WHEN North Vancorver business writer jack Wrryte set out to re-tell the bx- calibur myth, he thought he had enough material tor 4 short story, Little did he koow o would take him four books to tell his tale. and little did he dream an international publisher would buy the English language rights to the entire series, This Friday, Whyte and Penguin Books Canada will introduce vol- ume one of Whvte’s quartet series, The Song of Eagles, at an otticial faunch at the Vancouver Interna- tional Writers Festiwal, Whyte will read from The Skystane at the Watertront Lheatce beginning at 5 p.m. For a first-time author, Whyte’s persGnal story is one most aspiring novelists only dream about. He says he sturnbled upon the answer to the Arthurian legend during a conversation with a friend and spent the next 14 years writing his story down, “No one had explained it for 1,500 years. I'd always believed that something actually happened back then but that it was inex- plicable. Eventually magic took over and the physical events were forgotten,” he says. Whyte’s wile, Beverley, sup- ported her husband's “obses- sion’’ but doubted it would ever be published. “it was almost) embarrassingly easy (to get his work published),”’ says Whyte, still sounding surpris- ed. : “Lt submitted the manuscript to McClelland & Stewart and Doug Gibson loved the books, but he decided it was too big a project for a Canadian publisher. He said, ‘You need an_ international publisher.’ ”’ Penguin was the last place Whyte planned to send his manu- script because to him, Penguin ““*had always been the literary publisher.” But it was Penguin who saw great promise in The Song of the Eagles and Penguin who en- couraged Whyte to pen a fifth volume and conclusion to the Song of Eagles, The Golden Eagle. Although The Skystone has yet Wednesday, Octeber 21, 1992 - North Shore News - 37 pp ee ee oe ee ee 2 for 1 DINNER ENTREE Purchase one entree at the regular price and receive a second entree of equal or lesser value at no additional charge « Maximum value $12.00 © Valid Sun-Thurs till Nov. 15/92 * Not valid on deliveries A Bos cece com cams ge se oe eb - e e Diss 1351 Lonsdale, N.Van 985-5385 = EE me eee aa Wr eS a 2 Shes seas ee a em i 4 for 1 SUNDAY BUFFET Purchase one Brunch at the regular price and receive a BRUNCH second at no additional charge, 10:39 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Sundays * Valid till Nov. 15/92 - e e Dines 1351 Lonsdale, N.Van 985-5385 GES GS) BAER! Et EEE SE Ree I ES BON Cot Ge ee ee Se A Reduce air pollution 2} i - from residential wood smoke S75 ~~. and auto emissions with tips % from your Lung Association. B.C. Lung Association Bo. 34009, Station D, Vancouser, B.C. V6d 4M2 Phato Bicrmn Ewart NV AUTHOR Jack Whyte introduces new fiction at Watertront. to be reviewed, Whyte says he is delighted with the response his first book has gotten so far. “Peter Gzowski asked me if 1 was taking the magic out of a legend by doing this, and | thought, absolutely not,”’ he says. “What i'm doing is stripping away the faise magic and exposing the real magic at the centre of ihe legend.” Tickets to the launch of The Song of Eagles are $8. ; Other North Shore authors speaking at this year’s Vancouver International Writers Festival are Trevor Carolan, playwright Joan MacLeod and Peter C. Newman. Phone 290-91 48 for information. Travel lecture scheduled WEATHER AND politics got you down? What would you rather be doing on the -night of Oct. 26? If the an- swer is setting your sights on exotic shores far away, the UBC Alumni Association has exactly what you're looking for. From 7 to 9 p.m. in the mansion on the hill at UBC, 6251 Cecil Green Park Rd., Dennis Kempf and Robert Roy will take you to the four cor- ners of the earth with slide shows and adventure stories. Kempf is fram St. Louis, Missouri's INTRAV Travel, and Roy is with New York City’s Travel Dynamics. Refreshments will be served. For more information contact the UBC Alumni Asscciation at 622-3313. 8 8S X CSS there’s “New Fare” at yy mn Cioppini, New Salads, Seafood Pasta, Salmon or Halibut Charbroiled or Poached, Great New Appetizers! “As always, our GREAT Fish & Chips”’ Wew Hours Sun -- Wed: 4-9pm Thurs - Sat: Ham-2pm, 4-l0pm NORTH VANCOUVER CITY LIBRARY is now tAdvertiving space donated bs ths publications New Menu Item: Expires: Nov. 15, ‘92 and cannct be combined with other offers. ‘King’s Fare WS 925-2553 _ SUNDAY AFTERNOON ipm - Spm THERE'S SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE CHECK US OUT! 121 WEST 14TH STREET CY) =. . } >.