Canadian Literature – KEVIN CRAIG

Happy Book Birthday to Novel #9!

Today is the day!

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT is now out in the world. It’s my 9th novel, and my first self-published novel. It’s available only on Amazon…in all countries that Amazon operates. KINDLE or PAPERBACK! You decide…

Synopsis: Finn Barker escaped his family in Miramichi, New Brunswick, decades ago for the anonymity of Toronto. When he learns of his mother’s impending demise, he decides to make the trip back home to say goodbye. But going back will awaken all the sleeping ghosts Finn’s not quite sure he’s willing to stir. With no time to decide, his split-second decision to jump back in has him driving across the country, with his boyfriend Steven behind the wheel. Along the way, Finn begins to unpack the mess he left behind. There’s the grandmother, MyImogene, he adored, and the twin brother who died of cancer when his own parents would have preferred to lose the other twin. There’s also the huge scandal Finn orchestrated with a teacher that gave him the Dutch courage he needed to flee. It was almost all bad.

Finn makes it in time for goodbyes, but then there’s the still very active strife between him and his father, the funeral, the family, and the secrets that shed new light on the cause of the rift between his parents and his beloved MyImogene. Every family carries secrets. Finn discovers they’re the one thing you can’t escape, no matter how far away you run. Secrets always catch up. Often, it’s death that has a way of bringing them back into the light of day. He was able to make peace with his dying mother, but can Finn make peace with all the rest…or is it time to run away for another thirty years?

You can pick up your copy of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT in your country’s Amazon!

It’s available in PAPERBACK and KINDLE.

PAPERBACK LINKS:

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON USA $11.99

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON CANADA $17.21

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON UK £9.70

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON FRANCE €11.52

KINDLE LINKS:

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON USA $3.99

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON CANADA $5.73

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON UK £3.18

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON INDIA ₹342.00

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT at AMAZON FRANCE €3.83

If your country is not listed above, you can search “I WILL TELL THE NIGHT” to find the link! If you have Amazon, it’s available.

Sharing this post with readers would be most appreciated. If you download your copy, I hope you enjoy it!

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT Ready to Launch!

I did it! I set myself the goal of JANUARY 7th, 2025 for the release date of my FIRST self-published novel and I reached my goal! It’s all ready to launch.

I just finished the final round of edits on I WILL TELL THE NIGHT and submitted the final final final final manuscript! It was a lot of work getting this ready. More than I thought it would be. All I can do now is wait for the release date to come and hope that readers embrace it.

I put my life into this manuscript! Originally written at the 2016 Muskoka Novel Marathon, I WILL TELL THE NIGHT has had a long life. I wrote it and I rewrote it and I rewrote it. Then I edited it a few dozen times.

I’m most proud of the fact that the original first draft incomplete novel won the BEST ADULT NOVEL AWARD at the Muskoka Novel Marathon. The judges saw something in the raw first draft that warranted giving it that year’s coveted prize. That prize came with another amazing Muskoka chair! And my heartfelt thanks to the marathon organizers.

Now, I’ve set it off into the world. The last draft…the very last and final draft.

I hope you enjoy it!

The much abused ARC of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT. This copy has more red ink and scrawls in it than you could possibly imagine. Wait…I take that back. I didn’t have a red pen. The scrawls are all in blue/black ink. Trust me, this copy is a wreck.

The biggest thing you could do right now, to help me, is to PRE-ORDER your copy of I WILL TELL THE NIGHT!

Otherwise, please consider sharing anything you see relating to the book! That will definitely help. I now know the difference between having an army of publisher personnel behind you and being all on your own. Nobody was cheering me on, helping me make decisions, guiding my way. It was just me. Please consider lending a hand and sharing any info you can on this release! I would be eternally grateful.

Look for this trinket in the story. Its place in the story is fully fictional, but it is real. It exists.

Here are the pre-order links for AMAZON CANADA and AMAZON USA. It is also available in all other countries that Amazon sells in. Just search for I WILL TELL THE NIGHT in your Amazon!

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT – AMAZON USA PRE-ORDER LINK

I WILL TELL THE NIGHT – AMAZON CANADA PRE-ORDER LINK

Click those buttons, pre-order that book, share those posts on social media! JANUARY 7th is COMING! (-;

Say His Name, Say His Name…Wayson Choy

This past Saturday was the 5th year anniversary of the passing of Canadian Literary icon Wayson Choy. I’m sure everyone who knew him gave a few minutes of contemplation over to Wayson this weekend. Wayson was just that kind of guy. He made you feel special, like you were the only one.

Just one of the many photos in existence filled with those lucky enough to have known and loved Wayson. This is the group of volunteers who made up the behemoth that was the Ontario Writers Conference. The OWC was a labour of love that Wayson took under his wing and nurtured for more than a decade. The decade was our Époque of Wayson and we will always have the cherished memories of that time.

Over the years in which I was fortunate enough to know Wayson, he imparted so much wisdom onto me…and he gave it freely and without expectation.

Every time I saw Wayson, he had something valuable to say. And he was one of those people who stopped the world around you when he spoke to you, just long enough for his words to sink in. His words came through without static…his natural ability to focus became a part of you while you were within his orbit. He slowed you down and then he gave you his gift. It was a bit mesmerizing, really…

I don’t know how to say it. Think of those creatures that have the ability to paralyze their prey with a cocktail of toxins prior to going in for the deadly blow…BUT in a good way. His demeanor would calm you to the point where you’d be sent to this zen-like space—and then he would move in for the final attack…WITH WISDOM!

Don’t get your panties in a knot. I’m certainly not saying that Wayson was like a cone snail, with their hypodermic needle tooth sending paralyzing venom into your veins. Not my intention at all. My intention is to say that Wayson was my Buddha. My calm place. He had an uncanny ability to put people into that place where they should always live…contentment.

Whenever he could, Wayson would give me actual writing advice specific to whatever hurdles I was facing at the time of our meeting. He had a way of peeling away the detritus and getting right to the point. And he would never let me wallow and seesaw about things. It was hard advice lovingly delivered.

Don’t ever be precious enough to carry a notebook too pretty to write in…because Wayson will pop that cherry. This is what he wrote in a notebook I carried to three OWC conferences without once writing a word in.

After a near-death experience, Wayson decided to write a memoir and it is one of the most beautiful memoirs I’ve ever read. NOT YET. He wasn’t ready to leave the beauty of this world behind…he fought to continue and he survived. Do yourself a favour and read this gem…

Anyway, today’s post is just to say his name. When you are in the memory of those you have left behind, you are still alive in them. Maybe today is a good time to think about Wayson and how his gentle nature impacted your life.

In our OWC circle, we used to joke about The Church of Wayson…but it wasn’t really a joke. It was a church I would attend.

There was something of the dickens in Wayson, and we all knew it. Take his book, ALL THAT MATTERS. What a great line to work into a dedication when book signing, right? He’d work that title into every signature…and we would walk away with our copy, hugging it to our chests thinking, “Oh my God, that’s so sweet! Wayson said that I was what matters!” And he’d give a bit of a rascally wink when handing back your copy. Only later, would we all realize we all received the ‘you matter‘ treatment in one form or another above his signature.

The deep truth of all those signings, though, and I’m sure you see it coming—is that we all did actually matter to Wayson. He meant the You Matter, You’re what Matters, You are All that Matters words he jotted down. It was okay that we compared notes, because he was sincere every time he wrote the words. He was present each time, singularly focused on the one person he was book signing for…pure Wayson.

Wayson was no angel, but he was an exemplary example of how humans could live their everyday lives. Make friends and take no hostages. Was it Bill & Ted who said, BE EXCELLENT TO EACH OTHER? Perhaps Wayson was just a fan who took those words to heart and lived them every day.

Keep resting in peace, Wayson. We’ll continue to say your name.