Terry Fallis, Novelist

I’m still catching my breath from the news today that Up and Down has been named a finalist for the 2013 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour. What a thrill to be amongst such talented and funny writers as Jonathon Goldstein, Andrew Kaufman, Cassie Stocks and William Whitehead. Some of you may already know how I feel about the Leacock Medal because it comes up quite often when I talk about my writing life. But for those of you who may not know, I have always felt that I became a writer on April 30, 2008 when my name was miraculously produced as the winner of the 2008 Leacock Medal. My life as a writer turned on that moment. Now, with Up and Down joining my first two novels as Leacock Medal finalists, well, I’m just so honoured and filled with gratitude. It’s as simple as that.

I was thrilled to learn earlier this week that Up and Down has been shortlisted for the 2013 Ontario Library Association Evergreen Award for “the best in adult Canadian fiction and non-fiction.” I am truly honoured. It’s wonderful to be on the list with such amazing writers as Eva Stachniak, Susan Swan, Robert J. Sawyer, Donna Morrisey, Marina Endicott and others. I gather library cardholders can vote during Ontario Public Library Week in October. I’m grateful to the Ontario Library Association for this unexpected recognition.

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.

Between now and the launch of my new novel, Up and Down in September, I thought I might periodically share some thoughts on what led me to write this story. I wrote a piece for the Indigo Fiction blog that traces some of the roots of Up and Down. In particular, it reveals how I became a space nut at the age of nine. But there’s more lurking in the background. When you read Up and Down, and I hope you will, you’ll see that part of the plot turns on the steady decline in public funding to NASA. I understand the view that we should take care of what’s going on down here on earth before we commit tax payers’ dollars to space exploration. I don’t share that view, but I understand it. Here are a couple of videos that explain far more eloquently than I ever could, why exploring space is important, if only because it gives us much-needed perspective on our own planet and the problems we must confront down here.

My wife Nancy and I have been in a wonderful book club for nearly 20 years. There are about 15 or so of us, from all walks of life, and we meet the third Monday of each month. It’s something I look forward to month in, and month out. Vicki joined our book club, by my reckoning, about six or seven years ago. Her arrival was complete and utter serendipity. Melany, a charter member, was on a business trip when Vicki ended up in the seat beside her for the flight back to Toronto. They started talking about books and exploring an ever-growing patch of common ground, and by the time the plane landed, Vicki had learned the secret handshake and was welcomed into the fold. She brought the wonderful Vince, her husband, along with her. She was a lovely, warm, and intelligent woman who slipped into our midst like a friend we’d all known for years.  After a courageous battle with cancer, we lost Vicki this past August.

Soon after, Peter and Manjusha, longtime members of the book club, sprang into action to find a fitting way for us to honour what Vicki had meant to our humble monthly gathering of book lovers. They hit upon the perfect idea. Money was raised and other arrangements made, and on January 31, 2012, there was a grand opening. In Dhaberi, a small farming village in central India, a children’s library opened its doors for business. Vicki’s Library. The funds donated purchased 500 children’s books and will pay a librarian for two hours a day, to work with the children and check out their books. Our book club has pledged to keep the library open. I cannot think of a better way to honour a good friend who loved books and reading as much as Vicki did.

Here’s a shot of the new library just before the doors officially opened. On the white banner above the children you can make out Vicki’s image. We all miss Vicki dearly, but we know she’d be thrilled with how we chose to remember her.