Launch week for A New Season

Writing life: 39

Publication day!

A New Season hit bookstore shelves last Tuesday, August 29th. My wife, Nancy Naylor, and I happened to be in the Yonge and Eglinton area (Toronto) so stopped into the Indigo store there to sign their stock. Copies of the novel were prominently displayed in three separate areas of the store. I signed about 50 books. I confess it was surreal seeing so many of them in one place.

Just to be clear, the “New and Hot” designation is for the book only.

CBC Radio Here and Now interview

On publication day, I headed down to CBC Radio for an interview on the drive-home show, Here and Now. My friend Gil Deacon is the regular host but she’s been off for a while now recovering from Long Covid. We all hope she’s back in the host’s chair soon. In the interim, the very experienced Jim Brown was on the mic and we had a great conversation about the book. Click here or on either of the two images below to listen to the interview.

Nice to be back in the CBC Radio studios.

Official launch event

Last Wednesday, August 30th, we held the official launch event for the new book. We couldn’t do it on the Tuesday publication day because, well, it was my weekly ball hockey night! So we gathered one day later on the Wednesday evening at Noonan’s Pub (formerly the Dora Keogh) where we’ve celebrated each of my novels, except for my last novel, Operation Angus, for which we organized a pandemic-induced virtual launch. It was so great to be back at Noonan’s for another launch. We had a capacity crowd of around 100, with a half or so arriving long before the event started at 6:00 p.m. It was wonderful to see so many old and new friends.

A packed house at Noonan’s for the launch of A New Season.

It was nice to have two Leacock Medal winners—and very good friends—Joe Kertes and Trevor Cole in the house.

(l-r) Joe Kertes and Trevor Cole.

My twin brother, Tim, skilfully reprised his entertaining role as emcee and, as usual, people kept coming up to me afterwards saying he’s much funnier than I am! He made my time at the mic easier by talking about the themes in the novel.

My twin bro kicking things off at the launch.

My wonderful editor, Joe Lee, then brought greetings on behalf of McClelland & Stewart/Penguin Random House and spoke about working with me on the novel.

Me editor, Joe Lee speaking on behalf of McClelland & Stewart.

Then, for better or worse, I talked about how the novel came to be, thanked the many people involved in my writerly life without whom, well, I wouldn’t have a writerly life. Then I closed with a brief reading from the very beginning of the novel just to give the assembled a little taste of the story.

Some writer guy yammering on about his new novel.

Afterwards, we relaxed next door at Allen’s, a lovely local restaurant, for dinner with some good friends. It was a great evening. I slept very well that night.

Canadian National Exhibition event

The day after the launch event, I was at the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) in Toronto for an on-stage author interview organized by musician, writer, and Renaissance man, Dave Bidini. I’ve known Dave for years. He was the co-founder of the great band Rheostatics, has written 13 books(!), and is currently the editor and publisher of a fantastic broadsheet community newspaper called the West End Phoenix. I was interviewed by Stacy Lee Kong, a Toronto writer, editor, and cultural critic, and then did a brief reading to close out the event. Thanks to Danielle McNally from Ben Mcnally Books for coming the sell our wares at the event.

Sharing the stage with writer, editor and cultural critic Stacy Lee Kong.

With Dave Bidini who organized the event.

CBC Books on A New Season

It was nice to see A New Season included in CBC Books’ round up of fall fiction. Click here or on the image below to visit CBC Books and check out new novels and short story collections, including A New Season.

Some early good news

Since A New Season hit bookstores a few short days ago, it’s somehow already managed to hit the bestsellers list. In the five days since the launch, it’s climbed from #13 to #16 to #5, and this morning (Sunday), it sits at #2. Many thanks to all those who preordered and/or bought the book in the last few days. I’m thrilled and grateful. Here’s hoping there’s more to come. I’ll keep you posted.

As well, the Winnipeg Free Press published a review of A New Season yesterday. Click here or on the image below to read it.

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Apologies for the heavy focus on my ninth novel, but it’s almost unavoidable in the months before and after the launch. There’ll be a bit more as I start touring in the coming weeks, so bear with me.

Hope you’ll subscribe and share if you haven’t already. Many thanks and we’ll see you again in two weeks.