Grandparents killed in wrong-way crash on Hwy. 401 identified
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Writing may be a solitary activity, but the response to one author’s tweet this week has shown that the sense of community among writers is huge.
On Sunday, debut author Chelsea Banning penned a tweet about her disappointment that a signing event for her fantasy novel, Of Crowns and Legends, had been poorly attended.
“Only 2 people came to my author signing yesterday, so I was pretty bummed about it,” she wrote. “Especially as 37 people responded ‘going’ to the event. Kind of upset, honestly, and a little embarrassed.”
But her tweet received the opposite of a small turnout: the post blew up in literary circles online, with numerous prominent authors responding or retweeting with stories about their own similar experiences.
Margaret Atwood tweeted, “Join the club,” in response to Banning, revealing that at one of her signings, no one came, “except a guy who wanted to buy some Scotch tape and thought I was the help.”
Neil Gaiman replied that Banning had a better turnout than he and Terry Pratchett did at a signing in Manhattan for their book Good Omens that apparently nobody attended.
“So you are two up on us,” he wrote. Good Omens has since had its own TV adaptation.
Novelist Stephen King, whose books have inspired numerous movie adaptations, joined the thread to add that he had one customer at the first signing for Salem’s Lot.
Jodi Picoult, who has written around 30 books, said that she has been sitting alone at a signing “many times,” with her only visitors being those wondering where the bathroom is.
Canadian singer-songwriter Jann Arden tweeted that her first book signing was at a Costco, “between the sausage samples and the men’s sweatpants,” adding that the first person who had approached her asked who she was.
Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Crusted Snow, chimed in Tuesday to share that he and Cherie Dimaline – Governor General award-winner for The Marrow Thieves – held a book talk years ago that drew zero audience members.
“No one showed up, until a woman walking by stopped into the room looking for a place to feed her baby,” he wrote. “She felt bad for us and stayed!”
Banning’s original tweet has over 2,400 replies and more than 68,000 likes as of Tuesday evening. It has sparked numerous news articles and blog posts, and has touched hearts across the entertainment spectrum, from actor Henry Winkler to rapper Flavor Flav.
A day after she tweeted about her book signing, Banning posted screenshots showing her book had jumped to number one on the Amazon list for Arthurian Fantasy, and she reported that she had sold out of stock for signed copies.
In a TikTok on Monday, she tearfully expressed her thanks for the response, saying she had been working on her novel since she was 14 years old.
“It’s been with me, like, over half my life,” she said. “I don’t have any words. These are happy tears, I promise.”
A 60-year-old man and a 55-year-old woman killed in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 earlier this week have been identified by the Consulate General of India in Toronto.
Three people have been arrested and charged in the killing of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue investigating potential connections to the Indian government.
Pius Suter scored with 1:39 left and the Vancouver Canucks advanced to the second round of the NHL playoffs with a 1-0 victory over the Nashville Predators on Friday night in Game 6.
TD Bank Group could be hit with more severe penalties than previously expected, says a banking analyst after a report that the investigation it faces in the U.S. is tied to laundering illicit fentanyl profits.
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
RCMP say human remains found in a rural area in central Saskatchewan may have been there for a decade or more.
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.