I was born in Ontario, in 1961, but grew up in Vancouver from the age
of three. I now live in Vancouver in a townhouse overlooking the Fraser
River, with my husband, Roland, and our two Burmese cats, Misha and
Sophie.
In my mid-to-late thirties, I was a substitute teacher for five
years. Before that, in the late ’80s I worked for two years as the
assistant to children’s author Jean Little (who is also my aunt),
traveled with her all over Canada and the States and in England, and
taught children's literature courses with her at the University of
Guelph. She has been an important mentor in my life. Until 2002, I
taught children's literature courses regularly in Language and Literacy
Education at UBC, and I taught a graduate course in Canadian children’s
literature at Simmons College in Boston in 1994. I have also taught
creative writing at Langara Community College in Vancouver. Since 2003,
I have taught a yearly graduate course in writing, publishing and the
book trade in the Masters in Children’s Literature program at UBC. And I
am now teaching Advanced Writing for Children in UBC's Creative Writing
Department.
I received my B.A. in English from UBC in 1984, my M.A. also in
English in 1992, and my Bachelor of Education, Elementary in 1994. I
have also attended McGill University and the University of Guelph.
I've spent extended time in Holland, Mexico, Switzerland and England
and lived in Montreal, Canada for five years. In 1988 I spent six months
teaching English on a cattle ranch in Poza Rica, Veracruz, Mexico.
In August, 2000, I became children’s book editor at Orca Book
Publishers. In August 2005, I left that position to become Vancouver
Public Library’s first Writer in Residence, a four month residency. I
then edited picture books, early chapter books and teen fantasy for Orca
for two years on a freelance basis. In the fall of 2007, I gave up
editing almost entirely, making more time for my own writing and giving
me the freedom to travel at will to speak at conferences, teach and give
workshops.
My work-at-home life is solitary, but more and more I love the quiet,
the freedom and the flexibility.
