Q & A

I will try to be as open as possible and not bore you to tears with this section. So here goes. Ask away.

Q:   Why an Author?

A:   Why not...Ok I see where you are going with this question. But honestly it is what I       
       have always wanted to do from the time I could hold a pencil. I was forever writing   
       on everything; walls, the carpet, floor…You name it. If it was a nice surface; ripe for   
       decorating, it means I would be there to 'mark um up' according to mama. But     
       honestly speaking. I have always enjoyed living in my head. Pen and paper, has   
       always been my truest companions. Things I couldn't say outright to anyone, they   
       would say with all the gusto and wit of an avenging angel, cutting you to the quick.
       But it is that imagination that prompted and spurred me on. I could be lord and   
       master of the people I created. My creation my way; which means touching
       someone's heart along the way. I realise as well that not everyone will like my way
       of telling my stories, but those who do I will carry you always in my heart, and try to 
       give it to you the way you enjoy it.
       Wow! That certainly was a loaded one. Next question please.

Q:    If being an author is what you have always wanted.   
        How come it has taken you this long?

A:  There is a saying you most times have to creep before you walk…I know! I   
        know! Some just bypass the crawling/creeping stage…Well there is and at times
        must be a progressive ladder. I am not a genius. God bless those if that is who they
        are. Me I am a thinker more than a doer. At times I get so sick of myself from the 
        many ways I think and think and think about something…Till my pen and paper
        companions ride up and say, "Let's take it down already. Put it to rest."
        Plus there is that brute call 'fear' and his ally called 'society'. They can be bitches 
        and murderers to talent. Not forgetting there mates; time and money. You want time, 
        you must have money; otherwise you need a job; that sucks all your creative energy 
        for what you love. Society told my parents they needed jobs when they left schools, 
        to work by the sweat of their brow in order to eat bread. And that is how they raised 
        me. Anything other than a doctor, lawyer, or a teacher was unheard of in the islands.       
        To say you wanted to act or write/be an Author would have been viewed as though 
        you had suddenly sprouted wings; frowned on. Well I didn't have the brain for two 
        out of the three...And yes I have had my eye on becoming a teacher as well…Then 
        again that is another topic altogether. Because I no longer think children are 
        interested in simple Math and English anymore. They are bored to tears, hence the 
        acting out and the chaos and so much disorder in the schools…See…But it has taken 
        me this long because I didn't believe I could be taken seriously, especially coming 
        out of the islands. See you no longer have to wait on the big publishing houses; that 
        reject you all the time if you don't have the backing of some great name behind you.   
        Just think you dare believe that you can, talk yourself into writing something, labour     
        over it, and take the next step and send it to a publisher…For every chance you take, 
        that is how many doors will close in your face…But thank God for little publishing 
        houses like Lulu who say; "you've done the work, now bring it on."

Q:    You moved to the States in 1989. Tell us a bit about that. Why you moved there. Lessons learned.                             What did you do while you were there? Why did you leave?

A:    Do we have till next year some time...Let me see if I can sum it up….Read my bio   
         or buy my book Hugo the Uninvited Guest... Lessons learned, again I ask do we 
         have time? A few that comes to mind are? Without that cursed 'green card' life can 
         be a bitch and truly dreary. Especially if those who employ you know that this is 
         your one dream. I learn that having 5 O Levels and 9 A Levels does not exempt 
         you from cleaning shit in people's toilet. That you may have a mansion on the 
         island and have to scrimp and scrape to live in a 2 by 4 if you want something bad 
         enough. That most things boil down to how much money you have and what you 
         are willing to do… Don't get me wrong I still believe that place is as much a 
         blessing as it can destroy you. You are forced to grow up one way or the other.   
         Your head will be seriously yanked from the clouds…I worked as a Nanny/   
         Housekeeper for 10 years. Loving majority of the time spent doing it. Remember 
         that part about being a teacher? Well even though I wasn't qualified on paper to do 
         it there, I took great pride when I had to help the children with homework and any 
         project they were doing at school. I was honoured twice in schools in New Jersey 
         for my contribution to helping children.   
      Thanks to my girls Samantha and Alexandra Smith. They are grown now but 
      each time the phone rings and I hear their voices on the other end…Let's just say 
      it wasn't all in vain. Why did I leave...The journey had ended. It was time for me
      to move on. As much in mind as it was in body. I was away from family and 
      friends, and fighting a loosing battle in so many areas of my life; professional as   
      well as personal. You either chose to die or fly. For sanity's sake I flew right out
      of there.

Q:   So now that you are published. Do you think you will be successful?
A:  Oh yes! I am already successful in self. I have done what I have always wanted to   
         do. That is becoming a published author. Now concerning success/the flip side;
         how others will rate me. I can only hope for the best. So with that said I have to get 
         back to work. We will talk again. Thanks for stopping by for our chat.

Q:     How long does it take you to write a book?

A:    It varies. At times I can write a book in a couple of days if it is a children's book. 
   Poems take me mere moments. I have no children, and I am unemployed at the 
   moment. So I have the time to devote more hours throughout the day and the night 
   to my writing. And also it depends on what I am writing about. If it is something 
   that needs researching and tweaking, well that can take a couple of months.