No...Godblog isn't a blog that I'm reading, it's a book. A book, I might add, that I am very excited about. I'll give you a bit of backstory.
Many years ago, when I was a teenager, I was friends with a girl who was very passionate about writing. She wrote short stories and poems, while I drew cartoons and cute illustrations. We both had dreams of doing something more substantial with our talents, though I'm pretty sure she had much more confidence in herself than I ever did in my own creative efforts. Sadly, we lost touch (totally my fault) until last year. While reading one of the local literary blogs, I came upon her name, in reference to her upcoming first novel. With a bit of Googling, I found an email address, sent her an email with my congratulations, and we've been reaquainting ourselves ever since. Some people trash blogs and the internet, claiming that it's a heartless tool which impedes our ability to experience true human connection. Well, I big to differ. It's all in how you use it, baby. It's like cellphones. A very useful piece of technology, that sadly has been hijacked by a multitude of stupid, selfish rude assholes on our planet. But I digress.
So yes, this is Laurie Channer's first novel, and yes, I'm just thrilled to bits!! Godblog is published by Darkstar Fiction, a new literary imprint of Napoleon & Company "reflecting contemporary issues and concerns and telling the uniquely modern stories of Canada's urban environment". So what's the book about? I'll quote from Laurie's Godblog Blog:
Circumstances force a young snowboarder, Dag, based in Whistler to give up his sport and immediately find another way to live. He embarks on two paths, the first, a subsistence job as a barista in a coffee mega-chain where he works hard to be a barista extraordinaire to boost his tips. He also invents an online alter ego who pronounces his own brand of wisdom and rant, an outlet to express what Dag can’t in his day-to-day role of coffee slave and supportive friend. Dag’s dark side blogs provocation in every post, and gains a following.
Dag’s personality suffers in the struggle to keep his real and cyber lives integrated. The ensuing identity crisis has impact on the people in his life, including very real physical jeopardy, as the blog becomes a public phenomenon. But it veers wildly between bluster and baiting, as people begin to do what it says.
Godblog raises fundamental questions about the risks and rewards of reinventing ourselves in the twenty-first century, with all of the main characters remaking themselves in one way or another. The story is told through an innovative combination of regular narrative, blog entries, and corporate memos from the coffee-industrial complex, which also becomes a catalyst in the drama.
Now, if you're reading this blog, I'm going to assume that you have at least a passing interest in blogs and books. So...how awesome would it be to read a fictional book where the main theme is about blogging? Please correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that this is the first book of fiction that has ever been published about this very timely subject. And hey...haven't you ever come upon a popular blog where the author has kept their true identity a secret, and yet has managed to create a large following of very loyal readers? Or even if the author is known, haven't you encountered blogs where the author seems to have an amazing ability to somehow manipulate their readers? I've often thought when reading some of these blogs, that the sometimes very obsequious lackeys who comment, would very willingly do anything that the author of the blog commanded them to do. It's actually kind of frightening. And why is it that so often people who choose not to reveal their true identity tend to be not only manipulative online, but often abrasive, abusive and inflammatory? All very interesting questions, I think. And all of which are touched up in Godblog. Hey – there's nothing wrong with blogging. I think it's a wonderful tool. It's just all in how you use it, baby.
Oh, and if you're in Toronto on November 24th, you might want to swing by the Gladstone Hotel for the official launch of Laurie's book. I'll be there with bells on!
