Chris Wattie

In 2006, a Canadian Army patrol traveling through Afghanistan’s Panjawayi region, came across the largest build-up of Taliban forces in the area since their fall in 2001. Up against opponents who were suicidal, experienced and knew well the lay of the land, this Canadian battalion suffered more casualties and earned more decorations for bravery than any other Canadian unit since the Korean War.

On Thursday, October 30, at 7:00 p.m., author and journalist Chris Wattie will read and share stories from his new book, Contact Charlie: The Canadian Army, The Taliban and the Battle that Saved Afghanistan.

In Contact Charlie, National Post reporter and embedded journalist Chris Wattie offers an intimate and harrowing look at the series of battles that would eventually take the lives of seven soldiers, including Captain Nichola Goddard, Canada's first female combat casualty. Based on Wattie’s own experience in Afghanistan, as well as hundreds of post-tour interviews with the men and women on the ground, Contact Charlie is a rare piece of military writing, providing readers with a behind-the-scenes look at the stories that made headlines that summer—and continue to do so today.

Authors Appearing in October

What would the fall be without more authors appearing at Pennywise Books? I don't know either, and I'm not really interested in finding out.

Pennywise is pleased to announce that we will be hosting two authors during the month of October.

Ravenstone, an imprint of Turnstone Press and Pennywise Books are proud to announce Michael Van Rooy will be reading and signing copies of his latest book, Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal. This event will take place at 7:00 PM on October 23 at Pennywise Books.

Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal is the follow-up to the Sykes Best First Book winner An Ordinary Decent Criminal (which the Winnipeg Free Press' Lindor Reynolds called "astonishingly good…"). This time out, ex-con Montgomery "Monty" Haaviko would prefer to be known as the friendly neighbourhood daycare provider, but it's his criminal expertise that brings him unwanted attention from new acquaintances and old friends. A human rights activist named Marie Blue Duck wants Monty to do good; local drug smuggler Samantha Richot wants him to do bad; and his old jailhouse crony, Hershel "Smiley" Wiebe, well, Monty has no idea what Smiley wants. Which is very bad…

And what is very good? The novel of course. Chadwick Ginther from McNallyRobinson.com claims that "Montgomery Haaviko, [is] one of the most complex and enjoyable crime protagonists [he has] ever read." Michael has also signed on to do two more Monty Haaviko books with Ravenstone, an imprint of Turnstone Press. Criminals are Forever and The Criminal Code are scheduled for release in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

If you're a fan of crime fiction, action adventure, or just like to see Winnipeg in fiction then come down to Pennywise Books, meet the author and get yourself a copy of Your Friendly Neighbourhood Criminal. You'll be glad you did.


Prior to this event, however, local author Joyce Slobogian will be at Pennywise to talk about her book To Die For. On Thursday, October 16 at 7:00 PM, Joyce will read from and talk about her novel.

Joyce started writing for publication after retiring from her career in clerical work. Since 1994, her writing - humour columns, profiles, and short stories - have been published in several Canadian newspapers and magazines. A member of the Manitoba Writers' Guild (MWG) and the Professional Writers Association of Canada (PWAC), she has lately started writing longer stories in the mystery genre. To Die For is her first suspense story.

To Die For is the story of eighteen-year-old Nina, who has gone missing and Maggie, her desperate mother. Maggie begs her friend Connie to search for her daughter even though Connie has no experience in detective work. She reluctantly agrees to do waht she can, but when it becomes clear that Nina was abducted, it becomes a police investigation. Sergeant Bowering and Constable Fielding of the Brandon Police Service soon discover a number of suspects in the case, but proof is missing, and the clues are getting more confusing every day. Meanwhile, there is no sign of Nina anywhere. Should Connie stay out of it, as she is advised to do? But she made a promise to her friend; and she won't break her word, even when it becomes clear that by persisting in her quest, she puts herself in danger.

Winnipeg Writers Festival... at Pennywise!

At 7:30 PM on September 22, Pennywise Books will be pleased to host two authors - Alison Calder and Kevin Marc Fournier - as part of the Winnipeg International Writers Festival.

Alison Calder was born in England, grew up in Saskatoon, and lives now in Winnipeg, where she teaches Canadian literature and creative writing at the University of Manitoba. In addition to scholarly material, she has published a chapbook, Ghost Works: Improvisations in Letters and Poems, in collaboration with Jeanette Lynes, and one poetry collection, Wolf Tree (Coteau), which won The Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry and the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book by a Manitoba Author at the 2008 Manitoba Book Awards. Alison Calder lives with her husband, Warren Cariou, and their two cats.

Winnipeg-born and raised, Kevin Marc Fournier works with mentally handicapped adults, writes a semi-regular column for online magazine Quiblit.com, fantasizes about being a full-time house husband and gets spanked in his office hockey pools with Sisyphean regularity. His first book, a young adult novel called Sandbag Shuffle (Thistledown), follows two young opportunists as they make their own kind of profit off the Manitoba Red River Flood of 1997. Sandbag Shuffle takes on natural disaster, disability, vagrant youth, and loyalty with sharp wit and speed. It won the McNally Robinson Book for Young People Award at the 2008 Manitoba Book Awards.

This event is free and open to the public. For more information on this event, please email pennywise@westman.wave.ca or drop us a line at 728-2665.

To learn more about the Winnipeg Writers Festival, check out their website at: www.thinairwinnipeg.ca.

Exciting News!

There are a couple of exciting things that simply screamed to be posted as early as possible, so I will present them to you now, without further ado:

1. New Book from J.K. Rowling

A richly magical collection of tales, "Tales of Beedle the Bard," that will satisfy Harry Potter fans and new readers alike has recently been announced. To be released on December 4, this title is the first new book from J. K. Rowling since the publication of the final book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard played a crucial role in assisting Harry, aided by his friends Ron and Hermione, to finally defeat Lord Voldemort. Fans will be thrilled to have this opportunity to read the tales in full.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard is without doubt an exciting addition to the canon of Harry Potter. They also reveal the wonderful versatility of the author, as she tackles with relish the structure and varying tones of a classic fairy tale. There are five tales included in the book: 'The Tale of the Three Brothers', which is recounted in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows; plus four more — 'The Fountain of Fair Fortune', 'The Warlock's Hairy Heart', 'The Wizard and the Hopping Pot', and 'Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump'. Each tale has its own magical character and will variously bring delight, laughter and the thrill of mortal peril.

The Tales of Beedle the Bard, translated from the original runes by Hermione Granger, is introduced and illustrated by J. K. Rowling. Also included are notes on the stories by Professor Albus Dumbledore, which appear by generous permission of the Hogwarts Headmasters' Archive.

Because it is being released in the middle of the week in December, we're most probably not having a street party. However, we are planning a special event to celebrate the release of this new book... keep your eyes open for updates.

In the meantime, if you want to reserve your copy (or copies), please call us at 728-2665. It'll make an excellent Christmas gift!

2. Check out Pennywise Books' stock online

That's right! You can now check out what books we have in stock, their price, if we can special order titles we don't have, and an estimate as to how long those orders might take to arrive. The site is a work in progress and there are many features that will be added in the coming months.

As it is, if you simply need to know if we have a copy of Devil May Care: The New James Bond Novel by Sebastian Faulks, but it's 3:00 AM and no one's answering the phone here at the store, you can always check it out online. Then, if you want it (or, if we're sold out and you want to order it), you can just send us an email and we'll either reserve or order a copy for you.

The webstore also gives you a peek (along the left side of the screen) of books we have on order and when we expect them to arrive.

You can check out the site here: Pennywise Books webstore.

As always, feel free to call, write or email any questions or comments.

Breaking Dawn

Breaking Dawn, the next installment in The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer will be released on Saturday, August 2, 2008.

The eagerly-awaited fourth and final book in this series will be available across Canada at one minute past midnight local time on August 2. Pennywise Books in Brandon will be open from midnight until 2:00 AM to make this book available to fans.

In just two years, Stephenie Meyer has become a worldwide publishing phenomenon. Twilight was one of 2005's most talked about novels and translation rights have been sold in 33 countries. The sequel, New Moon, was released in September 2006, and spent over 30 weeks at the #1 position on The New York Times bestseller list. Eclipse, the latest book in the series released on August 7, 2007, catapulted to the #1 slot on bestseller lists nationwide after selling 150,000 copies its first day on-sale. There are over 5.5 million copies of the Twilight Saga in-print worldwide.

If you're a fan and NEED your copy as soon as possible, this is your chance! See you at midnight!