traveled to Trinidad, I was filled with excitement to undertake such an amazing journey. From the moment we landed at the Piarco International Airport in Port of Spain, we were in the midst of intrigue that continued for the entire week of our planned vacation. The expedition took us into so many unusual places and circumstances that what we did became part of the fourth Passenger to Paradise book, Night Watch.

"What has Lily "walked" into...? From the moment Lily's plane lands in tropical Trinidad, things go awry. She planned for rest, relaxation and photography, but instead faces mistaken identity, a gun running operation and danger. Her transportation to her lodging does a no show, and she is mistaken for someone named Katherine by Kyle Warren. Putting the unsettling feelings of her trip and recent deaths of her parents behind her, Lily enjoys the ocean view from her room only to see the familiar figure of the man from the airport who is watching men stealthily unloading cargo from a small boat. Over the next few days, Lily's resemblance to another puts her in danger and Kyle's attempts to protect her further complicate the uncanny memories and feelings that she may indeed know him from the past. With her life in peril, Lily discovers a deep kinship with her doppelganger and a growing attachment to Kyle."

Writing Night Watch made me long to return to Trinidad to discover more adventure. For now, it is a memory and a dream to follow the Passenger to Paradise on yet another exotic journey.

Resurrecting a Book that Never Got Promoted

A silent resolution I've made for this year is to promote my book, Night Watch. For many reasons, this mystery/adventure/ romance never got promoted when it was released more than two years ago. The major lesson I learned from this failure is that it is always up to the author to create the necessary promotion for every book. It is the author's responsibility unless he/she is with a major publishing house with a huge budget for marketing.

Night Watch came about because of a trip my husband and I took to Trinidad a few years ago. Before we left, I connected this island nation off the coast of South America with the old movie, Casablanca, starring Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart. Of course, this World War II era movie was set in North Africa, so I'm not sure why I made that connection. But I did.

I began thinking about the glamorous Ms. Bergman and how she dressed in that movie. Wouldn't she travel in a white suit to her destination? Of course, she would. I bought a white pantsuit for our trip and wore it for our airplane trip. The suit was fine for that part of our travels. However, I hadn't counted on what happened after we arrived at the airport.

We were met by two not so well-groomed men who threw our luggage into a very beat up old car. We were booked in a timeshare resort located on a small island off the coast of Trinidad. These men were wearing T-shirts with the name of that resort emblazoned on them. That fact was the only semblance of confidence I had that we were not being kidnapped.

In this ramshackle old car, we flew down a dark and bumpy highway. From time to time, one of the men stuck his hand-held radio out the car window, calling "Gasper Two to Gasper One". It got a little creepy.

Eventually, we reached the waterfront where we saw a small rowboat with a motor on the back arriving at the dock. The two occupants, both wearing yellow slickers, met us, a flashlight in the hand of one. As we motored past huge ocean-going vessels, it was evident my white suit was a very poor choice for travel attire.That was especially true as water began filling the bottom of the boat, and they started bailing it out using tin cans.

We spent a week at this Trinidad island resort and every moment was an adventure. Night Watch was born from things we actually say that happened. I embellished all the facts with my imagination. Because of a relationship with art theft, I used the title of a Rembrandt painting for the title of my book. I wish now I had made the title, Night Watch: A Case of Mistaken Identity. Two many books and other things bear the title, Night Watch, which also caused a problem with promotion.

Promoting this book is a resolution I intend to keep.

--Mary Montague Sikes

Dragonflies, Luck, Magic, Hemingway, and Night Watch

Hemingway House Dragonfly Fountain

Not long ago, when we arrived at our vacation condo, I was surprised to hear persistent thumping against the wide sliding glass doors that overlook a lagoon. When I went to investigate the noise, I discovered two large dragonflies crashing into the glass outside. It was as if they were trying to attract my attention.

I had to smile. For me, the dragonfly is a symbol of good luck.

Earlier in the summer, I discovered I'm not the only writer who is enamored with the dragonfly. When we entered the yard of the Hemingway House in Key West, the first thing I saw was a fountain in which a dragonfly sculpture was central. Before I snapped a large array of photographs, I sat by the little fountain for a while just studying it.

What is it about these little fast-flying creatures with the luminous wings that attracts us? For the past few months, I've noticed the symbol more and more--scarves in the Butterfly Conservatory gift shop, jewelry in catalogs, Christmas decorations. They are everywhere.

But the item that has attracted me most is a necklace created by artist Tina McCloud. When I first saw her wearing that necklace, I fell in love with it and bought it from her on the spot. Then, suddenly, I was compelled to find a place for it in the book I was writing at the time.

How could the necklace be connected to the plot of my mystery/suspense story, Night Watch, set in Trinidad? I pondered until I imagined the perfect way to create a critical tie between the heroine of my book and that necklace.

Now, I wear the necklace often, especially when I go somewhere to promote Night Watch. Wherever I wear it, perfect strangers stop to admire it and ask about it. It's another symbol to let me know that dragonflies are magical. And I feel the magic every time I see one.

Writers need magic and a lot of good luck. They need dragonflies.