NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS
August 15, 2026
Patrick Bird meets Dave Wakeland, both PIs, but one’s a naive rookie, the other a battle tested veteran, separated by over six decades and thousands of hard miles, yet cut from the same shadowed cloth. Join Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson and Sam Wiebe in conversation with Antonio Michael Downing as they delve into their new crime novels, Opposite Sully’s Gym and Guns Across the Water.
RECENT EVENTS
RECENT EVENTS
June 11, 2026
Author interviews almost always focus on questions regarding an author’s latest publication (and that’s great because it’s how readers discover new books!) but sometimes it’s fun to ask authors to talk about their lives beyond the book they’ve just written. Authors Answer is an attempt to give authors space to wax eloquent about the other influences on their writing.
This is your chance to find out the last book I did not finish!
June 6, 2026
Back at Motive for another year. Sold some books and met some people and had a great time talking crime writing with the many people at the conference. Bought some books as well and can’t wait to read Hope Thompson’s Dark Thoughts and Other Stories, Malcolm Kempt’s A Gift Before Dying, David Tucker’s A Painting to Die For, and Lorna Poplak’s On the Lam. You sell some, you buy some!
So happy to be on stage reding with so many other great Canadian writers: Many thanks to host and organizer extraordinaire, Jass Aujla (Next Of Twin).
June 5, 2026
Great to have the chance to sit down for a virtual bottomless cup with Selena Mercuri and talk about Opposite Sully’s Gym and what kind of coffee I like, and three books I recommend.
May 23, 2026
“World events and the lives of ordinary people, while seemingly separate, sometimes intersect in unexpected ways. The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. becomes part of a Toronto private investigator’s life in Opposite Sully’s Gym by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson, as the author imagines the ordinary people who might have been affected by the aftermath of that crime.”
May 13, 2026
Great to be back at Bony Blithe (everyone’s favourite mini-con!) A great conversation on our panel about where writers get their inspiration from. Many thanks to moderator and author Lis Angus for her thoughtful questions, and great to be sharing the stage with Marilyn Kay, Des Ryan, and Mike Martin.
May 7, 2026
“Opposite Sully’s Gym is a novel. It’s fiction, not history. But it sticks to the known facts in its exploration of James Earl Ray’s time in Toronto and explores the uncomfortable truth that Ray might have had help from a Canadian connection. History is silent: Maybe it doesn’t want to know the answer.”
May 6, 2026
I talked with UMFM’s Michael Elves about Opposite Sully's Gym (Dundurn Press). We talked about how to write an ongoing character for readers who might not be familiar with the protagonist, setting the action in and around a real time and place, what research I do and more. Thank you, Michael, for this chance to talk about my writing.
April 27, 2026
Great to be out at Drunk Fiction last night. Some fantastic readings from Stephanie Wyeld, Ken Murray, and Leslie Shimotakahara. So very honoured to share the stage with these great writers. And a very very special thank you to author Emily Weedon, who does everything to make drunk fiction possible.
April 26, 2026
“Historical crime fiction author Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson talks about his new second novel in the Patrick Bird Mystery Series called Opposite Sully’s Gym, the subset of ‘Maple Noir’ within ‘Noir Fiction’ writing, weaving actual Toronto landmarks and events into his historical fiction, using the story of James Earl Ray as the backdrop to his novel, the challenge of writing one thousand words per day while still holding down a regular nine-to-five job, grocery shopping alongside 'The Killer' Doug Gilmour in Kingston, and whether Nic Cage should be considered for a role in any future movie adaptations!”
“Well written and the plot moves along at a good pace, even when the conspiracy strands get complicated – overall, I enjoyed it and will happily look out for Patrick’s next adventure.
This sounds like a fairly standard start to a crime novel, but it quickly becomes clear there’s more to the story. The US is reeling over the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., and the escape of the suspect, James Earl Ray. I knew nothing about this story beyond the major fact of the assassination, but it turns out Ray escaped to Canada, and spent some time there before heading to Europe. It also appears that, as with every assassination, there are a load of conspiracy theories around this one: was Ray a ‘lone gunman’ or part of a white supremacist group, or even working for a corrupt FBI? Stefanovich-Thomson has used all these facts and theories to create a version of what might have happened during Ray’s stay in Toronto.”
April 22, 2026
March 31, 2026
Book Launch
Book Launch! So excited to be sending Opposite Sully’s Gym out into the world. Thanks to the great people at Another Story Bookshop for hosting the second Patrick Bird Mystery launch. I hope this becomes a habit.
March 30, 2026
“I especially liked that this one was set in an area of Toronto that I once lived in, back in the 90s. Not only that, but I could picture the area and the style of houses that Flavia and Patrick lived in. Other than that, I didn’t find much that situated the storyline in late 60s Toronto. I think including a few little Toronto timeline details would have enhanced the story, but that that is a minor quibble. Patrick Bird is no hard-boiled detective; he’s not old enough to have developed that much world-weary cynicism, nor is he experienced enough. This story, told by Patrick, puts the reader in his shoes, which is an effective way to keep the reader involved.”
March 15, 2026
Many thanks to Rebecca at Canada Reads American Style for a great review of Opposite Sully’s Gym and for having me on the podcast Canada Reads American Style. It was a great opportunity to talk about my writing with her, including her great question: Do you anticipate a time when Patrick Bird doesn’t screw up? You’ll have to listen to the podcast to hear the answer!
March 14, 2026
Had a great conversation with Nick Wangersky of Hollywood North Magazine about my writing and how it fits into the tradition of the noir writing of the ’30s and ’40s and the films that followed. We even got into my favourite Nicholas Cage movies! Not noir there – but in case you’re wondering, I highly recommend Adaptation, loosely based on Susan Orleans’ The Orchid Thief.
March 13, 2026
I had a great conversation with Steven Beatty of That Shakespearean Rag about the writing of Opposite Sully’s Gym, noir fiction, the character of Patrick Bird, the pacing of novels, the differences between this second book from The Road to Heaven, memories of the Ex (the Canadian National Exhibition), and lots more. It was great to talk to Steven; you can find the interview here.
February 20, 2026
Public Lending Rights Grant
In Canada we have a great public lending right program that compensates authors for books in the public library system across the country. I know I am always excited to see copies of The Road to Heaven in the Toronto Public Library, particularly when they are dog-eared and creased and show that they have been busy out in readers hands and not gathering dust on the shelf. Many thanks to the Canada Council for the Arts.
February 12, 2026
“Though Patrick eventually solves the case, the fact that no one seems to care about the terrible secrets he’s discovered leaves him feeling disgruntled and shaken, and readers will put down the book feeling the same way.”
Any readers out there looking to feel disgruntled and shaken? This might be the book for you!
February 12, 2026
Recommender Grant
Many thanks to the Ontario Arts Council and Dundurn Press for awarding me a Recommender Grant for a future project, which at this point in time, I am calling, Love Will Prevail – A Murder Story. I first received this grant in 2024, to support my writing of Opposite Sully’s Gym and this Recommender Grant cheque arrived, fittingly, in the same week as my author copies of the book.
January 27, 2026
Thanks to Rebecca at CanadaReadsAmericanStyle for a great first review for Opposite Sully’s Gym.
“Stefanovich-Thomson knows how to write a flawed character whom the reader roots for but doesn’t quite trust to do the right thing! The setting of Toronto in the 1960s is a bonus for those who prefer pay phones to cell phones and cabs to Uber.
If you’re looking for a new mystery series to embrace from the start, pick up a copy of the #1 The Road to Heaven and then pre-order the second in the series, Opposite Sully’s Gym, available March 31, 2026.”
Hollywood North Magazine – Maple Noir Interview
January 2, 2026
Thanks so much to C. Fitton @pugnpages for this wonderful review of Opposite Sully’s Gym. Here’s some of what she says:
“This was an intriguing investigation that took many twists and turns. As the action escalated, I could not put the book down. The ending was both surprising and satisfying. It’s beautifully written and the author definitely knows how to build suspense.”
Toronto Public Library & One Year Later
July 10, 2025
C. Fitton, Steve Urszenyi, Angela van Breemen and I were back on stage at TPL to share our “One Year Later Panel.” TPL was kind enough to display the panelists' books during our talk and I was so happy to see a copy of The Road to Heaven there looking well-travelled, previously-loved, worn, tired, tatty, beat, dog-eared, thumbed, used–read! Kind of the same aesthetic I’m aiming for.
June 28, 2025
Motive & One Year Later
Honoured to be sharing the stage with C. Fitton, Steve Urszenyi and Angela van Breemen at Motive Crime Fiction Festival (June 28th) and again at the Toronto Public Library (July 10th) all under the leadership and organization of the great Jass Aujla. Hope you can catch one of our engagements!
June 12, 2025
The Road to Heaven – the Audiobook!
Thanks to the good people at DreamScape for releasing the audiobook The Road to Heaven on audiobook narrated by Patrick Lawlor. On sale wherever you buy your audiobooks.
May 9, 2025
Bony Blithe
So glad to be a part of the Bony Blithe mini-conference again this year. Thank you to Elaine and Cheryl Freidman for organizing this great event – just blocks from my home. Fantastic to be talking noir with Jim MacDonald and Lisa de Nikoliti and moderator (Madeline) M. H. Callway. Can’t wait until next year!
Check back here for information about new happenings or contact me to stay in touch.