all about canadian books
on YouTube
If you LOVE books...I interview new & established authors to find out the
author's story (SO fun to get to know them) & the story behind their book.
How does hockey inspire author Leslie Krueger? Let’s find out… Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. Welcome to all about canadian books. This week’s guest is Lesley Krueger. Leslie Krueger is the author of 5 novels and 7 books. She is a prolific filmmaker—16 films over 16 years—ranging from micro-budget shorts to studio features. We’ll be discussing Lesley’s novel Time Squared. It was published by ECW Press Here's what it's about: Robin and Eleanor meet in 1811 at the British estate of Eleanor’s rich aunt Clara. Robin is about to leave to fight in the Napoleonic Wars, and her aunt rules out a marriage between them. Everyone Eleanor knows, including Robin, believe they’ve always lived in these times. But Eleanor has strange glimpses of other eras, dreams that aren’t dreams but memories of other lives. And their time jumps start as their romance deepens. Robin fights in the Boer War, the First and Second World Wars, in Vietnam and Iraq. Meanwhile, Eleanor struggles to figure out what’s going on, finally understanding that she and Robin are being manipulated through time. Who is doing this, and why? Arriving in modern times, Eleanor sets off to confront the ones she discovers are behind this — chess masters playing her like a pawn. Eleanor’s goal? To free herself to live out her life on her own terms. To find out if Eleanor frees herself, you have to read Time Squared! To learn more about Lesley and to check out ALL her fabulous projects Lesley's #1 Writing Tip & Book Reading I really like Lesley's writing tip and that being to write without being self-conscious. I would also like to apply this to my life! Enjoy Lesley's reading!
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How do the Northern Shores of Lake Superior inspire author David Giuliano? Let’s find out… But before we do…if you LOVE books and the stories behind them, be sure to subscribe to my channel. Interviews are posted bi-weekly. Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. Welcome to all about canadian books. This week’s guest is David Giuliano. David Giuliano is a spiritual guide, award-winning writer and speaker. In 1987, he was ordained as a minister in The United Church of Canada. He is a cancer survivor. David enjoys the Canadian outdoors. We’ll be discussing David’s first novel The Undertaking of Billy Buffone which was published by Latitude46. Here's what it's about: ... A vivid portrait of lives intertwined in the search for redemption amidst the uncovering of dormant truths a small town tried to bury. IN THE SPIRIT OF THE BOYS OF ST. VINCENT, David Giuliano creates a story of trauma, humour and redemption. Catherine, a newly minted preacher, moves to Twenty-Six Mile House, an isolated community in northern Ontario and befriends the quirky undertaker Billy Buffone who has a disturbing secret he has carried for almost two decades. Billy’s best friend, now deceased, leads the reader through the traumatic events of today and those from the never-forgotten past. When I was reading this book, I realized I was skipping paragraphs because I was rushing to figure out why the narrator was dead (and a few other things, I won't mention). Because I didn’t want to miss anything I had to slow it down, go back and read those paragraphs! To learn more about David and to check out his other work David's #1 Writing Tip & Book Reading For writers who are tackling the editing process, David suggests to leave out the parts that you skip over when you are reading your work. This made me laugh because it's soooooo true as we writers become attached to our words and sometimes need a little encouragement to use that delete button! David's reading is a VERY powerful excerpt from the first chapter. I found the first chapter challenging to get through but I am SO glad I kept going because I became quite invested in the characters and the mystery surrounding them. What inspires author Nicole Luongo? Let’s find out… But before we do…if you LOVE books and the stories behind them, be sure to subscribe to my channel. Interviews are posted bi-weekly. Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. Welcome to all about canadian books. This week’s guest is Nicole Luongo. Nicole is a writer and educator who holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in sociology from the University of British Columbia and approximately 1/60 of a PhD from the University of Oxford. She is currently figuring out what she likes. We’ll be discussing Nicole’s memoir The Becoming which was published by Inanna Publications. The Becoming is a brutal account of mental illness by a woman who doesn’t believe in mental illness. As the author embarks on a PhD at the University of Oxford, a lifetime of addiction, eating disorders, and trauma culminates in an explosive hospital stay that sees her achieve liberation through psychosis. Her journey from terror to acceptance is grueling, and she makes meaning of it by weaving reflexive narrative with classic and nascent scholarship. Nicole's Memoir Writing Tips & Reading Nicole advises writers to be prepared for multiple revisions. And, before you decide to write about your life you need to carefully out weight the positives and the negatives about sharing your story. How do Persian carpets inspire author Lucy EM Black? Let’s find out… But before we do…if you LOVE books and the stories behind them, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel. Interviews are posted bi-weekly and you don't want to miss them! Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. Welcome to all about canadian books. This week’s guest is Lucy EM Black. Lucy was formerly an educator; she’s a writer, author of award-winning short stories that have been published in Britain, Ireland, the USA, and Canada. Lucy is an inveterate eavesdropper who collects voices, dialects, and stories, and she weaves them tenderly into stories so real we come to believe that we have actually met her characters. We discussed Lucy’s 3rd novel Stella’s Carpet, which was published by Now or Never Publishing and will be released on Oct. 16. ... A Holocaust survivor and a woman briefly imprisoned during the Iranian Revolution are among the characters in this story. Experiences overlap, as individuals’ step outside the shadow of their own histories and make conscious decisions about how they choose to live while forging new understandings of family, forgiveness and reconciliation. Stella’s Carpet examines the following…how do we survive the unimaginable? How do we live with the secrets of our past? And, at what price? You’re going to have to read it to find out! If you'd like to learn more about Lucy and Persian carpets (they are EXQUISITE) there's an interesting story about them on her website. Lucy's #1 Writing Tip & Book Reading Watch! Lucy discuss her writing process; she breaks it down into three chunks. 1. The Prewriting Process 2. The Writing Process 3. The Editing Process She does a fabulous job (you can tell she was an educator)! Prolific award-winning writer Eric Walters wants Canadians to read MORE Canadian books! Hi! My name is crystal fletcher and welcome to all about canadian books. In continuing with the discussion about what’s going on in the Canadian book industry today’s guest is Eric Walters. Eric was a social worker turned educator, he’s a coach, an award-winning, best-selling author of young adult and children’s picture books. He has written a whooping 125+ books. Has over 100 awards including the Order of Canada and the Governor General's Literary Award. Eric’s books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, he has presented to more than 2 million students from North America, Japan, Kenya and Germany. To promote Canadian authors and their books Eric spearheaded the ‘I Read Canadian Day,’ which is a national day of celebration of Canadian books for young people and the focus of our discussion. To see ALL his books and to learn more about Eric
with owner & publisher Noelle Allen, Wolsak & Wynn Hi! My name is crystal fletcher and welcome to all about canadian books. This week, I’m hosting a special series that takes a peak at what’s going on in the Canadian book industry. Before I introduce this week’s guest…if you LOVE books and the stories behind them, be sure to subscribe to my channel. Interviews are posted bi-weekly, and you don’t want to miss them. My guest today is Noelle Allen. She’s the owner and publisher of Wolsak and Wynn an award-winning literary press based in Hamilton, Ontario. She is also the past-chair of the Literary Press Group, gritlit: Hamilton’s Readers and Writers Festival and of the Hamilton Arts Council Literary Advisory Committee, where she managed the Hamilton Literary Awards. Currently Noelle is also the essay editor for the Hamilton Review of Books and manages the literary programing for Super Crawl, Hamilton’s largest outdoor arts festival. We discussed, her career highlight (Noelle has been in the industry for 3 decades), manuscripts that grab her attention, the challenges of being an independent publisher in Canada before and amid COVID-19. **CORRECTION: Apparently, I did not have enough coffee as I referred to 'independent' publishing as 'indie.' OMG! And, Noelle was very Canadian and did not correct me! I am SO embarrassed and BIG apologies. OMG!** To check out Wolsak & Wynn's releases and to see what's new
Like many Canadians during the pandemic, I have read a TON of books (and counting!). But…how many of these books are by Canadian authors? Why aren't Canadians reading Canadian books? Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. This week on all about canadian books I’m hosting a special series that examines what’s going on in the Canadian book industry (and I must confess I had no idea). To kick-off the series author Susan Swan is back. Susan Swan is a journalist, feminist, novelist, activist, teacher, gardener and is passionate about Canadian authors and Susan is here to discuss why Canadians aren’t reading Canadian books (and it's not because Canada does not have any talented authors). Here's what Susan has to say about Canada's literary crisis. To read Susan's article in Now magazine To visit Susan's website During our interview, I referred to the book industry having a bit of a silver lining at the end of 2020 because the Department of Canadian Heritage injected a one time $10 million into it. This program allowed independent Canadian book distributors to offer incentives to retail bookstores to increase their stocks of Canadian books. It worked. Canadian-authored books accounted for almost a fifth of all book sales in 2020 in independent book stores across our country. Click here, to read the report. Up next, Noelle Allen, owner and publisher, Wolsak and Wynn.
How does Newfoundland inspire author Damhnait Monaghan? Let's find out... Hi! My name is crystal fletcher. Welcome to all about canadian books! This week’s guest is Damhnait Monaghan. Damhnait grew up in Ontario and Newfoundland & Labrador. She's a former teacher and lawyer and an award-winning flash fiction writer. Damhnait currently resides in the south of England with her husband, two teens and dogs. We chatted about her debut novel New Girl in Little Cove, which was published by Harper Collins. ... It’s 1985. When new teacher Rachel O’Brien arrives in a tiny fishing village, seeking a fresh start after her father dies and her relationship ends, but she soon realizes the most important lessons are the ones she learns outside the classroom. From the anonymous notes that keep appearing on her car, telling her to GO HOME, the charm of Newfoundland’s distinctive music and culture, budding feelings for fellow teacher Doug to a clash with church and community that throws her career into jeopardy. Let’s just say…it’s quite a year for Rachel O’Brien and you’ll have to read New Girl in the Cove to find out what ‘come from away’ Rachel learns. I love that The Globe and Mail describes this romantic comedy as "a warm hug of a book." To learn more about Damhnait Damhnait's Perseverance Pays Off & a Reading Many writers are familiar with rejection (I know I am). In her book's acknowledgements Damhnait mentions that "countless rejections and near misses," led to her putting her manuscript on the shelf. For fellow writers out there who are feeling a little discouraged about the query process don't miss Damhnait share her story about what led to her taking that manuscript off the shelf. As I listened to Damhnait read, I can clearly picture Rachel O'Brien's arrival at Little Cove, Newfoundland.
How do the foothills of southern Alberta inspire author Sophie Stocking? Hello! My name is crystal fletcher. If you're new to all about canadian books Welcome! And, if you’re returning, Welcome Back! This week’s guest is Sophie Stocking. Sophie has a very diverse career—social work, architecture, and motherhood. She also pursued fiction at the Alexandra Writer’s Centre and at the University of Calgary. We chatted about Sophie’s collection of short stories Walking Leonard & Other Stories, which was published by Guernica Editions. These stories depict unspoken pivot points in the lives of ordinary people. Themes include responsibility and violation between parent and child, nature as a protective force, and the shucking off of various selves in the process of a lifetime. The stories spring from the foothills of southern Alberta, specifically Calgary, and some even more specifically from the historic neighbourhood of Bowness. And, there's more... Also included in this interview is some fabulous advice for writers. Sophie says..."ignore some of the advice that's out there!" (love this :))
I hope you enjoyed our interview and Sophie's reading from Walking Leonard and Other Stories. To learn more about Sophie One year ago, I posted the first all about canadian books author interview on YouTube! Woohoo! What a year it's been...41 interviews! I have LOVED it and am filled with gratitude. It has been an absolute joy to speak with SO many talented authors and to hear them discuss the stories behind their books. Happy Writing to all! A BIG thanks to all the dedicated people who work at At Bay Press, Breakwater Books, Cormorant Editions, Guernica Editions, Inanna Publications, NON, Penguin Canada, Simon and Schuster Canada, Wolsak and Wynn and Wintertickle Press. It's been a pleasure to collaborate. Thanks for all the INCREDIBLE (my favourite word today) books. And, a HUGE thanks to the viewers. I thank you for watching and for your support. Happy Reading! And, PLEASE click this link to subscribe to my channel. I look forward to reading and speaking with more Canadian authors in season 2! Thanks for supporting your local bookstore. Not sure where to find one Many thanks. Merci. Namaste. Wela'lin. 🙏 |
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