Book Signing - November 24

A Bit of a Legend in These Parts:  The Life of Betty Berger Lessard by Neil
McQuarrie

When: Saturday, November 24, 2007, 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Where: Pennywise Books
 

Pilot, trapper, hunting guide, sled-dog racer - Betty Berger Lessard carved an
extraordinary life for herself out of the rugged wilderness of the Canadian Shield.

Born in Fort Frances in July 1915, Lessard spent almost all of her 82 years living
in a remote log cabin on the pristine shores of Namakan Lake.  She survived
encounters with bears, wolves and a charging moose while navigating thousands
of miles of backwoods and waters. She is credited with having saved at least one
man'slife.

Lessard charmed many a young man but tragically lost her husband in a boating
accident.

Lessard, who died in 1997, was a strong-minded woman of independent spirit
for whomthe convention of male and female roles held little importance. One of
herneighbours said of her, "She didn't just survive in the wilderness, she lived in
it." 

Her improbable story - "A Bit of a Legend in These Parts: The Life of Betty Berger
Lessard" is told by Neil McQuarrie, a long-time resident of Brandon who grew up
in Fort Frances, Ontario.

"I have long known about Betty and the life she had lived and wanted to write
about it," said McQuarrie, who will be signing copies of the book at Pennywise
Books from 2:00 - 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 24. 

McQuarrie was able to capture Lessard's story through published articles in
newspapers and magazines as well as interviews with Lessard's relatives. He was
given access to old family photographs and used many of them to illustrate his
account.

Since his retirement from Brandon University, McQuarrie has written two other
books. The first was "On the Allan Cup Trail: The Story of the Fort Frances
Canadians" andthe second was "Fort Frances: The Story of a Town and Its People",
the town's centennial history. For three years he also wrote "Recollections", a
monthly column for the Fort Frances Times.

(Update Aug 12/08)    "A Bit of a Legend in These Parts" is now available on Ebay
(CLICK HERE).  If you have difficulty locating it, please call us (204-728-2665) or
email (pennywise@westman.wave.ca) and we will do our best to ensure you can
get a copy of this great book.

The Oldest Game of All - Nathan Town

Local author Nathan Town will be at Pennywise on Saturday, November 17 at 2:00 PM to launch his latest book "The Oldest Game of All."

Eternal and mystic forces have dueled over the millenia, pitting their champions against one another. Now, after so many thousands of years, their conflict comes to a turbulent and explosive end in the most unlikely of places... Unfortunately, Douglas Bower's parents have left him with a number of responsibilities, and he simply doesn't have the time for unexplained events, strange murderous visitors, gun-toting zombies, horrifying monsters, or the Fate of All Things.

Snuck from the pages of Town's previous novel Ned Stapleton and the Wrath of the Death Gods, The Oldest Game of All is a roller-coaster fantasy adventure for all ages.

New books at US prices!

With the Canadian dollar remaining at or above par with the U.S. greenback, the disparity between book prices continues to be an irritant with book consumers. In order to help remedy this price difference Pennywise Books will join with the growing number of retailers selling new books at the U.S. price printed on the cover.

The holidays on their way -- the biggest time of the year for book sales. We know that books are a popular gift idea but that they are very expensive. By offering new books at the U.S. price, we hope we can help you with keeping your holiday bills within reason.

Beginning on November 16, all new books, with the exception of titles carried on consignment, will be offered at the lowest price printed on the book cover or dust jacket. This promotion will last through the holiday season until the New Year.

Depending on customer response to this promotion and the strength of the Canadian dollar, the promotion may continue indefinitely.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call us or email us at any time.

Words Alive Update

There has been lots of action on the Words Alive front. If you aren't checking that website (Words Alive) on a regular basis, you are missing out on a lot of information!

In addition to announcing the headlining authors (Robert J. Sawyer, Sandra Birdsell and Corey Redekop), the newly-posted schedule reveals the workshops, seminars and panel discussions that will be taking place on Nov. 10. Some of these include the launch of local author Nathan Town's latest book, a poetry-writing workshop with Laurie Block, details on the after-parties and much. much more.

If you are a writer looking to hone your craft, the Super Series may be what you are looking for. This all-day workshop will include a fiction-writing component led by Armin Wiebe (novelist and Red River College creative writing instructor) and a "blue pencil session" with author Anita Daher.

For more information on any of these activities, contact the Brandon Book Festival Association at wordsalivefestival@gmail.com or by calling (204) 728-2665

I hope to see you all there!

Press Release

Inaugural book festival brings words to life

26 September 2007

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRANDON — Downtown Brandon will teem with life as the first-ever Words Alive book festival takes place in early November. The festival brings together readers, writers, publishers and book lovers of all types for a three-day event that celebrates all aspects of the written word.

"Brandon's never seen a literary event of this magnitude," said T. Keith Edmunds, president of the Brandon Book Festival Association, which is putting on the festival. "Along with appearances by several notable authors, we've got a full schedule planned of workshops and forums that will appeal to everyone."

Words Alive begins Thursday, November 8, 2007, continues on Friday, November 9, 2007, and culminates with a full schedule of activities on Saturday, November 10.

Festival attendees have three streams of seminars to choose from on Saturday, either "Reading," "Writing" or "Publishing." Topics range from blogging and other forms of self-publishing to writing comic strips, poetry or plays. There will also be author readings all day long.

"One of the most exciting things is that Words Alive has already started," Edmunds said. "We've got a short story contest underway right now -- and winners will be published in the Brandon Sun and in the Words Alive program."

Entries in the short story contest must be submitted by October 26 and should be approximately 2,000 words long. Entry forms with more details are printed regularly in the Brandon Sun.

"That's an extremely short story," Edmunds said, "so we're looking for a tale that really grips the reader. Previous contests in Westman have produced lots of truly excellent writing, so we're sure picking a winner will be tough."

Reading may suit some more than writing, and so Words Alive has invited numerous guests to whet the book lover's appetite.

"Starting immediately, we're launching a region-wide book club." Edmunds said.

In a concept that builds on successful trials in other cities, readers in Brandon and Westman are invited to read "Shelf Monkey," by Corey Redekop.

"It's a made-in-Manitoba novel," Edmunds said. "It's a book about books that's a fun read, but also full of discussion material."

Several local book clubs have already picked up "Shelf Monkey," but the more people reading it, the more spontaneous discussions will erupt.

"Imagine spotting someone in a coffeeshop, and they're reading the same book you are," Edmunds said. "That's the kind of atmosphere we're going to create — let's get everyone on the same page."

Words Alive will close on Saturday with a "Shelf Monkey" discussion group led by the author himself, Thompson's Corey Redekop.

The Brandon Book Festival Association will reveal very soon some of the major authors who will come to Words Alive to give readings. Announcements will be made as details are confirmed.

Tickets can be purchased starting Oct. 1 at Pennywise Books, 1031 Rosser Ave.

The Words Alive website is at www.wordsalivefestival.ca.

-30-

For more information:
T. Keith Edmunds
President, Brandon Book Festival Association
204-728-2665
wordsalivefestival@gmail.com

Deadwood III

Paul Wood, the editor of the entertainment weekly "Deadwood," will be in the store Saturday, Sept. 29 from 2 to 4 pm to sign copies of Deadwood 3: "Life & Times." This collection of humour and heart-warming stories will ensure that have not missed a copy of any of the recent issues of Deadwood.

Store Closed Sept. 1 Due to Insanity

Pennywise Books will be closed on Saturday, Sept. 1. That means we will be closed for the entire long weekend.

No, that doesn't mean I'm going away on some lovely vacation. It means that I have lost my mind. More specifically, I have entered the 3 Day Novel Writing Contest which is exactly what it sounds like.

I will be holing myself up in the store for 72 hours in an attempt to write a complete novel - start to finish. Just the idea is making me tired.

For more information on the event, check out the 3 Day Novel Contest website. I'll post about my own personal experience after the fact.

Wish me luck...

High Canadian Dollar = SAVINGS!

The high Canadian dollar continues to have an impact on the economy. The other day I was listening to a program on CBC talking about this issue (very similar in content to the information in this article: http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2007/08/06/flaherty-apec.html) and I began to get curious, so I did a little research on my own.

As I write this, the Canadian - US exchange rate is 1.07467 (that's about $1.08 Canadian for every US dollar, just to be clear). Now, on the back of an average mass market paperback, the US price is $7.99 while the Canadian price is $10.99. By my calculations, that works out to a differential of 1.3755.

Why the big difference? You've got me.

Therefore, to make things a little more reasonable, we are announcing that all mass market paperbacks in stock are now 20% off the cover price. Now, that $10.99 novel is only $8.79. It's not perfect, but it helps you take advantage of the high Canadian dollar.

To make this even more worthwhile we are continuing to bulk up this sale stock - new releases and backlist titles alike. Contact us with any questions.

I hope to see you all soon!

Harry Potter Street Party: "Thank You!"

By all accounts, people seem to have enjoyed themselves at the party on Rosser leading up to the launch of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. We are very happy with the turn out, which I would estimate at 250 - 300 people at the peak.

There are many, many people I need to thank. However, I am incredibly afraid of forgetting someone -- thus, I want to give a monstrous "THANK YOU!" to every individual, business and organization that donated their time, energy and/or resource to the event. This party could not have succeeded without your help.

Below are a few of the many photos that were taken on Friday evening and the early morning hours of Saturday. If you have any shots from the party you would like to share, please feel free to pass them along and I will post them here.

Thank you again to everyone who attended and assisted. You might be surprised what your support will lead to...

FINALLY! The photos:



I didn't mind the snakes and reptiles that the Westman Reptile Gardens brought down, but I just couldn't bring myself to get close to these millipedes. Blah!


Some of the costumes were truly fantastic!!

I particularly like this picture of Prof. Trelawney and Rita Skeeter...

And, of course, there were more Harry's than you could shake a wand at...


The entertainment stage drew a lot of attention over the course of the evening. Another "thank you" to the many performers, ensembles and bands that agreed to help us make the street party a success.


The line-up began MANY hours before midnight...


But eventually, we did start selling the book. And all was well.


There are many more photos available. A lot of them are on my Facebook page -- ask to be my friend (but make sure you tell me who you are) and you can see them. Email me if you can't find me.

Harry Potter Party - Contest Rules

Harry Potter Street Party

Contest Rules

Harry Potter Look-Alike Contest

1. Contestants will compete to appear the most like Harry Potter through the use of methods such as costumes, props and make-up.
2. There is no age restriction for this contest.
3. Contestants will judged on overall appearance, attention to detail and creativity.
4. The decision of the judges is final.
5. Judging will take place at 10:00 PM on July 20 during the Harry Potter Street Party on Rosser Ave.

Best Costume

1. Contestants will compete to appear the most like a character (other than Harry) from the Harry Potter books through the use of methods such as costumes, props and make-up.
2. There is no age restriction for this contest.
3. Contestants will judged on overall appearance, recognizability, attention to detail and creativity.
4. The decision of the judges is final.
5. Judging will take place at 10:15 PM on July 20 during the Harry Potter Street Party on Rosser Ave.

Drawing (10 Years and younger)

1. Artists must be aged 10 years old or younger.
2. Pictures may be of any subject that falls within the Harry Potter theme of the contest.
3. Entries will be judged on creativity, skill and subject matter.
4. The decision of the judges is final.
5. Entries must be received at Pennywise Books no later than 5:30 PM on July 17.
6. Winners will be announced at the Harry Potter Street Party on the evening of July 20.

Drawing (Ages 11 - 16)

1. Artists must be between the ages of 11 and 16 years old (inclusive).
2. Pictures may be of any subject that falls within the Harry Potter theme of the contest.
3. Entries will be judged on creativity, skill and subject matter.
4. The decision of the judges is final.
5. Entries must be received at Pennywise Books no later than 5:30 PM on July 17.
6. Winners will be announced at the Harry Potter Street Party on the evening of July 20.

Homemade Potions

1. Contestants will compete to create a potion such as might be found in Prof. Snape’s classroom.
2. There is no age restriction for this contest.
3. Entries must not contain any dangerous or hazardous materials.
4. All entries must be completely sealed in clear glass or plastic containers. Leaky containers will be disposed of immediately.
5. Entries will be judged on appearance, presentation and creativity.
6. Entries must be received at Pennywise Books no later than 5:30 PM on July 17.
7. Winners will be announced at the Harry Potter Street Party on the evening of July 20.
8. Entries may be retrieved no earlier than 10:00 AM July 24 and no later than 9:00 PM July 26.

Harry Potter Party - Entertainment Line-up

While the following schedule may be subject to change, as it stands the entertainment for the Harry Potter Party on the evening of July 20 is:

8:00 PM Suzuki student performances
8:30 PM Triolette
9:00 PM On My Day Off
9:30 PM Crocus Plains Drum Line
10:00 PM Dan Barnlund and Sarah Thornborough
10:40 PM Poor Boy Rodger Band
11:25 PM 18 Rabbit

(schedule updated July 5)

Stay tuned for further updates as the day approaches. (In case you're counting, there's only 18 days until the new book is available - 17 until the party....).

Harry Potter Party!

While fans around the globe anxiously await the seventh installment of the Harry Potter series, Brandon readers will have the opportunity to celebrate the arrival of J.K. Rowling’s latest novel by celebrating in the street. On July 20, the eve of the book’s release, Pennywise Books will host a party culminating in a midnight book-buying opportunity for Harry Potter fans.

To set the mood for the occasion, there will be displays of owls and live snakes. As well, entertainment will be provided by musicians and buskers, while fortune-tellers, witches and wizards will create magic.

Contests will also play a big part in this celebration. There will be a prize for the best Harry Potter look-alike, a prize for best costume (other than Harry), a prize for the best drawing by an artist aged 10 and under and a prize for the best drawing by an artist aged 11 to 16. Also, there will be a prize for the best home-made potion and a magic bean guessing contest.

Contest rules can be obtained at Pennywise Books, and drawings and potion entries must be submitted by 5:30 p.m., on July 17.

Prizes available include colouring books, plush creatures and other Harry Potter-related items. A draw will be held for a five and a half foot toy dragon.

The Harry Potter Street Party is open to the public and will take place between 10th and 11th Streets, on Rosser Ave., the evening of July 20, beginning at approximately 8:30 p.m. Pennywise Books will open its doors at 12:01 a.m. to release the final installment of the series, Harry Potter and The Deathly Hollows. The book can be pre-ordered at Pennywise Books, located at 1031 Rosser Ave.

If you would like more information, don't hesitate to call us (728-2665) or stop in for a visit.

June 28 - Book Launch

On June 28, beginning at 7:00, we will be celebrating the launch of Charles A. L. Dubois' "The Filcher's Forge."

Earth is a place where a single species has ever dominated the race for sentience. Earth is a place where physics are utilized by machines that maintain the balance and nurture the evolution of civilizations. Earth is a place where spirituality exists only as a catalyst for social control, if it exists at all. Forget everything you know about your world. Leave it behind. Welcome to Junoth.

When a nature-born dryad finds himself trapped in a world of human industry and enslaved to the will of an ambitious pirate, he is forced to fight for his freedom. What he finds instead reinforces the fact that friendship is often forged in the most unlikely of places.

About the author:

Charles was raised in rural Westman, an area describing the south-western portion of the prairie province Manitoba. He attended school in the small towns of Souris and Wawanesa, eventually making his home in Brandon.

Charles has been writing stories from Junoth ever since he’s known how to write. His very first Junoth story was entitled “The Swordster” and was written at age 6. Since then he has been developing the world, its history, and its people.

If every entity in this universe is a world unto itself, then Charles is best described by the world he writes from. “I have never been nor will likely ever be as interesting as the characters I’ve created.” – Charles A.L. Dubois

Kimberley Smith - June 2

Neepawa author Kimberley Smith will be on hand on Saturday, June 2 from 2:20 to 4:00 PM to discuss and sign copies of her book "The Love Within A Smile: A Sister’s Memoir of a Brother’s Disability."

"The Love Within A Smile" is a memoir of one family’s journey through the world of disability as seen through a sibling’s eyes. The author, a sibling of a young boy who was born with severe mental and physical disabilities, details her family’s struggles and triumphs while trying to maintain a normal family life. The novel takes the reader through every particular milestone of the young boy from his birth until his premature death at the age of 17. The memoir also includes valuable information and resources on special education issues with particular emphasis on sibling relationships for parents, siblings and professionals who work with special needs individuals. Anyone who has lived with a special needs individual will empathise with the author of "The Love Within A Smile" as she shares her personal story full of emotional roller coasters and wonderful life lessons.

Store Summer Update

Only 64 days until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is released! The street party plans are coming along nicely, but we are going to need some volunteers. If you are willing to help out for an hour or two, it would be greatly appreciated. If you can't, that's OK too, just make sure you come down and have some fun before we open the doors at 12:01 AM on July 21 (be here on the evening of the 20th for the party, just to be clear).

It's Brandon's 125th celebration this year and in order to mark the occassion a first-person history/memoir of Brandon's early years entitled "A Horseman and the West" has been reissued. Originally published in 1925, this book was written by a local horse trader by the name of Beecham Trotter. For an easy read about life in the Prairies as they were being settled be sure to pick up a copy. (The photo in this post is of the author circa 1886).

Finally, with summer now here, Pennywise Books is moving to summer hours. We will be closed on Mondays, but open until 9 PM on Thursdays. All other hours remains the same.

We're about to start looking for authors to visit the store for the next year, so if you have any requests, large or small, let us know and we'll do our best. Call us at 728-2665 with any of your questions, requests or orders.

Have a great summer and I hope to see you soon!

Paul Quarrington & Harry Potter

Paul Quarrington, noted Canadian writer, musician and filmmaker, will be at Pennywise on Saturday, May 5 at 3:00 to sign copies of his books.

Quarrington, whose works have been nominated for some of the most prestigious awards in Canada, will be in Brandon with his band Porkbelly Futures. This group will be performing two shows at the Music Studio that evening.

It is a true honour to host this signing, and I encourage you to hurry down to pick up a copy of one of his books (and I mean HURRY -- we're already down to only a few copies of three titles).

On another note: plans are coming together for our Harry Potter party. We have received permission to close the street in front of the store and have booked all sorts of entertainment and attractions. This party will take place on the evening of Friday, July 20 leading up to the opening of the store at 12:01 AM for the release of the final book in the Harry Potter series!

If you want to get involved in any way, or simply to ask more about anything happening at Pennywise, call us at 728-BOOK (2665) or email us at pennywise@westman.wave.ca.

Manitoba Book Week... and other stuff

Manitoba Book Week will be celebrated across the province from April 22 to 28. During this week, the focus is on celebrating Manitoba's locally published books. We will have our display of books out on the shelf in the next day or two, so be sure to drop in to check out a sampling of the quality books that are published in our province. Visit the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers website for more information.

For our part, we will be hosting an encore reading of "To the Grave" by the author, Mike McIntyre.

To the Grave is, undoubtedly, one of the hottest selling local-interest books of the past season. I know that we sold out repeatedly!

Now that many of you have read this book, I'm sure that you have questions you would like answered. Or, perhaps, you want to get your copy signed by the author. Maybe you don't even care about the signature, but you just want to meet Mike.

Mike will be at Pennywise Books on April 27 and will begin his reading at 7 PM. Let us know if you have any questions.

On another note, remember that on Sunday, April 22 at 7:00pm, Crocus Plains High School will host Mr. Stephen Lewis for a Community Evening in the Gymnasium.

All of Brandon 's citizens are invited to hear Mr. Lewis's passionate message and call to action against the devastating consequences of Africa's HIV/AIDS pandemic. Mr. Lewis will also be the keynote speaker for the student conference on Africa on April 23. The conference will be the highlight of the school's year - long focus on local and global awareness and citizenship.

Tickets are $10.00 and are available in the Front Office of Crocus Plains Regional Secondary School. For further information please contact Katie Bonk at bonk.katie@brandonsd.mb.ca.

If you would like to read Mr. Lewis' book "Race Against Time" prior to hearing him speak, we have plenty of copies in stock and will also be selling copies at the event.

Andrea Nair - March 29

On March 29 at 7:30 PM, former Brandonian and BU alumna Andrea Nair will be here at Pennywise Books to read from, discuss and answer questions about her book "Stripped Down Running" - a novel about Hannah, a young woman with a painful childhood that threatens to destroy her adult life.

Andrea, after teaching teenagers for a decade, has been studying the effects and recovery of traumatic experiences in childhood. She is passionate about helping children foster a love of learning, heal early wounds and regain self-esteem. She also guides parents to overcome their own challenges, therefore becoming more connected with themselves and their children.

If you have any questions about this event, please don't hesitate to call us.

Glenn Hopfner - January 25

Welcome to 2007! After a small break during the holidays, we are now back with a new year of what I hope will be a year filled with fascinating authors signing wonderful books.

The first signing of the year goes to Glenn Hopfner. A resident of Ste. Rose, Glenn is pleased to be coming to Brandon to read, discuss and sign copies of What Happened, his second book.

Glenn Hopfner is a natural born story-teller a delight to listen to at any time. For those of you who don't have the chance to meet him in person, reading the story of his life is the next best thing. It's pretty much like sitting around the kitchen table with a hot cup of coffee while an interesting person speaks entertainingly about interesting things. Glenn is an ordinary man who is living an extraordinary life. He's had plenty of close encounters with death, and more adventures than most people will ever know. He loves work and play, music and nature and animals and machines and people or all sorts. Most of all, he loves his family. Glenn is a spirited individual whose inspiring story will leave you asking for an encore.

His first book, Tales from the Tundra, is a compilation of stories Glenn has gathered while working for the Tundra Buggy company as a guide, interpreter, trouble-shooter, mechanic, and entertainer in Churchill during bear season.

On Thursday, January 25 at 7 PM, come on down to Pennywise Books at 1031 Rosser Ave to listen to Glenn's stories and meet this area author in person.