The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships
From the jacket…
A prison escape, a bear on the loose, botched lyrics. What more could go wrong with Crow Valley’s most anticipated night of the year?
A year after forest fires ravage the town of Crow Valley and claim the life of Dale Jepson—karaoke legend, local prison guard, and “all around good guy”—the community hosts a high-stakes karaoke competition. But when a convicted arsonist escapes from nearby Crow Valley Correctional, residents discover there’s more on the line than local (perhaps even national) karaoke fame. Marriages are put at stake, sobrieties are threatened, and jobs teeter on the edge of risk as misfortune fuses the community together once again.
Told from alternating points of view, The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships is a rip-roaring romp through small town Canada about the fires we all fight in life, from the smoldering embers to the blazing infernos.
Coming July 2023
6-1/8 x 9-1/4 hardcover
304 pages
ISBN 9781250863430
$36.99 CDN/$27.99 US
Available in print and mobile formats:
Please consider purchasing from your local independent bookstore.
Praise for The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships
“This book has it all — it’s hilarious, moving, bawdy, empathetic, and packed with beauty and insight. Readers will be cheering for every one of these characters, and this book is a reminder that there’s always more than one kind of victory.” ~ J Ryan Stradal, Author of the New York Times bestselling novel, Kitchens of the Great Midwest
“Ali Bryan is a comedic genius—the kind of writer who makes you laugh until your guts hurt, and then turns around and sucker punches you with a truth so powerful it breaks your heart. The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships is a wise, hilarious, big-hearted novel that made me want to move to Crow Valley, practice up on my singing, and hang out with this motley crew of characters in all their quirky, messy, charming, relatable glory. Strap yourself in, this is one wild ride.” ~ Amy Jones, Bestselling author of We’re All in This Together
“This is undoubtably a book we need right now. The big, bold cast in this big, bold story serves as an able reminder that life is deep and rich and fun and tragic. It’s all these things, daily, and there’s nobility in the adventure we undertake toward each sundown; every second of every day is worth it, whether glad or bad. The buckets of humor that Ali dumps atop it all makes this karaoke-fest a fine lot of fun, too. In these pages, there’s love and loss, life and death, drama, danger, mystery, and poutine. Never has so much hinged on a karaoke regional qualifier. This book is a dazzling spectacle. You won’t be able to turn away.” ~ Bradley Somer, Bestselling author of Fishbowl and Extinction.
“Ali Bryan has written a haunting, gritty and often funny meditation on love, loss, family and forgiveness and how it all ripples through a caring community. The pages practically turned themselves, and the story and characters have been with me ever since. Bravo!” ~ Terry Fallis, two-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour.
“Cutthroat karaoke and Tic Tac tacticians. Fire bugs and wayward bears. Ali Bryan writes with such panache you won’t want the book to end. A fun, raucous tale. Crow Valley rulz!” ~ Will Ferguson, Winner of the Giller Prize and three-time winner of the Leacock Medal for Humour
