Literary Fest 2010

In 2006 I walked out of a coaching session I had just finished and rang an associate who was a member of a network I belonged to at the time. I
told her “I have no idea how this is going to happen but I want to live and work in the Caribbean. For at least 4 months in a year I want to be out of England!”

I never thought about or spoke about it again – I lived life and looking back now in 2010 everything that happened after making that declaration has led me to this point…..

Being invited to speak at the Dominica Literary Festival August 2010

This is for me the beginning of a journey I am ready to take – to live and travel in the Caribbean – starting with Dominica and leading to wherever God leads me because its only with his grace that any of this is possible.

Here are some of the steps I took …..

I needed to find a topic to write about. To create a HubPage that was informative and entertaining. It was for a competition and I decided to focus mine on Dominica. Click here to see the result – Dominica A Hidden Jewel In The Caribbean

It took me most of the day and night to create what little information is on that page because I knew nothing and I had to search for it all online.

The following day (17 Feb 2008) I woke up and I started the Dominican Diaspora Social Network

I invited my daughter Robyn and the one Dominican man I knew on Facebook Mr David Michael

Within a day or two of starting the network Darren Sylveser joined too.

Having no connections I went on to Facebook and got in touch with Jerlyn Thomas who sent out an email to her Dominican group.

One person who joined – Mr Thompson Fontaine – invited me to write an article about the network which he published on The Dominican.net

This is the combination that I believed started the DD Social network and provided it with a solid foundation. It wasn’t just my effort but the efforts of the people I contacted. I did something important. I contacted people who already had a network. Some people said yes they would tell their members, some never responded and only one (that I know of) sent out that email – Jerilyn.

The Dominican.net bought in hundreds of new members within weeks and from there current members told their friends.

Our first year anniversary was celebrated by putting together a guest book. The Dominican Diaspora Anniversary Guestbook

The poets came together and created Voix Dominique – DD Member Ron “Baba” Deschamps provided the beautiful book cover.

I have enjoyed discovering new music from Dominican artists like Cameron Pierre and Ibis Lawrence and other members have introduced me to traditional Dominican clothes, food and more.

I am very proud to be able to say I started the Dominican Diaspora Social Network and now that I have passed it on to focus on my writing and speaking career I know it is in great hands and will continue to grow and prosper.

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I am also proud to be speaking at the Dominica Literary Festival 2010 and will be running a workshop called

“Using New Media To Promote Your Writing Skills In 2010 and beyond”

That is the name of my workshop that ran on Wednesday August 4th 2010 ) at the Dominica Literary Festival (brief video below) held at the University of the West Indies, Dominica

How authors can use new media to promote their books, raise their profile online and sell their products.

What is new media? New media describes any of the latest technologies that have become popular over the last 10 years

• Blogging
• Video (and audio)
• Social media (Facebook, Myspace etc)
• Microblogging (Twitter)
• Social bookmarking (Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon)

All of these tools give a world wide voice to anyone willing to use them no matter what country they are in and what their background.

Small community journalists spread the news on Twitter before mainstream journalists even know its happened

Musicians are found on Myspace and given record deals

People blog and receive book deals

- Zoe Cashes In

- Blogger Pokes Fun

- Even a banker

Even award winning films are created online – the following is from Wikipedia

Diablo Cody was first approached to write a screenplay by film producer Mason Novick, who had previously landed Cody a book deal for her memoir, Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper, after discovering her blog about stripping. He persuaded her to adapt the book for the screen, but suggested that she first write a screenwriting sample to show studios, and that sample became Juno.

Add to all of that a writers ability to self publish so s/he has the freedom to dictate how their book will be published – whilst also enduring the extra work that comes with promoting it – and I think you will agree that the internet offers unlimited potential to all those willing to put their begging caps away and strike out in search of online treasure.

I hope you choose to join me for this interactive workshop. Bring your questions, your ideas, suggestions and comments because this time we have together is not about me, it is not about you listening to me, it is about me providing you with as much information as I can in the short time we have together.

Our time must work to ensure you get the most out of it and I always know my talks go well when I do very little talking and loads of participating.

I will give you the keys to unlock the door to the world wide web and all it offers. Only you can take that key, insert it into the lock and turn it to open the door and walk through.