Saskatchewan author Beverley Brenna is studying literacy and children’s literature in a doctoral program in Edmonton at the University of Alberta. She has wanted to be a reading doctor for many years and now she is working to make that dream come true.

She started writing poems when she was seven and sent them to children’s pages of magazines. Getting books published took her until she was in her thirties, and when she thinks about it, she figures it’s kind of like running a marathon. If you stay writing long enough, you’ll finally sell something! Once a publisher knows your work with a first book, the other books are much more easily accepted.
She has three teenage sons whom she pays to read some of her manuscripts and pick out the dumb things that need to be scratched out. Her husband reads some of her work, too, as well as a couple of good friends. It’s important to hear what other people say about your writing, because sometimes talking about your work can help you make it better.

When nobody wants to hear her stories, she reads them to her dog, Buddy. He is a very good listener and almost never goes to sleep while she is reading.