New book launched by veteran artist

He is a multitalented artist who is as comfortable with a pen as he is on the stage. News 5’s Ann-Marie Williams, who stood in line this morning to get an autographed copy of his latest book, came back with the following report.

Ann-Marie Williams, Reporting

Master storyteller, Belizean John Alexander Watler, has decided to briefly trade in the oral tradition for the written word. He launched his first novel, “Cry Among Rain Clouds,” this morning at the Angelus Press in Belize City.

John Alexander Watler, Writer

“There are three plots in the book. In one, the main character is trying to find five hundred missing mahogany logs and a couple of missing people. The other, an inspector of police and a constable are trying to hide a crime. In the third plot, a drug smuggler is trying to smuggle drug some drugs out of Belize, using Belize as an in transit for a large shipment of drugs. These three stories, believe it or not, intertwine and go up to the climax of the story.”

The story, which revolves around a Belizean who went to the U.S. to improve his quality of life but found that the American dream was really a nightmare. That same Belizean came back home and set up a private detective agency.

The story, which revolves around a Belizean who went to the U.S. to improve his quality of life, but found that the “American Dream” was really a nightmare. That same Belizean came back home and set up a private detective agency.

Born in Monkey River in Southern Belize in 1938, Watler has enjoyed a career spanning over forty years, involving poetry, folklore, short stories and historical writings. However, his greatest concern today has to do with what he believes is the decline of reading.

John Alexander Watler

“How could you get an education if you can’t read. The fundamental aspects of getting an education, of being educated, of getting knowledge, is to read.”

And if you read “Cry Among the Rain Clouds,” you’re guaranteed to enrich your knowledge of…

John Alexander Watler

“The Anglo-Guatemalan, now the Belize Guatemalan dispute. There is a dissertation in it that is very interesting and I gives and overview of the whole situation, going all the way back from the first European, the motives behind the settlement in Belize. England and Spain’s agreement and all that, is contained within this book.”

Ann-Marie Williams for News 5.