Vincentian singer, songwriter, minister, producer and psalmist Monodel Ollivierre on Monday announced the release of her first novel, “Preys Personified.”
Ollivierre, a native of the St.Vincent Grenadine island of Bequia, said the book’s official release party, open to the public, will take place on Sunday, Oct. 17, 2021, from 6:00 pm, at 4303 Church Av., between Troy Avenue and 43rd Street, in Brooklyn.
“’Preys Personified’ is a Christian romance fiction set in New York City,” said Ollivierre in a statement, adding that the book “examines many of the issues men and women face navigating their faith against the onslaught of the city’s temptations, while its characters underscore the strength of Black women who adhere to their high moral standards, no matter how often or how strongly they are tested.”
Ollivierre later on Monday told Caribbean Life that “Preys Personified” was written as “a source of entertainment and encouragement, more so for those in Christendom.
“Each person is fallible and may fall, but there is a God that is a restorer,” she said. “Nothing you do is big enough to keep you from His grace, if you have a true repentant heart.
“God is also a God of justice,” she added. “Everyone will have to answer for the things they do in this life. It may not happen immediately, but the scale will be balanced eventually.”
In “Preys Personified,” Ollivierre writes: “’Godddddddd! Why me?! What have I done to deserve this? she screamed. ‘How could you let all this happen to me? I don’t deserve this.’
“’You did not consult God about him?” she says. “That is a huge mistake, Brittany. Lucifer was an angel, too. There are people that masquerade as children of the light, yet are wolves in sheep’s clothing.
“Love was something that you sold to fools, and most of these women were enveloped by the notion,” Ollivierre adds. “Everyone wanted to be in love or be loved.”
Ollivierre, who holds a master’s degree in theology from Cumberland University, is currently pursuing her doctorate in Religious Studies at the same institution.
She also holds a bachelor’s degree in theology from the International Theological Seminary of California.
Ollivierre said she is “a proud alumna” of Bequia Community College, and the St. Vincent and the Grenadines Teachers’ Training College, where she received an associate’s degree in Early Childhood Education.
She said her faith and her family are her main priorities in life, and that, when not attending to these, the bulk of her time is devoted to her two other passions — singing and ministering.
Ollivierre said she is “a proud recipient” of the St. Lucia House Foundation’s 2017 “Artist of the Year,” and was nominated as well to receive the prestigious Marlin Award, which honors Caribbean gospel musicians.
The gospel singer said she will be on hand on Oct. 17 to sign copies of “Preys Personified,” and will give the audience “an insight” into her journey as a writer and her life as a gospel artist.
Ollivierre can be reached via email at preyspersonified@gmail.com.
