What originally made you want to become an author?
I wasn’t a very good student—it wasn’t that I wasn’t intelligent; school just didn’t click until much, much later in life. As part of grade 11 English, we were supposed to write a couple of poems. I did and lo and behold there was something there that woke something in me. It surprised most of my teachers that I wasn’t just a slacker. I was a slacker with some talent! Before this, I was creating comics and stories, but the idea of writing as something that I could do really cemented after those two poems. My mother still has framed copies in her apartment.
In your opinion, what makes a great story?
Great stories come in all shapes and sizes, but I think the one thing that runs across all formats and platforms, all genres and periods, are great characters. Even if there is the greatest hook, setting, and plot, if you don’t connect with the character, no one will care about the rest.
Describe a typical workday in your life as an author. Do you have any unusual writing habits?
When I am not writing, I am a lawyer for an animation production company. And when I am not lawyering or writing, I am a father of two and a husband to one. All that to say, I have to be pretty disciplined about how I use my time. The only way any story has ever gotten written is between the hours of 5–7:30 am. I can ignore anyone asking for an opinion on a contract, and no one is awake to ask for a glass of milk.
What messages or themes do you hope readers take away from your book?
I know there are messages, and a good dose or morality, but what I really hope is that the readers have fun. Patois, the Jamaican language, is a playful language. The proverbs seeping into the story from Grandma are as much fun as they are trying to instill some nugget of wisdom. But I don’t want the lessons and the morality to be medicinal; I’m much happier if the themes and messages sneak in when the reader is chuckling to themselves at the antics of our characters.
What advice do you have for kids who are interested in writing or illustration?
Three words: keep – at – it. People say dance like no one is watching, I think it’s just as true to write like no one is reading (at first). Writers, like all artists, put a lot of pressure on themselves to create something great. Don’t worry if it’s great, just keep at it. If someone doesn’t like it, don’t worry, just keep at it. If you submitted it for a grade and didn’t get what you hoped for, don’t worry, just keep at it. You don’t have to be the greatest writer ever, just write.