Context for Kwong

It was a great experience, writing a biography of Larry Kwong, the star hockey player who was known as the "China Clipper" back in the day. (Click here for a link to my website's Biographies page and scroll down a little to read all about King Kwong.) Since then, I've been keeping up on the news about him. He's in his nineties, and there's still news about him, or connected to him.

Chad Soon, who made a film about Larry Kwong, is my major source for these news stories. He posted on Facebook this wonderful vintage photo of Kwong's father, Ng Shu Kwong. (When he ran a store in Vernon BC, Mr Ng put his given name Kwong on the sign. Many of his children later came to use Kwong as their family name.)

Chad Soon brought the photo to the attention of Larry Kwong's daughter, writing on Facebook:

Hi Kristina, Last weekend your grandfather was in the Vernon Winter Carnival parade! This poster was part of the museum's float which won Best Overall. The photo will now be displayed at City Hall. Also, your family will be included in a new museum exhibit called "Gold Mountain Dream," a joint project with the Royal BC Museum, from Oct. 16-Feb. 28.

Context is everything in biographical studies! It's terrific to see Larry Kwong's father celebrated as a "Prominent Businessman" from the history of the city of Vernon. And now I've got another reason to visit the Royal BC Museum in the fall, to see the exhibit.

Smashwords Sale Ends Soon!

We're at the last couple of days for the Smashwords sale of the ebook editions of my books from Five Rivers Publishing. If you're needing some good ebooks to read this summer, look here for not only my novel Tower in the Crooked Wood, and King Kwong (my biography of hockey hero Larry Kwong), but my biography of Pierre Trudeau that's due to be released in December.

It's always fun to have plenty of ebooks on a reader. When you go to the link, be sure to look at the other fine titles from Five Rivers too!

Smashwords Sale of My Books at Five Rivers

Another great ebook sale for this summer! Five Rivers Publishing has just announced a half-price sale of all their ebook titles on Smashwords, for the month of July. Time to load up on summer reading.
The ebooks on sale include my novel Tower in the Crooked Wood, which makes excellent summer reading as a novel short enough to read while you can still remember the beginning. Or if you're into print copies, it's a book slim enough to fit into your lunch bag or beach bag.

For those who are more sports oriented, my bio of hockey hero Larry Kwong will score. King Kwong is also available in print copies that fit neatly into a sports bag for moments when you're sitting around waiting for the game to start or your ride to get there.

King Kwong reviewed in Vancouver Sun

Good news! My biography of Larry Kwong, King Kwong, was reviewed in the Vancouver Sun today by Stephen Hume! As he says in his August 5 column:

B.C. writer and self-described lifelong hockey fan Paula Johanson reminds us of the ephemeral nature of sports history in King Kwong, her marvellous little biography of the whirlwind on skates who blew out of the dusty interior 75 years ago.

Hume gives a little context for Larry Kwong's sports career, and adds:

...Just as many Canadian kids before and since, Larry discovered the pleasures of playing shinny with a frozen horse apple. One of the most charming hockey photos of the many Johanson unearthed for her book is one of Larry, his sister Betty and a couple of neighbour kids playing shinny outside the Vernon family store.
Like many another hockey kid, he wheedled skates out of his mom with a promise that when he was a real hockey player, he’d buy her a house.

It's important to note that most of the photos which Stephen Hume calls charming were "unearthed" by Chad Soon, many of which came from the private photo albums of Larry Kwong. That particular charming hockey photo was contributed by Larry Kwong's grown daughter from her own family album.

Hume goes on to say:

On March 13, 1948, he was called up by the Rangers for a game against Montreal Canadiens. They only played him for one shift — less than a minute — but the China Clipper had ended the era of whites-only hockey in the NHL.
Johanson’s book with Five Rivers Publishing is aimed at young adults but I doubt there’s a hockey fan who will be put off any more than Larry Kwong was by his nickname as he dashed up the ice to score the winning goal for the Smoke Eaters in that long-forgotten B.C. Championship of 1946.

You can read Stephen Hume's entire column here at this link.There's a bio note and a listing of some of his books on a page of Harbour Publishing's website.

Book Launch on Saturday June 27

Just a reminder that for people in and around Victoria, you are all invited to attend the book launch for three authors on Saturday June 27 at 3pm in Britannia Branch of the RC Legion at 780 Summit Ave. There's parking and good bus access. See you there!

-Dave Duncan will be launching his 50th fantasy novel, The Eye of Strife. If you are one of the many fans of his Omar books or his Apprentice series, you'll appreciate the review at this link.
As well, Dave is announcing the release of the omnibus edition of his historical fantasy trilogy The Adventures of Ivor, which you can read about at this link.

-Nowick Gray will be launching his mystery novel set in 1960s Ungava in Canada' North, Hunter's Daughter. He was interviewed here in a podcast: http://www.fiveriverspublishing.com/2015/04/michell-plested-interviews-nowick-gray.html
The novel has already had an excellent review: http://www.fiveriverspublishing.com/2015/06/5-stars-for-hunters-daughter-at.html

-Paula Johanson will be launching her 30th nonfiction book, King Kwong: Larry Kwong, the China Clipper who broke the NHL colour barrier. The publisher has a cheery article about this book on their website.
As well, Paula is launching the new edition of her fantasy novel Tower in the Crooked Wood, a newly-expanded edition from Five Rivers Publishing. There's another cheery article at this link.

Facebook group of Larry Kwong fans

For anyone interested in Canadian hockey player Larry Kwong, there's a Facebook group for the Larry Kwong Appreciation Society. Look here for some photos and discussion of this interesting man! Some of the members were very helpful when I was writing the book King Kwong.

Book Launch Saturday June 27 3pm

Dave Duncan and Nowick Gray and Paula Johanson are doing a Book Launch of our new books just released from Five Rivers Publishing. These books are The Eye of Strife, Hunter's Daughter, and King Kwong -- one fantasy, one mystery, and a bio, for an eclectic mix.

Join us on Saturday June 27 at 3pm. We'll be in Victoria BC, at the Royal Canadian Legion's Britannia Branch at 780 Summit Avenue (corner of Summit and Nanaimo near Mayfair Mall). There's good access by bus, and plenty of parking.

Come celebrate three books at once. No, five, and all from Five Rivers! In addition to Dave's 50th novel The Eye of Strife, he will in June see the release of the omnibus edition of his three novels of Ivor the Runner. And the new edition of my novel Tower in the Crooked Wood will also be released in June. All five of these books are from the Canadian publisher Five Rivers which is based in Neustadt, Ontario.

King Kwong

My thirtieth book is now available in in print and as an e-book from Five Rivers Publishing. It's a very Canadian story -- the biography of a Canadian hockey player who was an international star in several leagues. The cover art shows a photo of Larry Kwong when he was playing for a team in Nanaimo, BC.

King Kwong: Larry Kwong, the China Clipper who broke the NHL colour barrier
Five Rivers Publishing 2015
ISBN: 9781927400753 $11.99

eISBN: 9781927400760 $4.99

Available as a paperback and an e-book
Includes: black & white photographs, Timeline, References.
 -click here for a link to the publisher's website, where this book can be ordered-

or, click here for a link to Kobo, with a $5 credit for new customers
or, a link to Amazon

Chad Soon, Director of the Greater Vernon Museum and Archives and Okanagan Sports Hall of Fame, says of the biography:

Author Paula Johanson brings justice to Kwong’s extraordinary life.  All the elements of classic fiction are here, and yet this is riveting history. We follow the ultimate long shot as he chases the 'impossible'…and triggers a shift in his society.