The Color of Pain

Synopsis: As a small boy, Alex becomes ensnared in the schemes of his mother Cathlean, as she seeks to entrap a white, British soldier, John, and "marry up" to improve her status in life. Her plan comes to fruition when obsessed with Cathlean, marries her, then takes her and her son away from her native country of Belize to live in England. Cathlean becomes the society woman in England, but begs her husband to return to Belize so she can show off her new status to her friends and fellow "good-time" girls. They return ten years later, but an unhappy Alex seeks solace in the arms of Sherrette. They fall head over heels, but soon find their own problems as fast-paced revelations affect their fragile relationship. Told in a first-person view of life in Dangriga, Belize, young Alex reflects on the color of his pain as he seems to bear the brunt of Cathlean's selfish brand of Pain that she calls love. Autobiography: MELISA E. ARNOLD was born in Dangriga, Belize, Central America, and has been writing stories since she was a young girl. Her family says she was always creating stories, and she remembers that she continuously won essay-writing competitions in school. She is a thrice-published poet, but has always felt that she had at least "one great novel" in her that needed to be written. This book is the result of her conversations with fellow Belizean expatriates with whom she discovered she had much in common as they make their way in their new country of residence, the United States of America. Ms. Arnold resides in Los Angeles, California.