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B2 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday May 28, 2003 Pyramid Cedar Reg. up to 12.99. 1 gallon. ( fe ·d Author pokes fun at small-town life B y Paula Henriques O A K V IL L E B E A V E R S T A F F Comes Alive... With The Gardening Experts Sale S' V&m m Marigolds Marigolds are an easy to grow, colourful annual that bloom all summer into the early fall. 89.1 C t tO Comes A liv e ... . m. -w m ili* n t f . With The Gardening Experts All tienmium H .in ^ in ^ Ix iik<Si5 , Look to r m o re G r e a t S p ecials in o u r F iv e r in to d a y 's n e w sp a p e r. R B C F E S T IV A L O F C L A S S IC S presents W illiam Shakespeare T H E TEMPEST directed b y fe a tu rin g M IL E S P O T T E R ^ DAVID FERRY s1 ' a .i P riK tp e ro JULY 9 to AUG 9, 2003 Monday to Saturday o t 8:00 pin, C oronation Park, Oakv ille TICKETS now !905-815-2021 C a ll for "E A R L Y B IR D " Saving,* O a k v ille t i c k e t O u tlet.'. T h e O a k v i l l e C e n t r e l o r t h e P e r f o r m i n g A r ts a m ) H o o k e r s B o o k s to r e , 172 L a k e s h o r e R o a d ICast BEAVER H O P E D A IE >1(740 R BC Financial ^ST.LAWIMCI (P COOPER The eccentricities o f small-town life were never this much fun to read. In Andy Juniper's new novel. The Sunforth Chronicles, a cast of wacky characters brings the exaggerated story of small-town living vividly to life, with a few stereotypes along the way. There's the eager reporter Buzz, the earnest 18-year-old and soon-to-be mayor Becky, tough cop Adam, inadequate mayor Wallace Justice and fervent observer and narrator Cornelius "Corny" Wilson. In the fictional town o f Sunforth. these characters mesh and intertwine to a climax that is not only humorous, enlightening and witty, but evokes a sense of personalization that each one of us, even those living in the big city, can relate to. "The book is based on real people playing eccentric char acters. Just like small towns, people are under a microscope - everyone knows everyone and their business." says Juniper, an Oakville resident. "Stereotypes became stereotypes because there are peo ple like that. I know quite a few eager journalists and the gruff cop." Juniper was also one of those eager journalists at one point in his career. Writing professionally for 25 years, he began the pursuit o f writing right out o f high school at The Woodstock Sentinel-Review. Since then he has joined a slew o f newspapers including The Chronicle Joumal-Times News in Thunder Bay and The Globe & Mail in Toronto, until becoming a freelance columnist, which continues today. Writing The Sunforth Chronicles was sort o f an ode to his own youth. Growing up in small-town Woodstock, Ontario. Ron Kuzyk · Oakville Beaver Juniper said everybody knew everybody. Andy J u n ip e r's new novel. The Sunforth Chronicles , is an "A lot is very personal and then there's stuff in there exaggerated and hum orous observation of life in a sm all that's just to make me laugh. But any fiction touches upon town. your life and a lot o f fiction ideas I get come from reading newspapers," he explains. Cornelius, though, is estranged from his lovely wife - one This same wry sense o f humour is evident throughout the major difference between the author and his fictional coun book, where the narrator. Cornelius "Corny" Wilson handles terpart. since Juniper is happily married and has three chil the tow n's weekly Community Calendar in the newspaper dren. and continuously makes errors that will make There's even an element of mystery in the " I think there's a the reader laugh out loud - Like The Sunforth tale. Sunforth's new and young mayor. Becky, Genealogical Society that was erroneously shortage of humour vanishes during a cold night. What happened referred to as the G ynecological Society. to Becky W ingate remains an unsolved puzzle between the (book) Juniper explains mistakes like these are a little left for the reader to speculate. covers. It's easily easier to identify at smaller papers. "Instead o f being spoon fed. I wanted the attainable in movies "Not that you don't make mistakes at bigger reader to use their imagination." says Juniper. papers but at the smaller papers the mistakes and television, but But even through the mystery. Juniper's are more clear. These were just some o f the signature satire is never too far away. there isn't a lot of ideas I had and I just ran with them and had "I think there's a shortage o f humour fiction that is pure some fun with it." between the (book) covers. It's easily attain comedy." Besides grow ing up in a sm all-tow n. able in movies and television, but there isn't a Juniper added a few more personal elements to · Andy Juniper lot o f fiction that is pure comedy," he says. the story. A character named Ricky This is the third book but second novel for O 'Flannigan shares the same name with one o f Juniper's Juniper, who is known for his wacky, off-the-wall columns close friends growing up, but the similarities end there. The in various newspapers including the Beaver. His second novel's character is a "knuckle-baller." a very different per book. When you Get Done Bleeding, Will you gel me a sonality from his real-life inspiration. snack? is a collection o f those humorous essays. As well, the parallels between Juniper and the narrator, In 1994 he published his first book. Sweet Grass, a comic Cornelius, makes one wonder if he wrote him self into the romp chronicling the bittersweet love and bungled life o f story but Juniper denies it and says "all o f the characters Booker, a failing, floundering metropolitan journalist. were created with love." After Sweet Grass, he debated whether or not to write another comedy or a love story. Thinking the humorous tale would be the quickest route, he set his fingers to the keys, but Juniper, the family man. frequently interrupted Juniper, Please join us for a the author. "I write a humorous column every week, so I thought it F R E E Inform ation S e m inar on would be quick to write, but five years later I was still writ June 4th, 2003 at 7:00 p.m . ing it (The Sunforth Chronicles). There were other demands Oakville Public Lib ra ry on my life. It wasn't as quick to write as I thought," he says. 120 N avy S treet The love story, on the other hand, has 50,000 words already to its tale. Titled, Loves Lost and Found, he expects Learn A b o u t: it to be completed early next year. ·Adm ission Process "The problem with fiction is finding the time. Having an · Entrance Exam s (G rad es 5-10) hour here and an hour there doesn't help at all. You then · Resumes and interviews always have to re-read it." For further information and to register, visit www.PREPSSAT.com He explains that when writing The Sunforth Chronicles, humour became an antidote to everything that was going on in his life at the time. With his mother battling cancer and his father falling ill to an Alzheimer's-like illness, Juniper R egister Early - PKfP ff& T 4 16-200-SSAT said laughter was the best medicine for all o f them. Lim ited Seating (7728) "Comedy has the ability to be anecdotal. To alleviate the doom and gloom o f the real world is what propelled me to write a comedy. It was therapy for me." he says. The Sunforth Chronicles is now available in bookstores or online at strangledeggs.com. 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