Some much for the nice Canadian stereotype

British journos seem surprised that Stef Penny comes off a bit difficult.
Upon winning the Costa Book of the Year award (formerly the Whitbread Prize) Penny, who suffers from agoraphobia can't, or won't play the publicity game.
"she loathes doing interviews and says that standing in front of a dozen flashing cameras at the prize dinner the previous night had made her feel like a criminal emerging from court.
She is serious, too: this is no arty pose. When she is having her photograph taken - looking far more severe than she really is - her phone goes off. She looks at the number. "Private caller - another journalist," she says, and ignores it.
This reluctance to engage, the refusal to accept that writing an award-winning book makes you public property, could be frustrating, but she is so upfront about it, and so charming and wry when she chooses to be, that she doesn't seem testy or evasive."
Even if it is an arty pose, so what? I say good on her for staying within her comfort zone to begin with.
BTW, Cheryl, who is considerably more gregarious than Penny; picked up on The Tenderness of Wolves months ago.

Posted by Dave