New book is a long thank-you note to two special towns

Photo- Ted Amsden. Photo Credit- Chloe Amsden

By Cecilia Nasmith

A new book that the author calls a long thank-you note to the residents of Cobourg and Port Hope will be launched Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Cobourg Public Library.

The Golden Handshake Club by Ted Amsden is described as a comedy/adventure novel about the love/hate relationship between the towns (depicted as Sloburg and Port Promise), the 150-year rivalry wrapped up in 314 pages.

The protagonist is a photojournalist who is becoming jaded covering the people and events of the neighbouring towns, until the day a group of stoned seniors from Sloburg set out to occupy the town hall in Port Promise and he finds himself with the story of a lifetime.

“Working 25 years as a small-town photojournalist covering the events and news in Port Hope and Cobourg gave me a lot of material about the quirks and rivalries of two of Ontario's coolest towns,” said author Amsden – who also served seven years as Cobourg's second poet laureate.

“It was a time when I was paid to keep my opinions to myself. Well, no more! I set out only one goal when writing The Golden Handshake Club – laugh every day. And I did! Now it's your turn.”

In the announcement, Amsden said the book is both a bridge and a celebration - “a bridge that humourously joins the communities in their differences, but also asserts that the two towns are fine just the way they are.”

Sponsored by Furby House Books, the Nov. 23 event starts at 2 p.m. and features a reading and a short question-and-answer session with the author moderated by former Cobourg Daily Star/Port Hope Evening Guide columnist Cynthia Amsden.