Pre-Buzz on SWITCH

‘Wow! Loved it … desperately wanted more after racing through the first 130 pages. Fast, thrilling, gripping, scary…When can I read the rest?
— Gavin Hilzbrich

This book is so cinematic . . . due to the punchy dialogue and the succession of crisp, sharp images which drive the narrative forward. I want to read more!
— Sam Eades

This is absolutely brilliant! A very compelling read but I was upset when I got to the last page because I wanted more!
— Jeanette Slinger

I can't stand crime novels that have a long preamble before getting to the action and this one certainly doesn't disappoint in that way. From page one it's straight in there, bish bash bosh and continues on in that vein, so you are frantically turning the pages to find out what happens next.
— Sandra Hawe

The material I read was mad, frantic, super quick and entertaining.
— Martin Higgins

Gripping… Explosive… Page Turning…
And that’s only 140 pages in!!
— Darren Elliot

This was great - I really wanted to read on. Very much made me think of Simon Kernick and Relentless actually - same kind of ordinary guy suddenly finding his life turned upside down when he just comes home from work... Decidedly scary and asks some very dark questions: just how far would you go to save your family?
— Sue Cook

January 19, 2000

Author Grant McKenzie hopes first book will meet ’avalanche’ of success

By Gillian Beckett, Staff Reporter

Okotoks resident Grant McKenzie is achieving some pretty high goals in life.

He is an award-winning journalist, a columnist and a senior editor at the Calgary Herald and he can now add the prestigious title of author to those accolades.

McKenzie recently published his first book which is entitled ‘Avalanche on the Prairie’.

“I’ve always had a burning desire to have a book published,” said McKenzie. “It is quite a thrill to get a first book published.”

The children’s book, which McKenzie explained is targeted towards eight to 12-year-olds, follows the adventures of three unique characters; Owl, who was born with a cleft-lip; Measles, who has Down’s syndrome; and Ogre, who is unusually tall for his age.

The adventures begin at school where Owl and Measles are the targets of bullying because of their differences.

Then, following a bike chase by bullies, an even bigger and more dangerous adventure ensues when Owl and Measles uncover a plot to dump deadly toxic waste in their town’s landfill.

McKenzie said that he had the idea for the story for quite some time — it had originally began as a poem he wrote in high school.

However, the idea eventually gathered momentum and grew into a story plot after talking with some local people who have Down’s syndrome.

“In Okotoks, many businesses employ a lot of young adults with Down’s syndrome,” said McKenzie. “After talking to a few, I was moved to hear of how well they are fitting in with society.”

As such, the Measles character in the book is described as a computer genius, which ties into what McKenzie discovered is the case for many with Down’s syndrome.

“A lot of people with Down’s syndrome are involved with computers because it is a great way for them to communicate,” explained McKenzie.

While the book focuses mainly on the adventures of the characters, the plot itself goes deeper into accepting a person’s differences.

“Kids see differences of many people,” said McKenzie. “I’d like people (when reading this book) to like these kids not because of the differences that stand out, because differences (in the end) don’t matter.”

McKenzie has been a writer for over 10 years which started with his career in journalism.

“I’ve always wanted to write fiction, but I realized, realistically, that I would starve to death if I made that a full-time career because it is very difficult to make a living at it,” said McKenzie. “So I studied journalism, which I’ve made a good living from.”

While McKenzie worked as a journalist, he also kept his dream of writing fiction alive despite receiving numerous rejection slips in the process as many fiction writers experience.

“In journalism you never experience quite the level of rejection that you get from trying to publish a book,” said McKenzie. “Having a book published is similar to winning the lottery except being published takes skill and luck, not just luck.”

The mixture of skill and luck has paid off for McKenzie after he only received about five rejection slips before ‘Avalanche on the Prairie’ was picked up by Diverse City Press Inc. in Quebec.

Following the recent success of his first book, McKenzie said he hopes to continue the saga of Owl, Measles and Ogre in a series.

McKenzie added that he is also currently working on an adult mystery thriller which he hopes to have published some day.

Short Stories

An author Q&A,
plus my short Out of Order
appeared in Spinetingler's Summer 08 issue.

My short White Volcano appeared in
Out Of The Gutter 2

My short Ragamuffin Girl appeared in Spinetingler's Summer 07 issue.

My short She Remembers The Future appeared in The Late Late Show's Summer 03 issue.