What in the (Warped) World Are You Reading? Mark Nykanen

This week is the launch of the National Reading Campaign. The goal? To make Canada a country of readers. There are lots of ways to get involved and get Canadians reading.

1. Follow the campaign on Facebook (/national readingcampaign), Twitter (@readingcampaign) & Pinterest (readingcampaign).

2. On November 14th  Tweet @readingcampaign with #whatdidyoureadtoday and, of course, what you’re reading! This will help raise money for the campaign (from Kobo) and enter you in a contest to win 1 of 10 kobos.

3. For the kids,  librarians or teachers can create a ‘What did you read today?’ wall and send a photo to @readingcampaign to be entered into a contest to win $1,000 for their library.

4. Visit the website, read more about the campaign and sign up for the newsletter: http://nationalreadingcampaign.ca/

5. Read!

To celebrate the National reading Campaign launch, I decided to quiz some of my favourite authors about their reading habits.

Today’s guest is Mark Nykanen

Mark Nykanen is the author of seven novels and his books have been translated into seven languages.  He’s the author of the #1 Kindle bestseller, Primitive.  Nykanen won an Edgar Allan Poe Award and four Emmys as an investigative reporter for NBC News.  He blogs on climate change at www.marknykanen.com

Q: What are you reading right now?

A: Yellow Dog Coming by Bill Moore.  I’m actually rereading it, and I’m astonished at what Moore has done with his first novel.  It’s one of the most honest books I’ve read in a long time.  By that I mean he brings readers into the dark unsparing inner world of an unforgettable killer, while limning the lives of wonderfully fresh characters in a small Canadian logging town.  I’m also reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.  I thoroughly enjoyed the first half.

Q: As a kid, why did you love reading?

A: I think for the same reasons so many other children loved books, and why I still love to read.  Books introduced me to worlds I didn’t know.  I think by doing that, by ushering me into the inner lives of other people, I was brought to a greater understanding of the wild variety of people in the world.  I think that’s a key to developing empathy in a child.

Q: Are there any books that changed your life?

A: That’s a tough one. Nothing jumps out at me.  The cumulative effect of reading was the most important thing for me, as I look back.  I’d have to sat that A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman made the experience of senses come so alive that I don’t think I’ve written a character since who doesn’t carry some debt to that beautifully written and instructive work on non-fiction.

Q: Dog-ear-er or Non dog-ear-er?

A: Non dog-ear-er

Q: Your favourite fictional hero and/or villain?

A: They are so clearly my own characters that I will leave it there.

Q: Anything else you want to say about reading?

A: Only that I trust I’ll be able to read to my dying moment.

I second that! Thanks Mark!

Check in tomorrow to hear from author Jennifer Craig!

~ Kristene

About JoKri Publishing

Warpworld is a five-book adventure sci-fi series from JoKri Publishing. Visit us at warpworld.ca

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