A million thanks to Doubleday Canada/Bond Street Books and my editor Janie Yoon. And to Dean Cooke, Ron Eckel, and all of the magical people at CookeMcDermid.
Mara O’Hare hasn’t been home to North Simcoe County in years, but she’s pulled back after the death of her father. Reunited with her sisters Beth and Emma, the three women fight to hold onto the farm they’ve inherited. But with it, their father left behind a long-buried secret: an inheritance of violence none of them were prepared for.
Taut, propulsive, and deeply unsettling, County Road Six is an unforgettable family saga about gender and class, rural communities, fathers and daughters — and what the people we come from leave inside us, whether we want it or not.
I’ll also be around the land throughout the year, starting with some events in Ontario. So check out the gallery below for all the details about where you can find me in person, reading and yammering on about writey things with various amazing authors and folks in the literary community.
If you happen to be in or near one of these towns, come by and check out some rural North Simcoe County mayhem, with feelings.
We’re just under a week away from the publication of my new novel, COUNTY ROAD SIX, which will land in bookstores on May 19th. As you can see, I’ve already been fortunate enough to get a whack of copies from the magical people at Doubleday Canada, and it looks pretty damn impressive (which I can say, cause I didn’t actually make the physical book).
There are a number of events I’m doing around the land after that, and I’ll post again very shortly to share all of those with you, and will recreate that tab on my page so that you can find them easily there. The summer tends to be quiet for book events, but, given the timing, I’m also hoping to pick it up again in the fall at some of the many glorious fests that take place throughout the country. More to come when any new dates or details come in.
In the meantime, the most sincere thanks to my editor Janie Yoon at Bond Street Books/Doubleday Canada, and to publisher Amy Black, managing editor Maria Golikova, and to the copyeditors and readers for the novel, including Melanie Little and Tilman Lewis. And, also, Kathleen Jones and the folks who worked on the audiobook version, performed by Jenny Pudavick. I’ve also been very lucky to be in the good hands of some of the best publicists in the game, including Steven Myers, Kaitlin Smith, and Taylor Rice!
Of course, none of this would have happened without the incredible agents at Cooke McDermid, firstly Dean Cooke, who worked with me on COUNTY ROAD SIX for years until we had it in the right shape to send out to publishers. I was very happy that he was able to get this across the line with a formidable major press before he took his well-earned retirement. With that said, many folks out there in the literary world will know that we lost Dean not long ago, and on top of the sizable heartache I’ve felt over that, I just wish he’d been able to hold this novel in his hands…
Of course, I have been taken on by Ron Eckel, who joined Dean in the latter years to work on the novel and take the baton from there. He has championed my work tirelessly, and I hope to work with him for a very long time. I’ve also been shown stellar support from Paige Sisley and Carolyn Buszynski, along with Suzanne Brandreth and the rest of the Cooke McDermid crew. Through their hard work, and keen eye, the novel got to Anna Deroy and Sanjana Seelam at William Morris Endeavor, and they now represent COUNTY ROAD SIX for film and television along with CMD.
There are so many more that I’m grateful to in and outside of the literary scene, and they’re all in the acknowledgements for their support. But, a shout out here to my wife, who had to live with me while I wrote this story. And, if you know what I write already, it ain’t always easy or pretty, and takes a lot to get on the page, but she put up with me all the while.
May 19th, friends. Mark it on your calendars, and come see me talk about the novel at various events in the coming weeks if you want to hear more. There are some interviews already in the can and on the way, and reviews to come as well, and I’ll share them all as they appear.
Otherwise, there are interviews and reviews on the way in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out for those. I’ll be making an appearance on CBC Bookends with Mattea Roach, which I’m really looking forward to. And, I’ll also be speaking to film critic and all-around pop-culture wizard Richard Crouse shortly about the new novel. There’s more coverage on top of that as well, but I’ll share it as it comes in.
Kevin Hardcastle 