A Chilliwack author has won an international award for her non-fiction book about losing tens of thousands of dollars in an alleged fraud.
Glenda Toews won silver in the 鈥榦verall grand prize non-fiction鈥� category of the 2023-2024 Reader Views Literary Awards 鈥� a program for independent authors 鈥� for her book .
She said she was 鈥渉umbled鈥� when she heard she won.
鈥淚鈥檓 a waitress in a pub who lives in a fifth wheel in the forest, who didn鈥檛 complete Grade 10, and who wrote one paragraph a day into a book with one desire: that the story would help people,鈥� she told The Chilliwack Progress in an email on March 7. 鈥淭oday I鈥檓 an award-winning Canadian author. It鈥檚 astonishing! I鈥檓 astounded, humbled, exceedingly grateful and getting a little sweaty from doing my happy dance.鈥�
Spinning on a Barstool is a true story about Toews, who works at Corky鈥檚 Irish Pub in Chilliwack, meeting the 鈥榳ealthiest鈥� man in the world.
鈥淎t the end of the day, it was a huge scam,鈥� she said in an interview, after her book was released in 2023.
Spinning on a Barstool is all about the con man鈥檚 stories and 罢辞别飞蝉鈥� ups and downs of investing and then waiting for money to come in.
鈥淲颈迟丑 Spinning on a Barstool, Toews has created a captivating and thought-provoking work that delves into the complexities of relationships,鈥� Paige Lovitt with Reader Views stated in a press release. 鈥淭hrough her amazing writing, she introduces us to customers who live in this rural area. This aspect gives it a heartwarming feeling. Toews uses attention to detail to describe the physical characteristics of where she lives, providing such a beautiful description of her troubled property, I felt like I was there falling in love with the place as well.鈥�
In addition to the silver award, Toews will receive a $350 cash prize and special marketing promotions.
罢辞别飞蝉鈥� earlier this year.
She will be at the Chilliwack Library on May 9 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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People can purchase Spinning on a Barstool by Glenda Toews for about $24 at various locations online. For more info, go to or email info@glendatoews.com.
Reader Views is a book review and author publicity service for independent authors. It is based in Texas and has volunteer reviewers throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe.
