Banjavich launches first book

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/02/2019 (2512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When it comes to exploring his creativity, G. Geoffrey Banjavich thrives by wearing many hats.

The Southdale-based actor — who is also the constituency assistant for Southdale MLA Andrew Smith — is preparing for the Winnipeg launch of his first book, which is titled The Adventures of Georgie Sheppard: Georgie Meets Nikola Tesla. The book is published by Austin Macauley Publishers in the U.K.

Without giving too much away, the story follows the adventures of 14-year-old protagonist Georgie Sheppard, a highly intelligent and studious young man who has been plagued by strange occurrences since childhood. A regular target for bullies, the situation moves far beyond the scope of his usual daily torment as an increasingly bizarre series of realistic dreams take him back to the end of the 19th century, Banjavich said.

“This 14-year-old boy develops the ability to time travel, and goes back to a time when he’s Nikola Tesla’s apprentice,” Banjavich said, noting this is the first in a series of five books.

“He’s smart, and studious, and gets bullied regularly, and then he meets this girl, who is very important to him. He dreams that he’s in 1899, and in Colorado Springs, and one day he wakes up and there’s something in his bedroom. He discovers he’s travelling in time, but he doesn’t know why. Eventually, he figures out why, and he’s taken to a secret lair in the mountains.”

In short, Georgie’s journey is a perilous one, “where the fabric of time, and reality itself, may be in jeopardy of forever coming undone.”

As well as his literary achievements, Banjavich also has several acting credits from last year, including the upcoming feature film Breakthrough, and the television series Burden of Truth.

 
He is grateful for the support of his family and friends in his latest creative endeavour, including his fiancée, Ashley, who is a social worker.

Banjavich said the influence of his professor at university, Winnipeg writing legend Carol Shields, was pivotal for his development as a writer.

“She said she felt I had what it would take to be a writer, and encouraged me to pursue writing: that was at U of M. As well, my nana encouraged the best out of me with regards to creativity. Having parents who always supported my endeavours also helped,” he said.

The launch event will be held at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Grant Park on Thurs., Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the travel alcove. Anyone who can’t make it to the launch event can call 204-475-0483, and an autographed copy of the book will be set aside for them.