I'm baffled.  Some North American media pundits of the politcally correct persuasion have taken on what appears to be a loss cause as far as the US$8M ad, or should I say free publicity for Jamaica campaign, by Volkswagen featuring a white fellow speaking Jamaican patios. The ad was made to greet millions of fun-loving people during Superbowl Sunday, but got controversial.

I read a British newspaper and it was in there; a Canadian one, and it was in there, too. I found two American papers and the popular one-line Huffington Post and it was in there as well. Subsequently, I found it in quite a number of other international papers. What am I talking about?

Many of us in the diaspora continue to dream of returning permanently to our homeland some day. There are others, who've vowed never to return, and still there are others who're undecided.

Dear Readers,

I'm taking a slight departure from my usual blog to bring you some very good news about Lover's Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend, the first of my eight novels. It's not only good news for me but for our little country Jamaica, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. This is my small gift to Jamaica.  Read on...

As an author,  February is always my busiest month of the year. Why? It's Black History Month, and my eight novels cover a period dating from 1795 to the 21st century. It's the time of the year people of all races come to my readings, mostly at libraries, to hear my narratives about black history and how they come alive through the pages of these books.

Disney is set to release its fourth film in the series Pirates of the Caribbean in a few days. On Stranger Tides, rolls off the screens on May 20, all set to rake in the dollars like the other three movies:  The Curse of the Black Pearl, Dead Man's Chest, and At World's End.

This question keeps coming - at me. The answer is elusive as it gets. Nevertheless, this is what adds to the intrique and poignancy of the legend of Lover's Leap, Jamaica. I was born there and grew up with the legend, hence it became the subject of the first of my eight published novels: Lover's Leap:  Based on the Jamaican Legend. It has been published to international acclaim and the readers have been coming from all nations, cultures and races.

I've highlighted so far (see my previous blogs on this site) about the massive deportation of 550 Maroons from Cudjoe Town, Jamaica, to Halifax, Nova Scotia (British North America), in 1796. In essence, the first deportations Jamaicans ever experienced making the current wave of deportees being sent back to our homeland not a new phenomenon. Marooned in Nova Scotia, my eighth novel, tells the story of the Maroons, in Canada, and deserves to be read for what it is, a reflection of one of the most challenging times in our history. On top of that, it was a first for Jamaica - the first of many incidents that have been dotting the annals of our colourful history for such a small nation.

In recent years, Jamaica has been trying to cope with the deportation to their homeland of hundreds, if not thousands, of our citizens charged, sentenced, and convicted of crimes in Canada, the United States and Britain. There's ongoing debate over whether their presence on the island is contributing to the current crime wave in Jamaica, especially violent crimes.