October 7, 2021
Fall news 2021: bats, boats, and audiobooks!
Grant Lawrence Newsletter Fall 2021
Hello World of Friends!
Here’s hoping you and your family are all doing well! Over here in British Columbia / Coast Salish territory, it’s still all about masks, vaccine passports, plexiglass, and social distancing. And venues are at half capacity or less, which reminds me a lot of my days in the Smugglers!
Speaking of venues, my touring show “Grant Lawrence and Friends” is still on the shelf for the time being, with plans of it returning in 2022.
In milestone news… I turned –ahem– 50 (!!!) this summer! We had a great party on a HOT HOT HOT day in late July in Grace Harbour / Kahkaykay within the Desolation Sound Marine Park, one of my favourite places in the world. My lovely wife Jill Barber performed, as did the kayaking bagpiper Alan McMordie.
It was so hot that most of the audience spent the entire event in the water, even managing the feat of treading water and clapping at the same time. Thanks to Penrose Bay neighbour Bruce Layzell for carving me a beautiful wooden sign that may sum up the second half of my life: “Rock Me Gently.”
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BAILEY THE BAT
My first kids picture book is officially out now! It’s called Bailey the Bat and the Tangled Moose, about a little brown bat who can’t sleep, so it gets up to all sorts of daytime adventures when the rest of the bat colony is asleep. This all started from a bedtime story I would make up and tell my kids when they couldn’t sleep. The story explores themes of -ahem- naughtiness, bravery, coming together for a common goal, and… the consequences of disobeying mom! You can find Bailey at bookstores and libraries anywhere in North America, but I also sell personally signed copies here in English or French. I’d recommend the book for kids up to about age 8-ish who like animals and high-stakes adventure. And to all those who pre-ordered the book, thank you! You are the wind beneath my bat wings.
There will be a few live launch events around BC in October and November, which are listed at the end of this missive.
Here’s some nice early reviews of Bailey The Bat:
“Beautifully written, suspenseful… an ideal shared-read with younger students, one which provides opportunities to discuss themes, while also being an independent read for more advanced young readers.” – CM: Canadian Review of Materials
“Kind, brave, and resourceful… A satisfying adventure with a hint of more to come. Hooray for Bailey.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Being a children’s picture book, I was rather surprised by how well the story built up. There is a well-defined beginning, middle and ending. And really, at the height of the conflict, the story got pretty intense and my kiddo was fully invested!” – Good Reads
“I love this book!” – Josh Lawrence, age 8
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DIRTY WINDSHIELDS: THE AUDIOBOOK
This has been a blast to create late nights in my basement studio / couch! This past spring, I released the first part (ten chapters or so) of the audiobook for my book Dirty Windshields: the best and the worst of the Smugglers tour diaries, chronicling my 30-year rock ‘n’ roll journey with the band I co-formed when I was 17. Since most of the ridiculous stories contained in the book have been kept alive over the years from tellings (and retelling and re-re-re-tellings) in our van and in backstages and at parties, it seems only right for me to read these stories aloud. It’s been so much fun, and each chapter has plenty of musical flourishes from the 80s and 90s. Once the entire book is released in audio format, it will go up for sale as an unabridged audiobook sans music, but for now, the chapters are free to download and enjoy. Warning! “Mature content.” Part one is out now and can be heard here. Part two will be released later this fall. Please subscribe to my Superfeed so you don’t miss a chapter.
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RETURN TO SOLITUDE
The twelve-years-in-the-making sequel to my first book Adventures in Solitude is finally soon to wash ashore like a really long message in a beer bottle. It will indeed be a riptide of stories that further delves into the lives and adventures of Russell the Hermit, Bernard the German, the Cougar Lady, and the Spaghetti Bandit. Woven throughout like strands of kelp are the misadventures of my own growing family. Consider it Adventures in Solitude: the next generation, even though that’s not the title. Coming spring 2022 from Harbour Publishing!
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CBC
I continue to be lucky enough to host Canada’s only national chart show, the CBC Music Top 20, which can be heard three times weekly across the country: Thursdays at 6pm and Sundays at 5pm on CBC Music (the former Radio 2) and Wednesdays at 3pm on CBC Radio 1 or online any time. If you like the Weeknd, Lizzo, Billie Eilish, or Yukon Blonde, you should tune in!
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JILL BARBER
Whoa! My radiant singer-songwriter wife has not sat still much lately, as she figures out ways to navigate a music career through a pandemic. After her series of highly interactive and emotional Side Door Zoom concerts, Jill actually hit the road around BC for select shows that included a helicopter and a lot of wine. This month, she adds to her international touring resume in a major way: Jill is performing in Dubai for the World Expo. Follow her on Instagram for all the visual highlights! With Dubai notched into her guitar strap, that means Jill has performed and worked in Canada, the USA, Europe, Mexico, Japan, Australia, Argentina, and now the United Arab Emirates. Jill also has a new album in the works that promises to be very personal, rootsy, folky and acoustic, containing many of her best songs yet.
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LIVE EVENTS
Sunday Oct 17, Whistler Public Library, Whistler BC. Family storytime “Bailey the Bat” reading and signing, with crafts and colouring. 12:30pm. Register here. (part of the Whistler Writers Festival.)
Saturday Oct 23, Collage Collage, Vancouver BC. “Bailey the Bat” launch event.
Come by to pick up a copy of Bailey the Bat and a cool bat craft to do at home!
Have your book signed by Grant and take your picture under our Bailey-inspired window! 2pm-4pm.
Sunday Nov 22, Iron Dog Books, Vancouver BC. “Bailey the Bat” reading and signing, with bat crafts. 2pm – 3pm.
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Wishing you good health,
Grant Lawrence
Desolation Sound, BC
October 2021
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