Hearts Across Forever

Mary Montague Sikes


Rated: 5.00 of 5 stars
5.00 ·
[?] · 1 ratings · Published: 27 Apr 2019

Hearts Across Forever by Mary Montague Sikes
Kathryn Calder is dedicated to her NY city career until an unexpected assisgnment to Jamaica changes the path of her life. From the moment she arrives on the exotic island, she is haunted by odd memories from a distant past. Is Flynt Kincade, the stranger she meets in an art gallery, part of that past? Kathryn senses he is, especially when dreams connecting her with Flynt grow more vivid. A visit to Rose Hall Great Plantation draws Kathryn into a scene from long ago when evil reigned in Jamaica and the white witch of Rose Hall was a part of the danger. Can a love affair from old Jamaica reach across forever and bring Kathryn and Flynt together?When artist/writer Mary Montague Sikes first visited Jamaica, she has no thoughts of writing a book set there. But the bright tropical colors and the sweet, perfumed scents inspired her. The landscape all around called to her. With a 35 mm camera dangling around her neck, she climbed rocks and trails to photograph Dunn’s River Falls and the vibrant scenery. Back home in her Virginia art studio, she created a series of large acrylic paintings that she named, “Tropical Fantasies”. Thirteen of these artworks went on to decorate lobbies, halls, a swimming pool and other areas of the Richmond Marriott when it opened in 1984. Her first Caribbean experience was documented by art, but Jamaica called for her to return for more adventures. And she did, many times. As a travel writer, she met a young hotelier who because he liked her artwork transported her all over the island by car and by airplane to create pastel paintings for each of his affiliated resorts. It was quite a learning experience for her and for her husband who traveled with her. Her love affair with Jamaica was sealed. The travel articles she wrote when she returned home were published in newspapers across the country and in magazines, including the BWIA Sunjet. On a return visit, the pastel paintings she created at home were delivered for their new Jamaican displays.Somewhere along the way, she visited Rose Hall Plantation and grew fascinated with the tale of Annie Palmer, the white witch of Rose Hall. That excursion started her thinking, “What if?”. What if a love lost over 200 years ago could be revived in the present day? Would that love be lost again, or were lessons learned long ago enough to create love found?Sikes’ fascination with a simple love story and her desire to study more about reincarnation in the works of University of Virginia scientist, the late Dr. Ian Stevenson, led to the writing of her first novel, Hearts Across Forever. The award-winning book will be re-released, April 18, 2019 by High Tide Publications. This book is the first of the “Passenger to Paradise” series.The author/artist divides her attention between painting and writing. A former correspondent for The Newport News Daily Press and the Richmond News Leader, Sikes is the author of hundreds of published feature articles and photographs. Her paintings are in public and private collections in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. Her work is available at Prince George Art & Frame in Williamsburg, Crossroads Art Center in Richmond, and the Ward Center for Contemporary Art in Petersburg. Two of her paintings are part of the Second Annual Juried Art Show at Gloucester Arts on Main, April 2019 and the Seventh Annual Art Speaks of the Bay in Mathews, opening April 27. A third painting, "Searching for Xanadu" was selected for the March Juried All-Media Show at Crossroads Art Center in Richmond VA. Ellyn Parker, Exhibitions Manager at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens, was juror for the show which will remain on view in the main gallery until early May.A native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Sikes and her husband make their home in West Point. They have three grown daughters.
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