The host of CBC Radio’s Under the Influence, Terry O’Reilly, uncovers the surprising power of screwing upThe Incredible Hulk was originally supposed to be grey, but a printing glitch led to the superhero’s iconic green colour. NHL hall-of-famer Serge Savard’s hockey career nearly ended prematurely, not because of an injury, but because of an oversight. And the invention of a beloved treat, the Popsicle, began with a simple mistake.In his fascinatin...

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER from the author and host of CBC Radio’s Under the InfluenceIn Terry’s bestselling book, My Best Mistake, he uncovers the surprising power of screwing up. Now, he turns his incredible eye to the mavericks who go “against the grain” in their work to see what makes them tick and to explore what lessons we can learn from them. People who chose to ignore conventional wisdom, found or invented a better way, questioned the status qu...

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Canada's most famous adman spills a career's worth of marketing secrets, so anyone can compete with the best in their business--whatever that business might be.Big companies spend a fortune marketing their wares and services. Can yours? Invariably people ask advertising veteran and CBC Radio host Terry O'Reilly one question more than any other: How does a little business compete with the big guys? After decades at the helm of an award-winni...

Adam Davis isn't gay! He can't be -- he's a super star NFL quarterback and gay men don't survive in the NFL. But along comes Brendan Fletcher, an outstanding, Super Bowl-winning linebacker who awakens something in Adam, something Adam hadn't known was there. And now it's wakened, the quarterback will never be the same.Despite the threat to their careers and their personal safety, Adam and Brendan find themselves irresistibly drawn to each other, starting something that grows from g...

Karl Simons, a fifty-one-year-old introverted and shy geography/history teacher, finally takes the plunge and goes on an academic tour of Italy. The first stop is Florence and La Galleria dell'Acciademia, the home of Michelangelo's famous sculpture, The David. Upon viewing the work of art, Karl begins to sense strong emotions for and connection to the statue that he cannot explain. Just before leaving the tribuna, Karl turns back to gaze once more on The David and makes a...

The ad men behind CBC Radio’s The Age of Persuasion combine lively social history and years of industry experience to show how the art of persuasion shapes our culture.Witty, erudite and irrepressibly irreverent, The Age of Persuasion provides a hugely entertaining — and eye-opening — insider’s look at the ever-expanding world of marketing.The Age of Persuasion is for those who say “advertising doesn’t work on me” as well as those ...

Danny Foley is about to attend his Aunt Daisy's funeral alone and with a heavy heart. He's lost his rock and protector, the only member of his dysfunctional family who'd believed he was destined to find the love of a good man.Danny is so starved for male affection, he fantasizes about being with a muscular young man in a rest stop bathroom, his niece's handsome fiancé, the brawny waiter at a restaurant, the stud lawyer reading Aunt Daisy's will. But they remain only fantasies....

For Dave Felder, his junior year of high school starts with a move from his small hometown to a larger city. With the new home comes a new school, East Leyden High.He isn't the least bit reluctant to leave his old school. Once popular and well-liked, things changed when he was outed to his fellow students.A new school gives him a fresh start, where no one knows him or his secret. Tall, handsome, and athletic, he soon finds himself surrounded by new friends, the popularity h...

Twenty years ago, Trent Hardy and Dean Pennington were on the brink of a loving relationship. Then Dean's family suddenly whisked him half-way around the world.For a time the two tried to maintain contact, but life intervened, and they lost touch. Though he'd not heard from Dean in years, Trent still continued to hope.Following a vivid dream in which a voice repeatedly instructs Trent to Go to him, Trent is led back to Dean, who is delighted their love has survived...

It isn't going to happen to Dave Fleming. No way. He isn't going to end up growing old. He has this aging thing beat. He works out, eats healthy, takes all the right supplements. As a result, he's a handsome man, with a killer body, and it's going to stay that way.But it doesn't work. Though he's done his best to swim upstream, Dave is swept steadily along to senior citizenship along with everyone else. In the process, he passed up chances for love. Now here he is, in his twilight ...

Jonathon Carver, a young Puritan school teacher, meets handsome Nathaniel Morgan, master cooper. He comes to recognize the longings he's had all his life as desire for the love of another man, and Nathaniel provides that love.Their love must be carefully guarded, as they live in Colonial America during a time of the call to Awakening of the Puritan spirit. Knowing the penalty for their love is dire, they strive to keep their affair secret.Desperate for a way to resolve thei...

Gymnast Frank Bethune arrives on campus already enamored with the star tight end, Bill Billingsly. Although the chances of them meeting are slim, fate draws them together, and their friendship turns to love.Ever since childhood, Bill has dreamed of playing professional football. Though high risk to his potential career, Bill would seek out clandestine encounters with other guys when and where he could, but the first time he spots Frank, Bill knows he is someone special, someone he ...