It's one thing to work on a Sunday. It's quite another to work on the first absolutely gorgeous Sunday of the year. So there was a little bit of moaning and groaning around the office about coming in yesterday for the first day of our Fall 2008 Sales Conference. That's until the guests started arriving.
I'm not even going to front: it's an incredible fall list, with novels by Marilynne Robinson, Rebecca Miller and Helen Humphreys, two huge business books, one of which is authored by Peter C. Newman, and the other by Ted Rogers, plus a new mystery series called Bruno, Chief of Police that's akin The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency set in the world of A Year in Provence, and it's almost impossible to put into words how thrilled we are over every single book we've got coming out next fall.
But special guests too? On top of great books? Come on!
First off, for our morning break, we were treated to Peter C. Newman talking to the group about his Izzy Asper biography, aptly titled Izzy: The Passionate Life and Turbulent Times of Izzy Asper, Canada's Media Mogul. He's charming, funny and absolutely knows how to work a crowd. He also had some amazing advice for writers: focus on the body language because it's essential to all descriptions. Body language, in Newman's words, doesn't lie.
By lunchtime we were all starving, which made us the perfect audience for the utterly charming and truly unique David Rocco. He regaled us with stories of his travels, of the philosophy behind his lifestyle, and smiled that incredible smile! Oh, did I mention lunch? We enjoyed dishes from his new book, David Rocco's Dolce Vita, which included naked ravioli, incredible pasta, and some amazing zucchini (and more!
Afternoon rolled around, our bellies were full, and we were ready for our next guest, who was none other then Les Stroud, Suvivorman himself. Collins Canada is publishing his Survive! Essential Skills and Tactics to Get You Out of Anywhere -- Alive in October. The purpose of the book, or rather, why Les's is writing the book, is to debunk the more traditional survival guide techniques that his own experiences have proven ineffective. The central premise of Les Stroud's book is to keep it simple and survive. His whole essence is efficient, smart and utterly energetic.
That's a pretty jam-packed day, right? What more could we possibly expect? Three authors who could easily be moved into the celebrity category...and then Paul Gross showed up. And I gasped. I think I actually said, "He's so dreamy." OUT LOUD. Over twelve years in the making, his passion project, the feature-film Passchendaele, based on his grandfather's experience during the First World War, comes out in October. HarperCollins Canada is publishing the film tie-in books, and Alliance Films is distributing the movie. It's a huge, even epic, Canadian film that was shot in Calgary, and I'm already counting down the days until it's in theatres. It's impossible to put into words how magnetic he is in person, handsome, of course, but smart, well spoken and hilarious.
What a day! All that and books too.