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After having published several poems and short stories in previous years and a poetry collection, ‘Muted Hellion’ in 2007, Jacqueline began ‘The Scottish Witchfinder’ novel before starting the Creative Writing MLitt at Glasgow University in 2009, then in 2010 also ran Poetry@The Ivory and was later Chair of the Scottish Writers Centre.
In January 2012, she had a Scots ballad published in the Long Poem Magazine entitled ‘Dumbie & the Devil’, which tells the story of Janet Douglas. Later that year Jacqueline completed the MLitt.
In 2013, Pothole Press published ‘Inspiration from the Common Wealth of Writers’ based on Ivory author interviews as an e-book, and in 2015 it was published in print by Fleming Publications who also published The Scottish Witchfinder novel in 2018. She has had several articles published in various mag and e-zines. In 2018, both The Two Seeings was published by the Independent Publishing Network(IPN). In April 2020, Jacqueline's third novel, Slaves of Men and Gods was published with IPN and in 2021 two collections, Fragility -selected poems 2006-2021 and Mosaic-Prose and Poetry.
Reviewed by Natalie Soine for Readers' Favorite
Slaves of Men and Gods by Jacqueline Smith tells the story of a fifteen-year-old girl named Krisi Bodan who is forced by her parents to travel from Scotland to Ghana with her father, Samuel. Samuel is a homeopath who has to go to Ghana to do research on plants used in traditional healing. Samuel and his wife, Shona, have decided to separate and feel that Krisi would be better off with Samuel as Shona battles her addiction to alcohol. Krisi displays her disappointment and reluctance to go to Ghana by rebelling against her father. Krisi cannot forgive her father for his dictatorship-type personality and she misses her mother constantly. Krisi decides to focus on school and friends while trying to settle into a foreign land with ancient traditions including shrine priests, tribes, and the ingrained beliefs that go with them. Krisi meets a young girl who, through no fault of her own, has found herself in a dangerous predicament and needs Krisi to help her escape her situation. Krisi gets tangled in a web of crime, violence, and illegal activities that lead her to do her own investigation with help from two friends, Kofi and Wisdom.
Slaves of Men and Gods is well-written and fast-paced. The compelling plot and lively characters are well thought out and the story moves quickly, keeping the reader interested from beginning to end. This exciting novel is filled with interwoven twists, turns, and intrigue. I enjoyed the smooth flow of the story as it makes for a relaxing read, also learning about the culture of the people living in Ghana and their way of life – both of which are well described and informative. The homeopathic remedies introduced in this story help us to understand why many people still prefer to use natural and traditional medicines. Jacqueline Smith is a fantastic author who writes in a way that keeps the reader interested throughout the story and eager to know what happens next. The index and glossary make it easy to reference some of the information quoted in the story.
