So last week was my birthday, and the day after I went to my first literary festival as a panelist. This was all new to me, and I was nervous at first, but lucky me, I had some really lovely people at my side to keep me grounded and help me feel confident. I got to do two readings, exchange ideas and chat with Nalo Hopkinson, Karen Lord and Tobias Buckell, and best of all, got to meet young writers and talk to them about Caribbean speculative fiction. It was very inspiring to be in a room full of people who love reading and writing and want to do nothing else but talk about it.
All in all, the festival ran smoothly and I think I did pretty well. One bookseller ran out of my books and another appeared to have good sales. I gave a couple of autographs. Made some connections. But best of all, I met some great people I think I’ll be corresponding with in the future, and hung out with new friends.
Here are some pics of me being a real writer:
All of us at a fiction masterclass.
I have a few others with me on the actual panels where we talked about our books and the history and future of Caribbean speculative fiction, but I will spare you those.
No need to thank me.
Stay thirsty, my friends!
R.S.A. Garcia 
