Saturday, March 10, 2012

Despatches: Opportunities? Networking!





Kingston Book Festival: BIAJ. The big news this coming week is Kingston Book Festival, the event for Jamaica's 50th year of Independence put on by the Book Industry Association of Jamaica. It starts with a service of worship tomorrow morning, events all week, a publishing workshop on Friday (opportunities/how to publish), a big book fair at Emancipation Park on Saturday, March 17. Please see the BIAJ website for details.


DB Reading: I am also reading from Island Princess in Brooklyn at Sangster's Sovereign on the same Saturday. I am not very keen on reading at bookshops because you really do not necessarily have an audience or the age group that would read your book. However I have to be a 'good sport', especially as I was amongst those suggesting it to the publisher; 'cock mout' eventually ketch cock' (close enough). Hopefully, I'll remember to take my camera in case there are memorable moments to share with you.


Review: Very insightful interview on Geoffrey Phip's blog on Island Princess in Brooklyn. Much appreciated. Geoffrey's blog is a blog you should follow if you aren't already doing so.


BBC Interview: Watched an interview with a British children's author on BBC, Jacqueline Wilson, who has written over a hundred YA books for girls. I'm always fascinated when the BBC interviews a children's author. She was being asked how she thought she had influenced young people. Will we get there? Well, I think we have! Evidence below.


Author Interviews: There is a new programme on Flow TV, called "Shelf Life" put on by Independent VoYces (one of the literary fairs which sprung up when Calabash formally ended), in which they interview authors. And since Carlong is a sponsor (congratulations to Carlong), in a short segment in which they highlighted books, Island Princess in Brooklyn was the book highlighted in the first week.


The second week the main interview was with Melanie Schwapp, whose new book is Dew Angels (adult fiction). Missed this week's as I was out at a literary evening.


TV Interview of local Children's Author: the Suzanne Show is going to interview my good friend, Hazel Campbell, whose latest books are Bernie and the Captain's Ghost (Carlong) and A Goat Boy Never Cries (LMH). So we are getting there guys! Big up Hazel!!


Did you write...? These are wonderful words said to you, especially when they are said by a little girl with eyes wide open in wonder/anticipation. Well at the aforementioned literary evening, a little voice from behind me said, "Did you write A Tumbling World... A Time of Fire?" I grinned and said yes. Then she said, "Did you write The Ring and the Roaring Water?" By that time we were both very pleased with each other. She is nine and says she reads them over and over again. Pretty cool!


EBook Publisher: Then I met with a British (Jamaican born)Ebook Publisher who is interested in YA fiction, adult fiction and poetry. She expressed some surprise that we weren't writing more YA fiction. She wants to meet with Jamaican authors. Opportunities? Opportunities!





We moving on guys! Reading Renaissance anyone?




























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