This novel, for 9 to 13 year olds, is set at Lake Lovely Water near Squamish, BC. Tabitha is less than thrilled at the prospect of a weekend hiking adventure with her cousins and her aunt. She’s not much of a hiker. And she’s pretty sure her cousins hate her. The tension mounts as everything goes wrong but Tabitha turns out to have more tenacity and courage than even she realized. A page-turner for any age, the book has Leach’s trademark love of the BC coast.

www.orcabook.com/

http://saraleach.com/

DIARY OF A NOT SO WIMPY BOOK WEEK

FRIDAY OCTOBER 14: WHISTLER, BC

Book launch at the Whistler Public Library for Sara Leach’s new book, Count Me In, from Orca. Well attended by locals and visitors and lots of kids who called out to the author: “please read more.”

Later attended the opening night gala of the Whistler Writers and Readers Festival at the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre in Whistler, the stunning high-beamed, glass-framed modern take on the longhouses of the Squamish people.

Its intimate theatre was a perfect setting for readings by Madeline Sonik, Miriam Toews, Antanas Sileika, poet John Glenday, Angie Abdou, Randy Boyagoda, and Whistler writer-in-residence Sarah Selecky. Moderated by the always funny and well-prepared Stephen Vogler.

Thanks to the vision, hard work and determination of Stella Harvey and The Vicious Circle, the festival celebrated its 10^th year with big names and ambitious programming.

www.theviciouscircle.ca/

MONDAY OCTOBER 17:

Presentation for the Association of Book Publishers of BC by Brian O’Donnell, Director of Business and International Development for Access Copyright. He updated BC publishers on copyright reform, fair dealing and the legal changes ahead.

www.books.bc.ca/

In the evening attended the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival’s Literati Gala with a Bollywood theme, in honor of Canada’s celebration of a Year of India. Guests wore a colorful array of saris and emcee Bill Richardson sported a fez.

Ran into Antanas Sileika again who in another life is the director of the Humber College School for Writers.

Wearing his author hat, Antanas related how his new book, Underground, set in Lithuania’s resistance movement in the 1940s, initially was criticized for its lack of sex scenes. “I wasn’t comfortable writing them,” he said, “but I did it. Then when it was accepted for publication the editor said, “Love the book, but lose the sex scenes. Whew!” The well-spoken and talented writer will be at VIWF Saturday October 22 at 10.30 a.m and 8 p.m. The prolific children’s writer, Maggie De Vries, who teaches creative writing at UBC, chimed in to say that Underground has very vivid descriptions of how to make borscht and the guest next to her commented: “and food is sexy.”  You can hear De Vries Thursday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.

At dinner sat with Irish novelist and poet, Dermot Healy and his wife, Helen. The genial couple was jetlagged by their flight and frustrated by lost luggage.  A much-acclaimed poet and novelist (his new book is Long Time, No See) Healy (can’t miss his long white hair)  has a cameo role in the recently released film, The Guard.

His advice to aspiring novelists: “If you want to write a novel you have to write everyday. If you don’t you won’t believe it’s real.”

And this conundrum: “You can lie in memoir or non-fiction, but you can’t lie in fiction.”

He appeared Tuesday at the Alma Lee opening night event and speaks again Saturday October 22 at 2 p.m.

Great news to see that Crossings by the late Betty Lambert, written in the 1970s and published by Arsenal Pulp Press, has been chosen as one of ten books for the Vancouver 125 Legacy Book Project.

A terrific read and what I said in 1979 in the Vancouver Courier is still true today:

“Lambert has searched deep into a woman’s soul to discover why and how we love the men we do. There are few of us who won’t relate to her struggle with passion over reason. One of Lambert’s many strengths in this novel is her open and honest handling of Vicky’s sexual relationship with her husband and with Mik. These scenes are as compelling, relevant and as funny as any I have read in a long time.”

The Vancouver 125 Launch is Sunday at VIWF.

This novel, for 9 to 13 year olds, is set at Lake Lovely Water near Squamish, BC. Tabitha is less than thrilled at the prospect of a weekend hiking adventure with her cousins and her aunt. She’s not much of a hiker. And she’s pretty sure her cousins hate her. The tension mounts as everything goes wrong but Tabitha turns out to have more tenacity and courage than even she realized. A page-turner for any age, the book has Leach’s trademark love of the BC coast.

www.orcabook.com/

http://saraleach.com/