Last Thursday I got my first taste of an author reading from one of Cormorant’s very own at the Toronto Reference Library. It was an amazing experience — to feel a part of the show rather than just an audience participant, even though I wasn’t the one reading!Dave Hugelschaffer flew in from his hometown of Edson, Alberta to read from the second instalment of the Porter Cassel firefighter mystery series, One Careless Moment. The book is about a firefighter, Porter Cassel, who finds himself on loan in Montana to help fight a recent outbreak of fires. When a sudden burnover claims the life of a firefighter, Porter, as the highest rank official, is blamed and asked to leave.
Dave read this opening scene of the book and held his audience captivated. There were audible gasps and murmurs at all the right times, and at the end of the chapter — a cliff hanger — there were disappointed groans, people wanting to know more. I couldn’t help but get caught up in the emotion involved too, letting loose my own sigh. It was intense.
I was pleasantly surprised at the turn out for the event. Roughly 50 mystery lovers showed up and seemed quite excited by the whole process. Everyone was chatty and seemed to enjoy the show. I got to speak candidly with a few members of the audience, and their enthusiasm was contagious. Everyone left the Beeton Auditorium with a smile on their face.
As a recent addition to the Cormorant team, I don’t think I could have asked for a better first time experience when attending one of our events.
As mentioned, the Toronto Reference Library hosted the event, which is part of their Lit Lunches Series. In particular, this instalment is known as their Mystery Novelists with Killer Careers. Also in attendance was April Lindgren’s, reading from her debut novel, Headline: Murder.
Their website can be found at: http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/pro_trl.jsp
Josh Davie is a production editorial intern at Cormorant Books
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