Author to sign copies of new book at Past Glories of Toad Hollow

May 29, 2025 · 0 Comments

By Paula Brown

Fans of Ian Flemings’ James Bond and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan may want to look at diving into the work of Inspector William Fox.

Loretto-based author Peter Thomas Pontsa will be hosting a book launch and signing of his latest work, “Sanctity of Freedom,” on June 8 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Past Glories of Toads Hollow in Orangeville.

During the event, Pontsa will read from Sanctity of Freedom followed by an author interview led by former CBC Radio One host and past Theatre Orangeville general manager Bernadette Hardaker.

Sanctity of Freedom is the second book in Pontsa’s Inspector William Fox series, which follows an RCMP officer as he becomes embroiled in different international geo-political cases.

Sanctity of Freedom jumps off from the ending of Pontsa’s first novel, Outfoxed, and sees RCMP Inspector Fox and FBI Special Agent Patrick Reilly investigating the savage assassination of a Canadian diplomat and two Australian intelligence agents.

“It has the, of course, international politics, but it also touches on human rights, personal sacrifice and family reunion,” said Pontsa about Sanctity of Freedom.

In each of his books, Ponsta makes a point of drawing on international political topics such as human rights and environmental disasters.

“Bringing social issues into your book is another way of creating something that’s fresh and new, and also brings something that the public can associate with,” said Pontsa.

Pontsa began writing the Inspector William Fox series in 2019 and officially published the first book, Outfoxed, in February of 2023. While writing the book Pontsa took inspiration from other authors, such as Tom Clancy, Daniel Silva, Lee Child and Ian Fleming.

“I was reading these types of books and people say, if you’re going to write, write what you like,” he said.

Pontsa also draws many aspects from his own life into his writing, including his enthusiasm for British sports cars and taekwondo, as a second-degree black belt.

Before becoming a published author, Pontsa spent a number of years in the dental industry, during which he authored many techno-clinical articles for various dental journals and served as an associate publisher for a denturist magazine. After his retirement, he decided to hone his creative side and took a course on Advanced Fiction Writing at the University of Waterloo.

He is a member of the Wordsmiths, a writers’ group based in Alliston, ON, and a member of the Crime Writers of Canada.

Pontsa is in the midst of writing his third book in the Inspector William Fox series, which has been slated for publishing in early 2026.

Those interested in attending the June 8 book launch of Sanctity of Freedom can register for the event at www.peterthomaspontsa.com.

Copies of Sanctity of Freedom will be available for purchase at the book signing.

Pontsa told the Citizen he is hoping to use a portion of the sales to donate to an organization called Crossing Borders, which helps individuals who have defected from North Korea.

Pontsa’s Inspector William Fox series is available for purchase online through Amazon and locally through Booklore.