Creative Leaps

Last week I had the opportunity to combine some Island Fiction PR with a family vacation to the Bahamas. With the help of SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators) Regional Assistant, Rosemarie Johnson Clarke I was able to visit St. Andrew's Private School and present IF to  about 60 - 70 "tweens". Since then the demand was so persistent, the librarian ordered the series from  Amazon because she could not wait for them to be ordered  through the local book stores! It was a privilege to enjoy the direct experience of the books' universal appeal. A good story transcends boundaries and national loyalties. I also encouraged our young fans to check us out via Face Book and links there.  My sincere desire is Island Fiction will one day publish a title set in the Bahamas, by a Bahamian author.

IF! author Lisa Allen-Agostini read from her book The Chalice Project at Cedar Grove Primary School, San Fernando, on October 26. Grades 3, 4 and 5 students lapped up the reading and her talk on creative writing and the importance of reading.

If there are no readers in our region, for whom will we write? And by readers I mean people who love to read and who love books. By people I mean kids who grow into teens and then young adults who become consumers who buy and read books because of the pleasure they offer. Based on the last ten years as a children's book author in Trinidad, I am convinced there is as yet an unfulfilled hunger for our work. And it resides too in the so called reluctant readers, and in our most under privileged communities. A few weeks ago I enjoyed the privilege of reading for a group of children from our most under privileged communities in Trinidad. The cherry on top was getting to speak with and share my passion for reading with their mothers. Without exception the children were interested and delightful. Their mothers, God bless them are so willing and able; two were breastfeeding, another was visually impaired; a few did not look the part of "interested parent" making me smile...

Teaming up with a local artist to render characters and scenes from his book, Island Fiction author Michael Holgate has created not only a promotional tool for print and online circulation, but he intends to print a limited edition for fan gifts. Equipping yourself in this way increases your appeal for media exposure. Sending a snazzy e-card/ post card with your request for an interview and a promise of free posters for call in/ write in fans gives producers and editors something of add on value. Radio listeners may not be able to 'see' the posters, but choose a provocative passage featuring the character or scene and your audience may be enticed not only to call in but to go out and buy your book. Posters may also encourage book store owners to put your book on more prominent display and you may even entice book sellers to let you use their store as a venue for a read aloud/ book signing. Hey, if your posters are as captivating as Michael's they may even let you have thei...

'Night Of The Indigo': Breaking new literary ground Published: Sunday | October 25, 2009 SUNDAY GLEANER - Jamaica Krista Henry, Staff Reporter Ian Allen/Staff Photographer A Caribbean-based sci-fi novel may seem like a stretch of the imagination to most, but for dancer, choreographer, lecturer, singer, actor and now author, Michael Holgate, it has been a dream a long time in the making. After years of reading the creative works of distinguished writers who have captured the hearts of readers, young and old, the young author hopes to do the same with his chilling tale titled, Night of the Indigo. Holgate has spent more than 15 years exploring the world of theatre, dance, music, film and writing. A lecturer in Caribbean folk and traditional dance, as well as edutainment theatre at the University of the West Indies, Holgate is perhaps better known for his work as the artistic director of the performing arts troupe, Ashe. For a man that has tackled the world of the arts, Night of ...

1. Q: You are one of the most creative West Indians I have ever met. Do you seen any childhood links that may have attributed to your prolific expression? A: Thank you very much. My first reaction is to cower from such high praise, especially coming from you. The truth is however, that I love thinking of myself as Caribbean (West Indian) creative artist. Here, the word Caribbean is important because I believe that Caribbean aesthetics already has within it the dynamism so many centuries of forging a fine 'mettle' from the cultural realities of different races, cultures, peoples, in a small space. So from a young age, like most Caribbean youths, I was exposed to various forms of creative expression - up close and personal. Dance in primary school. Drawing. Singing in the choir. I've always been interested in the creative arts and fortunately my interest was never 'satisfactorily' discouraged. My father was a preacher who played guitar and sang sometimes, while my m...

(Click on link to see Maureen's interview with Allison on TIC Channel 4 in Trinidad) Q: One T&T reviewer, Debbie Jacob, likens your work to the magical realism of Wilson Harris, who is also Guyanese. Have you read him and has he influenced your style? A: In my early youth I read a couple of Wilson Harris' books and loved them, and later devoured Gabriel Garcia Marquez's. I am not conscious of any direct influence of their styles on my writing, but these are authors whose works appealed to me. I must re-read Harris! Q: What's the 'read for pleasure' culture like these days in Guyana? A: It’s an uphill battle to get young coastal Guyanese to read books. Only books that have become popular movies stir our youth’s interest. In fact one question I got quite a few times on my visits to schools was, ‘When is the movie coming out?’ People in the hinterland, on the other hand, don’t have the same ease of access to the latest DVDs, television programming, computer a...

Guitarman, Bookman, Familyman...Gerald Hausman, Island Fiction author of Time Swimmer has written over 70 published books, thirty-something of which have received literary prizes and awards. Meet the MAN himself in this 7min piece - View, Rate, Share on YOU TUBE, then read Time Swimmer and pass it on!

"Alex came to me in a dream..." says author of Legend of the Swan Children, Maureen Marks Mendonca about her main character, on Trinidad's CH 4 with Allison Hennessey.

Below are comments from trainees of the Adolescent Development Programme, ADP (Apr. – Jul. 09) attached to the Chaguanas Regional/Hi-Tech. Centre, Servol -Mtima Abdul Ghany (tutor) (SPOILER ALERT- the statements that follow reveal vital story-ending plot info.) Escape from Silk Cotton Forest by Francis Escayg “The book was a very amazing and interesting book; I would recommend everybody read it. The best part of the book was the ending when the sunshine from the sun hit his necklace and then hit Rhe, raising her from the dead.” Joshua Santana “The book was very interesting. I would advise anyone to read it. I am looking forward to reading the rest in the series.” Yannick Cherrie “This was the only book I have read in my life and it was the best. The book was very interesting; it dealt with war, freedom and the best of all, love and friendship. The best piece of the book was in the last chapter when the sun hit the diamond around Domino’s neck and it made Rhe come back to life and they...

Island Fiction titles make Trinidad Guardian's Debbie Jacob's Top Ten fiction list for readers aged 9 to 14 starting from the number 6 spot and pushing the list to 11! Here's a peek - click on title link for full article. 6. The Island Fiction Series—It’s difficult to single out one book from this series that includes The Chalice Project, Legend of the Swan Children, Escape from Silk Cotton Forest, Time Swimmer, Night of the Indigo, and Delroy in the Marog Kingdom. Each book reflects the Caribbean setting that Trinidadian children need to see in their stories.

READ ALL ABOUT IT! Click on Macmillan's Caribbean Dream - Island Fiction featured in today's Publishing Perspectives, an international online newsletter and contributor to Publishers Weekly.

READ ALL ABOUT IT! Click on for: How to Sell Island Fiction to Islanders

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http://www.swanislandhome.com/ From Debbie Jacob, Trinidad Guardian columnist, published author of middle grade fiction "Legend of the St. Ann's Flood"(Macmillan), series editor of Macmillan's CXC English Literature Study Companions and librarian at the International School of Port-of Spain (ISPS): Joanne, I think you did a marvelous job of editing the Island Fiction series. I like each book for different reasons, but I think I am most excited about Legend of the Swan Children. The author has managed to offer young people a novel very much in the magical realist style of Wilson Harris, who is the greatest novelist to come out of the Caribbean. I thought t was uncanny how much it reminded me of Wilson Harris's work. Very original, but very much in the tradition of Harris. Wilson Harris's magical realism predates - by 15 years! - Gabriel Garcia- Marquez, who gets most of the credit for magical realism. Everyone in the Caribbean claims they can't under...

Corporate sponsorship is a great way to get your books into the hands of your reading fans. Venture Credit Union has a special relationship with SERVOL LIfe Centre in Chaguanas. When I visited Venture's Head Office with my "Bag of Books", I found there was enthusiasm to expose and enrich the Servol students to my work as a children's book author as a part of their Career Guidance program. Through Venture's generosity I was able to hand each teen a copy of an Island Fiction title, (why give them a children's book when IF was hot off the press?!). I encouraged them to read then swap, purchase others at RIK stores and/ or ask for IF! titles at their neighborhood libraries so they could cover all six! I have been able to tour the length and breadth of Trinidad with my own children's books through the kind sponsorship of Nestle Trinidad in 2006 and 2007 during which time they pre-purchased 1,000 books which I distributed as gifts to the children after my read...

Last Friday, 26th, June 2009, I was invited to facilitate a career guidance workshop at a SERVOL LIfe Centre in Chaguanas in Trinidad. SERVOL provides alternative education for our teens, teaching them a trade (welding etc) and helping with finding on the job training, apprenticeships etc. Island Fiction was a hit as before and Time Swimmer is so culturally relevant RIGHT NOW (see Ch. 1 Time Swimmer) since results for the new SEA exam (once the Common Entrance) were published on Thursday, the day before the workshop, and was/ still is on the tip of every tongue and in the media. Two students in the audience of 45 teenagers (14 to 19) were named Luke and Govinda - just like in the book! It was a stroke of serendipity that I wanted to share - as life, with such moments, authors our delight. It is easy to think that reading aloud for 'children' old enough to grow beards and bear children themselves would be a waste of time - NOT SO! The students were awakened it seemed during t...

http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/index.php/Special:Search?search=Island+Fiction&fulltext=Search

http://www.jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20090525/ent/ent3.html

 http://legacy.guardian.co.tt/archives/2008-12-16/features1.html

http://guardian.co.tt/features/life/2009/01/31/folklore-book-targets-tweens

http://guardian.co.tt/features/life/2008/12/17/making-papa-bois

How to read aloud for and give advice to kids old enough to grow beards and bear children themselves? MY TOP THREE TIPS: 1. BE REAL OR GO HOME: The teen mission is to sus out when the adult world is duping them out of their natural "innersense" of Justice and Truth. If you are unwilling to reveal yourself first, to risk rejection it's unlikely you'll get more from a teen audience than patience and tolerance at best. 2. TAKE RISKS: Speak about what you know yes, and show them how confident you are in your field yes, BUT show them an area in which you took a flying leap and fell flat. Share what you learned through personal death and resurrection! Adolescents spend more time feeling the uncertainty of life than not. Show them this is not a unique or shameful condition and that there is life, and in fact a better life is possible, even after failure. 3. SHOW YOUR CREDENTIALS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF LIFE : Give ample evidence that you have lived what you know; offer va...

At St. Francois Girls School in Belmont, Island Fiction seres editor, Joanne Johnson and Trinidadian authors Lisa Allen Agostini (The Chalice Project), and Francis Escayg (Escpae from Silk Cotton Forest) took the Reading Revolution to the tweens - and they loved it! Courtesy the school and with the support of principal and visionary Mrs. Pat Mc Intosh, each student received her own Island Fiction tween novella. All six titles were made available and each girl from the three Forms 3, one hundred and thirty-five in all, took one home, with a few remainders going to he school library, which now carries the entire Island Fiction series. The girls were encouraged to swap with friends so they could read the series, not just one book and to meet their favorite authors online via the Island Fiction community. Some expressed an interest in purchasing all the books in the series and were directed to RIK stores throughout Trinidad or to Amazon online. Having the author himself, Francis Escayg ...

Island Fiction author, Michael Holgate plays the dread locked warrior Kundo from his first book Night of the Indigo in the book trailer now on You Tube: Gerald Hausman, Island Fiction author of Time Swimmer and published author of over seventy books says this about Indigo: Night of the Indigo is an excellent book for learning about self-realization -- that it's entirely possible to gain power while giving up willpower. In the novel, the 15 year-old Jamaican boy Marassa becomes a mystic warrior and carrier of the light. As an allegory -- a story upon which another story rests -- this poetical novel shows us how a boy turns into a man. But it also shows how Marassa vanquishes fear of self to become a selfless practitioner of inner vision. Perilous forces are present in the story but I found myself swept away by the passages on healing with heart and inner light. These moments are very real indeed. Anyone who wants to know more about overcoming personal obstacles will love Michael Hol...

Book Trailers on YOU TUBE, Face Book community, author web sites and blogs, SKYPE school visits, media interviews local and international tours - IF! authors are putting themselves out there to meet their readers! VIEW, RATE, SHARE, LINK!

Michael and Helen asked me to send some words for their first launch event in Jamaica for their Island Fiction titles: Night of the Indigo and Delroy and the Marog Kingdom ( respectively). Here is the speech I sent which was read by proxy: (With Trek-like reverence), Greetings from Trinidad, fellow fiction lovers. I hope you do not feel short changed on hearing the suggestion, but one could reasonably have expected a series editor of speculative fiction in 2009 to at least beam herself over via SKYPE video conferencing! Truly, what IF I could project a hologram from my living room just after I've left the callaloo soup dinner to simmer? What IF I could be there with you all having hit the road over the past few days across bridges and chunnels, leisurely island hoppng my way from Trinidad to Jamaica in my solar powered amphibious vehicle? What IF instead, I am now using astral projection and my gorgeous, intelligent forty-something Trini-mix of a woman self inhabi...

Time Swimmer author Gerald Haussman takes questions from fans at schools in North America via SKYPE which is fittingly hip for the Island Fiction "Tweens". But the heart to heart, face to face technology of meeting in person will never grow old. "I presented the book at a school and the kids ran at the book table and bought all the copies we'd brought with us. A fifth grade girl came up to me five minutes after she'd bought the book and said, "I've read ten pages already, and I love it!" The cover catches them, the words do the rest." Meanwhile on YOU TUBE hosts another Island Fiction author - Michael Holgate. His book trailer for Night of the Indigo, really illustrates the cinematic quality of the stories in this series. So log on, rate and share the trailer - then go buy the books! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-AbxwkE2TQ

"Last night I was dead center with the grandfather of Time Swimmer saying, 'Where are you going?' a great line for a child and fantastical yarn, and all this book literally swims by story and the language and even the type on the pages: a sort of oceanic syntax." American poet Bob Arnold, author of some 50 books, about Time Swimmer:

HIGH TIDE for Time Swimmer! Waves of praise come in for Gerald's "Time Swimmer" from David Greenberg, US author of the crazy, now classic, picture book Slugs, which has been a bestseller since the 1980s. According to Gerald, David's a really tough critic. "I'm quite surprised he likes Time Swimmer this much. Was a wee bit afraid he might not go for it." I've just started your book, and I love it. Just love it! Boy, can you sling words. I adore the way you start with the almost-suicide, and I adore the way you mix the mundane (failing the test) with the fantastic (the sea turtle) with the men who want to chop its head off with the voyage out to sea and the fact that it can talk. Extraordinary word craftsmanship from the very start..... DAVID GREENBERG, picture book author, SLUGS