Deborah
Balthazar

Deborah Balthazar was born and raised on the island of Dominica, in the Eastern Caribbean. She grew up surrounded by the stories, rhythms, and landscapes that would later become the foundation of her writing — the oral traditions passed down at Nine Night vigils, the creole language that carries the wit and wisdom of island life, and the lush, untamed beauty of the Nature Isle.

She later moved to Toronto, Canada, where she pursued her education and built a career. But Dominica never left her. The village voices, the smell of the sea, the weight of secrets kept in small communities — these stayed with her, demanding to be written down.

Secrets of Pagua Bay is her debut novel, and it is, at its heart, a love letter to Dominica — to its people, its traditions, and the fierce, complicated love that binds a community together even as it tears them apart. The novel draws on the rich oral storytelling tradition of the Caribbean, weaving together multiple voices in a tapestry of Creole and English.

Deborah currently lives in Toronto, where she continues to write stories rooted in the Caribbean experience.