Quill and Quire highlights Dating by Dave Williamson and Dadolescence by Bob Armstrong in their Spring Preview 2012: "Turnstone Press seems to be staking out territory in the area of male Boomer humour. Following last year’s novel Dadolescence by Bob Armstrong, the Manitoba publisher is bringing out Dave Williamson’s Dating ($19 pa., April), about a widower who finds himself thrust back onto the singles market in his senior years." Please read full article here.
About Dating:
Jenkins never dreamed he’d live long enough to be dating again. Old folks acting like teenagers was unheard of in his parents’ generation. Less than two years after his beloved wife’s death, Jenkins finds himself sheepishly slinking past her portrait to take another woman out to the movies. With good (and sometimes not-so-good) memories of his youth, Jenkins recalls his dating experiences through the decades — and finds that he is still no wiser than a schoolboy. Especially when he learns his high school grad date is back in town and newly widowed. Will she be the same sweet Janie who made his grad night perfect or will age have taken its toll? Things don’t look good when her son greets him at the door with a list of rules. The tables have turned and the parents are now the children. Boomers will connect on many levels with this outrageously funny portrayal of their generation grappling with the realities of old age.
Dave Williamson was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba in 1934 and currently makes the city his home. Primarily a writer of (comic) fiction, Dave has also worked in the genres of drama (for TV and stage), reviews and non-fiction. Formerly the Dean of Business and Applied Arts at Red River College, Dave has also served as President of the Manitoba Writers' Guild, Chair of the Writers' Union of Canada and a member of the Winnipeg International Writers' Festival advisory committee.
About Dadolescence:
When an ‘80s New Waver starts liking Country Music, is it a sign of maturity? More than just selling all his Depeche Mode and Flock of Seagulls records, stay-at-home dad Bill Angus has some serious house-cleaning to do. With his wife Julie bringing home the bacon and their son Sean flexing wings of independence, Bill has run out of excuses not to finish his long-overdue PhD thesis. When Julie’s old flame Blake Morgan returns to Winnipeg – with his wife and kids, mansion and high-powered career, Bill realizes he needs to grow up. But rather than looking in the proverbial mirror, Bill tries to rescue his stay-at-home dad neighbours from their foibles.
Born in Alberta, Bob Armstrong has a journalism diploma, a history degree, and an expired Wilderness First Aid and Outdoor Leadership certificate. After working as a newspaper reporter and editor, he oversaw media relations and public affairs for the Universities of Calgary and Manitoba, and is now the speech writer for Manitoba’s Lieutenant Governor. A full-time freelance writer, playwright, and stay-at-home dad, Bob lives with his family in Winnipeg.