waiting, hoping, looking

I met many local authors on the day and was pleased to take part.  I think many readers were doing their Christmas shopping elsewhere although quite a few made it later in the day.  It was a Saturday after all:)  Remember you can always email me shirley@theycallme.org to order your books.

Enjoying Q & A with guests

Here I am sharing the stories within and behind the creation of They Call Me… at Reading Central Library on 21st Oct. 2011. I was pleased to have lovely guests who were already interested in the topic.  Everyone participated and some entertaining stories were shared.  I could not have asked for a better evening. Its great when hope, planning and delivery match up.  I am feeling very blessed.

 Hope you can join me at Reading Central Library for an evening of stories and chat. Hear about how this book came about and the impact it is having.  Share views and ask questions.  Looking forward to  meeting you on the night.

Interview in Get Reading

August often involves holidays and with it, time to reflect on the year so far. It can also be a time to recharge self and replenish energies for upcoming plans.

This year my August included travel, family, conference, publicity and rest.

A relaxing view

Firstly I attended the 2nd diaspora conference in Grenada as part of the London committee. With representatives from Toronto, Washington, New York, Germany and several Caribbean countries it was a brilliant experience. Part of me was also excited to be in the room with so many ambassadors who returned to the island to chair the event and support their diaspora groups. The Prime Minister and 3 Governor Generals (2 are retired) were also present. Lots of talk about islanders and expats working collaboratively, the keywords being “nation building”. Next year’s conference is entitled “Homecoming” and promises to be bigger and better.

I was also on the island launching and promoting my new book. This filled me with excitement and uncertainty.  Only the venue for the launch had been booked prior to arriving on the island.  Through a lovely friend I was able to secure a couple of interviews, see my time on Spice Morning with Ray Roberts here . Live media is much easier to watch than to do, like real life the conversation can go off in any direction! Trying to launch a book during the carnival season may not be the greatest idea – partying and looking good is priority. There was some success and I have left books in several outlets on Grenada

Looking back at August (part II)

Returning to England felt like coming home for a rest. It had been 2 action packed weeks with meeting lots of new people. Time with family and friends was special and regular visits help to keep these relationships real.