Dawn at Lover’s Leap, award-winning author Horane Smith’s sequel to his popular first novel Lover’s Leap: Based on the Jamaican Legend, was among the finalists in this year’s USA Book News National Best Book Awards.

It entered in the Historical Fiction category, which was won by the novel Hollywood at Sunset. The competition has several categories and received hundreds of entries each year.

In its review of Dawn at Lover’s Leap, the judges said “Horane Smith delivers in this well-written historical novel.”

“To reach the finals in such a competitive award is an achievement in itself, and I’m more than happy that a Jamaican-themed novel has been able to make a mark in an American competition,” Smith said from Toronto, where he resides.

Dawn at Lover’s Leap was launched in Toronto, last August , at the Tom Redcam Library. It continues the story of two slaves who jumped to their deaths at Lover’s Leap in St. Elizabeth, after their secret romance was discovered.

Horane Smith is the author of five books of fiction and one contemporary fiction. He was the first recipient of the BURLA Awards for Outstanding Contribution to African-Canadian and Caribbean Literature, and has also been recognized by the Jamaican Diaspora Foundation Canada, for his outstanding contribution to Jamaican Literature.

Horane Smith, Author - horane_smith@hotmail.com