In a Nutshell

I was born and grew up in Winnipeg.  In my twenties, I traveled around the world, mostly by ship, working in England and Australia. Then I moved to Vancouver, where I earned a B.A. and an M.Ed. at the University of British Columbia.  Vancouver is really beautiful.  I still live here, a five-minute walk from the ocean. I'm an ex-college teacher, an ex-editor, an ex-travel agent and . . .

Now I'm the author of more than twenty books for kids.  Best known are the Stevie Diamond mystery series, the Good Times Travel Agency adventures, and the picture books about Stanley the dog, illustrated by Bill Slavin.  Many of my books have now travelled around the world — just like me.

As a Child
I was a reader and a daydreamer.  Thank goodness for that. Reading and daydreaming are fabulous preparation for becoming a writer.

But of course, that's not all I did.  There were a lot of kids in my neighbourhood — a lot! — and we tore around in gangs, playing cops-and-robbers and cowboys-and-cowgirls and wrecking the flower beds.  Always, always, my favourite games were the ones that start with "Let's pretend."  (Pretending is the other thing that's excellent preparation for writers.)

 

Becoming a Writer

I snuck up on it!  For many years, I was scared of writing.  I was afraid to try in case I was awful. So I did other "booky" things instead.  I taught literacy classes.  I edited educational books.

Then I had two daughters.  They loved stories!  I loved to read!  It was perfect!  We tore through hundreds of kids' books.  Slowly I began to find the courage to write my own.  The first to be published was a mystery novel called How Come the Best Clues Are Always in the Garbage?  It led to . . .

The Thrilling Life of a Writer

Well, actually . . . no.  You would not want to watch me work.  I write in my notebook.  I stare into space.  I type on my computer.  I stare.  I type.  I write.  I stare.  (Yawn.)

But in another way, it is thrilling.  Inside my head, dogs are having parties.  Chickens are playing hockey. Detectives hang precariously from fire escapes.  My inner life is extremely exciting!  On the outside? Not so much.

Travels & Adventures
I often write about characters who go on journeys and have adventures.  Maybe it's because many of my most powerful memories are of times when I've been in some far-away place, experiencing something extraordinary.

Examples?  Once I traveled by ship through a hurricane on the North Atlantic — terrifying, but unforgettable.  Another time, I spent the night in a haunted castle in Ireland, just me and an extremely nervous friend.  Later I rode wild horses in the Australian Outback.  (They're called brumbies there.) Also in Australia, I camped on the banks of the East Alligator River.  No alligators visited my tent, but a water buffalo came by at 3:00 a.m., and I'm not kidding — he sounded exactly like an alligator!

My Wonderful Kids

I'm wildly proud of my two wonderful daughters, all grown up. They share my love of books and faraway places.  Lia is an amazing flamenco dancer and writer, currently interning at The Walrus Magazine.  Tess is a budding biologist who hangs around with spirit bears and mountain sheep (and sometimes even camels).

And speaking of wild animals. . .

My Amazing Dog

My dog Sophie is a clown in a dog's body.  She's the inspiration for all the adventures of Stanley-the-dog.  You can see pictures of her around this website.

Sophie likes to take me for walks. Sometimes she takes me into the woods or along one of Vancouver’s many beach-side paths. No matter where we go, we always seem to end up at a dog park. Now how does that happen?

 

My Favourite Things to Do

Read. Write stories. Eat.  (Not necessarily in that order.)

In winter, I like to spend time in Mexico.  I go there with my sweetie, Maurice.  Here's a picture of us in a little town called Barra de Navidad.  In Mexico, I can write on the beach.  How thrilling is that?