The Bookshelf is an all genre reader’s event which focuses on showcasing new authors and reading-related vendors. One of our newest author/vendors for 2017 is Willie Handler.
WILLIE HANDLER grew up in Toronto and did his undergraduate work at the University of Toronto. He also has graduate degrees from the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto and the Fox School of Business at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He spent over thirty years in various positions in the Ontario public service, before leaving in 2011. He currently lives in Thornhill with his wife and blogs at www.williehandler.com. Follow @WillieHandler on Twitter. Willie is looking forward to participating in The Bookshelf 2017.
THE ROAD AHEAD is a political satire and Willie’s first novel. The story is about Rick Tompkins, a suburban Toronto insurance broker, who never considered a career in 
politics until a good friend, who happens to be the leader of the Conservative party, asks him to run for office. He accepts the offer, with the understanding that he would probably not win, but can use the opportunity to gain some visibility for himself and his business. Jerry Switzer, a veteran party worker, is sent in to guide Rick through a campaign in a riding that hasn’t elected a Conservative in years.
Rick fumbles his way through the election campaign and manages a surprise win but at the expense of saddling his party with an impossible commitment. What makes matters worse, Rick is anything but politically correct. He offends everyone in his path and stumbles from one political scandal to another.