Lengthy blog review of Sad Peninsula

So I had a pretty emotional time reading this thorough and thoughtful review of Sad Peninsula that was published yesterday on the blog, A Pilgrim in Narnia. The blog is written by a guy that I went to high school with, Brenton Dickieson, who attended the Charlottetown reading for the novel back in December 2014. Brenton covers quite a lot of ground in his lengthy piece. He talks about how Sad Peninsula was one of the last novels his mother read before she died, and that she, a voracious consumer of books, considered it one of the best she'd ever read. He also mentions remembering the intense drive I had for writing back in high school in the early 1990s (yes, I was getting up at 4:30 am every day to write, even back then) and his mixed feelings about that ambition. Mostly, he provides a deep and generous analysis of Sad Peninsula itself, discussing many of the book's ideas and themes. Anyway, it's great to see that my previous novel still has some legs out there in the world, causing thoughts and sparking discussion. 

Announcing: The Slip's Toronto Launch Party

So, what are you doing the evening of Wednesday, May 31? If the answer is nothing, and you live in Toronto, why not come down to Ben McNally Books for the launch of my third novel, The Slip? The evening will include great conversation, snacks and drinks, and a short reading from the book. Here are the details:

When: May 31, 2017.
What time: 6:00 pm.
Where: Ben McNally Books - 366 Bay Street, Toronto, ON.
Facebook invitation: https://www.facebook.com/events/237382073406125/

I'm so excited to share this book, and Philip Sharpe's delightful misadventures, with the world. Please come out if you can!

Mark

The Slip's first major review!

And it's a real dandy. Yes, for the third time in third years, a book of mine has had the privilege of getting reviewed in the pages of Publishers Weekly, the big publishing/book industry trade magazine in the United States. The review is glowing, calling The Slip "riotous but astute" and adding, "Sampson’s gift to his protagonist is not judging the 49-year-old 'compulsively type A' prof as a hopeless jerk. Like Robertson Davies, he grants him the ability to direct his prodigious intellect inward, with satisfying results." Hazzah!

And in case you're curious, here are the other two reviews I received from PW: one for Sad Peninsula (2014) and one for The Secrets Men Keep (2015).

Reminder: Reading on Tuesday night

If you've checked out my Events page recently, you know I'm reading as part of the Toronto Review of Books' Spring Party. I'll be sharing the stage with an illustrious crew of other writers, including my wife, Rebecca Rosenblum, as well as Jessica Westhead, Heather Birrell and Antanas Sileika.  We'll be at the Poetry Jazz Café, 224 Augusta Avenue in Toronto. The festivities kick off at 7pm. I'm also happy to announce that my reading will be the world premiere of my new novel, The Slip. I'll be sharing only a short excerpt, but it will give you a taste of what I've been thinking and writing about for the last three and a half years. Hope you can make it out!