The Heat of the Island

About the Book

An out-of-the-blue phone call from a passing acquaintance sends Julie, a divorced Mother of two twenty-something sons, to a tropical paradise, an exotic paradise in the middle of the Caribbean to work and to live. What she discovers there transforms her life. Living a tranquil coexistence with the native population, not only does she discover a virtual United Nations of expatriates who become her friends, but with them she travels to Cuba and Costa Rica, to London and Scotland. She rediscovers long hidden passions; for painting, artistically creating pastel impressions of her island surroundings, and for swimming, a sport she takes up in earnest in the calm, clear azure waters that surround the tiny island. She also meets a man and falls so in love that her heart is surrundered. Along this path of blissful contentment comes the rememberances of a former, not so happy time, in which a series of tragedies after her divorce left her mired in the depths of depression. She realizes that the road back into the sun has rendered her strong, capable, happy, and healthy. But can she hold onto this new life and this new man who has entered it with such a stronghold on her heart?

About the Author

Always active, Janet Crisp is a swimmer in National competitions, an avid Yoga enthusiast, and enjoys weekly five-mile power walks on the beach near her home in Florida. In fact, the inspiration to write her book came to her suddenly on one of her beach walks. Her friend asked her, after an in-depth discussion of the lastest John Irving novel, if she had ever thought about writing a book as she always craved reading a good novel. With that the entire story presented itself to her, like a revelation, and she set to work writing, the words flowing like water over rocks in a swiftly moving river. A graduate of Bowling Green State University and the Pennsylvania Academy of Arts, she has always possessed a creative command. She has been an interior designer most of her adult life, exploring the use of color in her design projects. She has dabbled in art over the years, becoming quite proficient in both oils and pastels. Born in Ohio, she is an international traveler, and even lived for awhile on a Caribbean Island. Her two grown sons are both married, and both live in Pennsylvania. She is also 'Nana' to two small grandchildren.