St. Lucia Dream:
Husband-Wife Authors of A Dream Across Time Share Their St. Lucia Romance

In 1987, the husband-wife team of Roger and Mala Burt made their first visit to the Caribbean island of St. Lucia. Within a week, they had fallen in love with the island; over the next 16 years, they would build a second home on the tropical isle and start a Caribbean travel business. Now the couple turns their attention to another island love: romance novels set in the Caribbean.

A Dream Across Time is the first in a series of romance novels set in the islands. Written under the pen name Annie Rogers, the novel is an engrossing read, one that brought back fond memories of our St. Lucia visits. To learn more about the magic this island worked on this American couple, we interviewed Roger Burt about the couple's island experiences and new book series.

What about St. Lucia especially attracted you both as a couple and as writers?

We first went to St. Lucia in 1987. Tourism was in its infancy and the island was pretty undeveloped. This is the island that our heroine, Jamie Elliott, came to in 1980. For us the relatively undeveloped character of the island was some of the attraction. We could see the "real" Caribbean. At the time we were published only in nonfiction. The island took over our lives. With a home there we were able to penetrate to the real Caribbean behind the tourist facade. By comparison to other islands St. Lucia offered us something truly marvelous in that it is the prototypical tropical island with mystical mountains, a rain forest and lofty views out to sea. It became impossible for us not to write the stories we heard and that unfolded before us.

What’s the most common misconception about St. Lucia that you saw in your travel business?

Believe it or not, this is a really tough question. In the travel business it seemed to us that people tended to choose islands almost by chance. They are all different and offer different things to different people. So misconceptions come in bewildering varieties depending upon the person.

If I have to pick out one or two I think they would be these:

1. It is much hotter in the tropics in the summer. Simply not true. In an island like St. Lucia there is only a five degree variation over the year. There were times when it was pushing 100 degrees in the States in the summer and we were enjoying tropical breezes and 82 degrees.

2. Hurricanes destroy wide areas of the Caribbean each year. Again, simply not true. It is the eye that does the main damage and an area often out about 20 miles. Storm surge is more of an issue than wind usually. We were at home on St. Lucia when hurricane Marilyn (really major storm ) passed within 20 miles of us. We got just a blustery day. St. Lucia by the way is below the hurricane belt and hurricanes are a rarity there.

What are the biggest mistakes you’ve seen honeymooners and romantic travelers making when planning a vacation in St. Lucia? What’s the best piece of advice you could give first-time visitors to St. Lucia?

We are writing full time now so this is not self serving advice. Do not stay at an all inclusive. Sitting at sea level and looking out to sea looks pretty much the same anywhere. Islands like St. Lucia are incredibly beautiful. You need to be in the beauty. You will get better food at the independent restaurants outside the hotels.

There are lovely small inns and hotels across the islands that are magical. Villa Beach Cottages on the beach in the north of St. Lucia is darling. Colin, the owner, takes really good care of people and will get guests out into the magic of the island. Ladera Resort between the pitons on St. Lucia is one of a kind. A really spectacular, intimate setting. If you aren’t intimidated by the French, Habitation Lagrange in Martinique is a restored 18th. Century planter’s home. It is the most romantic resort we have ever been in.

What advice do you have for couples who vacation in St. Lucia and consider making it their home?

First, there is a difference between "making it their home" and "having a vacation home. Islands in the Caribbean are countries which jealously guard access. As a foreigner you generally cannot take a job on the island. Becoming a resident is often difficult. I could go on for pages on this topic. Generally moving in full time is not likely.

Concerning having a vacation home, the cardinal rule is the one most often ignored. Do not jump in impulsively. Try to get outside your fantasy. Spend time in a rented villa, cottage or condo for several weeks over a couple of years and see how you like it. Talk to ex-pat home owners about their experiences. Take them out to dinner and chat them up to find out what you are really getting yourself into.

In all our years in St. Lucia only one couple ever came to ask us about our experience. They then ignored our advice. We managed to turn our experience into a travel business and then a writing career. We have had a grand adventure. But we saw many more sad stories than triumphs.

A Dream Across Time is set in St. Lucia. How does the island play a vital role in the book?

This is really a provocative question. We have been told that St. Lucia is virtually a character in the book. It is possible to see St. Lucia as merely an exotic setting - window dressing. That is not the case and not how we feel about the island. By stepping outside our home culture into this bewitching island we were able to get views of human life which were truly enriching.

The paranormal element in the book reflects the way we experienced the people and the life on the island. It took some time for the tourist oriented facade to drop away but then when it did the picture we created in the book was what was revealed. Although it is fiction, the people and the stories might just as well be real. St. Lucia really shaped us and our stories.