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.
MoreOctober 26, 2021
News Adult Fiction, Book Cover, Book Jacket, Boy in the Blue Hammock, CanLit, Coming Soon, Cover Love, Cover Reveal, Crossover Novel, I Read Canadian, Literary Fiction, Spring 2022, YA, YA Lit Leave a comment
An imaginary jacket worn by failed guide dog protagonist, Tao, plays a key role in Boy in the Blue Hammock. It gives him courage and strength in moments when he might falter. It brings with it the voice of Trainer. It permits him to do things beyond the limits of his lesser self.
He is proud of the jacket.
As I am of this one:
Many thanks to the Nightwood Editions team and their designers for this beautiful cover. And to my CAN/US agents, Olga Filina and Ali McDonald for their expert input during the process.
Boy in the Blue Hammock will be published April 30, 2022.
It is available for pre-order here.
September 18, 2021
News Ableism, ASD, Authors, Autism, Books, Boy in the Blue Hammock, CanLit, Crossover Novel, Darren Groth, Fiction Novels, Intellectual Disability, Literary Fiction, Literary Novels, Neurodiversity, New Fiction, New Novels, New YA, Nightwood Editions, Novels, Service Dogs, Spring2022, Suspense, Thrillers, YA, YA Lit, Young Adult Books 1 Comment
In a time of isolation and scarcity, a regressive regime rules with absolute power, turning neighbour against neighbour, and crushing dissidence with deadly force. A microcosm of this monstrous time: the tiny Pacific Northwest town of Gilder.
In a house on the fringes of the decimated hamlet, Tao – a failed service dog turned pet – wakes to find his leash tied to the stair, his hind leg broken and his family killed. With the world he knows shattered, there is one course of action: lay with his slain masters and wait for the enemy – the “hounds” – to return and end his life.
But it is not the hounds that find him – it is Kasper, fifteen years old, disabled, limited ability to speak, sole survivor of the family. With the discovery of Boy, Tao understands he now has a duty: guide the last living member of his pack through the ravaged streets of Gilder to safety. The destination? The only refuge he can conceive of in a world gone mad?
The site of his training five years before.
Boy in the Blue Hammock is an epic tale of loss and loyalty, of dissent and destruction, of assumption and ableism. With a powerful narrative and evocative prose, the novel poses one of the important questions of our time: when evil silences the people, who will protect those without a voice?
COMING SPRING 2022
August 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!
January 17, 2018
News Brothers Groth, Coming Soon, Fables, Fabulism, Infinite Blue, New Books, New Releases, Orca, Orca Book Publishers, Sept 2018, YA, YA Lit Leave a comment
Behold the cover for Infinite Blue, a contemporary fable penned by Simon Groth and his dodgy older brother. It’s hitting North American shelves September 11, 2018.
All credit for this beauty goes to the brilliant pair responsible: artist Iveta Karpathyova and Orca Books designer Teresa Bubela. If you’d like a peek inside the creative process, Iveta has posted a couple of cool videos here and here.
Counting the days!
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.
June 6, 2017
Navel Gazing #CripLit, #NoVoices, #OwnVoices, #WeNeedDiverseBooks, Disability, Diversity, Exchange of Heart, Intellectual Disability, Munro vs. the Coyote, Neurodiversity, New YA Lit, Special Needs, YA, YA Lit Leave a comment
(Image from Flaticon)
#OwnVoices is an essential movement. If you don’t know about it, you should read this. Incontrovertibly, marginalized groups must be afforded every opportunity to tell/write/publish/sell their own stories. Privileged, able, cishet, white, middle-class, dude scribblers like me do not have to stay out of the imaginative lanes of these groups, but we must drive with extreme care. It bears repeating — #OwnVoices is an essential movement.
No less important are those groups with #NoVoices.
January 26, 2017
News Books, Coming Soon, Munro vs. the Coyote, MvtC, New Books, New Releases, New YA Lit, October 2017, Orca, Orca Book Publishers, YA, YA Lit, Young Adults Leave a comment
My brand new YA novel is coming out this year. In North America, it’s titled Munro vs. the Coyote and the cover looks a little like the awesomeness above.
Not bad, eh?
Every image within the Coyote’s head speaks to moments, elements and characters in the story.
I can’t wait to see this jacket on the real deal come October.
Myperbole 