Jaws at 50!

FIFTY YEARS after its release, the movie Jaws still has plenty of bite.

Based on the 1974 novel by Peter Benchley and directed by Steven Spielberg at the age of 27, Jaws has a great cast, starring Roy Scheider as small-town police chief Martin Brody, Richard Dreyfuss as the marine biologist, and Robert Shaw as the professional shark hunter. It also has unforgettable music. And terrific suspense.

AND it still has the power to shock, even though most audiences know that the shark on the screen is a mechanical monster that malfunctioned during the shoot. Some of the most terrifying scenes, such as the killing of the shark’s first victim, never show the shark at all. Not even a fin or a tail. We see a girl being swept back and forth in the water by an invisible predator, and our imagination fills in the rest.

That’s the power of great screen writing, a great director, and great actors.

At Bookapalooza, July 12!

At my book table this Saturday in Minden, Ontario. Meeting new readers.

Bookapalooza Time Again!

SATURDAY, JULY 12, I'll be at my book table, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Bookapalooza 2025 in Minden, Ontario. Free admission, and a chance to schmooze with dozens of Canadian authors and check out the books they write for your summer reads.

Best of all, it will be a day in the beautiful Haliburton Highlands, God's Country, and one of my favourite places on this planet. And one of the settings of my new Pat Tierney mystery, Riversong, which will be released in September.

Hope to see you next Saturday at the Minden Community Centre, 55 Parkside Street!