I've decided that book launches in Kelowna are like buses in London.  You wait ages for one, and then three come along at the same time. I've already talked about the ones for novelist Corinna Chong and poet Tim Linburn, and recently I popped in to new Kelowna bar and grill, Social 242, for a launch party to celebrate local author Becky Komant.

As well as being a writer, Komant is a business woman, personal trainer, and life coach, offering people help and support with all aspects of their lives. It was a lovely evening, and I was able to chat to her about both herself and her new book, The Controlled.

TG(N)L: Are you originally from Kelowna? If not where are you from and how did you end up in Kelowna?

BK: ‘I am a Kelowna girl – born and raised.  I couldn't think of a better place to grow up and also to raise my four children’.

TG(N)L: What made you decide to write: a) a book? and b) this particular story?

BK: ‘I honestly had a vision of writing a fitness book for years which took a wild twist into an dramatic adult suspense!   How did it get there?  A chance run in at the airport with a client and a conversation later, I started taking notes in my iPhone and my journey started.  After sharing some of my ideas, it ignited something inside of me. I wanted to write a book that was not only entertaining but that people could relate to on different levels, such as self doubt, fear and control issues.  

I had a great idea for a story that brewed for several years and figured that I could intertwine many different elements together and create a fiction book that would not only entertain, but it would touch on many issues people deal with in life.’   

TG(N)L How did your work as a life couch influence or help with the writing of The Controlled?

BK: ‘I have been a fitness trainer for years.  I find as a trainer, coaching goes far beyond the physical aspect.  Because of that I became a Certified Life Coach.  It is my passion to help others and because of that I wanted to weave many challenges into the story line.

It is those challenges that make the story so intriguing but also give some readers hope and strength to fight for their freedom from any issues they may be dealing with.  It also is a great story for those in search of a suspense thriller full of intrigue, seduction, blackmail, lies and manipulation.’

TG(N)L: What is your favourite thing about the book or story?

BK: ‘It is hard for me to pick a favourite part of the story.  It would give away the plot.  I enjoyed developing the character Sarah and watching her evolve as she struggled to find her path.’

TG(N)L: What was the most challenging thing about writing the book?

BK: ‘The most challenging part about writing the book was where to end it.  I guess I can put a little hint out there that there is a sequel in the works!’ 

TG(N)L: Did living in Kelowna have any influence on the story in any way?

BK: ‘I wouldn't say living in Kelowna influenced the story but it would be fair to say that growing up in Kelowna and my path in life has made me who I am today. If I had chosen another path, who knows where I would be!’ 

'The Controlled' is Komant’s first book, and is a sexy adult thriller – synopsis as follows:

'Who is in control of YOUR life?

Fitness model and mother of 5 Sarah Ruiz thinks her future is as bright as the Miami sun. By the time she realizes a stranger, who is hell-bent on destroying her, has wormed his way into her life, she finds herself backed into a corner with no apparent way of escape.

The Controlled is an adult dramatic thriller for mature readers who have a thirst for a mystery laced with sexual tension and suspense. Get ready for a fast-paced, hot ride that traverses Miami, New York, and Las Vegas, with a glimpse into the dark side of human nature.'

Sounds like a perfect summer poolside read to me, and I am all for supporting local talent.  

The Controlled is published through BK Press, and you can order your copy through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, or through your local bookstore.

ISBN: 978-0-9918115-0-2

B is for Book Launch...

The last time I went to a book launch/signing was at Barnes & Noble in New York, and the book in question was 'Stories I Only Tell My Friends' by Rob Lowe. What can I say? I was a huge West Wing fan. And, yes, his eyes really are that blue.

I love a good book launch, and have a special place in my heart for fiction writers.  As a lover of both books and writing, I - myself - am sadly completely incapable of writing fiction.  I simply have no stories in me.  Therefore, I am completely in awe of those who can, and who can do so well. Corinna Chong is one of these people.

Her new (and first!) book is called Belinda's Rings and is a beautifully written book filled with quirky, imaginatively written prose about family relationships - mixed in with deep sea creatures, crop circles and UFO's. At 85 pages in, I am thoroughly enjoying it. How can you not like a book where one of the main characters is called 'Squid'?

Corina is originally from Calgary, but lives in Kelowna and teaches at Okanagan College, which appears to be emerging as a hotbed of creative talent, who were out in force to celebrate their colleague's (significant!) achievement. Well done, also, Mosaic Books for organising the event. Seeing local talent celebrated and supported is a wonderful thing, and Corinna thoroughly deserves it.

It's wonderful to have discovered a literary community in Kelowna, and if the crowd at the reading at The Bohemian Cafe is anything to go by, its a good one.  The crowd was warm, supportive with lots of intelligent questions for the author post reading, and filled with writers and poets and other creative and talented people, which bodes well.

Rumour has it there's also an active poetry community in town as well - hurrah. I'll keep you posted.

~

"Belinda's Rings is about childhood and adolescence and sisters and mother's and piano lessons, but it's also about UFOs and mysterious squids and stunningly beautiful crop circles near Stonehenge. The writing has a mesmerising grace and an Atwoodian fascination with science and swirling fractals and deep sea divers and puzzling family bonds. Belinda's Rings is a vital,vibrant gem."  

Mark Anthony Jarman, author of 19 Knives and My White Planet

Belinda's Rings by Corinna Chong, $19.95, is published by NeWest Press (www.newestpress.com) and is available at Mosaic Books, 411 Bernard Ave, Kelowna (www.mosaicbooks.ca).