Linden woman gears to release first book

Jun 15, 2010 News

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The love affair started when she was a little girl, oblivious to the cares of this world. She would become lost in her own, experiencing the joys, contentment and total fulfillment that only true love could bring. And she grew and the love became a passion, until it was too much for her.
So she had to find a way to share this love, for she felt it would be selfish not to do so.
This reciprocity has resulted in one of the ‘biggest’ little books that’s soon to be published right here in Linden, “Intertwined”.
And for its author, Sherene Noble-Blair, a teacher at the Amelia’s Ward Primary School, it is the ultimate satisfaction; it is the fulfillment of her lifelong dream!
But it was not easy coming thus far, for there were many challenges that would probably have crushed someone of less fortitude, but not Sherene Noble-Blair.
Noble-Blair recently confided, “Writing the book was nothing, it was child’s play for me, the hard part was getting some sponsorship to help me publish it. You won’t believe the sort of cynical attitude people these days have towards anything intellectual, they would tell you point blank, that they don’t have money; yet these are the very people that sponsor the various ‘bashments’and ‘danceoffs!
“They place so much premium on these frivolous things, but the things that really matter, like supporting a good book, or any other creative work, they are not interested in.”
The other ‘worrying’ thing Noble-Blair pointed out, is that there are no copyright laws to protect intellectual property and other creative works.
However, with her bull dog tenacity our proud author wasn’t going to let any of that prevent her from achieving her goal, which is to write and publish books.
She confessed that she always knew she had what it takes to be a good writer. Judging from the book ‘Intertwined’ of which I had a sneak preview, I couldn’t agree more.
“ I have always been an avid reader; as a child my hobby was looking for books to read, and I remember reading the book ‘The other Side of Midnight’ when I was only nine years old, so you can imagine how mad I was when the movie came out and I couldn’t go to see it, because I was underaged.
“I thought what the heck; I already know everything from the book so what is there to hide?”
Noble-Blair fed her hungry intellect with many more books throughout her childhood, and later into adulthood. She confessed that she read all the books she found in the house, and borrowed quite a lot from the local library and friends. Thus writing came naturally, she affirmed.
This natural ability was however honed and consolidated at the Cyril Potter College of Education. Noble-Blair was high in praise of the then English Language lecturer, Walterine Joseph, whom she described as one of the most competent teachers in that area.
Noble-Blair says she owes a lot to this woman for her own knowledge of the subject.
“Intertwined’, a title that speaks for itself, is confirmation enough of Noble-Blair’s astuteness with language. This book contains a collection of short stories, which are all somehow intertwined. It is a book about life; a book that paints vivid pictures of the sometimes bizarre consequences of people’s actions, which at the time of committing, they give little or no thought to.
It speaks of people’s gullibility; how people tend to judge others by how they look, the clothes they wear, the vehicles they drive and the neighbourhoods from which they come.
“It tells how we are conditioned to think that only certain people get AIDS, that some people are ‘safe’ and could not possibly spread such a dreadful disease!
The book also deals with the possible consequences of giving children up for adoption, and not keeping track of them; the quagmire that can result, that defies the imagination.
Most, if not all of the characters in “Intertwined’, come from affluent families. When questioned about this, Noble-Blair pointed out that this was deliberately done to drive home to people that bad things do not only happen to poor people.
She said that in one of the stories, an older woman becomes romantically involved with a man who is much younger, who sees no need to protect himself (wear condoms) as he thinks she is ‘safe’(could not possibly have HIV) because she is rich and respectable. But how wrong he was?
Noble-Blair says her work as a teacher, has given her invaluable insights and experiences to draw from, and use in her writing. It affords her opportunities to meet and interact with people from all walks of life, which have helped to broaden her own perspective of life and understand the idiosyncrasies of different people.
Sherene Noble- Blair is the proud mother of two, a girl, Lindiwi, who is currently a student of the University of Guyana, and son-Kashka, a student of the Mackenzie High School.
She received her formal education at the Bishops and Mackenzie High Schools respectively. She later attended the Cyril Potter College of Education, from which she graduated in 2005 as the best Graduating Student (C.P.C.E Linden)
She is also a trained Broadcast Journalist and possesses an Executive Diploma in Management from the Institute of Business, St Augustine Campus, University of the West Indies.
Her hobbies are song writing (she wrote the lyrics for the third place song at 2010 National Junior Calypso Competition) Poetry, Story Writing, Reading and Cooking. She was a former manager of the Linden Television Station. (Enid Joaquin)
Here is an excerpt from one of the short stories in ‘Intertwined’ which will be officially launched on June 28 at the Watooka Complex in Linden. The publishing of the book was partly sponsored by GT&T. Noble-Blair expresses her profound gratitude to the company.
It was almost 11:30 pm and the pulsating rhythms of Georgetown could be felt rather than heard from where Raymond lived.
Raymond completed his toilet, put on his shoes then picked up the keys to the rented SUV which he was using for this occasion, and headed through the door. He climbed in and assumed another persona—on this occasion he was Godwin Miller—a man with a mission.
On weekends, some parts of the city stayed awake, pulsing with a life of its own. Party goers, in a kaleidoscope of fashions; vendors selling from coconut water to cocaine; and vendors of another dispensation, peddling their wares, like butchers offering flesh for sale; flesh which Godwin wanted to buy, not particularly because he had any real interest in tasting but rather because he had bodily fluids to dispense!

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