Practically Side-Splitting

After hearing so many great things about Trevor Cole's Practical Jean, I finally gave it a read.

I mean, it won the 2011 Stephen Leacock Medal for humour, I had heard him interviewed several times on a couple of great CBC radio programs and Cole was also writer in residence at McMaster a few years ago, likely had been working on this novel while he was haunting the halls of the Department of English and Cultural Studies and helping local writers with their own projects.

This book had long been on my "to read" list but I still hadn't picked it up. I finally ended up reading the NetGalley version of the book on my ereader - this was in anticipation of the Harper Collins US release of the book. (In Canada, the book is published by Mclelland & Stewart - a subsidiary of Random House Canada)

Harper Collins US cover

I kind of prefer the Canadian cover for the book (below), which seems to properly capture the feel for the hilarious superimposition of Jean's "traditional housewife" character with the morbidity of the story - and yes, it's these two elements so masterfully meshed together, which make the novel such a great read.

M&S Canadian cover

In a nutshell, the novel concerns itself with a middle aged relatively bland woman living her bland suburban life in a small town. When she loses her mother, realizing how completely helpless she is to do anything to either save her or prevent her suffering, she decides to do all of her loved ones a favour by ensuring they experience a great moment of happiness before killing them; in essence preventing them from the kind of horrible suffering that her mother experienced.

There is a beautiful flashback scene to Jean as a little girl being forced by her mother to practice euthanasia on a pack of puppies which helps paint for the reader how Jean's view of the world can be painted.

Cole brilliantly pulls off this morbid tale of a house-wife gone mad and beginning a serial-killer string of activities. The novel is, at once disturbing and hilarious. There is a fine balance kept whereby the dark humour doesn't overshadow the story and characters, nor do the graphic scenes of murder detract from the emotional plunge Jean is going through.

It is both amazing and disturbing to see the woman justify her every action, to ensure that her plan is practical and generous; to see how she is sacrificing so much of her own life and her own needs in order to do the best she can be the people she loves most.

So, while the novel is filled to the brim with a morbid humour, Cole manages to pull back, just enough and at the right times, to illustrate a main character whom we can empathize with. And yet, at the same time, we offer a guilty chuckle at her exploits. We want to laugh at her but also cry in her pain.

This is a masterfully executed story and novel that, so many times could have devolved into a schlocky over-the-top series of dark humour jokes; but Cole demonstrates the precise skill of a surgeon in terms of being able to steer the prose, story and Jean's very character away from that path at exactly the right moments.

Tiny Bubbles In The Bowl

Remember those smiling little bubble soldiers from the Scrubbing Bubbles television commercials?

You know, the ones that work hard cleaning your bathtub and sink so that you don't have to? Well they're back with a new product that I checked out via BzzAgent.

I signed up to receive a free sample of the new Scrubbing Bubbles One Step Toilet Bowl Cleaner. We got it last week and have been using it for a while. God, why hadn't they invented these things when I was a bachelor? My apartment would have been sparkling clean. Well, at least my toilet bowl would have been sparkling clean.

Okay, yes, I was disappointed that I didn't get to see those smiling little Bubble Soldiers zip around the bowl and clean (yes, part of me hoped I'd see them smiling while they worked, occasionally looking up and winking at me and saying: "Don't worry, Mark, we're on the case. We'll have this toilet bowl spiffy clean in no time. Your presence and efforts are not needed here. You simply go back into the living room and sit down and relax with that book you've been itching to pick up and get back into."

But even though I didn't get to watch these fun cartoon characters in action . . . (as seen in the TV commercial clip below)




. . . I'm still rather impressed with the simplicity and ease of use with this product.

You simply install it on the side of your toilet bowl and slip in the refill canister (the process takes about 2 minutes). Then, twice a day you step on the little "gas pedal" for about a second to release the little smiling guys into your toilet bowl - the spray covers the entire interior of the bowl (but do be careful, if you stick your head down too low in an attempt to look closely and smile back at the little smiling bubbles you could get a face-full of the cleaner)

About the only disappointing thing about this new product is the fact that my seven year old son Alexander enjoys the simple process of stepping on the pedal and releasing the cleaner.

This means that, while I initially got to enjoy playing with this fun new product, I haven't had a chance recently. Alexander is hogging all the fun.

Yes, imagine this: My son and I are now fighting over who gets to clean the toilet. It's like a dream come true for my wife.

HNT - True Stories Picks

I was recently contacted by CBC Books for a bookseller poll for Canada Reads 2012 - the question was what five books would I select for the best "True Story" pics.

It was certainly an interesting and challenging list to pick from. I wanted to be able to select from the full range of the types of non-fiction/true story books I had read. The selection I ended up going with was something that I feel nicely represents the range of my preferred reading tastes whenever I do pick up a non-fiction book, particularly one with biographical elements.

Here's what I wrote for my submission of the five titles...

"In determining this list I had to wanted to think about Canadian authored books I had read that not only told some sort of "true story" but which also had a significant impact on me. I'm primarily a fan of fiction, and, as such, I don't typically read a lot of biographical books. When I read non-fiction I tend to want to read something that will teach me something. To that end, each of the five books I selected ended up teaching me something. It might have been something new that I was enlightened to learn, it might have been a perspective I hadn't previously considered; but in many cases, the reading of these "tales" taught me something new about myself. Reading these books altered my perception, my understanding and the stories stayed with me long after reading them. I tried to draw a list that ran the full spectrum of the types of "true stories" that I like -- stories that demonstrate growth, learning, the gaining of wisdom through trial and error and overcoming the various trials and tribulations that eventually build character."

And here are the books I picked....

• Last Resort: A Memoir - Linwood Barclay
• The first book by Barclay which I read and which turned me on to his wonderful mixture of being funny yet touching at the same time. It was only later that he also demonstrated his mastery of suspense I bought the book after seeing him read at Word on the Street in Toronto. I was working the Toronto Star booth that day and heard the same reading 3 or 4 times - he was just as fascinating every single time I heard it, which sold me on the fact I had to read this book. It was a great introduction to a brilliant writer.
• Traveling Music: The Soundtrack to my Life and Times - Neil Peart
• Peart is a talented and passionate writer. His lyrics are what drew me to listen to Rush in the first place, so when he started writing (this is one of about half a dozen of his books) This biographical look at his life, told with respect to the music he was listening to as he was experiencing that life was a wonderful way to explore his life as a musician, a husband, a father and a friend. This book is incredibly touching, thoughtful, introspective, observant, funny, insightful; even if you've never listened to Rush you can enjoy the tale he unravels.
• Negotiating with the Dead - Margaret Atwood
• This academically styled look at writers and writing is wonderfully interspersed with Atwood's personal reflections and life experiences. It offers a thoughtful and in depth look at the profession and culture of writing and yet contains enough "light" personal references to be seen in a biographical light. And, as a writer I couldn't resist including this often overlooked gem from one of Canada's most prolific writers.
• Last Canadian Beer: The Moosehead Story - Harvey Sawler
• This isn't just the story of a successful independent Canadian brewery, but it's also a look at the story of a family that built a company up and achieved phenomenal success while following a consistent dream. It's as much a "business" biography book as it is a family legacy. Of course, upon finishing the book, my respect for the people behind the Moosehead brand grew exponentially. Since reading it, I continue to pause to toast the Oland family whenever I enjoy a pint of their beer.
• Me Minus 173: From 328 Lbs to The Boston Marathon
• Snell is a captivating motivational speaker. Her frank and poignant story of how she got to be 43 years old and decided to make some simple changes to improve her health and lifestyle is inspiring and heartfelt. It demonstrates the power of a person's conviction and can likely inspire others to set and stick to simple goals. It's not so much the story of weight-loss as it is a tale that empowers the reader to follow their own dreams. 

And here's a picture of me holding all five books.

What I think I love best about the selection that various booksellers have chosen is that everybody's picks are quite excellent and wonderfully eclectic. Looking at everyone's selections on a whole you can see that we have covered a significant amount of ground. And I was honoured to be included with such great booksellers.

Shortcut To The Giller Shortlist

I was quite pleased to have been invited to yesterday's press conference announcing the 2011 Shortlist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize which was held at The Four Seasons on Avenue Road in Toronto yesterday morning.

The press conference started at 10:30 AM and within the room there were various folks from across the industry. The room was filled with a buzz and excitement that I quite enjoyed. (C'mon, I'm a big book nerd - any time you get me into a room where there are people excited about books and writing, how could I not be excited)

As everybody took their seats and the introductions to the event began, I made the mistake of looking down at my Twitter feed. There were folks in the room "live Tweeting" the event. But then I discovered something that took a bit of the air out of the proceedings for me. The shortlist had already gone live and people were already starting to tweet about the books and authors on the shortlist before the official live announcement had taken place.

The 2011 ShortList Titles - Full Details are available on the Scotiabank/Giller website

I love social media, and I love the connectivity - particularly when you're there and watching something going down live and get an extra layer of commentary to go along with the live experience. It becomes a sort of augmented reality.

I'm just upset that I looked down and saw the list before it could be unveiled in front of me. I suppose it was kind of like knowing the present that is about to be unwrapped.

I'm not much for spoilers. I much prefer the anticipation, the surprise, the thrill.

How about you?

Change My Life Again

One of my favourite pics of me at Titles Bookstore

Friday September 30, 2011 was my last day at Titles Bookstore McMaster University.

It was a bitter-sweet ending for me.

Very tough to decide to leave; but sweet to be leaving in order to explore some exciting new horizons.

I started at the bookstore at the end of the summer in 2006 after having spent 14 years with my previous company. I've always thought of myself as a loyal "stick with it" sort of person, but when you look at the actual details, when I left Indigo, I'd really only worked for Indigo for a few years.

Back in 1992 when I started with that company, the company was called Coles The Book People, and I'd started as a part-time bookseller at the Coles on Sparks Street in Ottawa. And, though I'd been with the same company for 14 years, the company itself evolved as did my roles within in.

In 1994 Coles and Smithbooks merged, creating Chapters. I had moved around in various positions within Coles and Chapters, working at various stores in Ottawa and Hamilton, never staying in a single role for more than a couple of years. Just as I settled in and got comfortable, my regional manager would move me to a different store - it worked out nicely because it gave me exposure to different stores, different environments, different customer bases.

In 1997 Francine and I moved to Hamilton and I worked at the Chapters in Ancaster in the role of Product Manager (which involved a lot of buying which I quite enjoyed). Then in 1999 I moved to the online division of Chapters to learn the ins and outs of electronic data.  Chapters eventually got bought out by Indigo in 2001 and within the changes my roles and responsibilities also morphed.

It was getting to the point where I was becoming more of an IT person and less of a "book" person - that is part of what prompted me to want to move to the bookstore at McMaster in 2006. The other reason was that commuting to Toronto was difficult with a 2 year old son whom I wanted to spend more time with. Leaving a great team was difficult but something I had to do (a feeling I'm experiencing all over again right now)

Interestingly, the place where I got my start, Coles, began in 1940 as an independent bookstore which opened up down the street from University of Toronto, buying and selling used textbooks. How little did I know that textbooks would end up playing such a major role in my bookselling career.

When I moved to the bookstore at McMaster in 2006 I knew a lot about various aspects of the book industry. But I knew virtually nothing about the academic or education side of the book world. Wow. Did my eyes ever open. Little did I know that the role of buying textbooks wasn't the same sort of fun buying that a general or trade book buyer does. But the fact that it's a faculty member deciding what books to buy doesn't make the job any easier. If anything, it makes it three or four times more complex and challenging.

I spent the past five years re-learning the entire book world and being presented with an entirely fresh viewpoint of the academic bookstore. Part of what helped was I had the best of both worlds. I got to work with both general books (the McMaster bookstore boasted one of the largest selections of general trade books a person could find at a University bookstore) as well as with textbooks. The buyers in the general books area had as many years of experience as I did and were true "book people" who actually read and cared for books in that traditional bookseller role. And the textbook buyers had been around even longer; two had started at the McMaster bookstore the year I was born and all three combined had well over 100 years of experience. They certainly taught me a great deal; central to which was always keeping in mind the fact we were there to serve the needs of the students and faculty.

Sue, Linda, Ted, me, Rick, Sherri and Helen - my Course Materials Family at Titles

So many folks that I had the privilege of working with at McMaster taught me so much. The team there was very much like a family to me. Most folks working there had been there for a long time, life-long employees of the university; life-long employees of the bookstore. And, though there weren't as many true die-hard booklovers there as I had originally hoped, they each brought something special and unique to the team. And when times got tough, the team came together and supported one another.

Leaving that family, the special environment I had grown to love over the years was an extremely difficult decision to make. In the five years I had spent at McMaster I feel deeply in love with the campus itself, the people there and the richness of the academic environment. I cared deeply for my store as if it were my own business and as if the expenses came out of my own pocket. And I invested as much of myself in the success of the business as if it were my own.

It was just as difficult leaving the continually growing Espresso Book Machine business there, which I had started to build in 2008, often seeing "Mippy" as my baby.  Mippy is the nickname I gave to our EBM - we called the operation "Titles on Demand" for fun and obvious name recognition for the book lovers or "McMaster Innovation Press" for the more serious or academically inclined -- "Mippy" was my pet name for the "MiP" term. Our EBM business forged entirely new business opportunities, established creative partnerships with local authors and with publishers all around the globe. It has been exciting and rich to be a pioneer in the realm of bringing Print on Demand into a retail bricks and mortar operation. Letting go of that was also very tough.

It was also at McMaster that I became involved in Canadian Booksellers Association, joining the board of directors so that I could see what CBA might be able to offer our campus bookstore. I found great riches and opportunities for booksellers in joining an association that focused on collaboration and booksellers working together, and through that have had the great privilege of serving as President. I also became involved in the Campus Stores Canada group as well as the Canadian Campus Retail Associates group -- two other fine collections of campus people working together and sharing.

But beyond all the fun and wonderful things I got to do because of my role as Book Operations Manager at Titles Bookstore was a very single and unique benefit. During what is known as the "Rush" periods (the typically busy season of returning students in September and January - a campus bookseller's busiest times of year - equivalent to the Christmas and Boxing Day rushes felt in other retail environments) I spent most of my time out on the sales floor helping students. I can't begin to describe just how satisfying it has been to be able to assist students with picking out their required course materials; always attempting to help them make the best decision for their particular circumstances, getting the most value for the least amount of money. It is, of course, a challenging task, particularly given the price of textbooks -- but there were various ways to assist students with saving money by making intelligent decisions based on their own needs, their own study habits and their own long term goals. Walking a first year student through the process and trying to help them make solid decisions that were best for them are among my most cherished memories of working at McMaster. And I had been there long enough to see several students through from their first day until graduation. (Yes, the bookstore also takes care of providing gowns and caps to students - so you got the benefit of seeing a nervous first year student looking for books, then, a few years later, congratulating them on the successful completion of their degree while putting a gown on them - talk about incredible job satisfaction!)

So I had spent 5 years at Titles Bookstore at McMaster. In retrospect, it was the longest time I had been in any single position. That, in and of itself, should speak volumes towards how much I loved my job and loved the campus I was supporting. I love the fact that the bookstore's mandate was to aid the academic process and that, despite everyone's perspective of the campus bookstore as being "the place that rips you off" there was always a "we're here for the students" perspective that never wavered.

Some of the Titles team a couple of years ago during our "Don' Be Trashy - Recycle Your Used Textbooks" promo

So, last Friday was my last day at this wonderful job. My last day working with a group of people who were very much like family.

It was tough to leave, but the opportunities ahead of me are part of my natural evolution and things that will allow me to continue to grow and expand my horizons, teaching me, yet again, a whole new aspect of the book industry.

As Neil Peart wrote in the lyrics to the Rush song "Fly by Night" I had to follow this feeling inside me not to mention that a change in the season is enough of a reason.

So, whenever I can end a blog post by referring to a set of lyrics from Rush, I've done all right.

HNT - WOTS 2011

I was at The Word On The Street this past Sunday. It's always such a fantastic day. Of course, how could spending a beautiful Sunday afternoon with thousands of people who are there to celebrate reading and advocate literacy (two key ingredients of WOTS) not be a great thing?

Joining several other authors at Horror Writers Association's booth in the Writer's Block, I got a chance to meet a lot of fine folks, bump into friends I haven't seen in a while and share some information about my existing and forthcoming books.

This week's HNT include a few pictures taken that afternoon.

Nancy Kilpatrick, Sephera Giron, Ken Lillie-Paetz, Mark Leslie

Ken and I chatting with a book lover who is checking out CAMPUS CHILLS

For the display table, I had brought a beautiful hand-carved skull chest that I had purchased at a Hamilton street festival just a few weeks before - the Locke Street Festival, which is, like WOTS, always a grand time.

At WOTS I was handing out a coupon code so that people could download a free digital copy of my short story SPIRITS via Smashwords. Since the code is still valid for a few weeks, if you're interested in checking it out, please email me a request with SPIRITS in the subject line and I'll send you the code.

First Major Publisher Finally Gets It!

Last week in what I fully believe will become known as an historic turning point for the publishing industry, HarperCollins Publishers announced a partnership with On Demand Books (makers of the Espresso Book Machine) and something called “Comprehensive Backlist.”

The program will allow any physical bookstore with an Espresso Book Machine the ability to offer thousands of backlist trade paperback titles from HarperCollins to their customers. This means that the vision of walking into your local bookstore only to find the title out of stock and a wait of one to three weeks for that special order to arrive, a thing of the past.

Me and some of the first EBM titles at McMaster in 2009 in front of the EBM 1.5

Now, all the bookseller will need to do is look up the title in their Espresso Book Machine (EBM) catalogue, hit a few buttons, and the perfect bound trade paperback, complete with a full colour cover will be produced right there in the store in a matter of minutes.

This represents the very dream I had envisioned when I set about to purchase the Espresso Book Machine for the bookstore at McMaster back in 2008. Titles Bookstore at McMaster University was the 2nd location in Canada to acquire an EBM and, even though the catalogue of well over a million titles was immediately available, content from the major publishers was still part of the “coming soon” rather than the “feature attraction.” Instead of waiting for the inevitable content, McMaster took a “buy it and they will come” approach and haven’t looked back.

The EBM at McMaster has allowed us to partner with academic publishers to ensure the availability of custom versions of textbooks that helped us save students hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past three years, while increasing bookstore and publisher sell-thru. The EBM has also attracted an entirely new revenue stream due to our ability to offer services for self-publish authors. With an ideal print-run of 1 copy, anybody who ever wanted to follow the dream of publishing their own book saw some previous high barriers fall.

“Bookstores continue to be an important place for customers to shop for physical books,” Brian Murray, Chief Executive Officer at HarperCollins said in a September 22^nd press release. “The goal of this initiative is to give the local bookseller the capability to provide customers with a greater selection of HarperCollins titles in a physical environment.”

Visionary Dane Neller, CEO of On Demand Books applauds HarperCollins on this move. “By committing thousands of titles to the program,” Neller says, “HarperCollins is showing its clear support for bookstores and authors, and reaching more readers.” Neller goes on to state that “Digital-to-Print at Retail” (DPR) will become a powerful new sales channel helping to eliminate lost sales due to out of stock inventory.

This is a day that I dreamed of when I first watched the EBM roll into the bookstore at McMaster University one fine day in November of 2008.

I knew that digital books and ebooks would continue to grow and eventually become a dominant force within the publishing market; but I have also long held the belief that there was a need for digital distribution with a “print local” element – allowing customers who still prefer the printed artefact purchased from their friendly neighbourhood local bookshop an easy way to get access to more titles than can be physically held in a small and often high rent retail space.

We have all seen evidence that bookstores attempting to stock upwards of 100,000 titles on their shelves is not always a fully sustainable business model. The McMaster bookstore, for example, which used to stock 40,000 titles in the store, eventually recognized that the cost of attempting to physically carry “everything” was simply not sustainable. It was the Espresso Book Machine and the continually growing digital catalogue of print on demand titles that allowed us to finally make the change and stop carrying so much backlist and overstock. We knew that the day would come when that backlist (or Chris Anderson’s “long tail” of titles would soon be available in a more convenient fashion for customers, booksellers and publishers thanks to our Espresso Book Machine.

Now that HarperCollins has stepped up to the plate, I’m sure that the other major publishing stakeholders will follow suit.

I’m rather enthusiastic to watch a fresh new opportunity that represents a win situation for publishers, bookstores and authors, particularly at this time of unease and unprecedented change in our industry.

HNT - Avatar

For years I have been using the exact same avatar across various social media platforms. It's the little image of my head, tilted slightly to the side, with some buildings in the distance and an orange post immediately behind my head.

I thought, for this week's HNT, I would reveal where that head-shot came from.

First, I stole the image from a friend's blog back in about 2005. Taras Shuper, a buddy I used to work with at Chapters Online had a list of his blog friends on his side-bar which included images. Shupe (as he is affectionately known my many pals) had cropped that image of my head-shot from a picture I had posted on my blog. I thought it was a cool picture - so I started using it as my avatar for my profile on this blog. As I branched out into various other online social media, I used the same picture.

I thought it would be important for people to be able to recognize me across different platforms, so, using a consistent avatar is one way of ensuring people know that it's the same Mark. I also potentially confuse people since I write fiction under the name "Mark Leslie" and am known in the bookselling world as "Mark Lefebvre" and in various other circles I use the full "Mark Leslie Lefebvre" -- thus, the consistent avatar assures people it's the same me.

The original picture that "Shupe" cropped was one that Francine took of me on the Staten Island ferry. We were in New York City for our anniversary many years ago (I believe it was in 2003), and she snapped this shot of me - we were "close" to the Statue of Liberty and I wanted to get some pictures of us with the beautiful New York city skyline in the background.

New York is an absolutely beautiful city. I have also recently made some changes in my life (which will be revealed very shortly on this blog), in which New York features quite prominently. So I figured this NY picture is rather appropriate right now.

HNT - Boys Being Boys

It has been a busy few weeks. It always gets this way working at a campus bookstore.

The storm will pass, things are already starting to slow down.

For example, yesterday, I only worked 12 hours. It felt, strangely, like a really short day. (It's all relative, right?)

And though this summer was a great one (we had one of the best July's for weather in our little part of the world), it seemed to have passed all too quickly.

This morning I was looking at some pics from the past summer, and laughed when I saw this one of Alexander and I goofing around at the Dinosaur Mini Golf on Clifton Hill in Niagara Falls earlier this summer.

It reminds me of how the fall season brings Halloween -- one of our family's favourite times of year. Fran and I have always loved Halloween.  And, ever since he could walk, Alexander has been involved in the huge tasks involved in purchasing new materials for, deciding on a plan, and setting up our front yard to be a spooky haunted graveyard.

And I just love those special family moments where, after acquiring one or two new Halloween things as a family, Francine sends us out to work in the front yard; then the delight we take in showing her all the details of our new "masterpiece."

Remembering 9/11 Ten Years Later

It has been ten years since the tragic events of Sept 11, 2001.

Several years ago, on the anniversary of the tragic day where 2996 people lost their lives, blogger D. Challenger Roe began Project 2,996 -- it was an exercise in bringing bloggers from around the world together to remember the victims of Sept 11, 2001.

The idea was for bloggers to take the time to get to know one of the people who died and to celebrate and remember their lives rather than focus on the tragedy that befell them that fateful day. I loved the fact that the focus wasn't on the tragedy but on celebrating the lives, the people they had been before 9/11.

I took the time to find information and remember three different individuals over the years. Each year, I go back and re-read the posts about them, think about the lives they lived and the differences they made before their lives were cut short.

The posts about the people are listed below.

Raymond Meisenheimer - Remembering Raymond Meisenheimer  (2006)

Deora Francis Bodley - Remembering The Lives of Two Heros (2007)

David Reed Gamboa Bradhorst & his fathers Daniel Brandhorst and Ronald Gamboa - Project 2996 - Sept 11, 2008 (2008)

A return/overview to the previous posts -Project 2,996 (2009) and yet another revisit last year.


These are just a few of so many lives that have been lost on that day and in the days beyond. So many lives have been altered, the course of history was forever changed. But beneath the world-wide gathering that is occurring on this tenth anniversary, all the memorials and media attention there still lies the simple fact that loved ones were lost, people who loved and were loved and who continue to live on in our memories and hearts.

HNT - Zombie Mark

I didn't leave work last night until almost midnight. I've had too many of the days that never end lately.

It seems as if there's way more to get done than there are hours in a day. And the most frustrating thing is that, even if I had stayed and worked around the clock, I doubt I'd be even close to caught up. To toss in a well-used cliche, it's like I'm trying to squeeze blood from a stone.

On days like these when it feels as if I'm shoveling water, I wonder when I'll start to look like Zombie Mark.

A buddy of mine (a friend I made through the weekly ritual of HNT actually), made this photo of me - this zombi-fied version of me is based on the profile photo/avatar I use for most of my social media presence.I thought it was pretty damn cool. Brandon is a very talented fellow.

Actually, I think the zombie Mark in this picture looks a bit better than I feel right now.

Oh well, onward and upward. If I can't pause to make fun of myself, then what good am I?

What I Missed Today

I just got home from a fourteen hour work day. I have a lot of them this time of year. Not a big deal. What is a big deal to me, though, is that I missed my son's first day of Grade 2.

For Kindergarten and Grade 1, both Francine and I were there.  This year, however, I wasn't able to be here for the first day of school ritual (cue up Cat Stevens' "Cats in the Cradle").

Fortunately, Francine took some pictures, so I could at least see what I missed.

Here are a couple of nice shots of Alexander on his way to school.

Here's ye olde standard first day of school shot . . . .

Then the old "look over the shoulder to show off my new Star Wars Clone Wars backpack" shot . . .

Of course, in the evening, after school, Alexander got his hands on the camera and took a few shots of his own. Experimental fun shots - the kind that show his creative, and "hey, let's check this out" approach that I so love.

There's the: "Look at me posing with the blue bird I bought for Mom at French River." (One of about a dozen self-pics with this bird) . . .

Then there's the: "Hey, look at me posing in front of a digital picture frame that has me in it!"

Then we have the classic: "Oh, look, a mirror! That'd be a great shot!" picture . . .

Followed by a: "Hmm, let me get this up close" shot that ended up turning into a pretty stylish and funky picture, due to the shaky hand blur.

Yes, I missed the first day of school ritual. But I think what I missed more was that fun playful evening I could have spent with my son.

And I'm thankful that though I missed some fun stuff today that I'm usually there for a good part of those playful moments . . . it makes me feel fresh and young.

HNT - Sue Dough Nym

CHCH news recently did a "back to school" piece on ebooks and came to the bookstore at McMaster to look into whether or not more students were buying etextbooks.

I talked about the fact that etextbooks were not like the "general trade" ebooks that you might normally buy from a place like Kobo, for example. (A great example to use since our bookstore sells Kobo readers along with iPads and other tablet devices that are popular because you can run various ebook apps on them).

Etextbooks are typically "time bombed" or set to expire at the end of the term, so, though the student pays slightly less for their etextbook they don't have anything at the end (ie, a book to keep or perhaps sell back into the used market and get some cash for, which typically helps them buy the next textbooks they need on their educational journey) - thus, the initial cost might be a little lower, but the residual value is typically much less in the long run.

Most of the students who have been weighing their options end up finding it a better value to purchase the textbook package which includes access to the etextbook. It is typically not that much more expensive than buying the ebook alone (several times, the ebook is included for free with the new textbook purchase), and they get the flexibility of using both depending on their location/situation. (For example, with a couple of the 1st year books we have for Chemistry and Kinesiology, the textbooks are extremely heavy. The bundled textbook/ebook allows the student to leave the textook in their dorm-room rather than lug it across campus, and if the prof refers to or reads from the book in class, the student can easily follow along accessing the ebook on their laptop, tablet or ereader device.)

Here's a snapshot from the interview done with me in our store.

I think it's cute that they got my name wrong. (They transposed the B and V - a popular mistake in a name where the B and R are silent and thrown in seemingly just to confuse people) and the second e is more of an "a" sound - ie, Lefave.......) It makes me want to collect a scrap-book of all the times I have appeared in the media over the years and my name has been mis-spelled. It might be fun to look back at.

But really, is it any wonder why I write under the pseudonym Mark Leslie?

HNT - BookCampTO 2011

Last Saturday I attended BookCampTO 2011. BookCamp is an unconference - a conversation rather than a keynote. This means all attendees are potential presenters and expected participants. The best thing about this type of gathering (besides the collaborative conversations), is that everybody is welcome to attend. Writers, technologists, publishers, readers, editors, designers, book sellers, book buyers, printers, librarians … anyone who cares about books is welcome and encouraged to attend.

This makes for a well-rounded gathering of people who are passionate about our industry.

Session ideas for an unconference like this are typically born from a flexible series of suggestions for topic areas, with anyone welcome to submit comments, questions, ideas and content related to it. This helps provide some sort of basis for each of the sessions that are ultimately decided upon. Typically, one, two, three or more people are asked to help lead the discussion. But, again, rather than it being a lecture or one to many type of talk, it is meant to be a workshop setting, with session leaders guiding the discussion, inviting participation and trying to keep everyone on track.

I always love this type of collaboration, and I am particularly inspired by the enthusiasm, passion and willingness of people to share ideas. The best book industry events, in my opinion, are ones in which people come together to work at sharing and resolving challenges, rather than in a confrontational way. For the most part, the spirit of collaboration and sharing was evident. The schedule itself included five tracks with five sessions, with lots of great choices for things for people to participate in. Four of the five tracks were left completed un-scheduled, meaning it became the ultimate natural-discussion room, where hallway conversations could be worked into ad-lib workshops.

In a nutshell, the organizers, a small group of committed and passionate book industry professionals, along with the sponsors (a similar group) and the volunteers (yes, cut from the very same cloth as the two aforementioned groups) are to be commended for putting so much time, effort and energy into providing a fanastic opportunity for people from across our industry to come together.

I could write a review, but there are already great POV posts out there that cover #bcto11 (that was the Twitter hashtag - check that out that stream to see the types of discussion and commentary about the day) - there are also some great recaps about it at such places as Amy Reads, Bella's Bookshelves and Ben Dugas . . . a blog.

There's a phrase that Indigo used to use which I always admired that says: "The world needs more Canada" - I'll slightly modify that slogan into "The book world needs more opportunities for collaboration." Events like BookCampTO are definitely necessary in order to achieve that and overcome the challenges and hurdles we face as this industry continues to evolve and grow.

This week's HNT picture is one I found via Erudit.org. It's a group shot taken from the hallway where many great conversations always occur at these types of events) and you can see my head in it. Think of it like an introductory "Where's Marko?" type of game. It's pretty easy to spot me, but with a little trick since I look a tiny bit different than my standard avatar - I'm sporting a smeckling of facial hair.

Group shot of BookCampTO from www.erudit.org

You Don't Know Jack

Most of us didn't know Jack Layton personally. But that never stopped us from feeling like we did. That's just the way he was, continually presenting himself in a straightforward and honest manner. He was the kind of leader who easily blended in with the "everyman" mostly because, despite his role as a politician and the opposition leader of Canada, he was down to earth and humble.

Photo by Donald Weber/Getty Images News (2004)

Touted as the national party leader most Canadians would want to have a beer with (you can certainly put my name on that list), no matter which role he played, there was always the sense that he was genuine. Whether fighting for the less fortunate of the community, seeking out equal rights, conducting a local town hall or rallying the NDP party to a record-breaking victory, his convictions and integrity consistently shone through.

I remember first paying attention to him with the 2000 release of his book Homelessness: The Making And Unmaking of a Crisis. (I know, strange, isn't it, that a book nerd's first exposure to a long time political advocate didn't occur until said politician released a book) What I remembered most was the approach he took in this book and in the discussions he made when it was released. He gathered analysis, research and merged them with personal anecdotes, offering an understanding combined with proactive solutions. I remember admiring his approach and that's when his name stuck in my head. Except, of course, I was thinking he would continue to write books to inspire change for the better - little did I suspect he would continue to rise in the political arena.

But the approach in this book seemed to be his approach in many of the things he strongly believed and stood for. Well before his national role he continually took a firm stand for the rights of minority groups that the rest of society would rather have continued to shun. He was one of the few leaders who forged the path for attitudes to change in a progressive and positive fashion - and well before it was fashionable for a leader to do so.

When he moved from his role as Toronto city councilor and into the role of NDP party leader, he took his fight for the common person to whole new levels.

I have long admired Jack Layton's leadership and what he has stood for. Like so many Canadians I never had the privilege to know him personally, but that never stopped me from feeling like I did.

I remember bumping into him and his wife Olivia at Toronto's The Word On The Street a few years back.The two were walking hand in hand and enjoying the simple yet magical splash of book culture that WOTS brings to the city each year. And when I saw them and we exchanged a brief nod and smile, I had to remind myself that this wasn't that couple my wife and I have known for years and before this we had never met - despite the fact that that's exactly how it felt when I saw them.

Jack Layton left a legacy of that feeling in many hearts. He conducted himself with integrity, purpose and a wonderfully down to earth charm. He was the type of leader who could inspire and energize.

And in his last letter to Canadians, written just days before he passed away, he left Canadians with truly inspiring thoughts and words.

"Canada is a great country, one of the hopes of the world. We can be a better one - a country of greater equality, justice and opportunity . . . consider the alternatives; and consider that we can be a better, fairer, more equal country by working together. Don't let them tell you it can't be done.


My friends, love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world."

Thank you, Mr. Layton. Thank you for showing us the importance of standing up for what you truly believe in. Thank you for your integrity, for putting the common person first, for rallying for community and family, and for reminding us of the importance of working together.

I only hope that we take heed and actually listen to this message.

HNT - Just For Mark

I called my Mom the other day to tell her that she is now officially old.

"Why?" she asked.

"Because your son just used Just For Men on his beard." I said.

I did it mostly to give my beard a consisent colour. My beard has always varied between a red and dark brown colour, but lately 90% of my chin was pure greyish white, which made my van dyke beard (a combination of a goatee, which is just hair on your chin plus a moustache) look a little goofy - from more than a few feet away, the chin hair was so light and the rest of my beard was so dark it looked like I had one of those really long moustaches. It just bugged me.

My hair, after all, has long had streaks of grey in it and that has never bothered me. But this grey chin hair was just too unsettling.  So Fran picked me up a box of dark brown from Just for Men and in 5 minutes that grey was gone.

Interesting. Never thought I'd use a vanity product like that - but I was amazed at how simple and easy it was to use.

An interesting side-note. I'd been chatting with a buddy about beards lately and one of them admitted that, like me, whenever he shaved off his beard, he spent time in the washroom goofying around and trying various different "looks" and styles, much to his wife's chagrin. In a blog posted called Anatomy of a Shave I posted HNT pics back in 2006 of one of my "goofing around with facial hair" sessions.

Of course, I also found an interesting post from a guy named Jonathan Dyer called The Quest for Every Beard Type  - in it he is attempting to wear every possible type of facial hair - he continues to update it each year. It's hilarious.

Smiling At The Little Things

Sometimes it's fun to pause and just enjoy the little things that bring a smile to your day.

Take Polkaroo, for example.

Polkaroo was a character who appeared on the long-running TVO television series for children called Polka Dot Door which was broadcast from 1971 until 1993 (Just ask almost any person my age about the show and they can almost immediately start singing the show's theme song) Apparently the show was also syndicated on PBS, becoming the first Canadian television show to be syndicated in the USA.

The show had two human hosts, rotated through a series of theme days and each episode would feature an appearance by Polkaroo, a giant Kangaroo-like creature that said a single thing: "Polkaroo!" A convention of the show (likely due to budgetary constraints) was that, whenever Polkaroo was around, the male host would have disappeared. (Yes, it's the old you never see Peter Parker and Spider-Man at the same time sort of thing going on here) What was really cute about it was that, when Polkaroo took off, the male host would return and inevitable mutter: "Polkaroo was here? I missed him AGAIN!"

In any case, having grown up watching this show, it was a real treat for me to actually meet Polkaroo in person at last year's Word on the Street in Toronto. Yes, a 41 year old man became all giddy at the thought of meeting him. I had wished my son could be there to meet Polkaroo, although Alexander, of course, would have had no idea who this character is. (And let's be honest, I was the fan-boy here, likely just looking for an excuse to get closer and chat up this iconic figure from my childhood)

Polkaroo meeting fans at WOTS Toronto, Sept 2010

And, of course, Polkaroo is someone I am "friends" with on FourSquare - yes, just for the sheer novelty of it.

And why? Because, whenever Polkaroo checks in anyplace on FourSquare, he leaves the following comment:  "Polkaroo!"

Yes, it's the little things that keep me amused.

Of course, if I ever check into a place that Polkaroo has been, you'll be sure to hear me say:  "Polkaroo was here? And I missed him AGAIN!"

HNT - Have You Driven A Ford Lately?

As I had written a few weeks ago, my truck and I had, after many good years together, parted ways.

Yes, I know I make it sound like a relationship.  In many ways a man's association with a vehicle CAN be like a relationship; and this particular vehicle had been my Dad's, so there was a more intimate depth involved, and the loss of the truck was almost like losing another piece of my Dad.

I went for several weeks without a vehicle. It was a decent experience as I re-acquainted myself with our city's transit system, which seems to have continued to improve. The bus rides were actually good for me, as I was able to get more reading done on the way to work.

And while the vehicle search took a bit longer than originally planned, Francine and I scored a pretty awesome deal at Mohawk Ford.

I was able to get a used 2012 Ford Focus with just 300 KM on it. So, it was basically a new vehicle with the price chopped down significantly and none of the "new car" taxes that normally get compiled onto the price. To boot, the gas mileage on this baby is unlike anything I've ever experienced this side of a moped. (Then again, one must remember I'm going from the gas mileage of a 1997 pickup truck with a giant tank that cost me well over $100 to fill up, to the mileage of a much lighter, smaller and more gas efficient vehicle where fill-ups are now still under $50 . . . a pretty dramatic change -- and yes, you're now less likely to see me weeping uncontrollably while standing at the gas pump and watching the numbers fly up into the heavens when I fill 'er up)

Another benefit of this vehicle is that it's more comfortable for the whole family. Yes, the truck was a great vehicle for Alexander and I to go out in, but when all three of us wanted to go together, the cab could be a little bit crammed.

In any case, this week's HNT is a picture of me that Francine took on the day we picked it up. Interesting. Of all the vehicles I've owned over the years, this is the very first "new" one. (Yes, I know, I bought it used, but, except for the lower price, everything about this vehicle is NEW)

The Power Of A Good Editor

I've said it before - I'll say it again.

A writer should never underestimate the power of a good editor.

As a writer I have been extremely lucky to have worked with a number of great editors over the years, both in my fiction and non-fiction endeavors. An article posted on The Mark News yesterday is another good example of the way in which an editor's "red pen" and fine-tuning can turn a well-written piece into something even better. Or a beautiful raw mineral into a wonderfully polished gem.

Yes, writers are endowed with more ability than ever before to get their words out there directly, to self-publish, to push their words onto platforms that didn't exist when I first sat down at a manual typewriter and hammered out words, hoping to one day see them in print.

And as much as I admire -- and take advantage of -- the ability to "go direct" in getting my words out there (I've been blogging here since 2005), I am continually reminded of the extreme value of the mostly hidden work that a good editor brings.

This blog, for example, is the perfect example because I rarely ever edit my own writing, never-mind have an editor go through my posts before they're released into the world. My blog is typically a "first draft" attempt to get down some thoughts that are kicking around in my head. It actually started, for me, as a way to "warm up" to my early AM writing sessions They are, thus, mostly raw and unedited pieces of my writing - an online sketchpad or writing journal.

A few weeks ago I wrote a blog post called A Smudge of Eink documenting my frustration with an ebook reader that had "died" on me. Believing the article was worthy of being read by a larger audience, I sent it over to an editor at The Mark News where I have written a series of articles related to the book industry. It had been a while since I'd done an article for them and I felt this particular one would fit nicely with my others.

Like before, when the editor sent back the changes made for my approval, I was impressed with the fine polishing done to my raw words; with the expertise in smoothing out some slightly awkward bumps in the prose, with re-arranging words into a finer flow of text.

A couple of examples:

My post title: A Smudge of Eink. I, of course, think that's a cute title, conveying my original discovery and frustration with a technology that I have been enjoying.

The Mark News title: The E-Smudge of Death. This revised title, of course, is a more dramatic statement - it serves to pull the reader in and immediately lands on the initial feeling of shock and terror I felt when discovering my ereader had died.

And next, just a snapshot showing the editorial modifications on a single paragraph.

You can see how these simple yet important edits don't change the intent of the original prose, but neatly refine it into something more readable.

And that's part of the power of what a good editor can do to a piece of writing.

This particular edit is thanks to Emily Burke, Managing Editor and Sarah Murphy, Copy Editor at The Mark News: Two fine members of The Mark News editorial team that I've had the pleasure of working with over the past couple of years.

As I've said, I have been lucky, over the years, to have worked with some great editors. And I look forward to continuing to enjoy the benefits of these silent, mostly hidden-from-view publishing world agents who revise, suggest and work with writers to create much better pieces of writing for readers to enjoy.

HNT - Halfing A Good Time

So I haven't been posting to the blog much lately. Having a tight deadline for a book will do that to a guy. I've been spending that "extra" time I would normally spend composing blog posts neck-deep in research and writing the first draft of the book.

But it has been working out relatively well in terms of balancing my time. I've been getting up early, spending about 4 or 5 hours working on the book, and then doing fun stuff with the family. (I'm on vacation this week)

And, even though my vacation was cut short because of some urgent needs at work, at least I had Tuesday and Wednesday off, (Monday was a holiday), I've been able to get a lot of research, writing AND family fun done in half a week.

The other day, for example, we headed to Niagara Falls for the afternoon so we could play Dinosaur Mini Put and do a few more fun things on Clifton Hill.

Again, it was half a day, because I'd spent the morning writing, but we packed in a whole day's worth of fun into the afternoon and early evening.

 

Gotta love it when we're able to do that "Carpe half-diem" sort of thing.