A Sunday Afternoon's Light Media Whoring

Come now, don't look so shocked.  You knew it had to happen. I've been carnival-barking about the damn novel coming out for months--and now it's finally here!  I officially have wares to flaunt!

So here goes:

Oh! Hello bookbuying public, why I didn't even see you there. I was just sitting here noodling around on my website (which needless to say is something I do entirely for the sheer unpaid joy thereof) and thought I might take the opportunity to post a few news items relating to my novel The Antagonist, released September 3.

Here, for example is a review from the Globe and Mail by Giles Blunt that appeared just this weekend. 

Here you have a lovely chat between myself and CBC Mainstreet's Wendy Bergfeldt, whose last name I have finally learned to spell after 10 or so years' correspondence.

Here's a little somethin-somethin from The National Post, penned by Victoria's own Robert J. Wiersema, whose last name defeats me to this day.

And also...  

• A radio chat with Ken Davis of CKUA Radio's (sadly defunct) "Bookmark" program
• Winnipeg Free Press
• Toronto Star
• Montreal Gazette
• Edmonton Journal--select quote: "It had everything: alcoholism, violence, grief, even Catholic guilt!"

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Question: Where the Hell is Your Fall Touring Schedule, You said you'd post it ages ago.

Answer: I gotcher touring schedule right here! 

• Thin Air Writers Festival, Winnipeg, Sept 19-20
• Moncton Public Library, Sept 21, 7 pm
• Union St. Cafe, Berwick, Nova Scotia, Sept 22, 7 pm 

(Hmm, starting to feel haggard just writing this...) 

• Halifax Public Library, September 24, 3:00pm
• Word on the Street Halifax, September 25 

(Also my one-year wedding anniversary, but, screw romance, I gots books to sell)  

• Wordfest, Calgary, October 13-14
• Bolen's Books, Victoria, October 19, 7 pm
• Vancouver International Writers Festival, October 20-23
• International Festival of Authors, October 29--Toronto, October 30--Hamilton 

Finally, here is a pic of the apple-rhubarb jelly I made on Sunday.

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Question: When are you launching The Antagonist in Edmonton? And where?

Answer: September 8 at the Artery! Please come! 

Below is a poster just rife with further information on this subject.

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Question: How do you be a professional writer (ie. get paid for writing) and maintain a blog (ie. not get paid for writing) at the same time?

That question came in many months ago from David Hayes, otherwise known as the hardest working freelancer in Toronto.

Answer: Hey, Dave. You'll notice I have not updated my blog since February.

*cough*

But! I interrupt this indolence to announce that my book's coming out on September 3. The Antagonist, it's called. That gives me just one more month of lazy summertime gestation before I burst from my cocoon out into the blogosphere: a relentless, book-flogging, self-promoting, hideous human-moth hybrid. 

Yes. You WILL be Antagonized.

And hey, here's an early review. 

Coming soon: Fall touring schedule!   

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Stranger Than Fiction and Just Plain Strange Fiction on the CBC

A couple of things I did on CBC radio recently:

• "Drop In" was featured last Sunday morning on Heather O'Neill's nifty new program Stranger than Fiction.  "Drop In" is a true story about when I volunteered at WISH women's drop in centre on Vancouver's Downtown East Side--a very, very important place that you may want to send a donation to this very minute.
• Why, you might also wish to read my blog post on the STF site: "How to Write Non-Fiction About Yourself Without Feeling Totally Exposed" (short answer: James Frey)
• Also had a lovely talk with our Shelagh on The Next Chapter about the joys of being scared while reading, making reference to Stephen King,  Andrew Pyper and Greg Hollingshead.  You can hear it on The Next Chapter's podcast.

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