Aspiring authors are usually thinking of the fame, glory and money that comes with publishing a successful book: the kind of fame, glory and money that publishing houses still provide. That's why even in the tablet and ebook era, so many hard copy manuscripts end up on the desks of editors and literary agents. But Bianca Walker had a different motivation.
"It's sort of like a business card, because people need to know you as something, so I think this book is allowing me to show people that I'm a writer and I'm serious about having a career in writing and I want them to join me on my journey and to expect many more books from me," Walker explained earnestly in a telephone interview.
The young Trini left home at age 18 to study in the USA, then in the UK, which is where she wrote her novel one intense summer while looking for a job. She promised herself that's she'd get it published before she turned 24, but with a busy year working in publishing, that didn't work out the traditional way.
"Publishing is so often driven by money or financial incentive rather than what the book is about," Walker said. "The publishing process is also very slow, and waiting for an agent to read your book and get back to you is very long and very expensive."
So, armed with her masters degree in Creative Writing and Publishing, the former St Joseph's Convent student designed and formatted her book, organised printing, did her own marketing, publicity and distribution via Facebook and other online channels and coordinated a book launch at Martin's Piano Bar on Woodford Street, Newtown recently."I really wanted the challenge of having to do it all myself."
Life, Heavy Sigh is almost a coming of age story for the modern Caribbean immigrant. Unlike Selvon's The Lonely Londoners, racism is not the reason that the Caribbean immigrant of today can't get jobs commensurate with their qualifications. The battered economy is now their oppressor.
"The girl in the book, she has a master's degree and she's very determined but she has to work in a Jamaican restaurant. She's a very smart young girl, and she's just working very hard and biding her time. But as she's doing that she discovers that her passion is in running a restaurant."
As a Caribbean person who has had to learn to live in the USA, the UK and who plans to move to Paris for a few months this year, Walker said that one thing that immigrants have to learn is how to stand out from the norm. Publishing this novel is part of her attempt to do that.
"When I went away, I realised almost immediately that you have to work really hard because you are a dime a dozen. Especially in London, I'm constantly, constantly having to try to prove myself." Walker's heroine has the same struggle but doesn't lose faith in herself, and that's what Walker likes best about her.
"She does not let her emotions get the best of her, because there are so many people better than you or equally as good and it's such a dog eat dog world. She's resilient, and you have to be resilient when you're living so far away." Life, Heavy Sigh is currently only in paperbook format, but Walker has plans to sell it as an ebook on Amazon soon. It's been received well both in the UK and in T&T, where Walker said she gets much of her support.
"I've sold books all over the world. Most people think it's a page turner and it a very good mix of that Trinidadian culture with a London atmostphere."All writers have a favourite book, and Walker has three: The History of Love by Nicole Krauss, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender and When God Was a Rabbit by Sarah Winman.
"What I really liked about the last two is that they're books about very ordinary average characters. They don't really have much to look forward to in life, they don't have great ambitions but the writers describe theirs lives so extraordinarily that it's just a completely enchanting book.
"They add in a bit of magical realism, which I believe life is full of. I believe in God and miracles and the supernatural and that is the kind of writing that I like to read," Walker said.