I was born in Montreal and I grew up there. But now I’ve lived as long in Western Canada as I lived in Eastern Canada. I met and married a Vancouverite, and he whisked me away to the other side of the continent. I’m glad I’ve experienced both sides of our amazing country – great writing material!
I’ve loved to write for as long as I can remember, but it wasn’t until after I was married that I realized I wanted to make some sort of writing into a full time career. It’s never too late to start... but start now if you’ve got the urge!
I only discovered I wanted to write for children after I had kids of my own. And then, with three active sons swinging from the chandeliers, it was pretty tricky finding time and a quiet corner. For some time, my boys made writing difficult, but on the other hand, they were the source of at least half of my books. They still are.
I worked as a freelance writer for the Vancouver Province for six years. That newsroom was always bursting with excitement – I loved it! I created and wrote over 100 pages for their school page, which was used by Grade V Social Studies classes throughout B.C. And during that period I also wrote my first few books.
Now, almost twenty-five years later, I’ve published eleven books for young people. Our three sons have left the nest and finding writing time is easier... well, except if our two active grandsons are visiting!
We recently moved to Bowen Island, a peaceful, beautiful island only a 20 minute ferry ride from West Vancouver where we used to live. I gaze out the window from my writing loft at an ever-changing sea, and glorious snowcapped mountain peaks. If I have a writing deadline I have to sit with my back to the view or I just don’t get on with it!
My husband and I have been married for forty-six years. Now that he’s retired we spend a lot of our time in the Cariboo region of B.C., in a small log cabin we built twenty-five years ago. It’s a wonderful place for horseback riding, canoeing, cross country skiing... and it’s also a great place to write! I love using our cabin as a setting for stories. My friends tease me... they say I now live remote and more remote! But I love living in places where you can’t hear traffic and deer often watch me working.