The Darren Groth Blog
December 6, 2021
News Authors, Books, Boy in the Blue Hammock, Coming Soon, Crossover Fiction, Darren Groth, Guide Dog Training, Guide Dogs, Labrador Dogs, Literary Fiction, Literary Novels, Service Dog Training, Service Dogs, Spring 2022, Tao, Taoism, Writing, YA Fiction, YA Lit Leave a comment
Tao: In Confucianism, the way, or the path to be followed.
For anyone who knows me and has read the teaser for Boy in the Blue Hammock, it will be no surprise to you that my son was the inspiration for the character of Kasper. What might be a surprise is that failed service dog, Tao, is also grounded in real-life. For over a decade, a goofy, gold-coated Labrador was part of our family due to ‘incomplete training’ with the BC Guide Dogs.
And, yes, his name was Tao.
November 19, 2021
News ASD, Authors, Autism, Books, Boy in the Blue Hammock, Coming Soon, Crossover Fiction, Disability, Diverse Books, Diverse Voices, Diversity, Intellectual Disability, Literary Fiction, Literary Novels, Neurodiversity, No Voice, Spring 2022, Writing, YA Fiction, YA Lit Leave a comment
Readers familiar with my background know that I have an intellectually disabled, neurodiverse son, and readers familiar with my work know that intellectual disability and neurodiversity feature in the novels Kindling, Are You Seeing Me? and Munro vs. the Coyote / Exchange of Heart.
Inevitably, the question has arisen:
“Is that your boy on the page?”
The long answer is I used aspects of his manner, language, attitude and interests as a jumping-off point to create characters that assumed their own living, breathing, authentic fictional lives. The short answer is no.
My new novel Boy in the Blue Hammock will be out next spring and, surprise surprise, it centres an intellectually disabled, neurodiverse protagonist. And already I can hear the question again, distant but persistent, making its way towards me like I’m a destination on Google Maps:
“Is that your boy on the page?”
My answer this time around?
Yes.
Absolutely, yes.
MoreAugust 1, 2019
News #CripLit, Amazon, Are You Seeing Me?, ASD, AYSM, Booktopia, CanLit, Caregiving, Chapters Indigo, Disability, Five Years Ago, LoveOzYA, Orca Book Publishers, Penguin Random House, Random House Australia, Road Trip, Twins, YA, YA Fiction, YA Lit, YA Novels 2 Comments
It doesn’t seem right, but it’s the fifth anniversary of Are You Seeing Me? coming into the world.
The little novel about Justine and Perry’s last glorious vacation together was released August 2014 and things would never quite be the same for its grateful author.
It managed to do amazing things, including this.
And this.
And even this.
Perhaps most impressively, it has managed to stick around, still getting read here, still being discussed there.
To celebrate AYSM’s continuing journey, I thought I’d share a little bit of the behind-the-scenes that shaped the novel we know today. Here are five things you probably didn’t know about AYSM.
March 18, 2018
Fireproof Garage Podcast Arson, Beards, Books Podcast, Brothers Groth, Fabulism, Fairytales, Ideas, Infinite Blue, Literary Podcast, Siblings, Writing Collaboration, Writing Podcast, Writing Process, YA, YA Fiction, YA Lit Leave a comment
LISTEN AND WATCH HERE!
October 7, 2017
Navel Gazing Chapters, LoveOzYA, Oz YA, Rob Bittner, YA Fiction, YALit Leave a comment
On Saturdays, I bring my wonderful teenage son into downtown Vancouver for speech therapy. While he surrounds himself with words – learning new ones, retrieving old ones – I do the same at the bookstore across the road, Chapters on Granville.
A number of things are on my checklist when I’m there. I look at the new releases and the discounted fiction and, if my gorgeous teen daughter has come along, the ‘Daredevil’ titles in the comics/graphic novels section. I browse the ‘Heather’s Picks’ table (I don’t have the foggiest who Heather is, but she’s probably quite nice. She sure reads a lot). I try to telepathically convince random shoppers to buy my books. And always, always, I look for the Oz YA that has made it over the pond.
July 4, 2017
Navel Gazing, News Are You Seeing Me?, Assisted Living, Broken Heart, Ceaseless Wonder, CPR, Down Syndrome, Exchange of Heart, Fair Go, Inspiration, Munro vs. the Coyote, Wonder, YA, YA Fiction, YA Lit Leave a comment
quickmeme.com
With the AUS/NZ release of my new novel a mere four weeks away, here’s a little insight into the wondering that produced the tale.
Exchange of Heart / Munro vs. the Coyote grew from two story seeds.
Myperbole 