With one book published in hard copy under his belt and another e-book available online, Barrie author Glenn Wilkins is now toiling away on a third that has been a labour of love… and swat.
His first foray into book publishing came in 2006 with Legendary NHL Coaches: Stars of Hockey’s Golden Age, which included an interview with Boston Bruins legend Milt Schmidt.
Known affectionately to Bruins faithful as ‘Uncle MIlty’, Schmidt, who was 87 years old at the time, granted Wilkins 15 minutes for a phone interview before he had to hit the weight room. (He lived to be 98.)
It was to be followed the next year by Amazing Broadway: Canadians on the Great White Way. However, due to the topsy-turvy nature of the publishing world, the second book never materialized as planned.
But Wilkins wasn’t about to just let his Broadway book, which focused on seven theatre personalities, languish. He self-published it on Kobo in 2016.
Wilkins’ first two books were born of the idea that Canadians can be found in many high-profile areas.
“Canadians excel at everything,” said the 62-year-old Barrie writer, who also does freelance reporting for BarrieToday in the areas of entertainment, sports and politics.
Wilkins goes on to list a variety of Canucks who’ve made a name for themselves, from basketball player Steve Nash to baseball’s Joey Votto.
“We succeed everywhere. We’ve had Nobel Prize winners, but we’ve got this one-track mind that all we can do is hockey,” he said.
Wilkins, who has lived in Barrie for more than a decade, said he has always been drawn to the stage.
“I used to fancy myself a great actor,” he said with a laugh. “I did a lot of community theatre until it started to get to be drudgery.”
Wilkins jumped into work on the Broadway book immediately after his coaches anthology.
“I wanted to strike while the iron was hot, but unfortunately business conditions made the trail go cold,” he said. “I tried it on Amazon, but that’s in the States and who’s going to care about Canadian actors on Broadway in the States?”
That’s when Wilkins turned his focus to Kobo.
For Wilkins, it’s a labour of love to dive into the lives of those he writes about.
“I feel like I get to know these people, even though half the cast are dead and gone,” he said of the research that goes into his books.
His third book is a mixture of fact and fiction, entitled Sultan and Billy Hops, which focuses on the personal life of baseball legend Babe Ruth and his inability to land a manager’s job with a big-league ball club following his playing days.
Although the Ruth story has been ruminating for a while, Wilkins said he got down to the “serious writing” of ‘Sultan and Billy Hops’ last year. He hopes to have a first draft done for Feb. 6, which would also commemorate Ruth’s 124th birthday.
For more information on Legendary NHL Coaches: Stars of Hockey’s Golden Age (ISBN: 9781554391011), visit www.amazon.ca/Legendary-NHL-Coaches-Hockeys-Golden/dp/1554391016.
For more on Amazing Broadway: Canadians on the Great White Way (ISBN: 1230001372571), visit www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/amazing-broadway-canadians-on-the-great-white-way.
