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Last friday I got word that Debris was reviewed on Daybreak Alberta, a morning show on CBC Radio One that focuses on arts and culture, hosted by Russell Bowers. Acclaimed author Angie Abdou, who I met through other writers and social media and regular life, is often a guest on the show when it comes to discussing new books that include something of note with regards to the province. She is also a hero, because she took the time to give my book a close read and review it on the show.

According to Angie, the book wasn’t really all that bad. But, you can hear it direct, in her words, if you click this line and listen to the recording of it all. The whole thing is about seven minutes, and it contains words like Hemingwayesque and Talented and Drunkards. Give it a listen if you like.

Sincere thanks to Angie for all her efforts on this. Even if you want to slap me with a fish, you should still listen to the show just to celebrate people like her that put in the time to support other writers and the books they wrote.

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I also just saw today that the book was reviewed in The Malahat Review, by Jamie Dopp, an English professor at the University of Victoria. He had some kind things to say about the stories and about the writing itself, such as:

“The stories are told with careful precision, free of authorial judgment, in prose that reminded me of the understated lyricism of later Thomas McGuane or of David Adams Richards. As in McGuane or Richards, there are subtly redemptive qualities to the stories, but any redemption is hard-earned, and begins with a clear-eyed attention to the world that is.”

Of all the writers I like, you don’t hear a lot about McGuane, and he is pretty goddamn good at writing, so I thank Mr. Dopp for this part of the review and for all the other parts as well. I’d also like to thank the Malahat folks. The oldest story in my book, To have to wait, was published in The Malahat Review, Issue 177, a few years back. They nominated the story for the 2012 Journey Prize, and it ended up as a finalist. That was probably the first time anyone started to know about my writing in any significant way, and I’m glad to see the book that story ended up in being covered by the journal that took a chance on it.

Read the full review right here, through the internet. Otherwise, you can find the whole thing in print in The Malahat Review, Issue 194. It will be in there somewhere, along with work by the likes of Kate Cayley and Steven Heighton.

That’s the latest, friends. Happy Wednesday. So long for now…

Hardcastle

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I got word yesterday, while travelling around Merseyside with family, that my first book, Debris (Biblioasis), was shortlisted for the Second Annual Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. It was chosen in the literary fiction category by Kobo’s bookseller team, along with books by Andrew Battershill, Irina Kovalyova, Sabrina Ramnanan, Tracey Lindberg, and Wendi Stewart. The eventual winner will be determined by acclaimed author Gail Anderson-Dargatz. If not, I hear it will be decided Highlander style…

Here’s some info about the prize, straight from Kobo:

“The award was created with the goal of kick-starting the careers of debut authors, with a $10,000 CAD cash prize awarded to a book in each of three categories: Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, and Genre Fiction (Romance). In addition, each winning author will receive promotional, marketing, and communications support through 2016.

“The shortlist, selected by Kobo’s team of booksellers among traditionally and self-published titles—with book completion rates, customer ratings and reviews considered—comprises six books from each genre. The shortlist will now move on to the final selection process, led by top Canadian authors: Camilla Gibb for Non-Fiction, Gail Anderson-Dargatz for Literary Fiction, and Lynsay Sands for Genre Fiction (Romance), with winners announced on June 21.”

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Thanks to all of the folks involved at Kobo for including this book, and to Gail Anderson-Dargatz for judging the finals. Also, congratulations to the other writers that got shortlisted, in every category. There are some real interesting and inventive books on the list, and not all of them might make a regular CanLit prize list (probably to their credit), so I am proud to have Debris on there.

Also, thanks to Biblioasis for publishing this thing, especially to my editor, John Metcalf, who I owe a bunch of phone calls after I get back, as well as another manuscript.

Click this line for the official release from Kobo, with all the information on the prize and on all of the other shortlists.

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The last bit of news I have, that a bunch of people have probably gathered already, is that I was hired on as Assistant Editor for Open Book: Toronto. You might remember my stint as Writer-in-Residence there in November. Well, I got in as a columnist after that, until the editor position came up. Now I’ll be editing and posting those columns by some great local authors, and fouling up the social media for Open Book. Hardcastle style. Thanks to the other members of the small but mighty Open Book Team, Grace O’Connell and Holly Kent.

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That’s all I got. I’m back to Canada in about a week, and will be at Authors for Indies on April 29th, appearing at Book City, Bloor West Village, from 4pm to 5pm. I’ll also be at Rowers Reading Series on May 2nd. Until then, take care and cheers to everyone who spread word about this Kobo news yesterday and other writing things. You are #1.

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There are a few things that will likely not suck that are happening in about a month or so. Even though I am involved in them. The first is that I’ve been asked to participate in Authors for Indies Day, taking place all over the country on April 30th. I will be hunkered down at the Book City in Bloor West Village, Toronto. That is also a place where I some days work and tell people to read my book and the books of my friends and of Cormac McCarthy and Daniel Woodrell and nobody else. So that is nice.

Check the Authors for Indies site to see what bookstores you can visit and where and why. There are many excellent writers and reasonable human beings who will be part of this day, so get out there and talk to them. Do not let them sit in a chair weeping while you all try and find Yann Martel between his crossfit classes.

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A couple days later, on May 2nd, I’ll be at Rowers Reading Series. I’m not sure who the other guest authors are that night, but it’ll be up soon enough and I’ll invite people using the internet. The readings take place at The Central, on Markham and Bloor St. in Toronto. They tend to start early, before 7pm, but I’ll post the exact details when the event page is complete. I don’t have any other readings lined up that I know of, so this might be the last one until fall. Go to it. Thanks.

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The last thing that I never posted on here was a playlist I did for Largehearted Boy, the excellent music and literature site out of NYC, run by David Gutowski. As part of the Book Notes series that many other big deal and emerging writers have participated in over the years. The list goes along with my short story collection, Debris, as it was just released to massive fanfare in the United States. Anyway, check out my playlist by clicking the link in the above text, or the Spotify playlist below. At the actual site you can read my write-ups on all the Drive-By Truckers, Springsteen, RATM, and Sinead O’Connor I chose and learn the whys of them all. Thanks to Mr. Gutowksi for asking me to do this one, and to Grant Munroe at Biblioasis for setting it all up.

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That’ll do it for today. I have more news that I’ll talk about separate, probably in a post to be posted over the weekend. Until then, cheers and keep the dream alive…

KH