BAVINA SOOKDEO
Gershwin Quintyne, a Trincity-based author with a background in information systems technology, has made a foray into the literary world with the release of two new novels: A Funeral in Vieux Fort and Come Find Me.
Quintyne holds an MSc in information systems management from Greenwich University in London, a BSc in computer information systems and an associate degree from Andrew’s University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. He balances his government career as an information systems manager with a passion for storytelling that he describes as “addictive.” He writes in the evenings, capturing ideas during the day and refining them on weekends.
The author, who is an avid trumpet player, aims “to put Trinidad and Tobago on the map again, where illustrious and legendary writers such as VS Naipaul and Michael Anthony have certainly found success.”
His love for storytelling was nurtured by his mother, a secondary-school teacher from Delaford, Tobago.
“My parents divorced when I was five and my sister was six. My father migrated soon after to the UK and never called or wrote. Everything that my sister and I are, is due to my mother's dedication and hard work.
"My mother always got my sister and me books for birthdays and Christmas and got us enrolled at the public library in Arima. We both read a lot growing up. We both love reading.”
His mother died of cancer in 2016.
He began writing a story while she was alive and this eventually grew into his first novel, For President and Country, which was self-published through Amazon in 2023. On December 30, 2024 a continuation, A Funeral in Vieux Fort, also went live on Amazon. Come Find Me, a young adult romance with a touch of intrigue and a narrative rooted in his personal experiences, was made available on Amazon on December 14, 2024.
Quintyne says his first novel did well in the US, Canada and UK.
“The Kindle sales were also pretty good. The paperback version sold above 500 copies, so I am hoping that A Funeral in Vieux Fort and Come Find Me will do even better. I also create cinematic trailers for my novels, so people can picture them as films.”
[caption id="attachment_1145837" align="alignnone" width="671"] Gershwin Quintyne's first book. -[/caption]
These can be seen on Quintyne’s social media pages.
Of his newest efforts, Quintyne revealed the novels combine elements of romance and mystery, offering readers an emotional journey.
A Funeral in Vieux Fort takes place about two months after For President and Country ended. A catastrophic warehouse explosion in Vieux Fort, St Lucia, claims two lives, sending ripples of fear through the tranquil town.
In TT, a violent prison break results in the deaths of five police officers, shaking the country’s sense of security. The National Security Council has 72 hours to find out what happened.
These tragedies soon converge, pulling Jarrod Gallard, agent CORB-1, into a sinister plot that spans the Caribbean. As he tracks clues from St Lucia to a showdown in TT, he uncovers a dark conspiracy
