Thanks to fellow bloggers who were kind enough to pester the Post with emails of support, and especially to panellist and superblogger John Mutford, without whom Yellowknife would never have made the cut.
John sports some impressive credentials. His Canadian Book Challenge is now into its third year, and last year alone participants read over 1000 Canadian books.
The competition officially begins on March 1, when brief arguments from each panellist will be posted at the rate of two a day. On March 8 there will be a live chat. The winner will be declared after a public poll.
Yellowknife is available from the publisher's website as a $20 trade paperback or a free download.
Canada Also Reads Longlist
Canada Also Reads Shortlist
John Mutford's blog
3rd Canadian Book Challenge
Res Telluris
Scatttered Thoughts
Until it's published, the worth of a book remains hidden. You think it's good. You hope it's good. But you never know for sure until it's actually out there. And even then...
For me, that period of hope and indecision lasted 10 years, the length of time it took to write the book. Making the shortlist means that those 10 years weren't entirely wasted.
Still, praise and criticism should be taken with an equal amount of salt. One shouldn't believe too much in either.
Then there's the personal element. All writing is autobiographical to some extent. It can't be avoided. Publishing is a form of streaking.
