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 When I retired, I went to work as a "BG", a background actor or "extra" on movies and TV shows shot here in Hollywood North (Fraserdale or, as it's known, "Vancouver"). I worked on over 40 productions, including Supergirl, Limetown, Nancy Drew and Riverdale.
This included 16 appearances as a doctor on "The Good Doctor" starring the talented Freddie Highmore. That's me over Freddie's shoulder in the still above from Episode 218 (season 2, episode 18) making a point to a colleague without actually making any noises that the boom mic might pick-up. If you're a fan of the show, you'll agree that it is incredible to hear Freddie -- who is from England -- speak as an autistic man with an American accent. That, combined with the often emotional subject matter, makes him a very good actor. BGs typically do not interact with the primary actors. After all, the main actors are working; trying to remember lines, queues and other subtleties. I said hi to Freddie in passing. Others whom I've "met" in a similar way include Patrick Warburton (Puddy from Seinfeld), Daniel Dae Kim (Lost) and Lucy Punch (A Series of Unfortunate Events). I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the set and I look forward to being a BG when Ticking is made into a TV or movie series! Our friend and favourite political commentator, Keith Baldrey, has again displayed "Ticking: The Great Experiment" on his famous bookshelf. Did you spot it? Maybe tonight...  Book #6 has been fun to write. Part of that is drawing maps. "The Grandfather Paradox" (about the Klondike Gold Rush) will have 2 maps. One is shown below in the early stage of completion and the final product. I'm hoping to publish #6 soon; my Beta Readers have spoken, their brilliant comments included, and the cover (gorgeous, as designed by my son, Clark) will soon be the icing on the literary cake! Cartographers and anyone else... what do you think?
These two trails were not the only ways to get to the gold fields near Dawson City, but they were the fastest and, thus, the most popular. You may have seen an iconic photograph of the "Golden Steps" on the Chilkoot Trail, an endless line of fully-laden men trudging up a snowy, steep slope (the photo is in the description of Book #6). For many, that photo encapsulates the Gold Rush and the extreme effort of the men. What the image does not show is that most made that climb up to forty times! This repetition continued all along the trail. The magnitude of the stampeders’ efforts cannot be overstated. These men endured colossal hardships under the harshest conditions imaginable. The White Pass Trail may have been worse. Thousands of pack animals died on its frigid pathways, causing it to be called the "Dead Horse Trail". With those unfortunate animals died many stampeders dreams. I'm currently working on a second map; a regional map showing an area from Seattle, WA in the south to Dawson City, Yukon in the north. I will include that map in the book.  I received "Canada's Main Street" under our Christmas tree and finished reading it while in Mexico. It is the story of the Trans-Canada Highway, one that most Canadians have travelled on and many use daily. Thanks to Craig Baird (guru of Canadian history at Canadaehx) for a great read! I loved the description of the early days; of the competition for the Todd Medal and the unheralded efforts of men like Perry Doolittle. Throughout the book, Baird describes the push/pull of the various levels of government. I also loved the side stories and the determination of the "Yellowheaders" to get the new highway to route via Edmonton and the Yellowhead route. I think the new highway may have inspired my parents to travel from our home in Winnipeg to Vancouver in the late 1960's in my dad's new gold '67 Pontiac Strato Chief. Before seat belt and child safety seat laws, he had custom-cut a large piece of plywood to cover the backseat and the leg space. With copious padding on the plywood, my brother, sister and I had a play area, as unsafe as it was. From there, we watched the miles roll by, singing songs, as we journeyed on Canada's Main Street.  The winner of the prize draw from our November 29th book launch is Sheila Francis, realtor extraordinaire! We caught up with Sheila to present the prize package (a signed copy of "The Great Experiment", a bottle of Our Story wine, a highly-coveted "Ticking" shirt and two attractive, yet functional coffee mugs).
Congrats Sheila! The launch of Book #5, "Ticking: The Great Experiment", was a huge success. Lots of fun talking about the adventures of the time travellers. Thank you to those 47 who attended! Next one? Probably February or March 2026 for #6 "Ticking: The Grandfather Paradox". The Canadian chrononauts travel through time and space to the Klondike Gold Rush; you know, Soapy Smith, Colonel Sam Steele of the North-West Mounted Police and Frederick Trump. That's right, the President's grandfather really did spend time in Bennett, BC and Whitehorse, Yukon, running a hotel, restaurant and brothel. What do Beatrice, Sky and Zac have in store for him (don't be too hard on your keyboard answering that one)?   You're invited to my book signing on Saturday, November 29th at Chapters Coquitlam, between 1 and 4 pm. To draw you there, we'll have a prize draw. Pick up a signed copy of any of my books. They make great Christmas presents.
'The Great Experiment' (the fifth in the series) is about the Prohibition era in the USA. You know, gangsters, flappers and rum-runners. The story races to The Bahamas, where illegal booze was obtained by rum-runners like the legendary Bill 'The Real' McCoy (pictured). Writing exciting historical fiction is easy when the real-life characters are as engaging as Bill McCoy. During Prohibition, he became a household name, with a Robin Hood mystique for the American public. To further endear him into our hearts, he came complete with a lovable dog! And it is true; he never broke the law. Hope to see you at Chapters! |
AuthorCraig retired in 2015 and has been writing ever since. And boy, is his left hand tired. Categories |
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