FAQ

Frequently asked Questions from interview for California Readers.org

What did you most like to do when you were a child?

As a child I loved to read, under my desk, under the blankets with a flashlight, in a hidden corner of my room. It became quite a problem at school because I was not interested in anything else.

What books influenced you most when you were growing up?

I loved adventure novels. I read every book in the FAMOUS FIVE series by British writer Enid Blyton. I loved JAMES AND THE GIANT PEACH by Roald Dahl.

Did you write stories when you were growing up?

I always loved to write. As a child a wrote poetry and in high school I began  writing stories.

What audience did you have in mind for your career as a writer – adult or children?

I wanted to write for teens so as an adult I continued to read Y.A. and was strongly influenced by DOWN RIVER and RIVER THUNDER by Will Hobbs and HATCHET by Gary Paulsen

When you went to college, were you already pursuing a writing career?

I studied Creative Writing at the University of Victoria on Vancouver Island in British Columbia Canada and several years later completed a masters degree in Professional Writing at Miu in Iowa.

What was your first job when you graduated from college?

I worked as a copywriter for CKCQ, a radio station in a small town called Quesnel in the interior or British Columbia. Later I became the Creative Director for another station called CFFM. While completing my graduate studies I worked as a freelance writer contributing to local newspapers and magazines.

How soon after that was your first book published?

I began seriously writing fiction about 6 years ago. My first novel,

RUNAWAY STORM, and adventure novel for kids 12 and up, will hit the bookstores January of 2010.

Was your first book accepted immediately? or did you experience a number of rejections?

Ah, rejections, too numerous to count. When I found an agent I thought the book was in the bag, no such luck. Two years after the agent quit shopping it around, I dusted off the manuscript and sent it out again. Just goes to show you should never give up; A lesson I have been slow to learn.

Do you do other types of writing – for example, educational, nonfiction, magazine work?

I have a story slated for print in the L.A. Times August 16, 2009 edition. Look for it in the Kids Reading Room section of the paper. I continue to dabble in freelance writing, but seem to be leaning more toward fiction these days.

What gave you the idea for RUNAWAY STORM?

The idea for RUNAWAY STORM formed when I was about 15. My brother and I were on Galiano Island at a place called Montague Harbor. We met a runaway(link) there who was about my age and I was fascinated by his experiences. He told us that on his first night on the island he’d unrolled his sleeping bag too close to the water and the rising tide had crept up and soaked him and everything he owned in the middle of the night. It was illegal to camp on the beach in the park, so by day he hid his supplies under the roots of an old oak tree so that the park ranger wouldn’t kick him out. He seemed to enjoy talking to us, and I got the feeling he was lonely. He invited us to stay for lunch and promptly donned a mask and snorkel. He disappeared under water only to pop up moments later with a crab in each hand. We didn’t stay for lunch, but I never forgot the boy, and the nut of the idea for Runaway Storm has been with me ever since.

Do you work on more than one book at a time?

Yes. I like to be busy and seem to work best under pressure. Right now I am working on a picture book called “NO MORE MISCHIEF,” which will hopefully be in print next year, along with the sequel to RUNAWAY STORM called RUNAWAY FIRE, and another teen novel with a ghostly slant.

Which of your books did you most enjoy writing?

The unfinished ghostly novel has been really fun because I have teamed up with another writer. Writing with a partner has been a whole new experience; it has a completely different set of challenges.

What do you most want the students to get out of your school visits?

I want children to be enthused about reading in general and interested in wilderness adventures in particular. Although I do not want to preach about the environment, I hope that by experiencing the less populated areas of our planet, either in books or in person, teens will be motivated to preserve these areas for the future.

Is there anything about yourself that you’d like to share?

I am the small events coordinator for SCBWI-LA (Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators) I am the author liason for FOTCL (Friends of the Children’s Library in Huntington Beach), and the founding coordinator of the Sandscribes, a group of children’s writers in California. These are all volunteer positions which take up quite a bit of time, but I strongly believe if you want to write for children you must fully immerse yourself in ‘everything books,’ and I enjoy every minute of it and all the wonderful people in the children’s book world.

Any other exciting news?

I am also involved with Toe The Line, a small press that specializes in ocean conservation, which is a passion for me. We publish the SEE INTO THE SEA color and learn books, which promote tidal zone awareness through wacky facts about interesting zone creatures.  Did you know for example that Sea Cucumbers throw-up all their inside organs once a year and grow new ones? We are very proud that one of our SEE INTO THE SEA books just won an award at the Green Book Festival. We are excited to share fun learning games and coloring pages for kids at tidalzone.org