Back Roads

Ted Ferguson was born and raised in Victoria, BC. For ten years, he worked as a newspaper reporter, television critic, sports columnist, and magazine writer in several cities across Canada, before becoming a full-time freelance writer 30 years ago. His articles have appeared in the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, Reader s Digest, Canadian Business, enRoute, and the Imperial Oil Review. He has published seven books, including the Alberta Non-Fiction Book Award winner, Desperate Siege. His last book, Blue Cuban Nights, was published in 2006.

After collapsing from stress in a posh Vancouver restaurant, Ted Ferguson decides to abandon his workaholic lifestyle and move his family to the secluded back roads of Northern Alberta, where electricity and indoor plumbing are a luxury and surviving another winter is a blessing. With his wife and young son in tow, Ted rebuilds his life surrounded by a close-knit community while encountering, among other unique characters, a vengeful dentist, a barefoot farmer living in a hillside dugout, and a store clerk who could very well be Canada's most dedicated gossip. Humorous and insightful, this fish-out-of-water tale captures a radically different lifestyle that many urbanites dream about but will never gather the courage to attempt themselves. Back Roads speaks to the survivalist in all of us while displaying one man's resolve to reconnect with his family, the essence of life, and himself.