I am sad to read that Paul Quarrington has cancer. Besides being one of my favourite authors I was happy to find out that he is the father of two teenage girls. Having met Paul a couple times and knowing his work quite well I am confident (even without meeting his kids) that he is a great Dad and has raised two inspiring, interesting humans who themselves will make a positive mark on our world like their Father.

Paul has written so many great novels and I enjoyed them all. Civilization always stood out for me as his masterpiece and I hope I told him that. Another fave is King Leary which I must read again soon. It is a fictional hockey novel with a great sense of history, memorable characters and amazing humour.

The recent article in the Toronto star seems to indicate that he is dealing with it well (on the outside anyways) and I hope many more people get to know this man and his work in the coming years as he nears the end of his life (hopefully extended as he says in the interview) and forever as we add him to the list of great Canadian artists that will always be remembered.