JCDC Award

To my surprise, I was awarded Best Junior Fiction Writer, in the JCDC Creative Writing Contest 2010, for my short story "Flash" written for 8-12 year-olds. See my photo taken with my trophy, silver medal and a gift basket, at the JCDC office on Nov 26.

Plans Blown Away

Hurricane Tomas blew away my plans for promoting Delroy in the Marog Kingdom in Kingston. On Wednesday, Nov 3, an interview on CVM at Sunrise was the only event which went off as planned. The Library and Information Association of Jamaica (Liaja) seminar, and the JCDC Creative Writing Awards Ceremony were both postponed. I also postponed an author reading at St. Peter and St. Paul Prep School I had arranged for Thursday, and for Bookophilia on Saturday. Not knowing what state the roads would be in after the passage of Tomas, we came home on Wednesday.

Book Fair at MBCC

Chatting with Serena Cox of Novelty Trading at the Book Fair at Montego Bay Community College, Thursday, September 23. Copies of Delroy in the Marog Kingdom were on sale.

Visit to Sam Sharpe Teachers' College

On Wednesday, September 22, I was a guest at Sam Sharpe Teachers’ College, in Mrs. Sukaram’s 2nd year literature class. Thank you students for being an attentive and appreciative audience this afternoon, and for engaging in such a stimulating discussion. Enjoy reading Delroy in the Marog Kingdom! I welcome your comments. Please add them to this blog.

Delroy and the Marog Princess

My fans have been asking me what I am now writing, and if there will be a sequel to Delroy. I can tell you definitely, yes. The first draft of Delroy and the Marog Princess is finished. An ongoing project since November 2009, it gathered pace during July and August. A lull in school visits gave me the head-space to return to the Marog Kingdom. My next step is to read the new story out loud to whoever happens to be listening, and for my critique group and others to make their suggestions. However, with the new school term underway, my focus must once again be on promotion of the first Delroy story.

Island Fiction authors meet in Toronto.

On a recent visit to Toronto, I met Maureen Marks-Mendonca, author of Legend of the Swan children, another title in the Island Fiction Series. We met at a bookshop ‘A different Booklist’, where we also met the owner, Itah. She had bought copies of our books on a visit to Barbados and had ordered copies to sell, but there were some glitches in the supply train which we hope are now sorted out. Itah arranged for us to do some school visits. In photo, from L to R, Maureen, Itah and me.

School Visits in Toronto

Maureen Marks-Mendonca and I were given a warm welcome at Amesbury Middle School, on the morning of June 18. Some of the students we met were of Jamaican parentage, so were keen to talk with me.
In the afternoon we made presentations at Portage Trail Middle School to grade 6C, a class of boys and girls who love to read. They had already seen the book trailers and were eager to hear more about the books. Photo of us is beside an interesting poster about reading at Portage School.