The main bibliography on this site, Antiguan and Barbudan Writings, includes a fair amount of books not by Antiguans and Barbudans (something someone called me out on in the comments pretty early on but it was and remains about how much time do I have to give to parsing those kinds of details – this is all voluntary, and how difficult it is to do that parsing, as some have connections to Antigua-Barbuda but are not Antiguans-Barbudans, and some of these centre Antigua and Barbuda in their writing). That said, going forward I’m going to try (emphasis on try) to add to this new (!) list books set in Antigua and Barbuda in part or whole, or referencing Antiguans and Barbudans, but which were written by people who are either not from nor resident (nor have been resident), to the best of my knowledge, in Antigua and Barbuda. So, this is Antigua and Barbuda as (sometimes ‘exotic’) setting by people with no particular ties to Antigua and Barbuda and books in which Antigua and Barbuda is less focus and more passing fancy or background, and can also include books with Antiguan and Barbudan characters but not particularly of Antigua-Barbuda (like I said, parsing is tricky). I may go back and pull those from the main list which rightly belong here as well as I might not. It’s mostly about time but also about untangling some of those relationships (tricky tricky). But new additions will go here, bit by bit. If you see your book here and think it’s misplaced/should be on the main Antigua and Barbuda list, make your case – I’m open to it (time permitting). The formatting is slightly different here, leading with the book and not the author; and instead of an About the Book section, I focus on the Antigua-Barbuda connection in the book.
Book: Adventure in the Caribbean [with illustrator Pamela Querin]
. Bethany House Publishers. USA. 1996.
Author: Stacey Towle Morgan.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: In Adventure in the Caribbean, Hope and Annie take a trip to sunny Antigua in the West Indies. There, the sisters make a new friend a young Antiguan girl named Zoe. When Zoe and the girls discover a hidden map, they set out on an exciting search for treasure. Will they find it before the Browns have to go home?
About the Author: Stacy Towle Morgan has been writing ever since she was eight, when she set up a typewriter in the closet of the room she shared with her sister. She is a graduate of Cedarville College and Western Kentucky University and has written numerous feature articles and several books for children. Morgan and her husband, Michael, make their home in Indiana.
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Book: Antigua Kiss. Harlequin Books. 1982.
Author: Anne Weale.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Christie’s marriage to Caribbean island playboy Ash Lombard was to be for convenience only. But it wasn’t long before she discovered that Ash had no intention of keeping his word.
About the Author: Anne Weale was one of the pen names of British romance writer Jay Blakeney.
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Book: Antigua Redemption. MuseItUp Publishing. USA. 2011.
Author: Patricia Harrington.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Antiguan Redemption is a short story published as a kindle eboook. It’s the year 1934, and slavery has ended. Emancipation has finally come to the Caribbean island of Antigua. However, slavery’s hold still lingers, though in different ways for the spirit of a murdered slave girl, the soul of a disillusioned Anglican minister, and a mute Antiguan boy, silenced by a blow in his early youth. Each of these three are captive to sorrows, regret and pain. And when each is faced with letting Manley, a cruel bar owner and former plantation manager, die in a fiery inferno, they must each choose. Will their final choices be based on hate and revenge or faith and courage . What they decide will lead to redemption and release from the island, or leave them forever imprisoned in bitterness and hate.
About the Author: American writer Patricia Harrington is a Short Mystery Fiction Society Derringer award winner. She has published many short stories and has an amateur sleuth novel series.The first novel in the series, Death Stalks the Khmer, has been used in universities as required, supplemntal reading for social worker and inter-cultural communication classes.The novel weaves the mysteries of the Cambodian/Khmer culture, into a challenging whodunit set in Seattle.The author also is a charter member of the American Association of Grantwriting Professionals. Harrington is/was a frequent visitor to the island of Antigua and has been a guest/visiting author to the Cushion Club reading club for kids.
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Book: Bound to a Promise: a true story of love, murder, and redemption. Creative Enterprises Studios, USA, 2013.
Author: Bonnie Floyd.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: In 1994, Floyd’s dad and stepmom, William and Kathleen Cleaver, and Ian Cridland and Thomas Williams were murdered by three men aboard a yacht off the coast of Barbuda. This is Floyd’s very personal account of her journey to forgiveness. The book is a combination true crime drama – inclusive of the Scotland yard investigation, newspaper reports, court transcripts, and eye witness accounts – and given the religious nature of her journey, Christian inspirational.
About the Author: Floyd is an American author, bible teacher, and inspirational speaker. While we can’t speak to the specificity of said plans, her facebook page reveals plans, up to August 2016, to acquire and restore Sunset Hotel in Barbuda and convert it in to the Sunrise Mentorship Centre.
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Book: Castaway in the Caribbean. Thornhill Print. 2015.
Author: Janice Horton.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Vacationing on the beautiful Caribbean island of Antigua, Janey Sinclair is persuaded by her magazine editor boss to do a quick island hop in order to supervise an impromptu photo-shoot for the front cover.
About the Author: Janice is a British author who has spent her retirement travelling the world.
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Book: Creole Clay: Heritage Ceramics in the Contemporary Caribbean. University Press of Florida. USA. 2017.
Author: Patricia J. Fay.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: 
(from the acknowledgments)
Creole Clay is not exclusively about Antigua and Barbuda but it spotlights Antigua and Barbuda in some way (notably the Hillhouses, from potter Hyacinth Hillhouse who is interviewed for the book to her niece Joanne C. Hillhouse whose book Oh Gad! is quoted). Specifically, to quote the author, from the introduction, “My purpose in writing this book is to tell stories that have not previously been, about people who have generally been overlooked, and who make objects that have routinely been deemed unimportant…Chapters 7 and 8 explore related traditions of African-derived ceramic practice in Nevis, Antigua, and Jamaica, and demonstrate the fascinating range of personal histories and inherited methods in Caribbean pottery. In the villages of Newcastle, Nevis, and Sea View Farm, Antigua women of African descent make pots in ways that are both similar to and different from potters in St. Lucia, while maintaining production of a nearly identical catalogue of functional forms.” Book summary (extract) – This volume traces the living heritage of locally made pottery in the English-speaking Caribbean. Patricia Fay combines her own expertise in making ceramics with two decades of interviews, visits, and participant-observation in the region, providing a perspective that is technically informed and anthropologically rigorous. Through the analysis of ceramic methods, Fay reveals that the traditional skills of local potters in the Caribbean are inherited from diverse points of origin in Africa, Europe, India, and the Americas. Fay emphasizes the integral role relationships between mothers and daughters play in the transmission of skills from generation to generation. Since most pottery produced is intended for domestic use as cooking pots, serving vessels, and for water storage, women have been key to sustaining these traditions. But Fay’s work also shows that these pots have value beyond their everyday usefulness. In the process of forming and firing, the diverse cultural heritage of the Caribbean becomes manifest, exemplifying the continuing encounter between old and new, local and global, and traditional and contemporary. This volume is part of the series Latin American and Caribbean Arts and Culture, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
About the Author: Patricia J. Fay is professor of art at Florida Gulf Coast University.
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Book: Dancing in the Dining Room, Antigua West Indies. Authorhouse. Canada. 2004.
Author: Donna Goring.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Dancing in the Dining Room, Antigua West Indies is the story of one couple’s dream to move to a tiny island in the Caribbean. They encounter many challenges, heartbreak, and, as they found out, it’s not always paradise.
About the Author: Dancing in the Dining Room, Antigua West Indies is the story of one couple’s dream to move to a tiny island in the Caribbean. The story starts with why the author fell in love with Antigua over all the other islands she had visited. It highlights the obstacles and hard work involved when after twenty vacations to their favourite island Donna Goring and her husband Brian move to Antigua to enjoy island life. Once there, she provides an insight into day today life and her views on island life. They encounter many challenges, heartbreak, and, as they found out, it’s not always paradise.
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Book: Deliciously Antigua. 2018.
Author:Claire Preen.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book:This collection of recipes uses local Antiguan fare for delicious, healthy dishes.
About the Author: Claire Preen is an author, publisher and an award-winning chocolatier. She has appeared on numerous cooking shows in Australia and Canada. Her first book is 50 Shades of Chocolate. Her second cookbook is A Diva’s Guide to Dinner Parties. She is now tying her nutritional understanding with her cooking skills and creating new healthy creations to not only entice with taste but to also work with the body.
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Book: Dying for Revenge (Gideon Trilogy, Book 3). Dutton. USA. 2008.
Author: Eric Jerome Dickey.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Antigua is a setting in this fast-paced story about a steamy, seamy underworld of crime that spans the globe features the hitman Gideon, a character who captivated fans in the first two books, squaring off against his most dangerous adversary yet. The book was researched and written in Antigua.
About the Author: Eric Jerome Dickey is an African-American author and self-described fantiguan. He died in 2021.
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Book: False Nine (Scott Manson #3). Head of Zeus. 2015.
Author: Philip Kerr.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: As Scott tracks the player from Paris to Antigua, he uncovers corruption, kidnapping – and murder.
About the Author: Philip Kerr was a British author best known for historical detective thrillers.
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Book: A Family Holiday. HarperImpulse. 2016.
Author: Bella Osborne.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: With the distraction of the children’s gorgeous Uncle Felix and the chance of a holiday in stunning Antigua, she’s left wondering if turquoise seas can wash away their present troubles. Is the pull of white sand beaches too tempting to resist or will paradise fail to keep them all together?
About the Author: Bella Osborne is a UK romance writer.
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Book: House of Music: Raising the Kanneh-Masons. One World Publications. UK. 2020.
Author: Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: This book is about the Kanneh-Mason siblings – seven brothers and sisters from the UK who are acclaimed classically trained musicians – who are of Antiguan-Barbudan descent on their father’s side (dad Stuart Mason was born in Antigua, while their mom, the book’s author, is of Sierra Leone). They are now cultural ambassadors of Antigua-Barbuda and return every year for a fundraising concert to assist with music development in the country. In the book, their mother opens up about what it takes to raise a musical family in a Britain divided by class and race.
About the Author: Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason lives in Nottingham and is a former lecturer in English at The University of Birmingham.
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Book: Isabella’s Necklace. 2011.
Author: Len Shephard, Ben Shephard (illustrator).
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: A rip roaring adventure that spans the centuries, from the intrigues of the royal family in 16th century Spain to the shocking conclusion of a generational mystery in present day Antigua, jewel of the Caribbean.
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Book: Journal of a Lady of Quality. (originally published in the 1700s) Yale University Press (edition), 1939. Bison Book (edition), 2005.
Author: Janet Schaw.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Alexander and Janet Schaw, Scottish siblings, began a journey in 1774 that would take them from Edinburgh to the Caribbean Islands and then to America. Part of the early wave of Scottish colonization, the pair visited family and friends who had already established themselves in the colonies (including Antigua). Journal of a Lady of Quality is Janet Schaw’s account of this voyage through letters to a friend in Scotland. The letters describe the sights, scenery, and social life she encountered, but they also reveal the political atmosphere of an America on the verge of revolution. Stephen Carl Arch provides a new introduction for the Bison Books edition.
About the Author: Janet Schaw was a traveller and diarist born between 1730 and 1740. She was from an old Scottish family. Originally from Edinburgh, she died in 1800 in Devon.
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Book: Kidnap in the Caribbean (A Laura Marlin Mystery). Orion’s Children’s Books. 2011.
Author: Lauren St. John.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Laura cannot contain her excitement when she wins a trip to the Caribbean for herself and her uncle, Calvin Redfern, especially when her best friend, Tariq, and her three-legged husky, Skye, accidentally find themselves on board too. But when they dock at Antigua, they discover that Calvin Redfern has vanished, and Laura and Tariq are about to be kidnapped by the fearsome Straight A gang. Dramatic escapes, an erupting volcano and a race against time to stop the deadly undercover ‘Marine Concern’ make Laura’s second adventure every bit as exciting as the first.
About the Author: Lauren St. John is from the former Rhodesia (present day Zimbabwe) where she grew up on a game reserve. She writes children’s books.
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Book: Mr. Loverman. Akashic Books. 2014. USA.
Author: Bernadine Evaristo
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Barrington Jedidiah Walker is seventy-four and leads a double life. Born and bred in Antigua, he’s lived in Hackney, London, for years. A flamboyant, wise-cracking character with a dapper taste in retro suits and a fondness for Shakespeare, Barrington is a husband, father, grandfather–and also secretly gay, lovers with his childhood friend, Morris. His deeply religious and disappointed wife, Carmel, thinks he sleeps with other women. When their marriage goes into meltdown, Barrington wants to divorce Carmel and live with Morris, but after a lifetime of fear and deception, will he manage to break away? With an abundance of laugh-out-loud humor and wit, Mr. Loverman explodes cultural myths and shows the extent of what can happen when people fear the consequences of being true to themselves.
About the Author: Award-winning British writer Bernardine Evaristo (born in South East London to an English mother and a Nigerian father) is the author of seven books. She is also an editor, critic, dramatist and essayist. Her writing spans the genres of prose novels, verse-novels, a novel-with-verse, a novella, poetry, non-fiction, literary criticism and radio and theatre drama. Her writing is characterized by experimentation, daring and subverting the myths of various Afro-diasporic histories and identities. She has published widely in a variety of publications and anthologies.
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Book: Memories of Antigua: Books, Bugs, Bicycle Pumps, Beaches, and Blessings. Wordsmith Shop. 2018.
Author: Diane Findlay.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: In the early 1980s, the author’s family moved from Utah to Antigua as Baha’i pioneers, eager to share their faith and serve their new neighbors and fellow believers. Findlay shares their experiences of adjusting, missteps, learning, making friends, and coming to find their place while searching for ways to be of service, in a series of essays told with warmth and humor.
About the Author: Diane holds a Masters Degree in Library Science from the University of Iowa and worked in public libraries in Utah, Antigua, and Iowa for ten years. She’s lived abroad, traveled extensively, worked in international high school student exchange programs, and hosted several international students in her home. As a freelance writer, Diane has written several resource books for teachers and librarians, had a regular article in LibrarySparks magazine, and writes various other curriculum and library resource materials. Bemused is her first work of fiction. Diane lives in rural Iowa, where she stays active with family, friends, and her Baha’i community, and from which she and her husband travel the world.
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Book: Notable Caribbeans and Caribbean Americans: a Biographical Dictionary. Greenwood. 2003.
Authors: Serafin Mendez-Mendez, Gail Cueto, Neysa Rodriguez-Deynes.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Includes profiles of Antiguans-Barbudans Gus Edwards, Anne Hart Gilbert, Jamaica Kincaid, and Elizabeth Hart Thwaites (e.g. “Elizabeth and Anne, born a year apart to Barry Conyes Hart and Anne Clearkley, were members of a small but privileged class of Blacks in Antigua.”)
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Book: Our Kind of Traitor. Penguin. 2010.
Author: John Le Carre.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: An English couple, Perry and Gail, are taking an off-peak holiday on the Caribbean island of Antigua. Perry and Gail are idealistic and very much in love when they splurge on a tennis vacation at a posh beach resort in Antigua. But the charm begins to pall when a big-time Russian money launderer enlists their help. Soon, the guileless couple find themselves pawns in a deadly endgame whose outcome will be determined by the victor of the British Secret Service’s ruthless internecine battles.
About the Author: John le Carré books are international bestsellers and he is considered to be the master of spy fiction.
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Book: Proper Attire. 2014.
Author: Danielle Thorne.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Reaching her uncle’s station in English Harbor, Julia must find a way to face her feelings.
About the Author: Danielle Thorne is a southern American romance writer.
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Book: The Quickening. Cornerstone Digital. 2013.
Author: Julie Myerson.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: A honeymoon couple on a tropical island goes horribly wrong. Rachel and Dan — in love, expecting their first baby and also mourning the sudden death of a close friend — want to go somewhere hot in January. When Dan produces a ring and tells her he’s already booked a luxurious resort on Antigua, the holiday turns into a honeymoon. Everything should be perfect. And, at first, it is. But Rachel’s experience of the island soon turns from idyllic to disturbing.
About the Author: Julie Myerson is an English author and critic.
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Book: Razor Moon Antigua: Seduction and Deceit in the Caribbean. Maryland Locale Ltd. 2012.
Author: Preston Pairo.
About the Author: Preston is a Maryland lawyer and writer.
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Book: The Red Door. Grenada. 2019.
Author: Rita Joseph-Olivetti.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: The red door on the cover and in the title is easily recognizable as the iconic front entrance to Antigua and Barbuda’s prison, known locally as 1735, and of which locals refer to as going behind “the big red gate”. So that while Antigua is not mentioned specifically in the synopsis found online, the hint prompted an inquiry and confirmation that the book is at least partly set in Antigua. The novel features Jessica Cummings, (‘Jessie’), born in Grenada, enticed by a married monied lawyer in another island to move to yet another island. There, Jessie fancies freedom in the idyllic and extravagant lifestyle of a kept mistress; but then realizes she is trapped. When a certain opening beckons him, he ditches her; her response lands her in prison for life , behind a metallic red door. There, Jessie flashbacks on her past challenges while adjusting to prison life. It’s safe to assume that the prison she’s locked up in is the one in Antigua.
About the author: It’s especially safe to assume so given that the author, a retired judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, lived in Antigua-Barbuda jurisdiction for some time to 2007.
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Book: Seas of Passion. Endeavour Press. 2015.
Author: Christopher Nicole.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: “Fraught with romance, skirmishes and political to-ing and fro-ing, the Warners find themselves settlers of new lands, to be called Antigua and St Kitts.”
About the Author: This author does have Caribbean ties having been born in British Guiana, and having studied in both Guyana and Barbados. He lives in the United Kingdom.
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Book: Singles, Set, and Match. 2019.
Author: Elaine Spires.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: The fifth and final book in the Singles’ Series takes us to the Ibiza, the sparkling jewel of the Mediterranean then back to the vibrant, sultry Caribbean island of Antigua, where it all began. Two earlier books in this series are listed under Antigua and Barbuda Fiction.
About the Author: Elaine Spires is a novelist, playwright and actress from the United Kingdom.
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Book: Spin Move (White Collar Crime Thriller #4). Thomas and Mercer. 2014.
Author: David Lender.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Fugitive financier John Rudiger has lived a lush life in Antigua for eleven years, but now the local officials are demanding ever more exorbitant payouts to maintain his cover. And since his ex-girlfriend Katie Dolan swindled him out of his last $30 million, Rudiger is on thin ice. Meanwhile, Katie is holed up with her ailing father in Cape Verde, an African paradise conveniently lacking an extradition treaty with the U.S., an idea she took right out of Rudiger’s playbook. Despite the double cross, Rudiger is still hot for Katie, and he knows just where to find her when he decides it’s time to leave Antigua. But with U.S. Attorney Charlie Holden set on catching them both, they’ll have to tread carefully. To make matters worse, Katie’s been sucked in by a dashing, disreputable Swiss banker and has deposited the $30 million right into his hands. Can they get it back and make their escape before it’s too late?
About the Author: David Lender is a former American investment banker who became a writer of crime thrillers.
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Book: Time Suspended (Harlequin Romance). Harlequin Books. 1974.
Author: Jean S. Macleod.
The Antigua-Barbuda in the Book: Ruth had to go to Antigua to search for her missing sister.
About the Author: Jean S. Mcleod was a British romance writer.
As with all content on wadadlipen.wordpress.com, except otherwise noted, this is written by Joanne C. Hillhouse (author of The Boy from Willow Bend, Dancing Nude in the Moonlight, Oh Gad!, Lost! A Caribbean Sea Adventure, Musical Youth and With Grace). All Rights Reserved. If you enjoyed it, check out my page on Amazon, WordPress, and/or Facebook, and help spread the word about Wadadli Pen and my books. You can also subscribe to the site to keep up with future updates. Thanks.
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