One Book the Whole Country Should Read—
Tyler Hellard ’01 on the ‘dumb good luck’ path to Canada Reads
“I’m not much for fate or kismet, but I certainly like a good coincidence, and dumb good luck,” says Tyler Hellard ’01.
The StFX English graduate is talking about how his 2018 debut novel, Searching for Terry Punchout, ended up shortlisted for Canada Reads, the annual competition that declares the one book the whole country should read. It’s one of the country’s most powerful literary spotlights, bringing his work into the national conversation. “It’s a lot,” he says, laughing. “It was a surprise.” Each year, the CBC selects five Canadian celebrities to champion a book of their choosing. Over four days of debate, this year taking place April 13–16, the books are defended, challenged, and voted off daily until one remains.
Mr. Hellard’s champion is popular hockey YouTuber and podcaster Steve (Dangle) Glynn. “Steve’s my guy,” says the Halifax-born, Summerside, PEI-raised Mr. Hellard, who notes that pairing itself came by coincidence. Along with each champion’s own choices, CBC sends panelists a selection of books to consider. Among the stack sent to Mr. Glynn was a used copy of Mr. Hellard’s novel, a copy the now Calgary-based author had inscribed years earlier to his friend Joyce. When Joyce moved from Calgary, she donated books. Somehow, that signed copy found its way into the CBC’s hands. As it turns out, Joyce was also the name of Mr. Glynn’s beloved, departed grandmother.
Editor’s Note: Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard ’01 went on to finish an impressive second in Canada Reads, one of the country’s most prominent literary competitions. the xaverian spoke with Mr. Hellard prior to the competition, before the final results were announced.
“All things being equal, when he was choosing books, that tipped the book in its favour,” Mr. Hellard says. Mr. Hellard isn’t upset about the donation. In fact, he jokes he’d happily sign Joyce another copy.
"Maybe next time it leads to a movie deal."
When he first learned he’d be longlisted for Canada Reads, Mr. Hellard admits it came as a shock. The night before he got the call, Mr. Hellard had been in a Calgary emergency room with shingles. Exhausted and feeling terrible, he was standing by the sliding glass doors on his way out when his phone rang. His publisher wanted to know if he could jump on a call with CBC in an hour. He did. Details of the call are vague, but he remembers his wife noticing a goofy smile spreading across his face. “I think I might have got Canada Reads,” he told her. Along with jubilation, came initial fear. “I’m a classic introvert,” notes Mr. Hellard. “This means interviews, events, attention.” But he shouldn’t have worried, he now realizes. “I’m having a lot of fun. I was scared for nothing.” Published in 2018, Searching for Terry Punchout had “a really nice first life.” It was shortlisted for both the 2019 Amazon Canada First Novel Award and the 2019 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. It gradually “rode off into the sunset.” Seeing his book’s revival has been amazing. “I’m a big CBC dork. I’m plugged into book publishing. I know what a big deal Canada Reads is,” he says. In Canadian publishing, he says, there are usually two major ways to spark a sales surge, to land on the Giller list, or make it to Canada Reads. The book’s publisher, Invisible Publishing, is on track to print more copies of Searching for Terry Punchout this year than the 10 titles it published last year. “It’s an amazing thing to happen for a small press,” Mr. Hellard says. “It can really make a difference.”
It was shortlisted for both the 2019 Amazon Canada First Novel Award and the 2019 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize. It gradually “rode off into the sunset.”
The novel follows a struggling sportswriter, whose career didn’t really happen, and who has to return to his small hometown, hat in hand, to interview his estranged father, the NHL’s all-time penalty minutes leader, the titular Terry Punchout. The book is set in a fictional Nova Scotia town. While people describe it as a hockey book, and also a father-son story, Mr. Hellard says the book is more about making peace with where you’re from. “That’s what I wanted to write.” Mr. Hellard says his time at St. Francis Xavier University was pivotal in his life trajectory. Though, again, it didn’t follow a straight path. He arrived on campus intending to pursue a business degree. He switched to sociology and then English. The ‘aha moment’ came when he walked into a class led by iconic StFX English professor, the late Dr. Pat Walsh ’58 (“he was so great.”) The course used The New Yorker as its textbook. They studied short stories. He found his footing too at the student newspaper the Xaverian Weekly, where he worked all five of his years at StFX, including in graphic design and two years as editor. Mr. Hellard was also involved in campus radio, and the Canadian University Press. Those two events changed everything. “I had no interest in writing or books as a child,” he says as he recalls he wasn’t a good student. “People were surprised when they learned I wrote a book. And rightly so.”
"People were surprised when they learned I wrote a book. And rightly so."
Tyler Hellard
After university, Mr. Hellard worked as a commercial copywriter and found his way to Calgary, where he later reconnected with Dr. Walsh, who had moved there after retirement. They met at a StFX alumni event and continued to keep in touch.
In Calgary, Mr. Hellard also pursued his bucket list ambition to write a book, taking workshops and courses. After his debut novel, he planned to keep writing, but life events forced a pause. He had just starting writing books again (he’s working on both a novel and a non-fiction book on pro wrestling) about a month before he received the Canada Reads call, which turned out to be terrific timing with the buzz that’s created. “It’s good dumb luck, which I seem to have.”
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