Speaking gigs a plenty…

I’ve been very busy in the evenings and weekends with readings and speaking gigs and am really enjoying them. I know I’ve written about it before, but I’m always struck by how rewarding it is to spend time with readers who have really enjoyed the novels. It’s a pleasure to talk with them and answer their questions about the novels. If you’re interested in seeing just how busy I am these days touring around with both books, have a look at my Appearances page. I just thought I’d provide an update on a couple of my recent readings.

Halifax

A few weeks ago, my younger son, Ben, and I flew down to Halifax for a reading I was doing at the Keshen Goodman branch of the Halifax Public Library. We had a great time and had the chance to visit family as wel. My wife’s family lives in the Annapolis Valley and drove in for the reading. As well, in a spasm of pure serendipity, my twin brother Tim and his wife Melanie were also in Halifax visiting their daughter and son who both attend Dalhousie. I joked from the podium that I had more family attending my Halifax reading than I’d ever had in any hometown Toronto reading. The crowd in Halifax was wonderful. Many of them had already read both novels and they kindly laughed in all the right places during my talk and reading. They videotaped my talk so if any of you suffer with any kind of sleep disorder, clicking on the graphic below ought to help you out.

My brother, Tim, also took a few shots during the signing. Here’s one of them:

Pelham and Fort Erie

Last week, I drove down to the Niagara Region for an afternoon reading at the Pelham Public Library and then on to Fort Erie for a library reading there in the evening. Both events were wonderful with very enthusiastic audiences, who showed up in great numbers. At each stop, I spoke for a while about The High Road, and then read a few sections that I thought were particularly relevant in the midst of a federal election campaign. There were great questions posed afterwards and I was even able to answer some of them. After the Fort Erie reading, I bought a Coke at a nearby convenience store and listened to the Blue Jays game on the radio to help keep me awake for the drive back to Toronto. There are plenty more readings coming up, including the Georgina Public Library in Keswick tomorrow, and the Port Hope Public Library on Saturday.

When I arrived in Pelham, a few people had brought copies of the previous weekend’s St. Catharines Standard. It was a bit of a shock to see the front page of the Arts section. Click here or on the photo to read the article:

Here’s a shot taken just as my talk/reading at the Pelham Public Library got underway.