Previous posts featured my TV interviews on CTV's "Canada AM," Global's "Morning Show," and CHCH's "Morning Live." While I have given some brief context about each interview and added some (self-deprecating) play-by-play accompaniment, I haven't really compared the...
It was August 2011. And with my new books stacked neatly around my condo, it was time to get the word out to the media—months in advance of the actual launch date. In an earlier post, I mentioned that the hardest part of publishing is breaking down the traditional...
It was at Christmas time that I made the fateful decision to publish my first book. It was one year ago today—almost to the very moment. In previous posts, I’ve described the inspiration, the creation, the inherent obstacles, the long waits, and the gate keepers. But...
I didn’t exactly idly wait around while agents and publishers mulled over my manuscript and then concocted creative letters to let me down easily. I started to outline book number two. And then in the summer of 2009, I traveled to England and Spain to inspect the...
After my research trip to Italy, I returned to Toronto with a basic plan. I had to transcribe all my handwritten notes into my computer. And organize them properly. And research some more. And then actually start writing the thing. I had no idea on how long it would...
I had already toyed with the idea of writing a book. Not a travel book. And not a novel. But something in between. I had read several travel books and was usually left a little… wanting. The authors were often a little pretentious—writing about the unrefined locals...
This is the story about a robbery in Rome. And yes, the robbery derailed a potentially thrilling adventure. But it was also the inspiration behind the birth of my first book... "The Background" In the spring of 2004, I had finished my contract working as an...