The average author holds a signing at a bookstore to promote a new novel.

Patrice Frith Hayward is inviting her fans to follow her out to sea.

She’ll be on the Celebrity Summit in April, sailing from Puerto Rico to Bermuda to promote her latest work, Sistahs ... Still.

The book promotes the importance of sisterhood and allows readers to catch up with the characters from her first novel, Island Sistahs.

“Look at how the world is evolving and changing,” Ms Hayward said. “The strength of women getting together and sustaining relationships is really important. There are a lot of lessons I’d like to get out there. I think in life we don’t make mistakes we learn lessons.”

She published Island Sistahs in 1999, expecting a sequel would follow right behind it.

“I have no idea why it took 17 years,” she said. “I started working on it before Island Sistahs was even finished. I mean, who does that?”

The 53-year-old expects that the book will hit shelves some time next year.

“I can’t say when exactly as it all depends on the publishers,” she said. “I should have finished writing by April. After the cruise there will be a further launch in Bermuda.

“The first book was set in the summer of 1994. My original characters didn’t have cell phones.

“There was no Facebook and no social media. They were still faxing.”

Despite the developments in technology, Island Sistahs is still relevant today, Ms Frith said.

Parenting, dysfunctional families, dating and domestic abuse are among the topics that are addressed.

“There is a whole generation of people who have not read my book,” she said.

“I would like to republish Island Sistahs and have the new book come out and pick up where the characters left off.”

Like the sistahs, she has also modernised. Sistahs... Still will be self-published online, taking more of a print-on-demand approach.

“That way I won’t have 2,000 books to move the way I did the first time,” she said.

She is taking a novel approach to paying for the book’s publication.

“I decided to invite anyone who has a product or business to advertise in the novel,” she said. “The characters will support the business or use the product or will talk about them in the book. People will have the opportunity to purchase tiers of advertising.

“They can be mentioned twice throughout the book, up to ten times throughout the book for a dollar value. For example, if I mention them twice throughout the book it is $300. It will be advertising for them, and have their business be in the book for ever. It is leaving a legacy.”

It’s not all about helping cut costs, however.

“The reason for doing it will be to keep it a Bermuda-based story,” she said. “I have a couple of businesses signed up. We will mention them throughout the book. It helps to add Bermuda flavour.”

•Contact her at vipnetwork@northrock.bm or call 293-8829.