Hellooo, my Kindreds,
Isn’t it so wonderful to see flowers and blossoms bloom? The sun has finally got it’s hat on. Sweet fragrances have wafted across my path on my daily walk, arresting my olfactories. I’m happy to be assaulted by the smells —wonderful!
I came across a set of signs urging people to be careful of the bulbs, tentatively breaking through the soil. So great to see people care for their environment.
Just as the flowers are emerging, humans are emerging too. March has been a busy month.
The event at St Mary’s went well – I wasn’t sure what to expect, but the evening had a wide range of performers. There was a Bach piece and a cello, a poem set to a piano piece and someone sharing their photography. It was also great to connect with another poet, Abbey George. The poems went down well, I sold several books, and I’ve been asked to come back for the next event!
I also went along to the London Book Fair for the first time. It’s a mainly trade event, but there is a program of events for authors. I went to talks on writing by Dorothy Koomson, African women in publishing and one on Audiobooks and learnt about options I hadn’t considered. There was also a tech stage discussing how AI is being used in publishing and where it’s going.
LBF is a massive event with over 1000 exhibitors. It was busy and sweaty and involved lots of walking, but I’m glad I went. It’s given me a deeper understanding of the industry, which is useful in thinking about publishing books and what options there are.
I also went to an indie author day organised by the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLI). It was brilliant, just what I needed, I made some connections with other authors that I hope will a good source of support going forward. I felt a bit like a baby there since most people had published 6 or 7 books! One person had published a massive 23 books. I even met an 86 year old gentleman who’d published 5 books. We got to talk to experts, including a literary agent, representatives of Amazon and distributors. Again, AI was discussed – it was refreshing to hear a positive view. One speaker explained how she uploads the text of her book so that AI tools can find and serve her content.
I’m going to be chewing over my notes for the next couple of weeks.
In other news, I’ve been interviewed and photographed for a local free paper, The Dulwich Diverter. The opportunity came to me, which was fantastic. It should come out in the next few months.
I have a few events coming up:
This weekend, I’ll be speaking at my church’s Women’s Breakfast and sharing a poem.
Also, on Saturday, I’ll be taking part in Poets at Bell House.
I’ll also be performing in Peckham Square on Good Friday!
As I said, it’s a busy month!
What is the world like where you are? Let me know!