In the humid heart of South Louisiana, where cotton fields once stretched like endless white seas and French echoes still linger in the air, Dean Domingue grew up in a world that felt both timeless and tightly intertwined. Born in 1957 in Lafayette Parish, he recalls a childhood on a gravel road called Pont du Mouton, in a modest two-bedroom house shared with his parents, sister, and maternal grandmother. “It was a marvelous upbringing,” Domingue shared with us in an interview. “Aunts and uncles all around, cotton fields a stone’s throw away. We got air conditioning when I was about five. I remember that like it was yesterday.”

From Engineer to Patent Attorney

Domingue’s path to authorship wasn’t linear. After majoring in engineering at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, he practiced for four years before pivoting to law at Louisiana State University. By 1989, he was registered to practice before the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Then, he eventually rose to director of innovation management at his alma mater. “Becoming a patent attorney was my biggest accomplishment,” he says, reflecting on a career that demanded precision and creativity, skills that now fuel his writing. But fiction simmered beneath the surface. In 1983, while working as an engineer, he was accepted into a graduate creative writing class taught by Ernest J. Gaines, the acclaimed author of “The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman.” Gaines, who later received the National Humanities Medal from President Obama, left an indelible mark. “That was my second-biggest accomplishment,” Domingue admits. “I wrote short stories, even a little play. But life happened: work, family. I always thought I’d pick it up again.”

A New Chapter in Semi-Retirement

He did it about three and a half years ago as semi-retirement loomed. Now, Domingue spends his days writing, sailing on Lake Pontchartrain and biking along the Mississippi River levee. The novel began as a simple tale inspired by his family’s Canary Islands roots: three brothers sailing to colonize the Orleans Territory in the 1780s. But research led him down a rabbit hole to Saint-Domingue (now Haiti), the “Jewel of the Caribbean,” where French sugarcane plantations generated immense wealth, and unimaginable cruelty.

A Tale of Revolution and Resilience

What emerged is a gripping narrative centered on three unlikely allies: Angelo, a Canary Islander turned privateer; Beouf, a runaway slave or “maroon”; and Justine Chante, a Vodou priestess (mambo) whose prophecies drive the plot. Set against the backdrop of the 1791 slave insurrection, the revolt that “shook the world,” as Domingue describes it, the story fuses historical fact with fiction. The French Revolution sparks chaos on the island, drawing in British invaders, Napoleon’s forces under General Charles Leclerc, and key figures like Toussaint Louverture, the brilliant former slave who led the rebellion. Domingue draws on prophecies attributed to Nostradamus, interpreting them as foretelling Napoleon’s role as an “Antichrist” and Louverture’s tragic fate: tricked, captured, and left to die in a French prison in 1803.

Unearthing Hidden Histories

The research was exhaustive: 15 books, academic papers, and university articles. Domingue dove into the island’s complex power struggles: slaves rising against planters, Britain seizing an opportunity, Napoleon dispatching 60,000 troops in a fleet of over 100 ships. “It was fascinating and frustrating,” he says. “I had to halt my writing because the history got so complicated.” But the connections to America stunned him. Louverture’s defeat paved the way for the Louisiana Purchase; without Haiti’s independence, Napoleon might not have sold the territory to Jefferson. And in 1809, over 10,000 refugees from Saint-Domingue flooded New Orleans, doubling its French-speaking population and infusing it with Creole culture, music, food, and soul, that still defines the city today.

A Story of Faith and Courage

“Temple of the Sun” is more than a historical epic; it’s a meditation on faith, resilience, and the human spirit. Justine, tortured by French soldiers for her prophetic warnings, embodies the strength of ordinary people facing extraordinary odds. “This book is about spirit,” Domingue says. “It’s about the power of ordinary people doing extraordinary things, with faith as a weapon.” He hopes readers will see the courage of Haiti’s people and the enduring legacy of those who fled to Louisiana, shaping its Creole identity. The novel also sheds light on Haiti’s under-told history, a story of triumph amid tragedy that Domingue believes deserves a wider audience.

A Vision for Impact

Domingue’s passion is palpable, his storytelling rooted in a desire to illuminate and inspire. He’s already working on a sequel, drawing on his sailing experiences and legal background to explore the lives of Saint-Domingue’s refugees in New Orleans, including prominent French lawyers who influenced Louisiana’s Napoleonic Code-based legal system. “I hope readers understand the courage it took to fight tyranny,” he says, “and see the will of the Haitian people, then and now.” For Domingue, the book is a call to recognize the interconnectedness of history, from a Cajun childhood to a Caribbean revolution, and the enduring power of stories to bridge past and present.

About the Author

Dean Domingue, a retired patent attorney, was born in Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, and raised in a Cajun household steeped in French tradition. A graduate of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Louisiana State University, he practiced law for 35 years while nurturing a passion for fiction. His debut novel, “Temple of the Sun,” reflects his deep research into Haitian and Louisiana history. Now semi-retired, Domingue is writing a sequel of his novel. He lives in Louisiana with his wife, Denise, and is a proud grandfather of three.