Denise Beaton in Conjunction With John Gillender Co-Authored Touching and Comical Memoir of a Self-Styled British Magpie and Gets Exhibit Promotions at Global Book Fairs

For Denise Beaton, her husband, and their many friends, there was no person like John “Gilley” Gillender.

Born in England, it was in 1970 that Gilley made the biggest decision of his life next to marrying Joy, his Canadian wife. Flying miles across the Atlantic and landing in the United States, the newlyweds had made plans to travel north so Gilley could settle in Canada with Joy’s family.

Denise and her husband first met Gilley in British Columbia as he and Joy were next door neighbors. One day the foursome were in a pub, (a favorite routine he brought with him from England) with Gilley telling another funny story when the decision was made to begin yet another adventure. His reputation as an adventurous, curious soul with a quirky tendency to hoard had earned him the title of local magpie. It didn’t take long before all the friends agreed that Gilley’s entertaining, light-hearted take on the people, the place, and the culture of 70s Canada deserved to be put into a book.

And thus, Denise and Gilley co-authored “Magpie Leaves the Nest.”

A good deal of Gilley’s tales include humorous comparisons between his life at Newcastle and life in New Westminster. Apart from comedy, his experiences also share a lot of historical facts about the many different places he visited.

Sadly, Gilley passed away in 2013. He and Denise originally planned to share more of his stories after their first collaborative book project, titling it, "Magpie Returns Home”, but his passing ended that idea. However, in honor of his memory, she (with the support of many friends) has decided to begin promoting his book and it’s now slated to exhibit at a number of book fairs around the world.

For those who want a copy, “Magpie Leaves the Nest” by Denise Beaton & John Gillender, is available at various online retailers, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

“Magpie Leaves the Nest”
Author | Denise Beaton
Published date | June 19, 2013
Publisher | Trafford Publishing
Genre | Memoir

Author Bio

John Gillender and Denise Beaton collaborated on this book, which took about 12 years to write. It fulfilled their joint-dream of publishing a book. After John’s passing, Joy decided to join their daughters in the interior of British Columbia, where she has learned to fly.

Denise lives in Abbotsford, BC with an abundance of horses, dogs and cats and her new husband. After 10 years, Denise has decided to promote this book in John’s honor and acknowledge his contribution.

Contact Information

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