Wilmont St. Cyr,
Wilmont St. Cyr, author, began writing seriously over a decade ago. He gives credit for his writing to several factors: a brother who once said, “You should write a book”, and a wise old man, mentor and spiritual teacher who he dubbed “The Prophet.” Added to that is his constant love for learning English at school for which he never received certification since he dropped out. And the most impactful are his life experiences.
Before his writing endeavors, the author had a colorful life. After working in diverse jobs, he enrolled in the Barbados Defense Force as a soldier with great expectations and aspirations. Then years later came his pitfalls as he was incarcerated for 10 years on gun and ammunition offenses. During this time, writing became his passion. Beginning first with a memoir, he later pursued the art of writing fiction and wrote 3 books between 2010 and 2012.
His first novel, FIELDS OF DEATH, is a dramatic and riveting crime thriller based on the canefield murders in Barbados. This won him a NIFCA bronze award in 2016. The book was actually listed in Toronto before his award was granted on home soil that year. It continued to reach global attention with reviews from as far as Cologne, Germany and the UK. The book was later featured on “The World of Work”, a weekly radio show on WDVRFM in New Jersey in February 2018, a show featuring international writers.
The Barbadian crime thriller gained further recognition and was featured at the first virtual Toronto Urban Book Expo 2020 where Wilmont was chosen from among a group of 50 black international authors from USA, Canada and Africa. He is now a household name among Toronto readers who have also granted him the title of Honorary Torontonian by Kya Publishing in Toronto, Canada. He is the only Caribbean author listed among “featured authors from the Toronto Urban Book Expo”.
The writer uses his past experiences of resilience and perseverance as a spokesperson for several organizations in Barbados where he focuses on crime and drug prevention, motivating youth and demonstrating how fine nuggets of gold can be elicited from tough rock. This is an important aspect of his personal development and career path. In January 2018, he was chosen to sit on a panel with CARICOM Secretary General, Ambassador Irwin LaRoque, and former EU Head of Delegation to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Ambassador Daniella Tramacere and other distinguished guests at the launch of the 10th European Development Fund, Crime and Security, Programme of Cooperation on Drug Demand Reduction, at the Regional Security System, Paragon military base in Barbados. He has also addressed secondary school students, churches and summer camps.
Wilmont St. Cyr (W. St Cyr) describes his life’s journey as an odyssey where he shares his experiences with full consciousness using his very personal circumstances through the medium of writing and film. His award winning novel “Fields of Death” was inspired by real life experiences.
