About this item

A fun, fresh, timely debut novel about the uproarious adventures that befall the Palacio family during their disastrous illegal residence in Trinidad that poignantly captures the complexities of dysfunctional families and passionate (but sometimes messy) romance.After fleeing crumbling, volatile Venezuela, Yola Palacio wants nothing more than to settle into a peaceful new life in Trinidad with her family. And who cares if they're there illegally - aren't most of the people on the island? But life for the Palacios is far from quiet - and when Yola's Aunt Celia dies, the family once again find their lives turned upside down. For Celia had been keeping a very big secret - she owed a LOT of money to a local criminal called Ugly. And without the funds to pay him off, Ugly has the entire family do his bidding until Celia's debt is settled.



About the Author

Caroline Mackenzie

Hello there and welcome to my author page! This being my first rodeo as a published author, I'm thrilled to even be able to write that sentence. I suppose that's the most important thing to know about me - I'm a first timer in the daunting world of publishing, and my debut novel ONE YEAR OF UGLY, out May (UK) and July (US) 2020, is the book that made that happen. What else is there to know about me? I'm a French Creole (née de Verteuil) born and raised in Trinidad. I studied abroad for five years, first in France then in the UK, earning a BA in French and Spanish studies and an MSc in specialised translation. I'm now back living in Trinidad with my family and a veritable menagerie of tropical animals too bizarre to get into here. As a new(ish) mum, I'm still navigating the demands of motherhood to figure out my new writing routine, but I've managed to get back to writing consistently every day, which is nothing short of a triumph. Novel #2 is consequently well underway. To wrap up with a few fun facts:- The illicit stripclub setting in ONE YEAR OF UGLY was inspired by the two years I spent waitressing/hostessing at a Spearmint Rhino during my undergrad studies in Brighton. You could call me a connoisseur of the stripclub industry. - I am a lifelong francophile and fantasise about moving to Martinique one day.- Reality TV is my most shameful yet effective means of unwinding. Nothing says 'switch off your brain and rock back' like a Bravo or MTV original series. Follow me here and on for updates on ONE YEAR OF UGLY's upcoming release and to check out what books (and bad TV shows) I'm loving these days.



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