The Tribune | Weekend | 19
Friday, December 16, 2016
books
My word - what a lengthy journey
T
hirty-eight years ago, author Fay Knowles, her late mother and young sons took a trip to Scotland to revisit their Scottish roots. During their 1978 journey, Fay scribbled notes and researched books and local brochures about the parts of Scotland they were exploring, while her mother took them on a tour of her old haunts. When they returned to Devon, where her mother lived at the time, Fay continued to write down what she had learned about their Scottish ancestors and the vibrant country of her and her mother’s birth. She called her minimemoir ‘The Scottish Connection’. “I didn’t know what I had in mind for this personal journal. I just knew I was moved to record as much as I could of our Scottish family history and of Scotland in general,” Fay, a long time resident of the Bahamas, said. That journal became a 4,000-word article but it languished in a drawer for many years. She said she could not find a market for it as it was too long for most travel publications. Fay was reluctant to reduce the word count as she would have to cut much valuable
information. Finally, the editor of a prominent Canadian magazine said he would like to publish it but, because of its length might have to run it over several issues. A year went by, during which time Fay added more information and some old photos to her own file for ‘The Scottish Connection’, before the Canadian publication told her they had decided not to run the article. Fay, a trained newspaper reporter who has had many articles published in Bahamian and British publications, did not give up. She kept searching online for possible markets for ‘The Scottish Connection’ and submitted the article to several more publications, with no success. She put it aside for a while and released ‘Sunbeams from the Heart - A Collection of Twelve Romantic Short Stories’ and a romantic suspense novel ‘Love at Sunset,. With the success of these two books, it became apparent to her that she should turn ‘The Scottish Connection’ into a book and also release it on Amazon. After her mother passed away, she had added more information to the mini-memoir about her ances-
A walk with God through prayer By DENISE MAYCOCK dmaycock@tribunemedia.net A former Miss Bahamas turned ordained minister has added author to her repertoire with the launch of her first book, ‘Dwelling In The Secret Place’. The book, by Darlene Davis-Hord, is about an intimate walk with God through prayer and is dedicated to her late father, Donald W Davis, mother
Darlene Davis-Hord signing books at Logos bookstore, Harbour Bay Plaza. Dolores Joyce Cooper-Davis, and her spiritual mentor, the late Dr Myles Munroe.
Author Fay Knowles tors, obtained from birth, death and marriage certificates that had been in her mother’s possession. “I scanned old photos from that 1978 trip to Scotland and others from later trips there, as well as getting permission from online tourism sites to use some of their photos, to include in ‘The Scottish Connection’,” she said. Finally ‘The Scottish Connection: A Journey Back - Mini-memoir’ was ready for publication as a 50-page fully illustrated book, which contains a wealth of information - Scottish ancestry, historical facts, genealogy, comparable 1978 prices, geographical descriptions, personal anecdotes, nostalgia and precious old photos. She engaged Amazon bestselling and internationally recognised Baha-
mian author Tanya R Taylor to design and format ‘The Scottish Connection’ for publication and the e-book was released on Amazon and now in paperback. One Amazon customer reviewed it favourably, writing “The author takes you along on a fascinating journey with her and her family, and you feel as if you were right there with them ... This mini-memoir is well worth every moment of the read.” Fay Knowles’ books can be found at amazon.com/author/fayknowles. Connect with her on her blog - http://www. fayknowles.com; Twitter - @fayknowlesbooks; and Facebook fayknowles
Mrs Davis-Hord is an ordained minister at The Faith Center in Sunrise, Florida, and an instructor at the Henry B Fernandez Institute. She attributes the inspiration for her book on prayer to her passion and gift of intercessory prayer for world leaders. She has recently presented copies of her book to the Prime Minister, Perry Christie, and Governor General, Dame Marguerite Pindling. She said many residents who attended the book launch at Logos bookstore, Harbour Bay Shopping Plaza, had heard her interviews with Vaughn Miller on ZNS or on local radio stations, and she was grateful for their backing. “Not only am I appreciative of their support, their stories have further encouraged me to help others and walk into my purpose that God has pre-destined for me,” she said.
Mrs Davis-Hord is the founder of Daughters of Zion-Women of Destiny (DOZ-WOD), a five-months transformational programme that helps women become Women of Destiny. DOZ recently celebrated its second High Tea Party, Graduation and Awards ceremony at the Carolina Club Mansion, in Margate, Florida, where 18 mentees aged between 21 and 50 graduated. It was attended by over 300 persons. At the event, Mrs Davis-Hord received a special Congressional Commendation from US Congresswoman Frederic Wilson, who acknowledged that the DOZ-WOD organisation would be added into the Congressional Record, a unique commendation. Copies of ‘Dwelling in the Secret Place’ can be purchased at Logos bookstore.