Rink Burgers a coming of age tale

Who can remember spending Saturday nights with family in front of the black and white television watching Hockey Night in Canada?

Todd Devonshire, author of Rink Burgers, can and quite vividly, as his book explains. Rink Burgers, released just over a year ago is a coming of age story, a humorous re-enactment of Todd's childhood growing up in Big River and his love for the Boston Bruins and their rivalry with the Montreal Canadians.

"This story can resonate with a lot of people," commented Todd, "it's pure nostalgia, it's my story where Saturday night was just as religious as Sunday morning."

Todd always knew he had a story just waiting for the ideal opportunity to get published. Most accomplished authors begin that way: a persistent, burning passion within that just won't go away. For Todd, the desire to write lasted for eight years originating overseas where he and his wife Dawn (Hupaelo) taught English as a second language. He recalls being out for supper in Tokyo with his adult students when his desire to satisfy his hunger was overcome with the memories of a good ol' rink burger. The greasy patty smothered with cheese and fried onion, slapped between the melt in your mouth bun mmmm.

The plot centres around the fictitious event of the selling of the family home. The story unfolds as Todd and Dawn go through boxes possessing Todd's childhood memorabilia. Each box becomes another topic within the story. The early chapters of the book relive the conversations between Todd and Dawn providing the basis for the storyline.

The memoirs go back to the day Todd knew he was a 'real hockey player' at the ripe age of six when he scored his first goal and lost his first tooth simultaneously. The re-enactment of how the search for the tooth on the ice seemed to take over the excitement of the goal was seen through the eyes of many six-year-olds as fear for lack of money from the tooth fairy overpowered and gripped their conscience.

Chapter after chapter, Todd releases the memories of playing hockey intertwined with watching the NHL games. Readers can connect with the excitement of the adrenaline rushes, the laughter with real life sibling scenarios, the disappointment of lost games and the sadness with the vehicle accident involving some of the team family.

With a draft manuscript in hand, Todd began his journey to seek out a publisher. After a total of 29 rejections, Rink Burgers was finally able to hit the bookstores in 2012. The first printing of 1,500 sold out in two months encouraging a second printing. At the time of the interview over 2,200 hardcopy books had been sold as well as 100 ebooks.

Todd affirmed that it proves that when you have a desire and believe in yourself, it is possible to achieve your goal despite rejections and challenges.

The initial response of having his book in print was like walking on air, recalls Todd indicating the highlight has been a personal letter from hockey legend Don Cherry.

Another milestone in this author's young career has been the implementation of Rink Burgers into the English curriculum at John Paul II Collegiate in North Battleford.

Todd's wife Dawn, of nine years, has been supportive of Todd's writing and desired urgency to complete the book. Todd's immediate family has been supportive and encouraging in permitting Todd to share the tidbits of his personal life. The family support of course reaches out to Duck Lake to include his grandmother Therese Laroque.

"It has been quite the experience," commented Todd beaming knowing that his readers can personally relate to the insightful story.

Todd currently resides in Martensville with Dawn and their two-year-old son Jude. Todd continues to teach adult computer classes in Saskatoon and feeds his desire to write on his days off.

Todd is a proud member of the Saskatchewan Writers' Guild and Saskatoon Co-operative. He is fortunate to have the opportunity to network and interact amongst his peers and fans at a variety of venues throughout the year.

Rink Burgers sells for $19.95 and can be found in bookstores across Saskatchewan including Coles, Indigo/Chapters and McNally Robertson and is available in ebook form for iPads, computers and cellular phones.