Welcome to the world of randykwriter
Overview
Hello! My name is Randy Klassen, I’m an author, dedicated ultrarunner, and retired entrepreneur living in Squamish, BC, Canada. A lifelong storyteller, my first published book, Perhaps Joy is the Reward, was released in September 2023; My next book, TMO, arrives in print in October 2026. This website serves as a platform where readers, promoters, distributors, fellow writers, and friends can stay informed about the status of my writing endeavours. My randykwriter Substack is another great location to get info on my books and activities.
Perhaps Joy is the Reward
This fast-paced (and at times humorous) narrative is the story of how I accidentally stumbled into a community of ultra runners in my 50s, the journey of self-discovery those trail runners took me on, and why the pain of pushing myself to do harder and harder things, in concert with others on earthen pathways, felt intuitively right.
It’s a story about how the unimaginable can become the ordinary. It’s a story about discovering what we are rather than who we are, and how that can change us forever.
Visit this page for more about PJR.
Once you’ve read the book, you can enhance your experience of the story with links to a photo collection depicting characters and events from the book.
Where to buy
Perhaps Joy is the Reward is available globally on AMAZON and Audible where it climbs up and down the chart depending on promotions and referrals. It’s a steady seller and printed in your region.
Perhaps Joy is the Reward is available to booksellers through Ingram retail book distribution.
Readers, if you’d like your favourite local bookstore to carry PJR, they can order it from Ingram and stock it on their shelves! Please make that recommendation!!!!
PJR is sold at a number of bookstores in my home valley - The Sea To Sky Corridor.
Many thanks to: Armchair Books Whistler, Gather Bookshop Squamish, Valhalla Squamish, Sea to Sky Gondola Gift Shop, and of course, Capra Trail & Mountain Running in Squamish.
Events & Media
Upcoming Book Promotions
My promotional calendar is currently on hold as I plan for TMO’s launch in October!
Stay tuned for upcoming launch event announcements on Instagram, Substack, and this page.
Past Event & Promotion Highlights
Click the title for a Jan 16, 2024, interview hosted by Dustin Dickout—The Kook Jester. “Framed through hard-fought victories and devastating heartbreaks out on the trails, Randy recounts the connected community of runners, his late start to the sport, and some solid instruction for life.” (54 minutes) Something fun to listen to on your next walk, hike or drive!
Promo: Randy K - “I discovered what I was.”
It was a pleasure to work with TSPA on the publication of PJR. It’s an ongoing honour to continue collaborating with them as part of their author group to support new writers and, as with this short video, to promote TSPA to future writers who are looking for an agency that will enable them to achieve their goals and cross their finish lines.
Projects in the works
Exploring Pacific Northwest trails laid down by ancient Indigenous traders, followed by Nor’Wester and HBC fur brigades, and ground into today’s highways and byways by the 1858-1868 Gold Rush that flooded a landscape with change.
Working title: TMO
On-the-trail research highlights and draft updates will reveal snippets of the storyline and content.
A Sci-Fi series that’s been steeping for almost four decades.
This ever-expanding story of the blurred lines between dogmatic cultural religion, individual spirituality, and an evolving human ability to sense, physically encounter, and influence spatial dimensions beyond the three that most homo sapiens perceive they exist in, has held my interest and churned in my imagination for almost forty years. This one’s on the slow burn—my spare time project.
Sign up for my monthly randykwriter Substack newsletter. A fun way to follow my writing projects. I keep it short, sweet—and hopefully entertaining!