It was the COVID lockdown of 2020 and 2021 that gave me a chance to do something I’ve always wanted to do but never had the time, and that was to write.

But it was harder than I thought. I wrote. I edited. I had great imagination and background in thinking that what I wrote was good enough. Then friends and relatives read it and their polite feedback showed me I needed to listen and learn. I wondered with awe how Ernest Hemingway, Jane Austen, Stephen King and other amazing authors could write so glibly without Google and other tools that make a writer’s life much easier!

“Learn to write about what you know.” That’s what I took away from all their help including input from professional editors who edited, enhancing my skills to give Colombia, its people, and the Magdalena River the verbal and visual glory they deserved for shaping a narrative that fills me with optimism and joy. And over this lockdown period out popped A Light On The Magdalena, a fictional account made up from memories, imagination, religion, social justice, and a slight rebellion that touches on who I am today.

I hope you find a sense of optimism when you read this book. I’m quite eager to hear from you so please feel free to get in touch by email ([email protected]) or through comments on Facebook and Instagram at my profile, Jprestonwrites. Enjoy and come talk to me! I promise to answer!