Me with one of my all-time biggest heroes "Captain" Kirk McLean of the Vancouver Canucks backstage at Urban Rush TV show.

Um… I can’t say it any better than this, nor do I want to, so I’ll let the media moguls at Killbeat take over… thanks folks:

CBC Radio personality and first-time author Grant Lawrence continues to make strides with his debut book Adventures in Solitude. First released on September 27, 2010 to universally rave reviews, within one month  the book was the #1 Bestseller in BC. Within two months it was #2 on the National Bestsellers List for non-fiction paperback in Canada. In November, Grant Lawrence completed a successful coast-to-coast book tour which touched down in Victoria, Vancouver, Regina, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax and many other spots in between, events which have included live performances from such musicians as Jim Bryson, Matthew Barber, Michael Bernard Fitzgerald, Aidan Knight, Said The Whale, Andy Swan,  Del Barber (no relation), Belle Plaine, Jill Barber (Lawrence’s wife) and others.

“To say I’m shocked by the reception the book has received is a huge understatement“, said Lawrence. “I’m truly flattered, and I profusely thank the book buyers of Canada for proving a lot of naysayers wrong… including myself!” Lawrence has two more book events in his home province of BC before Christmas break, including an event in Lawrence’s hometown of West Vancouver. Upcoming book event dates in 2011 will include Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Fredericton, Powell River, Sechelt, London, Kingston and Charlottetown.

Adventures in Solitude was recently listed as one of the Top Ten Canadian Books of the Year in the Vancouver Sun, Montreal Gazette, and Calgary Herald. The book is published by Harbour Publishing and is currently in its second print run.

Critical praise for Adventures in Solitude:

“A hilarious and touching memoir [told] with an effortless storytelling style”. – Exclaim Magazine

“Adventures in Solitude is a study in dualities, none stronger than the timeless conflicts between old versus new and man versus nature.” – Vancouver Sun

“Funny and insightful, Adventures In Solitude is chock full of outrageous and quirky rural stories.” – Telegraph Journal

Upcoming Events

Wed Dec 15, Heriot Bay Inn, Quadra Island BC, w/ Jill Barber 7pm, free

Sun Dec 19, West Vancouver Memorial Library, West Vancouver BC, w/ Jill Barber 2pm, free

Christopher and Grant from Collected Works Books in Ottawa

During my visit to our nation’s capital city, on a gorgeous couple of days in November, I had the pleasure of sitting down for a CBC Radio One interview with my friend and colleague Alan Neal. Alan is the host of All In A Day, Ottawa’s top-rated afternoon show. Alan is an exceptional interviewer, and it was my honour to have him direct his questions in my direction. You can hear our conversation about Adventures in Solitude, including my only on-air “reading” to date, right HERE. Enjoy!

Hey folks! Just got back from another swing through the grand prairies, this time to Winnipeg where we held the Adventures in Solitude Winnipeg launch at an amazing book store called McNally Robinson on Grey Cup Sunday. There was a great turnout for the reading, which was again an audience that was a cross-section of my life… family members (Lawrences and Barbers), musicians (the Weakerthans, Novillero, and Del Barber, who performed two great songs), CBC Radio 1 friends (DNTO), neighbours from Desolation Sound (the Harpers) and CBC Radio 3 friends / fans (Pat, Devin, MakenzieC, SChappelaz, Shonica and more).

Thanks also to Pat for throwing a party last Saturday night, complete with “pot butter”… actual butter, that was green, filled with marijuana, that caused more than a few people to start reciting Doors lyrics and generally freak right out after just a few slabs.

I love the Prairies!