A Review

Joe Pelletier of Hockey Book Reviews.com recently wrote a very kind review of Blue Ice. You can read it here. Many thanks to Joe for taking the time to read and review the book.

Transactions

If any of you are still reading this out there, I hope that May is treating you well. Here in Vancouver, our life has begun to feel normal. Or as normal as life can be without a car and a permanent home. But honestly, we have no complaints. The church community has been absolutely amazing, and of course, it’s always nice to live near family.

I’m afraid that this is not the rebirth of regular posting. There are too many tasks still be to done, which means that something has to go. (Actually, a few things, but you get the picture.) But don’t give up: I have new plans for the blog, new plans that I think will improve it and make it, well, more fun. Stay tuned.

In the meantime, I have two links to pass on. The first is a very, very, very nice review of Blue Ice by a Pete Byrne. Not only does he say way too many nice things about the book, but he highlights his favourite points about each story. Very personal, very fun. (Thanks, Pete!)

The second is this wonderful article in the Montreal Gazette. (HT: Hockey Book Reviews.com)

The Offseason

The primary reason I’ve been silent is that we’ve been incredibly busy packing, tying up loose ends, and saying goodbye to our friends here. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I haven’t really felt like talking about hockey since the Canucks were eliminated on Monday. Losses just don’t feel good. At all.

This blog wasn’t designed to be a “current” hockey blog, but I’m going to be taking some time away—my own personal offseason—as we get things setup in our new home and also to let me plan my blogging schedule more clearly. I’d like to revamp a few things here, set some clear goals, and get back to reading some hockey books. Lordwilling, I’ll have some new hockey writing for you all to read within the next year.

I’m not sure how long my offseason will be, but I promise I’ll be back as soon as I can. (The sooner those big decisions like new housing and a new car are taken care of, the sooner I can breathe easy and spend time here.) Until then, enjoy the summer sunshine.

One More Thing

I’m a sucker for book websites—the kind that let you catalog your library, enter ISBNs, check which ones you’ve read and which ones are still sitting on the shelf, unread, unloved, and making you feel guilty.

My current fave is Good Reads, an easy-to-use site that has the best of everything that such websites have to offer. If you’re on Good Reads already (or if you too have a soft spot for such things), you can become my friend and follow my “authorial” moves for as long as I stay active on this site. Just visit my profile page here and friend me.

Of course, if you’re already reading this blog regularly, the Good Reads thing might be overload. But if you’re already there, give me a shout. It’s a great excuse to geek out about books.

Good News

Although the official release date for Blue Ice has been pushed back to May 12th, I received my copies of the book this past Friday. And boy, are they beautiful. Sure, I’m prejudiced, but I can’t take any credit for their outward appearance—designers Rachel Hoffmann (who did the cover) and Laura Storm (who did the interior layout and pictures) deserve all the credit and praise.

Those of you who so kindly pre-ordered the book from Amazon.com (or elsewhere) can expect to receive your copies in a couple of weeks. Many thanks.

Some miscellaneous announcements:

a) For those of you in the Moscow-Pullman area, there will be a book signing this Saturday, May 9th. Things kick-off at 2:00pm, and it’ll be held at the Bucers’ Bookend (if you’re not sure what that is, just go to Bucer’s Coffeeshop—the baristas can point you in the right direction).

b) I did an small Q&A which is available here (on Canon Press’s blog). Austin Storm (the interviewer) edited out the retarded and pretentious bits: what’s left sounds half-coherent, and though I don’t ever like the sound of my own voice, it was still fun to sit and pontificate for a while. (Don’t worry: it’s out of my system.)

c) This is actually more of a request than an announcement, but if you do end up reading a copy of my book, I’d be thrilled if you would consider posting a quick review on Amazon.com, your blog, or both. I am not asking for gushy, “Oh my gosh this is so amazing” reviews—only honest opinions. (That goes without saying, right? Still, I have to make that clear: I do not want to be accused of asking for fake reviews.) Any opinion, both good and bad, would be valuable. Honest.

In the next couple of weeks, I’ll be setting up a Blue Ice page to collect press reviews and whatever else happens to the book (hopefully good stuff). Until then, just know that the book is out and on its way to you. I hope you like the stories and find them worth the wait.