This Week’s Must Read: UJA – The Book That Changed Jamaica

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photo credit Lis McDermott

Thanks to solar power, Jamaica’s future is bright in Ira Poyser’s visionary debut novel, which imagines the Caribbean island as a powerhouse of economics, sport and global affairs.

By Lucy Bryson

It’s portrayed as an idyllic island blessed with blue skies, white sandy beaches and warm Caribbean seas. But away from the affluent tourist spots where holidaymakers sip expensive cocktails to reggae music lies a country struggling with crime, violence, poverty, inequality and unemployment. For all of Jamaica’s accomplishments – most notably in sport, music and culture – it has for decades remained reportedly stuck in an economic quagmire.

UJA – The Book That Changed Jamaica, cleverly imagines a future in which Jamaica escapes the impasse and lives up to its immense, untapped potential. The country harnesses one of its greatest natural resources, solar energy, to variously lift itself out of poverty and bolster its athletics talent to Olympic, world-beating dominance.

Ira Poyser’s impressive work of fiction fuses real-life events with fictional characters to create a hopeful – and realistic – vision for post-2030 Jamaica. Not without reason did respected Jamaican newspaper The Daily Gleaner describe it as having “bright, provocative moments” and succeeding in “challenge us to reflect”. 

The date is a key one; Jamaica is currently several years into its ambitious Vision 30 Plan, described by the state as a “strategic road map to guide the country to achieve its goals of sustainable development and prosperity by 2030”. The book contains numerous references to real life events and characters, too. There are ‘cameos’ Jamaican dancehall megastar Shaggy, track legend Usain Bolt, and even American indie musician Ezra Furman. 

A contemporary, sexually-charged romance, UJA – The Book That Changed Jamaica tells the fictional story of Khadeen and Orson “Awesome” Matisse – a power couple like no other. Orson is a former 400-metre Olympic champion who goes on to become Jamaican Prime Minister, while Khadeen is a beautiful, intellectual heavyweight with an aspirational vision for the future of the country. Set in Jamaica, New York, Chicago and Manchester, UK, the book spans a time period from the 1960s to 2031. It follows the pair’s turbulent relationship and the repercussions of publishing ‘Universalizing JA’, a book which sets out to convince their countrymen to harness the power of solar energy to transform Jamaica’s entire future. 

But with great power comes great responsibility, and the most powerful couple in the country struggle to adapt to their new role as leaders.

Alongside the dramatic ups and downs of the central couple’s relationships, Poyser threads in a story of athletic achievements, a giant, uber-destructive storm, and a sports superstar – presumed dead after the storm – with a severe case of amnesia.

Doping scandals, mistaken identity, sexual transgressions (this is a fairly racy novel in places) all have a part to play, and readers also follow the fortunes of the pair’s son Leo, captain of the Jamaican Athletics Team, as he struggles to discover who he really is and where his true strengths lie. 

As Orson and Khadeen overcome their differences to find their missing son, they also fight for Jamaica’s place on the world stage and discover the true strength of their own relationship. 

Poyser, who splits his time between Kingston, Jamaica, and Manchester, UK, writes with warm wit and humour, and in an easy, relaxed style. But he also pulls no punches and tells it like it is; there’s an undercurrent of violence throughout, which reaches a bloody conclusion at the end of the book, before once again taking a positive turn. His book is by turns challenging, romantic and adventurous – much like Jamaica itself. 

UJA – The Book that Changed Jamaica by Ira Poyser (Sculpture Enterprises) is available now  on Amazon, priced £5.09 in paperback and £4 as an eBook. For more information, go to Ira’s official Facebook page.

 

Aging Gracefully: 4 Health and Beauty Tips for the Elderly

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Aging is a natural process and while we cannot stop it, it is certainly possible to age gracefully and in good health, as long as certain parameters are maintained. These parameters will vary a bit from person to person of course, but there are certainly some common factors that can help anyone age beautifully and with grace. On that note, we are now going to discuss three of the essential health and beauty tips that all elders and/or their caretakers should be aware of.

Moisturization is Essential

Fine lines and wrinkles begin to appear as we age due to multiple reasons, but the drier your skin is, the more susceptible it will be to the signs of aging. Therefore, regular moisturization is a must, especially if you live in a dry or cold part of the country. Some of the essential moisturization tips are as follows:

  • Avoid soaps and use moisturizing facewashes instead
  • Don’t scrub daily and when you do, scrub gently
  • Look for ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, dimethicone, glycerin, propylene glycol, urea and other water retentive agents in your cream
  • A moisturizing cream with additional ingredients such as vitamin A, vitamin E, proteins, aloe vera, etc. is preferred

Drink a Gallon of Water Every Day

The moisturization we talked about cannot only be skin deep, because we will also need to stay hydrated with a daily water intake of 2 – 3 liters. The thing about staying hydrated is that it will not just keep your skin moisturized and glowing, but the habit will also help in avoiding a number of more serious age-related health conditions. Once you look at the list below, you will realize that the frequent trips to the bathroom are worth it!

  • Better kidney and bladder health in general, with reduced chances of developing stones
  • Internally hydrated skin stays elastic even when we age, reducing the appearance of sags, swells, wrinkles and lines
  • More energy, better bowel movements, improved mood and cognitive abilities

Prepare for Emergencies

Heart attacks and cerebral strokes are common emergencies to prepare for when we start to get older, but what a lot of people do not understand or pay enough attention to is the fact that urgent and immediate medical care can make a huge difference. Go through the top rated medical alert systems and find one for yourself or the elder under your care, so that he/she can alert the emergency services and contacts in case they are in a situation that requires immediate medical attention. Some stroke patients can actually recover completely in a few months’ time if immediate care is taken and heart attacks that could have been managed easily often turn fatal due to delay in treatment. One needs to accept that a medical emergency can occur at any time and without warning as we age, so having a well-planned medical emergency system in place is not just wise but absolutely essential as well.

Lift Weights

Contrary to popular belief, it has now been established that weight training or resistance training is actually good for the elderly. It helps to retain muscle mass and also to maintain high bone density, both of which tends to decrease rapidly as we age.

Old age doesn’t necessarily have to be sedentary and boring, but in order to lead a good life even in your 60s, 70s and beyond, it is absolutely vital to take precautions before it’s too late. Thanks to modern medicine and technology, doing that is now easier than ever before, so all one really needs to do is put in a bit of effort towards it and life after retirement can be a lot of fun!

 

Time For a Crime Wave? The Best Upcoming Crime Books

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Ready for a crime wave? Here are Frost’s top three psychological thrillers.

Connections in Death by J.D Robb. The latest Eve Dallas thriller. Unadulterated entertainment. Out now.

When recovering drug addict Lyle Pickering is found dead of an overdose, it looks like a tragic accident. But his sister Rochelle knows better, and so does Lieutenant Eve Dallas. Lyle was murdered, and the evidence points directly to his old street gang.

As Eve and husband Roarke track the killer through the city’s dive bars, drug dens and strip joints, another body is discovered. With connections growing between the living and the dead, and the body count on the rise, Eve knows she needs to close this case fast, before the killer’s lust for power turns the city’s streets into a bloodbath.

Available here.

The Buried Girl by Richard Montanari. A terrifying read that will stay with you. Out on February 14th.

A haunting, nerve-jangling psychological thriller from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Montanari set in a small town hiding a very dark secret.

When New York psychologist Will Hardy’s wife is killed, he and his teenage daughter Bernadette move into Godwin Hall, a dusty, shut-up mansion in the small town of Abbeville, Ohio.

Meanwhile, Abbeville Chief of Police Ivy Holgrave is investigating the death of a local girl, convinced this may only be the latest in a long line of murders dating back decades – including her own long-missing sister.

But what place does Will’s new home have in the story of the missing girls? And what links the killings to the diary of a young woman written over a century earlier?

Available here.

55 by James Delargy. Brilliantly done. Will keep you breathless until the last page. Out on 4th April. 

*** There were 54 victims before this. Who is number 55? ***
A thriller with a killer hook, and an ending that will make you gasp!

Wilbrook in Western Australia is a sleepy, remote town that sits on the edge of miles and miles of unexplored wilderness. It is home to Police Sergeant Chandler Jenkins, who is proud to run the town’s small police station, a place used to dealing with domestic disputes and noise complaints.

All that changes on a scorching day when an injured man stumbles into Chandler’s station. He’s covered in dried blood. His name is Gabriel. He tells Chandler what he remembers.

He was drugged and driven to a cabin in the mountains and tied up in iron chains. The man who took him was called Heath. Heath told Gabriel he was going to be number 55. His 55th victim.

Heath is a serial killer.

As a manhunt is launched, a man who says he is Heath walks into the same station. He tells Chandler he was taken by a man named Gabriel. Gabriel told Heath he was going to be victim 55.

Gabriel is the serial killer.

Two suspects. Two identical stories. Which one is the truth?

James Delargy has written one of the most exciting debuts of 2019. He masterfully paints the picture of a remote Western Australian town and its people, swallowed whole by the hunt for a serial killer. This novel has been sold in 19 countries so far and has just been optioned for film.

Available here.

VALENTINE’S INSPO – EXPERIENCE GIFTS

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Struggling to decide what to get the other half for Valentine’s Day? Turns out ANYTHING will do as 22% of guys don’t expect a gift, vs 93% of us high maintenance women… awks.

If you definitely want to land in his good books, the Hut.com survey found that his top gift would be an experience, followed by accessories and fashion led pieces.

Check out below for some ‘experience inspo’ – we’ve pulled out the top things you can do together (because it’s your day too!)

Budget buying – Under £50

Extreme Solent 60 Minute RIB Taster – £17.50

One for the more adventurous amongst us. Sixty minutes on a James Bond style RIB boat… what’s not to love! You can purchase via Virgin Experience Days

Comedy Club pass – £20

This offer from Buy A Gift is a great way to spend an evening letting loose with each other. The price tag also means you could probably get a dinner too… or at least treat him to a kebab on the way home!

Three course meal for two and a sparkling cocktail – £49

Based in Camden Market, Shaka Zulu is a packed with 20ft high statues and tasty South African cuisine. Available via Virgin Experience Days, you can head to Roundhouse or any of the many Camden bars to carry on the party.

Slightly splurging  – Under £100

Hotel Chocolat Tasting Experience  – £50

Sweeten him up with this one. You’ll spend two hours in heaven. Well, talking about and tasting chocolate… so it’s practically heaven! Included is a glass of prosecco, a goodie bag and a 10% off voucher. Available via Into The Blue at Leeds and London locations

Peaky Blinders Bus Tour – £56

By order of the Peaky… erm, you know the rest! Pick up this deal through Very’s website and head to Liverpool for this four hour tour. Get closer to the cast’s stories and visit nine of the show’s most iconic locations.

Marvel Avengers Interactive Experience – £63

For the gamer in your life, this Groupon offer trains you to be S.T.A.T.I.O.N agents and learn the Avengers back story.

Lavishing him with luxury – Under £200

Lovers Leap Bunjee Jump – £120

Not for the faint-hearted, this bunjee jump will see you catapult your way towards the ground from 160ft high… rather you than us! Currently 33% off via Red Letter Days and available at multiple locations

Eden Project Private Guided Mediterranean Tour for Two – £115

Bringing it back a notch… this Cornwall based tour will take you on a scene setting tour of California, the Med and South Africa. Plenty of quality time with one another in a relaxing environment… bliss! Tickets available via Red Letter Days

Indoor Rock and Ice Climbing – £115

Head to the Highlands of Scotland to enjoy this one. Two and a half hours of heaving yourself up a wall with an ice pick / your bare hands. What’s not to love!

INTRODUCING SISTER SCRIBES: SUSANNA BAVIN

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Despite her concerns about sounding showy-offy that’s the last thing Susanna Bavin is. She may be the quietest of the Sister Scribes, the most softly spoken, but that does nothing to hide her keen intellect and enquiring mind. Most definitely her own woman.

There is something scary about being asked to introduce yourself on a magazine page. Will it sound showy-offy? But my fellow Sister Scribes have all introduced themselves, so now it’s my turn. Here goes.

I am living proof that dreams come true. There! How’s that for showy-offy? Not to mention being rather a grand claim. But it’s the simple truth. As a child, I dreamed of one day living in North Wales – Llandudno, to be precise – and six years ago, my husband and I found a beautiful house here, threw caution and jobs to the winds, and moved here. Best thing we ever did. One question we get asked by people who would love to live here (it seems that almost everybody who comes here on holiday dreams of living here) is, “Is it different when you live here? Less special?” and the answer to that is a resounding No. We love it just as much, if not more, and that feeling of “Wow! We really live here” has never gone away.

So that’s one dream. The other, of course, is that I have finally become a published writer. I say ‘finally’ because, although I was a child-writer and have been writing all my life, for most of that time I didn’t submit anything to literary agents. As a matter of fact, I got rather hooked on getting feedback and worked with a writers’ advisory service for some years. Then I decided to aim for publication, so I joined the RNA (Romantic Novelists’ Association) with the intention of writing four books, so as to have a body of work to offer a literary agent.

In the event, after I had written three, I became aware of other new writers getting their books published, which made me feel left behind, so I decided that the size of my body of work was perfectly adequate at three books and started submitting to literary agents. I was lucky enough to be signed up by Laura Longrigg at MBA.

The books I write are sagas. To date, I have had three published – The Deserter’s Daughter, A Respectable Woman and The Sewing Room Girl. The fourth, The Poor Relation, follows in May. The books are set in the part of Manchester where my family has lived for several generations and where I grew up.

I was a saga writer before I knew what sagas were. As a teenager, I lapped up Victoria Holt’s novels and started writing gothic stories, but these naturally grew and became what I later found out were sagas. For me, this was just the natural development of my writing style. I was delighted when, as a reader, I found out that other people wrote this kind of story too!

What do I like about sagas? The historical setting, for starters. I love to see the characters having to tackle their problems within the social and legal context of the time. I also enjoy the glimpse of social history, which is a great interest of mine. Clothes, meals, furniture – I love all those domestic details especially costume. It’s no coincidence that my forthcoming book, The Sewing Room Girl, involves the making of lots of clothes!

Follow Susanna on Twitter @SusannaBavin

 

 

The Bonbon girl by Linda Finlay  Reviewed by Natalie Jayne Peeke

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Colenso, a beautiful Cornish young lady . Madly in love with Kitto. All is well , her future is mapped out despite her alcoholic father’s objections .

One day , one look changed everything . Colenso’s blissful life is turned upside down as she is sold by her own parents to the new factory manager in the town of Fenton.

Colenso is determined to follow her heart . With the arrival of the Fair , Colenso’s mother learns the truth about Fenton . And Colenso is forced to flee with the Fair, leaving her beloved Kitto behind.

Colenso travels with the Fair under the care and guidance of Mara , and is exposed to whole new way of life and making confectionery soon becomes a passion as well as a distraction.

A beautifully written and well researched book . I could almost taste all the different flavours of sweets and smell the salty sea air.

Colenso’s story is full of ups and downs. A divine tale of love , friendship , determination and the kindness of strangers .

This has been my first Linda Finlay book , I am definitely going to read more. I highly recommend this book for those of you who enjoy, laughing , gasping , crying and feeling all warm and fuzzy from reading a great book.

The Bonbon Girl

Amazon prices : £7.99 paperback , £3.99 Kindle
Publisher: Harper Collins
Natalie Jayne Peeke – The Bookworm Mother

THE 10 FUNNIEST JOKES OF ALL TIME

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“Why was the sand wet?”, “What do you call a blind dinosaur?” and “What did the policeman say to his tummy?” have been voted the funniest gags EVER according to children.

The recent Beano survey polled kids aged 7-12 to clear up once and for all which gags get the most giggles but in all honesty, the findings are consistent with our adult laugh-o-meter too…

Check out the innocent gems below:

 

  1. Why was the sand wet? Because the sea weed! (52%)
  2. What do you call a blind dinosaur? Doyouthinkhesaurus (45%)
  3. What did the policeman say to his tummy? Freeze you’re under a vest (44%)
  4. Doctor, Doctor! Help, I feel like a pair of curtains! Pull yourself together then (42%)
  5. What’s the fastest vegetable? A runner bean! (41%)
  6. What do you get when you cross a snowman with a vampire? Frostbite! (40%)
  7. What’s brown and sticky? A stick! (39%)
  8. What do you call a blind deer? No eye deer (38%)
  9. Why should you be careful when it’s raining cats and dogs? You might step in a poodle! (38%)
  10. Do you want to hear a joke about pizza? Never mind, it’s too cheesy (37%

 

Beano’s national school joke competition is open for entries from April 1st. Primary school pupils or teachers (on behalf of their pupils) can enter via www.beano.com/jokes 

BEAUTY TIPS FOR FULLER LIPS

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Looking to get that fuller lip look without adding anything but makeup? Check out our top tips and best products to help do the job below.

Exfoliate

You wouldn’t apply your foundation without prepping the skin in advance (we’d hope!) so try not to do this with your lips either. Use a lip scrub to exfoliate the skin (experts suggest using a hi-tech tool like a toothbrush but we’re happy to use a finger) and then rinse off with warm water. Coat your lips with a balm after this to re-hydrate them.

 

We recommend: Plump It! Volumising Lip Scrub (RRP: £12.99)

Line it right

We’re not talking ombre lips here, we’re talking strong outlines. Choose a liner that’s one shade darker than the lip colour you’ll be applying and apply a thick, heavy line around your lip, emphasing on the cupids bow and the parallel area of the bottom lip. Think that you’re creating a shadow and if you’re a liner novice, apply lightly in several layers to avoid disasters.

We recommend: Buxom Plump Line (RRP: £15)

Glow, glow, glow

Highlighter isn’t just for the brows / cheeks – it’s for your cupid’s bow too! Adding a sheen of highlight across the bow will bring attention to the curves in the lip and give the impression of more shape.

We recommend: Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter (RRP: £21)

Lip Plumping gloss

Remember the days of Soap and Glory’s Mother Plucker? Plump It! is a much more effective version and you see BIG results straight away! Once you’re used to the product, apply several layers of the gloss but a word of warning for first timers, the tingle is INTENSE so start of cautiously. Leave the lips for one minute whilst the plumping takes place.

We recommend: Plump It! Volumising Lip Plumper (£19.99)

And there you have it, a plumper pout with no procedures!

 *PlumpIt! kindly sent us their range for review purposes