Wow, It was Close

Canada Reads 2011 picked the political satirical novel, The Best Laid Plans, by first time author  Terry Fallis.

Fallis was in Thunder Bay last August as a presenter at The Sleeping Giant Writers Festival.  He spoke about the travail of getting the book published. Rejection followed rejection.  He entered the book in the Leacock  contest and won.  He also podcast the book in segments using his own store-bought set-up and a quiet room at the top of his house.  Soon, he had picked up a following.  Finally and at last, a publisher.  I talked to Terry after the workshop and he praised  our festival highly. 

Terry toppled The Birth House by Ami McKay in a dramatic finish to this year's contest.  This morning, the participants voted off Carol Shield's Unless which was the audience favourite and The Bone Cage by Angie Abdou.  The graphic novel Essex County by Jeff Lemire had been eliminated last week.  (For a complete list of the books in the running,  scroll down and check the side bar.)

Congratulations to Terry Fallis.  Come back to Thunder Bay.