Pleasant Good Evening, a Memoir: My 30 Wild and Turbulent Years of Sportstalk hits #1 on the Amazon bestseller rankings in multiple categories
Canadian sports fans have grown up listening to Dan Russell’s Sportstalk radio show over its three-decade run, and now they can relive some of the most iconic moments in BC sports history in Dan’s new memoir, Pleasant Good Evening, a Memoir: My 30 wild and turbulent years of Sportstalk.
Russell has been interviewed by dozens of media outlets, and his book hit #1 in the Amazon bestseller rankings in multiple categories.
What began in 1984 as a simple 50-minute filler grew into the longest-running and most-listened-to show of its kind in Canada.
What inspired you to write your memoir?
Initially, it was something I planned for my kids to one day knew what my career was all about. But mostly it was about making sure the legacy of the trailblazing show I hosted would be forever on the record.
What do you hope readers will take away from your book?
Many things, I think. 1) Setting goals is great, both short-term and long-term. But chasing dreams can be as unhealthy as it is healthy. 2) The best broadcasters are the best listeners. 3) To steal a line from former Sportstalk regular Harry Neale, “Hard work beats talent if talent doesn’t work hard.”
As an English major, writing has always been a part of Ryan Lawrence’s life. It was only after leaving his long-time profession that he took his education and a passion for writing and began his author journey.
Ryan currently lives in London, Ontario, with his husband Todd, their cat Dora, and a massive comic book collection that once fell on Todd (Ryan assures us that he’s okay).
We’re thrilled to welcome Ryan as our author of the month for June. Read on to learn his advice for authors when self-publishing and marketing their work . . .
Toot your own horn! Be proud of what you have created, and never feel embarrassed to promote yourself. Excitement is contagious!
Tips to unleash your inner Goddess/God with Tellwell author of the month, Rita Kakati-Shah
Rita Kakati-Shah, the author of The Goddess of Go-Getting, holds many roles both in the business world as an entrepreneur, founder & CEO, public speaker, media contributor and, now, author. She is an award-winning gender, diversity, and inclusion career strategist, speaker and coach. She founded and runs, Uma, a company that provides strategic expertise in those areas to Fortune 500 companies.
The Goddess of Go-Getting was launched on International Woman’s Day by the Consul General of India in New York and has become the number one bestseller across three categories on Amazon.
Kakati-Shah was born and raised in London, England and is from Assam heritage. She now lives in New York City with her husband and children.
You have a unique voice, so tell the story in your voice, not in someone else’s. Once you find your voice, you’ll feel the passion and your writing will flow!
Rita Kakati-Shah, author of The Goddess of Go-Getting
Authors may battle imposter syndrome, question their ideas and talent, and struggle to let go of fears. How can authors unleash their inner Goddess/God to overcome their fears?
Love this question! First and foremost, you have to remember that as an author you have your own voice. Even if two authors were to recount the exact same story, their prose and expression would be different. You have a unique voice, so tell the story in your voice, not in someone else’s. Once you find your voice, you’ll feel the passion and your writing will flow!
What habits or rituals have you adopted that have helped you overcome fears and unleash your inner goddess?
Ho ho ho! Just in time for the holidays, we here at Tellwell are excited to share some of our favourite yuletide tales that are perfect for the whole family. With these festive reads, you can keep the holiday magic alive all year round!
Christmas Treasure Hunt by Leslie & Tyler Hoolaeff
A new Christmas tradition to bring the whole family together! Christmas Treasure Hunt tells a charming and delightful story of Santa preparing to deliver a game on Christmas Day.
Beyond the fun of the story, the heart of this book can help create a better, more memorable Christmas that is accessible to anyone.
Get your copy of Christmas Treasure Hunt on Amazon.
The true story of one of Canada’s most notorious serial killers, told by someone who was closest to him.
The days are getting shorter, darkness is setting in, and it’s the perfect time for a true crime story. This particular tale involves a young man, handsome and quiet. By day, he works on cars and trains as a body builder. By night, he scales apartment buildings and sneaks into women’s rooms, giving them a terrifying and tragic end to their lives. It was years before the police caught him. And it was Peter Perry who helped stop him.
The Bedroom Strangler (real name: Russell Maurice Johnson) is one of the most notorious serial killers that Canada has ever seen. He committed his crimes throughout the 1970s in London and Guelph, Ontario. Peter Perry was there for it all as one of his closest friends and fellow body builder. Forty years later, Peter recounts this true story of evil in Origen.
Lucky you: Peter is giving away ORIGEN: A True Story of Evil for free until November 17.
Author of Immigration, Race and Survival Cecily Alexander was featured in The Caribbean Camera!
This memoir is a collection of many journals she has kept over the years. She uses journalling as a way of working through feelings and emotions and of learning from her experiences. She has had a career as a dietitian for over forty years. Her career has included academic writing, and she has one previous book publication: a book on nutrition and weight loss called “Just Eat Less: Easier said than done.” She has a master’s in business administration specializing in organizational behaviour in addition to her nutrition degree from the University of Guelph. She has taught at both the university and college levels. She lives in Southern Ontario.
🖤 Find the cover of Country Hearts & Willow’s Ridge 🖤 Select your choice of digital review copy 🖤 BookFunnel will send you your free download right after!
Tellwell book-cover designer Benjam Mosquera has been a valued member of the Tellwell team since 2018. He has ten years of book-design experience and is passionate about creating covers that draw people in at first glance. Read on to learn Benjam’s favourite book cover-design trends and hear his advice to authors working with book designers for the first time.
What inspired you to become a book-cover designer?
I began my book-design career working as an interior book designer. I was really inspired seeing beautifully created cover designs by my teammates, in bookstores and online. It led me to learn how to artfully create book covers. I have been enjoying creating book covers for a decade now.
Where do you draw creative inspiration from?
I am often inspired by film posters. I’ll search for the designer’s name and look through their work for more inspiration.
What advice do you have for authors working with a book designer?
Clear instruction is really key. If an author has a specific vision for their book, then it’s important for the author to relay detailed instructions for the cover designer. That allows the designer to more easily visually interpret the instructions.
We are also creative individuals who love taking a concept and running with it. So if authors don’t have a clear vision for their book cover, that’s OK. That’s why we are here, to put in our professional touch and create magic. Showing covers that you love and want to emulate also go a long way.
Fall has officially arrived, and with it our excitement for Halloween! In honour of the spooktacular holiday, the Tellwell team pulled together our top spine-chilling, hair-raising reads for October! 🎃
From horror books with demons and plagues to psychological thrillers with a thirst for revenge, we think you’ll love these eerie excerpts below. 👻
The Plague by Ryan L. Canning
She turned and ran. There was no end in sight. The bodies, the tents, the smell, they went on for miles.
The apartment filled with sounds from another world. Screaming, shouting, music with an unearthly twisted tune played out of the walls. A chorus of suffering, a background of nightmares and fears. It was angry, insulted and outraged.
Poppy Seeds on a Grave: A Collection of Short Stories by Mirko Markovic
Every ounce of blood in this man’s body drained from his skin and he froze in time, a statue paralyzed by the shock of what he had just seen.
– Mirko Markovic, Poppy Seeds on a Grave: A Collection of Short Stories
Get your copy of Poppy Seeds on a Grave: A Collection of Short Storieson Amazon.
The Book of Nodd: The Dreamwalker by B.S. Thompson
Suddenly he heard a snap and an electric bolt of pain shot down his arm, but the cottage did not stop rocking, and it would not be much longer before it collapsed on him completely.
– B.S. Thompson, The Book of Nodd: The Dreamwalker
Get your copy of The Book of Nodd: The Dreamwalker on Amazon.
Chains by M Todd
Before him, strewn about throughout the cavern from ceiling to floor, placed within the bluish rocks, were hundreds, or thousands, of human bodies. Men and women, their faces contorted in masks of horror and pain, frozen like macabre cadavers in a monster’s freezer.
Without thinking, I knew what I had to do. I tugged my sister out from behind me and moved her around me until we had switched places, me behind her with my hands on her shoulders. “Take her,” I said, and gave her shoulders a little shove forward.
Squinting, he focused with laser-like intensity to see what he could of the corpse below. He marvelled at the kaleidoscope of colours and textures the mangled body had created all over the urban canvas.
Was my mom a criminal? Did she know something or do something that helped ruin this man’s life? Did Mathis know? Was it even true? There was too much to think about all at once.
So you made the decision to create an author website – FANTASTIC! A website functions as a modern online business card, and not having one can impact credibility. You will use your website to share information and news about your book, let people know where they can buy it, and offer other ways of connecting with you by including your social media links. Ultimately, your website is the foundational building blocks of your brand! But, what should you be doing with it and how can you help get traffic (views) to the site?
Unless you are creating regular content in the form of a blog, uploading new resources, or doing something unique on your site, it can be hard to drive people to visit your author website frequently or at all. So what should you be doing?
Here are 4 key elements to follow to get the most out of your author website:
