Over the weekend, Terry Fallis finally distributed the final chapter of "The Best Laid Plans". For those of us who have been listening throughout, it was a thrilling ride to the end that very nicely brought the various storylines and characters together in a fun and exciting conclusion. You kind of knew it had to work out somehow... but the how was the fun part. As I started listening to the final chapter, I realized that somehow the hovercraft was going to factor in... but the precise manner in which it did was very enjoyable.
Kudos to Terry for creating characters that we could care about... and also for making the subject of Canadian politics fun and entertaining. Even though the Canadian system is different from my own world of the US, Terry left enough clues along the way to help those of us outside the world of Ottawa get a glimpse of how it works inside. (Full disclosure - I'm a political junkie, so this was great!)
It was amusing to note the other effects of the novel on me. Last Friday I was in Ottawa and up early driving home to Vermont. Staying out on the western side of the city, I figured the Queensway (the 417 highway) would be starting to get crowded, so at about 6:30am I took Carling Ave to Richmond Ave down to Wellington Ave and went up over Parliament Hill (eventually winding through some other streets to catch the 417 on the eastern side of the city and avoid all downtown highway traffic). As I drove up Wellington in front of the Parliament buildings, I was impressed as always by the sheer grandeur of the Hill, but I also had to laugh and think of the follies of Angus and company in the novel. As well, Terry threw in enough history along the way that it did give me a deeper appreciation for the sight that lay before my eyes.
This weekend was, of course, also a sad day... for those of us who have followed the book are now left with no more chapters to hear! There is, of course, in the comments to the podcast episodes the call already that we want to hear more... which I'm sure I'm sure is both gratifying and a wee bit intimidating to Terry! (He does, after all, have a PR business to run, family time, Inside PR podcasts to record and all those ice/ball hockey games he has to play!)
I'm looking forward to seeing the book in print... and also to continuing to watch Terry go through the self-publishing process on his blog (where he will also post other announcements). It's intriguing to see the options now available to authors... and I thank Terry for keeping us all in the loop.
If you haven't checked it out, do give it a listen, even if you aren't that into politics... I think you'll find it enjoyable. (I would, though, suggest going back and listening starting at chapter #1! ;-)
