Local author publishes slew of fiction books

January 14, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Our lives are filled with incredible, unforgettable moments and people.
Capturing the essence of our journey and sharing it with others is what makes our roller coaster rides enjoyable.
And for King’s Frank Watt, there’s a reason for his longevity.
Perhaps it’s to awaken a love of literature in a society that’s fed a fast food diet of mediocrity. Perhaps it’s merely to pass on tidbits of wisdom.
Whatever the reasons and motivation, the local wordsmith has created an unrivalled feat, perhaps even a world record. Watt has published eight books in quick succession in 2014, stories he wrote during his career as an English professor at the University of Toronto.
Now, decades into his retirement, Watt decided to revisit them all again and was pleasantly surprised by the freshness and nuances of his stories. He wanted them preserved so he took the self-publishing route and with help from FriesenPress of Victoria, BC, Watt released a cornucopia of tales with a broad range of subject matter.
They were largely written in the ‘70s and ‘80s and almost forgotten, Watt admitted. What’s old has become new again and after resurrecting his old, type-written manuscripts, the material was reassembled and sent to FriesenPress and its editorial staff.
His “acres of stuff” have come alive in his books – Heads or Tails: 23 Stories; After the Funeral; Loving Daughters; The Lannigan Set-Up; The Road to Sutton; The Youth Drug; Where is Julius and Joking Matters.
The fictional tales run the gamut from mid-life crises to medical drama; from a detective yarn to dealing with the loss of our parents.
They’re “wildly different” in terms of subject matter and style, Watt mused.
One may think of a university English professor as stodgy and self-absorbed, but Watt is anything but. He’s articulate and loves a good joke. He’s not pedantic or boastful, even though he has some top-shelf credentials and an accomplished career.
Watt studied at the University of British Columbia, Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar and then earned his PhD at U of T. The Toronto university kept offering him positions and promotions, so he stayed and forged his career and helped shape young literary minds. He taught “everything under the sun, from Beowulf to Virginia Woolf.”
He quite enjoyed his teaching career and work as a fiction book reviewer and stint on the Governor-General Literary Awards committee. He penned many scholarly articles, short stories and even poetry. He ran the visiting writers’ program, exposing students to Canadian legends such as Mordecai Richler, Irving Layton, Leonard Cohen and Margaret Laurence.
He’s not wanting to change the world, but merely share some laughs and touching moments with his readers.
“It became, without my fully realizing it, more and more of a compulsion to capture my visions in words, stories, as well as poems. I was not writing for others, but to satisfy my need to be able to go back and relive and capture moments of life which made me laugh and cry and try to understand. “
He does write about some serious issues and life’s tribulations in a manner that’s been called “moving to read.” He does so with genuine humour. He also included his love of horse jumping into his stories. He’s long been an avid follower of the show jumping circuit and is pleased to call Olympian Eric Lamaze his friend.
Watt called upon local photographer Tom Wray to help him design the covers of the books, and they are now widely available at book stores and online sources.
Since the stories were written 30 years ago, they contain many nuances and expressions of the era – literally a snapshot of life in those remarkable decades.
“It was great fun and a great experience,” he said fondly.
Despite his demanding work schedule, Watt was always writing, but never pursued it as a career.
The hectic pace that saw the eight books published has been tiring, but you’d never know it. The octogenarian is in fine shape, both physically and mentally. He attributes it to “clean living and high thinking, and my wife’s cooking.”
He has uncovered a few more gems from his past and he may “pick up the pen” again in the near future.
But for now, he’s happy to share his novels with friends, family and acquaintances.
For a “fresh” look into some old stories, pick up one of Watt’s books. You may bust a gut or cry a river.
For more, visit www.fwwatt.com.