Thanks McNally Robinson for a great event
Posted June 25, 2009 by Terry Fallis
Last night I gave a talk and reading at the wonderful new McNally Robinson Toronto bookstore in Don Mills. Carla and her team at MR know how to put on an event. There were amazing posters hanging throughout the store and public address announcements before the reading started. They have an events area on the second floor and there were so many people that they kept having to add more rows of chairs. There were some familiar faces in the crowd from my childhood neighbourhood who had seen ads in the Globe and Mail and Toronto Star for the event. There were a couple of other writers in the audience including Tom Armstrong whose manuscript recently won second prize in the Frank Collymore Literary Endowment Awards along with the $7,500 payday. Better yet, Tom just inked a publishing deal with DC Books with publication of his novel slated for April 2010.
The talk and reading seemed to go well and the line-up for the signing was both humbling and gratifying. Afterwards, Tom and I went for a drink and had a great talk about writing.
Thanks again to Carla and the good folks at McNally Robinson for a memorable evening.
Hey Terry,
Thanks for mentioning my award and the book contract. It was a pleasure meeting you. For some time I had wanted to thank you for the support and advice you’d given me over the last year. Because we have travelled a somewhat parallel path to publication it was fascinating to discuss writing and compare our very different approaches to planning and constructing a novel. I suppose there are as many ways as there are authors.
BTW, I’m enjoying your novel. The one thing our novels have in common is the occasional reference to the libation known as Scotch, although your protagonist has a taste for a more expensive distillation than mine.
It was great to meet you to Tom. All the best with your book. I look forward to reading it.