Bianca Alice Walker had a plan. She had intentions of being an orthopaedic surgeon and had fashioned her educational path around this goal. Walker excelled in Biology, Chemistry and Math at the advanced level in secondary school and studied bioengineering and pre-med at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
In 2008 during her sophomore year however, things began to change and in three years’ time, she gave in to her yearning to become a writer and wrote her debut novel, Life, Heavy Sigh.
“It is tough to put my finger on it but I think coming first in Caribbean Studies at St Joseph’s Convent was a shock to me. I was awarded a massive challenge trophy; the kind of trophy you can’t ignore, one that makes you believe you have something special. It made me think that maybe my passion and strengths lay elsewhere,” Walker said.
At first, she could not accept being a writer but after taking up the challenge, Walker fell in love with the craft. She has been writing since her sophomore year at University.
At one local media outlet she covered 25 long-form feature stories in six weeks. She has written for publications in Trinidad, the United States, Italy and the United Kingdom.
During her work experience at a London law firm, she wrote a 700 word article for their review and the Trinidad and Tobago High Commission in London featured many of her reports and articles on Caribbean economy and Diaspora culture in their newsletter.
Walker also helped a dyslexic polio patient with an international disability charity to write all of his bid letters and project outlines.
At the end of her voluntary service he told her she was a tremendous help, assisting him in saying things he wanted to say that he did not have the words for.
“This is why I write, to transform the things we take for granted in life into words that inspire and make people smile, laugh and cry. To entertain,” Walker said.
She proves this in her novel in which she takes her lead character, an ordinary girl living in London with a Math degree and a lousy job, and places her in a peculiar situation where a book she bought seems to be predicting her life.
Walker said the work of fiction is a story of resilience and it is a modern take on a storyline common in the great days of Caribbean literature: the Caribbean immigrant facing life in London. She struggled with writing “Life” but found the overall experience enjoyable. “Writing is a science, it is extremely difficult. In order for the character to seem real you have to be consistent. Sometimes I would have thought, why don’t I just be a doctor but I am sticking with it,” she explained.
The book was written over the summer of 2011 and the author promised herself it would be published before she turned 24. It was self-published on October 4, 2012, the day before her 24th birthday, causing excitement and anticipation among her broad network of friends and acquaintances.Self-publishing, she said in a release, is taking off around the world, causing publishing companies to completely re-think their business models. When an author, like Walker, decides to cut out the middle men and self-publish, she is taking on the role of publicist, marketing and social media manager, distributor, sales director, and design and production controller. For Walker, who has an MA in Creative Writing and Publishing from Kingston University, London, this has been a magnificent and enjoyable challenge.
“It is this sort of challenge that will create holistic and independent writers. It will challenge the status quo. With the internet, the readers rule. They will either like, share and buy your book or not. So far most have done the first,” said Walker, who is preparing for a long career in writing involving the publishing of many books.
She hopes to become a literary ambassador for Trinidad and Tobago, one who other young people would emulate. “There are not enough Trinidadian writers, especially young ones. I am going to write as much as I could write. I represented Trinidad and Tobago on the National Football team and now I am going to represent Trinidad and Tobago as a writer,” she said.
Life, Heavy Sigh has been well received around the world and has been bought by persons in Australia, Canada, the United States, across the United Kingdom, Germany, South Africa and, of course, Trinidad and Tobago. It was first released in London and Walker said readers there have been very intrigued by the parts of the book dealing with the Caribbean. She launched the book in Trinidad last month at Martin’s Piano Bar, Woodford Street, Port-of-Spain. The event was an evening of entertainment by young local artistes and was attended by renowned local author, Earl Lovelace.
“The reviews have been phenomenal. Many call it a page-turner, a few have called it a brilliant story. People exaggerate. But I am most elated that I am entertaining so many people, that they are learning something from my book, that they are most importantly finding joy and hope within the 229 pages,” Walker said.
Life, Heavy Sigh is currently available online on Amazon.com and will soon be made available for purchase in local bookstores.