Local author Mrs. Valerie Sims will launch her new book “Norman Island: True Treasure Tales” later this week.

Ms. Sims said the book is a collection of stories about the history of Norman Island and the hunt for hidden treasure. Her great-great-grandfather Henry O. Creque was rumoured to have found his wealth in a cave in the late nineteenth century, but never publicly acknowledged the rumours. In 1917, his secret was revealed to the world when an American author published his first book, Alone in the Caribbean.

Mrs. Sims stated that readers will be led on an exciting adventure as she unravels the cryptic clues passed down in her family about the necklace of Spanish pieces-of-eight that have been locked away for seventy (70) years.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director at the Department of Culture Ms. Anne Lennard said that while topics of books have been wide-ranging, it is particularly exciting to have a body of work concentrated on the family history based on Norman Island. She extended congratulations to Mrs. Sims on the recent completion of her new book and is encouraging everyone to secure their copy.

The Department of Culture's book launch programme is a long standing and very successful one which we are particularly proud of,” Ms. Lennard said. She added that “the objective is to help launch new books and to provide the needed publicity to assist local authors.”

The book launch will take place on Thursday, 20 April at 5:30 p.m. at the Tortola Sports Club. Books can be purchased at Foxy’s Gift Shop on Jost Van Dyke, Blue Water Divers at Nanny Cay, The Nook Bookstore in Road Town, and Myetts in Cane Garden Bay.

The Kindle version of Norman Island: True Treasure Tales on Amazon is currently sitting at #1 in History of the Caribbean and West Indies.

The book launch programme is an established initiative of the Department of Culture which continues to support local authors.