Up and Down Update
Posted October 8, 2012 by Terry Fallis
Yes, I know, I’ve been slow in getting back to the blog now that the final podcast episode has been uploaded. No excuses beyond a very busy schedule while still trying to shoehorn my day job around it all. But just to bring you up to date, the new novel, Up and Down, seems to be doing very well out of the gate. Two days after it was published, it debuted on the Globe and Mail Canadian Fiction Bestseller list at #7. It then went to #5 for the next two weeks, and was still hanging on at #8 this past weekend. As well, the Goodreads reviews seem to be very favourable. There have been a few formal reviews published in the Montreal Gazette, the Kitchener-Waterloo Record, and the Saint John Telegraph Journal, with more to come, we hope. Finally, a number of book bloggers have added their voices and reviewed the novel, here, here, and here. In the middle of it all, someone sent me the Canadian Booksellers Association’s Canadian Fiction Bestseller List for the week Up and Down was published. What a shock when all three of my novels made the list. I grabbed a screen shot for posterity’s sake as I doubt this triple play will ever recur for me.(And I was right. The next week, The High Road had slipped off the list.)
Needless to say, I’m thrilled with these early signs that Canadians are enjoying Up and Down.
I’ve been on the road quite a bit lately promoting Up and Down including quick visits to Collingwood, Ottawa, Huntsville, Barrie, Orillia, Grimsby, Hamilton, Georgetown, Creemore, London, Ajax, and Aurora, and of course, there have been lots of gigs in Toronto. Later this week, I’m off for a 12-day swing through western Canada with stops in Victoria, Calgary, Turner Valley, Banff, Edmonton, and St. Albert. This will be my longest literary road trip to date. (I’m blessed with a very supportive family!)
I’m still working out how best to talk about Up and Down, and which sections to read at events. But, it’s coming. I figure I should have it sorted out by the time I’m back home towards the end of the month. What a happy whirlwind. Stay tuned and thanks so much for all the encouraging feedback. It means a lot to me, particularly with the new novel still so fresh on the shelves.
I finished your book this week. Well…I started AND finshed it this week. Another very good ‘read’ with audible laughter from me. If I may suggest a good section for a reading – the meeting with Hector will, I’m sure, garner good reactions. I heard you speak to Probus in Collingwood in the Spring and waited patiently for the publication of “Up and Down” from that day. I didn’t read it on-line because I find reading from the screen difficult.
What has happened with the radio dramatization of “The Best Laid Plans”? Did the CBC cuts to radio drama mean that it will not be done?
I would like to congratulate the publishers or whoever decided to double space the book. It made it easier to read.
I’m glad you enjoyed it. As for the CBC and The Best Laid Plans, it’s actually a six-part television miniseries and all is proceeding according to plan. The six scripts are due at CBC by the end of December. If they are approved, we move on to casting and, if all goes well, eventually filming. Fingers crossed!
Wow, The Best Laid Plans on TV, that’s really cool. 🙂 Are you writing the scripts, or is someone else making the adaptation?
I’m not on the writing team. Susan Coyne and Jason Sherman, two very accomplished writers are handling the scripts. I’ve reviewed the scripts for the first two episodes and they look great. We’re still a ways away from casting and shooting, so cross your fingers…
Hey Terry – Canadians living in the USA want to read it too! Can you upload a prc file for kindles to amazon.com?
Thanks! And congratulations on all your success!
Lizz Gibson
Lizardoebooks.com
Hi Lizz. The good news is, Up and Down will be hitting U.S. bookstores in the fall of 2013, including ebooks. The bad news is, that’s still nine months away. Sorry about that!
[…] Canadian Booksellers Association Canadian Fiction Bestseller List for the week ending September 15th showed Up and Down at #3, The Best Laid Plans at #7, and The […]
I attended your reading a Chateau De Charmes tonight . Thank you so much.I had just finished reading Up and Down last week. Once again, as in Best Laid Plans and The High Road, your characters come to life. Your books are so humourous and so unique that when I finish reading the book I always want more!
I look forward to No Relation as I have no doubt that I will love those characters also.
Very kind, Susan. Many thanks…