Thursday, April 7, 2011

BLAME CANADA

In early May, I’ll be flying to Canada to participate in the Ottawa International Writer’s Festival.  Along with speaking—and reading—at a variety of local schools to promote Imaginalis, I’ll be joining fellow novelist and comic book scribe Mike Carey (perhaps best known for his much-praised Vertigo books Lucifer and The Unwritten) for a talk at the Ottawa Public Library called Worlds Within Worlds:  A Masterclass on Novels and Graphic Novels.  (Mike C and I have both done promotional interviews with poet and blogger Rob McLennan.  You can read mine here and Mike’s here.)  I’ve been to the OIWF before and it was a wonderful experience.  I suspect the second visit will be even better.  Please join us if you can.

10 comments:

  1. I always make it a policy to blame Canada, JMD. I mean seriously, where were the Mounties when that poor kid nearly fell to his death at Niagra Falls in SUPERMAN II? It was a flying farmboy from the American heartland that saved him! :)

    In all seriousness, it sounds like it'll be a great event, and I've got nothing but love for the country that gave us Shatner. I've got a brother in law who lives pretty close to the Canadian border, and I might just get the opportunity to see New York, New York, NY, and Canada next year. (That's admittedly a confusing sentence structure, but I've always thought of New York, New York as a different world from the rest of the state.)

    ReplyDelete
  2. NYC is definitely its own world, David. More than that, each borough is its own sub-world. Hope you make it there for your Grand Tour.

    As for Canada: I've been to Toronto, Quebec and Ottawa and really enjoyed them all.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hope so. I've always been fascinated by how New York is virtually its own character in every film, book, or song where it's the setting. So I've always come at NY through fiction, but there's clearly something wondrous about it that permeates everything it touches. If I do visit, it will be like part of a story 33 years in the making.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Sounds great, David: I hope it happens!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good to hear you're coming to Canada, my friend. Haven't been to Ottawa for many years myself. Funny (to me) how you say you've been to Toronto (city), Ottawa (city), and Quebec (province), rather than saying exactly where in Quebec. Was it like Vegas--what happens in 'Quebec' stays in 'Quebec'? : ) Ha! Would love to see you make an appearance at FanExpo this year. My sis and I will be there with a table in Artist Alley representing our inde. comic book company SillWill Press with some new books! Including the final (and long awaited) volume to "The Sorcerer's Children" trilogy. Should be cool. And I may just have a new book out too--story and art by me--if all goes well. So far I'm happy with how it's coming along. We also recently were a part of "Comic Book Literacy Day" that was in conjunction with the city library here in London, Ontario. Went great, too. All the best with your trip and festival in Ottawa, J.M!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hope you can forgive my ignorance where Quebec is concerned, A. Jaye!

    Happy to hear that there's a new SORCERER'S CHILDREN coming. I hope you have great success with it. And I look forward to seeing the book you're both writing and drawing.

    I'd love to come back to Toronto for FanExpo, but -- for this year at least -- the dates just don't work for me.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks, J.M. Will let you know when the books are ready and coming out. In the meantime, if you're curious or interested in another book we put together with the editorial help of our older sister, Francie, you can check out www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/783293. It's a hardcover art book. And no worries about Quebec, I've never even made it there myself! Talk soon.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thanks, A. Jaye, I'll check out the link!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hey J.M.,

    If you pass through Montreal on your way to or from Ottawa, it would be my pleasure to treat you to a famous smoked meat sandwich at Schwartz's Deli. Just let me knoe!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thanks for the offer, SHSH...but I'm going to be in and out of Ottawa in a few days -- it's a quick trip -- and not stopping anyplace else. Enjoy the smoked meat! All the best -- JMD

    ReplyDelete