Robert Lalah on the job on East Queen Street, Kingston. - Norman Grindley/Acting Photo Editor

Many persons have thought about getting a book published, but have absolutely no clue how to get it done. It can be a tricky situation. The Gleaner's Robert Lalah recently went through the whole nine yards for his soon-to-be released book, titled Roving with Lalah - Slices of Everyday Jamaican life.

As the name suggests, the book is a compilation of the very popular weekly feature Roving with Lalah, penned by the 25-year-old. It will be available in stores later this month. Every Thursday, for the next month, we will follow Lalah as he takes us through the process of getting a book published, from conception to birth.

Q: When did you begin to write 'Roving with Lalah'?

R: It was in October 2005 that the first story was published. It was on Mocho in Clarendon.

How did the idea come about to begin writing the feature?

The idea actually came out of a conversation I had with my editor-in-chief (Garfield Grandison) in August 2005. The editorial department had been looking for ways to beef up coverage of places and people around the country. I love to travel and meet people so I pitched the idea to have me visit different communities and write about my experiences. He didn't need much convincing, he actually loved the idea and decided to give it a shot. The next day, I was out in the country.

How was the first article received by readers?

A lot better than I expected. I was actually surprised. I remember that on the day it came out in the paper, my inbox was flooded with letters from readers. I also got a lot of telephone calls from Jamaicans living in different parts of the world. It was then that I really realised how many people actually read The Gleaner online.

Why do you think 'Roving with Lalah' has been so well received?

Well the feature primarily focuses on small towns and settlements in rural areas and most of us have a special place in our hearts for these communities. With all that's happening in the country these days, that good old side of Jamaica is easily forgotten. I guess people are just happy to see that it still exists.

Is it difficult to get information from the residents of these communities?

Not at all. Most of the people have been quite welcoming. I've found that people from these rural areas are very warm and kind.

How do you choose the places to visit?

I hardly ever choose. The places choose me, most of the times. Most of the stories come out of things that happen around me when I'm not even thinking about writing. Jamaicans are a colourful people, so it's not hard to get a story out of almost anything. I used to go out to the country a lot with my friend, photographer, Norman Grindley. We would just drive around until we came across someone or somewhere that seemed interesting. Most of the times, we would get a great story out of it.

Now how did the idea to do a book come about?

Well, a lot of readers were calling for it. I got many letters from people asking that a book be done. It finally got to a point that it just seemed like it had to happen.

Next week, find out more about the process of getting the book done.

To find out more about the Roving with Lalah book and to pre-order a copy, visit www.ianrandlepublishers.com.

Every Thursday, Robert Lalah brings you stories from rural Jamaica and slices of everyday life there. Here he is on one of his excursions in Trelawny. - Kyle MacPherson/Freelance Photographer