Claude was born on the island of Grenada in the Caribbean and attended the public schools. Upon graduation and recognizing his limited prospects on the island he took to the sea, working as a deckhand on several charter yachts, getting a feel for the customs and traditions of people outside of his home country.
An opportunity to immigrate to the United States presented itself and he took full advantage. Through some benefactors, he attended schools in Portland, Maine and Memphis, Tennessee, where he acquired a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in economics.
After graduation and armed with his newly acquired credentials, the travel bug bit him again. Eventually, Claude became a citizen of the United Sates and ‘Walked off to Look for America’ as Simon and Garfunkel had sung.
He wrote and published a collection of short stories, Wet Storage and other stories and two novels, Dancing with the Yumawalli, and Once on the Isle of Spice.
To maintain his lifestyle, he worked as a mechanic, vacuum cleaner salesman, bartender, and other jobs.
He finally settled in Missoula, Montana, where he still lives.