In this episode, I’m joined by Tom Halford to discuss the most curious book I’ve read this year, Over the Lights and Over the Houses. The book is a Christmas story, a comedic crime novel brimming with the absurd, suspense, and narrated by the most unreliable character.
In keeping with the spirit of Christmas, this is a happy conversation. Tom shares family stories, traditions, dishes, and some fun facts about Atlantic Canada. Yet, we interlace the joy with serious conversations around truth telling, dark pasts, diversity, and betrayal.
My biggest takeaway from this conversation is the importance of maintaining curiosity and wonder, especially as I get older and life demands much more from me. Over the Lights and Over the Houses reminds me that we create honestly and carefully when we maintain our joy and wonder.
Show highlights
- How The Trailer Park Boys and a family tradition of telling tales inspired the main character
- A structural choice that keeps the reader going
- How not to become a husk of a person
- Does life make us liars, or do we choose our own paths to truth telling?
- Preserving authenticity in Atlantic Canada
- How to stop writing boring poems
- Writing as a parent
- The secret to staying on the journey of the art
“…without curiosity and wonder, you only look for what you can take from other people.”
Tom Halford
Over the Lights and Over the House is available for pre-order through the links below.
Got any thoughts on this episode, or want to suggest authors you’d like to see on the show? Send me a note here.
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About Tom Halford
Tom Halford lives in Newfoundland, with his wife, Melissa, and his kids, Violet and Douglas. He works as a scholar and teacher at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland. In his spare time, he likes to coach and play soccer with his kids.
About Over the Lights and Over the Houses
At once experimental, dark, and playful, Tom Halford’s Over the Lights and Over the Houses will make you laugh until it hurts.
Nick Kearney and his sister hardly ever speak. Before she moved away, they used to be inseparable. Trying to escape what feels like a prolonged rut, Nick decides to get on the road and surprise her with a visit. Traumatic figures from the past resurface, sending the siblings on a wild and antic adventure, ultimately leading them back to where everything started to go wrong. Readers are invited to indulge in down-home addictive wonders of Christmas magic while simultaneously entering a surreal literary landscape where anything is possible.
Host’s links
Book a one-on-one with Lola: https://wordcaps.com/coaching/
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