How did you get started in children’s books?
Working as a teacher of indigenous art and culture in the 1980s, I could not find anything on the NW Coast First Peoples. Therefore, I sought out everything I could to expose this amazing art and culture to my students. Retiring to a remote fishing lodge in Northern BC, it was essential to downsize my footprint. Collecting my notes for disposal, I felt great remorse at the thought of not being able to share the years of collected information. While searching for an answer to this dilemma, my grand-daughters came to visit. I started telling them stories.
What (or who) inspires your writing or art?
My grandchildren, and the students I no longer had access to, inspired me to write/paint stories.
What was your favourite book as a child? Why?
The Boxcar Children (The Boxcar Children Mysteries, Books 1-12), by Gertrude Chandler. The children in the story were adventurous and ingenious. Remembering the details and solving the mystery was a challenge I enjoyed.
How can teachers use your books in the classroom?
Click here to download the ‘Whale Child Teacher’s Guide’.
What are you looking forward to most during TD Canadian Children’s Book Week?
Sharing my book with all the children and my Writer’s/Illustrators Workshop, and experiencing the East Coast and all its wonders!