I’m sure my 15 minutes must soon be up. Because of the Leacock Medal shortlist, the Toronto Star ran a nice piece in the Sunday Star this past weekend. They even teased the story on the front page of the Entertainment section. I’d done the interview and photography last week. I’m amazed at how many people have e-mailed me in the wake of the article, including some who have said that they’ve ordered the book. Every little bit helps!

The Leacock Medal is a pretty big deal in Canada having been awarded to many of my literary heroes including Roberston Davies, Mordecai Richler, and Paul Quarrington. Earlier today, I found out by reading a Google News Alert that The Best Laid Plans has been named a finalist, along with four other books, for the 2008 Leacock Medal. I am stunned and immeasurably grateful for this completely unexpected recognition. (I didn’t even dare contemplate the possibility.) The winner will be announced at a luncheon on April 30th in the Leacock home. I’ll be there, likely still walking around in a haze of incredulity.

Here’s the photo from the Orillia Packet & Times. This is how I discovered the news… by noticing my photo on the board.

I hope to be able to construct coherent sentences and touch back down to earth in a few days. But until then, I just can’t believe it…

I just discovered when reviewing my monthly sales summary from my publisher that the Ottawa Public Library system has ordered 15 copies of TBLP to distribute among its 33 branches. As far as I know, this is the first library order I’ve received.

For what it’s worth, here’s a partial screen shot of the New Titles On Order list from the Ottawa Public Library website. Very, very cool.

Pages is one of Canada’s premier independent bookstores offering an extraordinary range of literary fiction, nonfiction and art books. It’s located on trendy Queen Street West in Toronto and TBLP is now available there.

I’ve just been invited to speak at the prestigious Literary Table, a crowd of writers and book lovers that regularly meet for lunch at the famed Arts and Letters Club in downtown Toronto. A fixture in the Canadian arts and lit scene for over a century, The Arts and Letters Club occupies a wonderful heritage building in the heart of Toronto. Needless to say, I’m chuffed (a word Angus McLintock would use) at the invitation. I’m to speak for a half hour about TBLP and then answer questions. I’ve also been encouraged to peddle a few books while I’m there. I’ll keep you posted.

My 20 minute interview with Ken Rockburn, host of CPAC’s Talk Politics aired this past Sunday. Ken was great and I had a blast. I love that he referred to TBLP as “a scathingly funny political satire.”  Nice. Here’s hoping it moves some books.

You can watch the interview here. I close the show so feel free to scroll through until about two thirds of the way through and you’ll find my radio face.

Tom Allen is the much-loved host of CBC Radio’s Music and Company. A music expert in his own right, it’s Tom’s story telling and his casual and warm approach that makes listening to his show seem like sitting in his living room. Tom is a good friend and was very helpful and supportive when I was writing TBLP. Our sons play on the same hockey team and so we spend many a hour together at innumerable arenas. Tom is also a respected writer and published The Gift of the Game in 2005. It’s a wonderful reflection on hockey and his son.  Here’s what Tom has kindly said of TBLP:

“Terry Fallis has found the cure for Canada’s political malaise: a stubborn, old, irreverent Scotsman with nothing to lose. Until Angus McLintock walks out of fiction and into public office, where he would surely save the nation, the only place to find him is right here among The Best Laid Plans.”

You should all go out and buy Tom’s book! Thanks for all your support Tom.

The Honourable Elinor Caplan has had a distinguished career in public service in both the Ontario Legislature and the federal House of Commons. She was Ontario Health Minister in the government of Premier David Peterson, and eventually was elected federally and sat in Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s cabinet as Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

She also read TBLP. Having big names read, like, and support your novel is important in building buzz and establishing credibility. Here’s what Elinor Caplan had to say about TBLP:

“Terry Fallis weaves a funny yet tender tale that gives us all hope for the future of democracy. Hilarious and thought-provoking, I literally could not put this book down. I finished it in one sitting, with a full heart and sore sides. With an insider’s knowledge of politics, beautifully developed characters, and a page-turning plot, Terry Fallis has written a winner. Get it, read it, now!”

I’m grateful for the kind words. You just may see this quotation gracing the back cover of the sequel to TBLP (whenever it’s done).

I was in Ottawa earlier today for a client meeting. Man it was cold but at least the sun was shining. Before my meeting, I did a 20 minute studio interview on Talk Politics, a leading talk show on CPAC (Cable Public Affairs Channel or Canada’s answer to CSPAN in the U.S.). I’d contacted Ken Rockburn, the respected host of the program, last fall and had sent him a copy of TBLP. Thankfully, he really enjoyed the novel and invited me up to Ottawa to do an interview about it. Every little bit helps!

The interview seemed to go reasonably well and Ken’s easy-going conversational style made it feel like a chat at Starbucks, despite the make-up, cameras, and lights. He was a true professional. The interview should air sometime in March in the prime 7:00 p.m. Sunday evening slot. It’ll then be repeated several times during the week. When it does hit the airwaves, I’ll post the link.

The audience for the podcast version of TBLP continues to grow daily. I just happened to check my stats on Libsyn, my podcast hosting service, and noticed that we’ve cracked a thousand listeners. I had no expectations when the podcast launched in January 2007. I really had no idea whether anyone would listen. Well, it seems there was an appetite for the story of Angus, Daniel and a federal election. The idea was to drive interest in, and sales of, the printed version of the novel through first whetting their appetites with the podcast. It seems to be working. Sales are going very well. So here’s to the first one thousand listeners to the TBLP podcast. Here’s hoping they like the story and characters enough to hit the Amazon or Indigo order button on the side of the blog. Sales so far suggest that many podcast listeners have done just that. Thanks for all the support…