'Till I'm Laid To Rest' launched

Award-winning novelist Garfield Ellis launched his latest novel, Till I'm Laid To Rest, in Miami, Florida, earlier this month. The launch was held at Miami's largest independent book store, Books and Books, in collaboration with the University of Miami.

Till I'm Laid To Rest is Ellis' third novel and fifth published book. It is published by Nsemni Publishers, Toronto, Canada.

The novel is set in Miami and Jamaica and tells the story of the life of a Jamaican woman, Shirley Temple Brown, who left her homeland to seek fortune in the United States. Having survived some of Jamaica's harshest social and political times, she is finally tired of just surviving and wants to thrive.

She knows she must leave Jamaica to do so.

Not long after she arrives in Miami, she begins to see what the glare of the sun and the bright lights have kept hidden - retirees living their last days in the warmth and comfort their youth never afforded them, while being cared for by complete strangers. She also comes across drug dealers hungry for their slice of the American dream, con artists and murderers.

Alone in a place where standing still is sure death, Shirley is tempted to succeed or be laid to rest.

The launch was attended by members of the Miami literary and social scene, as well as Caribbean literary legend, George Lamming. Till I'm Laid To Rest is distributed in Jamaica by Novelty Traders and is available in local book stores.