SCBWI Canada West Chapter

Linda Aksomitis

My home is in the small town of Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan, Canada, where I also graduated from Qu'Appelle High School back in 1971 as Linda Demyen. David Aksomitis is my partner of nearly 30 years, and we have three sons and a grandson. Read more...

Linda is also the owner of an online snowmobile magazine.

Susanne Alexander-Heaton grew up in the small village of Miami, Manitoba. It was in this rural setting and through her parents’ guidance at the family farm that Susanne learned the importance of: 1) community and respect for the environment; 2) helping others, especially those less fortunate than herself; 3) having a good sense of humour to help through even the darkest of times.

While being in a wide variety of work settings, Susanne had some life changing wake up calls occur. These events inspired her to start her own company called Motivated by Nature. The A B C Field Guide to Faeries is her first attempt of many future endeavors designed to  make a positive impact on the environment and all people.  This book is geared at ages 6 and up and has inspiring reminders of respect for ourselves, each other, and the environment.  Susanne also appears in classrooms fully dressed for the letter "S"...Susanne, the Sunshine Faery...much to all the children's amazement and delight!

For more information, please visit her website at: http://www.abcfaeries.com

Jocey Asnong

Jocey Asnong was raised by a pack of wild pencil crayons in a house made of paper and stories. When she was tiny she lived at the end of a lane of tall maple trees close to the Great Lakes. As she grew she became a collector of diplomas, spending six years in Interpretive Illustration (Sheridan College) and Design (Georgian College). She now lives in the high snowy places near Canmore,  where she is often spotted in her mittens or playing with chalk and mixed media. As a children's book illustrator, her creativity has appeared in the children's books  'Mushkid' (K.Fawcett), and 'The Princess and the Cheese' (S. Patterson). Recently she has published her own story' Nuptse and Lhotse in Nepal' and is currently developing a sequel.

For more information please visit Jocey's website:
www.cautiousleroy.com

Fiona Bayrock

The author of Bubble Homes and Fish Farts (Charlesbridge, 2009) and 14 other quirky science books for kids from Capstone Press and Scholastic, Fiona has also written 60+ articles, stories, and poems in children's magazines such as Highlights for Children, KNOW, Odyssey, and YES Mag. Over the years, she's chased questions through most of the "ologies", talking to scientists around the world about all kinds of neat stuff, from palindromes to solar wind, and then sharing what she finds with the most curious beings on the planet--kids! Fiona also enjoys speaking at schools and conferences, and writing about writing for publications such as Children's Writer's & Illustrator's Market and kidmagwriters.com. She's constantly in search of the "Aha!", clever puns, and her coffee. http://www.fionabayrock.com
 

Kathy Beliveau

Kathy has always loved nature, writing and pretty much anything that feeds the soul. She was raised in a small, seaside community on Vancouver Island and traveled (and sailed) extensively as a young woman. Kathy’s relationship with yoga began as a preteen and has continued to develop over the years. She has studied Children’s Yoga and is a Certified Yoga Instructor. As well, Kathy writes for children and adults and has enjoyed recognition in contests and literary magazines.

Kathy's stories have entertained primary grades and preschools; they have been performed by a Storybook Theatre and used by special needs programs. Her purpose and passion is to help inspire little people and big people to connect to themselves, (body, mind, spirit), to each other and to this amazing planet we all share. Kathy lives on Vancouver Island, with her husband, youngest daughter and several cats.

Kristi’s illustration work is inspired by her children and the rainforest near her home in Saanich, on Vancouver Island. Her distinctive sepia pallet evolved after searching for earth friendly mediums...  and as it turned out- the bottled ink, quill pens, and water based paints brought a warm, ethereal, west coast feeling to the works. 

Kristi spends her days ‘nose to the canvas’ illustrating books, spending time with her daughters, sitting on the board of several groups, hiking with her schnauzer, and helping her husband with salmon habitat restoration.

Her current memberships include Island Illustrators Society, www.islandillustrators.org FCA Victoria Chapter, Friends of Mount Douglas Park Society, AGGV, CACGV, SCBWI, CANSCAIP, ACCESS, CARFAC/CARCC, as well as the FFB and local children’s and environmental groups.

Most recent book illustration works include There Once Was A Camel by Internationally known Poet P.K Page, You, me and my O.T by Paulette Bourgeois (Author of Franklin the Turtle) The Knot Fairy and The Sock Fairy, as well work with the BC Ministry of Health, University Of Victoria, University of British Columbia,  and Oxford University Press. She has received an Award of Merit for her illustrations for CAOT, and is listed as the CACGV’s 150 significant BC Women Artists, Past and Present.

Kristi can be contacted through her web site at: www.kristibridgeman.com

Rae Bridgman

Rae Bridgman is an author, artist/illustrator and anthropologist. She is a professor in the Department of City Planning, Faculty of Architecture, at the University of Manitoba, and the mother of six children. She grew up in Maple, Ontario and now makes Winnipeg her home. In addition to writing and illustrating fantasy novels for young people, she has published several books about her research on homelessness. See her website for more information:
http://www.raebridgman.ca

In 2006, Lindsey Carmichael won the Governor General’s Gold Medal for her PhD Thesis, Ecological Genetics of Arctic Canids.  She now works as a bookseller and spends the rest of her time hunched over her keyboard.  Her first published article, “Survival of the Slyest,” will appear in a forthcoming issue of Highlights for Children.  Lindsey is currently working on a middle grade science book and a young adult fantasy novel.

Iris has over 35 years experience as an illustrator, designer, educator and fine artist, beginning in London, England and continuing in Canada. Commissions have included the creation of editorial and advertising illustrations, whimsical characters, and botanicals. Many of these commissions reflect her love of the natural world, and complement an exploration of the inner worlds of imagination through personal drawings.

For 18 years Iris was a full-time instructor in the Graphic Design Program at Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, BC, teaching many aspects of design, illustration and software. She has a BA in Graphic Design and an MA in Illustration. Since leaving full-time teaching in the Fall of 2008, Iris is rediscovering her love of personal creativity through illustration, book making, gardening, hiking, traveling and reading. What joy!

Her current website http://www.flyingbetty.ca is predominantly a collection of commissioned illustrations but includes a section of unpublished illustrations that reflect her personal interests. A fine art section will shortly be added. Iris is also a member of the Island Illustrators Society. http://www.islandillustrators.org

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in six different languages. She spent most of her teen years wishing she were someone else or somewhere else, which is great training for a writer. Her latest book, Getting Revenge on Lauren Wood, was released in January 2010. Discovering that she has far more unresolved childhood issues than she imagined, she has written a middle grade series, Fourth Grade Fairy, which will be out in 2011.

You can read more about Eileen, her books, and the things that striker her as funny at www.eileencook.com. Eileen lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and two dogs, and no longer wishes to be anyone or anywhere else.

Danika Dinsmore

Danika Dinsmore is a poet, filmmaker, educator… and accidental novelist.  She has been working with children in a variety of settings for 20 years. In 1996, she co-founded the Northwest SPokenword LAB and began Washington State’s first youth poetry slam.

Danika also produced the annual Seattle Poetry Festival and created their Emerging Voice spokenword program for teens. She moved to Vancouver in 2003 and began making short films and working as an on-set tutor for the film industry. She worked as an artist-in-the-schools for Learning Through the Arts and taught writing courses at Vancouver Film School, Capilano College, and Creative Writing for Children.

In 2008 Danika was writer/director for VJIAM.tv, an educational broadcast TV series featuring the work of young video journalists. She accidentally became a novelist when she adapted an original feature film script into a book: a middle-grade fantasy adventure called Brigitta of the White Forest. She lives in Vancouver with her husband and their two cats, Victor Gato and Albert le Chat.

More bio here:  http://www.danikadinsmore.com/about.html

Blog fun here: http://theaccidentalnovelist.wordpress.com/

Nicole Drawc

Nicole Drawc was born and raised near Vancouver, BC. She is very fond of the ocean and all things water-related after living in Belcarra, Port Moody and now Lake Errock. She spent most of her time swimming, battling jellyfish and sunburns. Imagination has always been a very important part of her life. 

Nicole is married to a wonderful man and has a very cuddly and sweet dog named Mister. She enjoys reading historical and fantasy fiction, writing poetry, dancing, swimming, hiking and pretty well all things outdoors!

She has a BA with a triple minor in English, French and Educational Psychology from Simon Fraser University. She has been a primary school teacher for 6 years, promoting creativity and hands-on learning in her classroom. She is also interested in being on the forefront of the use of technology and may consider e-publishing or book apps. She is currently working on two picture books and writes poetry on Fanstory.com.

Lee Edward Fodi

Known as the “Wizard of Words,” Lee Edward Födi has been writing and illustrating  stories about magic, monsters, and mystery for as long as he can remember. Growing up on a farm, he once harbored childhood aspirations for taking over the family business. Unfortunately, this dream came to an abrupt end when he accidentally ran the tractor over his dad’s outhouse (thankfully, his dad was not inside at the time). As a result, he went on to pursue his love of art, mythology, and storytelling, all of which (luckily) do not require any skill in operating heavy machinery.

Födi is an engaging public speaker, specializing in presentations and workshops for elementary-aged children. With his whimsical sense of humor and flare for caricature, Lee Edward Födi presents to audiences ranging from 20-500 at schools, libraries, bookstores, writing workshops, and other venues. His enthusiasm brings children right out of their seats, especially during his rousing sessions of Goblin Designing 101, in which he scribbles out ghoulish creations according to some specific (and often very disgusting!) instructions.

Födi studied at the University of British Columbia and has a degree in English Literature and a diploma in Fine Arts. Födi lives in Vancouver, the beautiful Canadian city nestled between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean.

Darryl W. Funk was born in Vancouver, B.C., but was shortly thereafter transported to the arctic wilderness of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  Living in sub-zero conditions for most of the year, he spent most of his time drawing and reading comic books.  After receiving Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” as a gift, his destiny was written.  He would bide his time, practicing his craft as several years of snow and ice would follow.

 In 1998, he enrolled at the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary Alberta where he received his BFA with a major in printmaking.  He then moved back to Vancouver and married the love of his life.  They moved to Kelowna, B.C. where he met Editor TeLeni Koochin and began illustrating for Dream Wave Publishing’s “Zamoof!” children’s magazine.  He also illustrated his first children’s book for the same publisher, entitled, “Skunky Lunky and Weasel Beasel at Sleepy Hollow Farm”, written by Carol Orr.

 Darryl, his wife, and their beautiful daughter continue to live in Kelowna where he has experienced the other end of the climate scale, finding it far too hot.  They hope to soon return to Vancouver where he finds the weather is just right. He continues to spend far too much money on comic books.

 Please visit his blog: www.darrylwfunk.wordpress.com
as well as www.zamoofmag.com
 

Joan Marie Galat

Author of:
Day Trips From Edmonton

Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the Zodiac

Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the Moon
Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories of the Planets
Dot to Dot in the Sky, Stories in the Stars

Dr. Bufflehead Explores Energy

Dr. Bufflehead Explores Dirt

Born in Washington D.C., Joan Marie Galat lived in the United States before her family settled in Alberta. As a child, she spent hours gazing up at the night sky from snow forts and through car windows on long road trips. Joan shares her love of the stars in the Dot to Dot in the Sky series, which combine the science of the night sky with the ancient myths that give the constellations and planets their names.  After graduating from the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology in Biological Sciences, Ecology, Joan worked as a naturalist and eventually in radio. Opportunities in radio led to work as an announcer, with Joan eventually turning to writing books and taking on freelance work.

Today Joan operates MoonDot Media—a communications business offering writing solutions in broadcast, print, and multi-media. She edits a quarterly magazine and has worked on projects that included CBC Radio features and speechwriting. Joan’s favorite type of writing is for children. She finds storytelling an ideal way to lure others into sharing her interest in astronomy. Three of her books have been translated, leading to travel to Korea to share stories of the constellations, planets, and Moon. The long winter nights and big prairie sky are ideal for stargazing but Joan also enjoys other outdoor pastimes. A constant reader, Joan writes from Stony Plain, near Edmonton.

www.joangalat.com

twitter.com/JoanMarieGalat

Jacqueline Guest

Author of seventeen novels, Jacqueline’s fast paced books keep readers of all ages on the edge of their seats with topics ranging from deadly video-games to helpful ghosts. She travels extensively with her curriculum-based interactive presentations and workshops which leave audiences learning and laughing as history steps off the page and onto the stage.  

 A strong proponent of literacy, Jacqueline believes- ‘Reading gives you knowledge and knowledge gives you power!’

For more information on Jacqueline, her books and presentations please visit her website at: www.jacquelineguest.com

Or email her at: writer@jacquelineguest.com

Gabriele Goldstone

Gabriele Goldstone works as a letter carrier in Winnipeg. Her debut mid grade novel, The Kulak's Daughter, (Blooming Tree Press, October, 2009) is historical fiction.

Based on her mother's youth in the Soviet Union, it's about a childhood she's always wanted to better understand and finally had to explore and write herself.

Visit her website at www.gabrielegoldstone.com

Judith Graves

Residing in a northern Alberta community, similar to the fictional town of Redgrave, where Under My Skin is set, Judith unhappily endures snow in the winter, and runs away from bees in the summer.  A firm believer that Canadian teen fiction can be sexy, action packed and snarky, Judith writes paranormal stories with attitude. Drop by her website and consider yourself invited: http://www.judithgraves.com

Julie Grundvig

Julie Grundvig is a writer and editor, with a specialty in China. She has published eight guidebooks for Lonely Planet Publications, as well as numerous articles in travel magazines. She started traveling to China twenty years ago and has been to almost every remote corner of the country. She studied Chinese history in Xi’an, China for several years, and also studied Chinese literature at National Taiwan University in Taipei, Taiwan. She has an MA from the University of British Columbia in Classical Chinese studies, with an emphasis on early Chinese religion and folklore. She spent five years immersed in the Tang and Song dynasties before leaving UBC to rejoin the 21st century. For the past ten years, Julie has been the Associate Editor for Yishu: Journal of Contemporary Chinese Art.

Julie has always loved writing for children and young adults and is an avid reader and collector of ghost stories, folktales, and anything spooky. She has published several short stories in regional magazines and is currently writing a YA novel set in medieval China. She is also developing an interactive app based on an early Chinese folktale. Julie is based in Vancouver, BC where she lives with her husband and daughter, both travel and book fanatics.

You can read more abut Julie at juliegrundvig.com

Christine Leader

Christine Leader grew up on a farm just outside the town of Portage La Prairie in Manitoba.
She received a Diploma in Advertising Art in 1996 from Red River Community College and has lollygagged around working and drawing ever since.

Recently when friends kicked her in the butt and suggested she get her "stuff" together she decided to take a stab at storytelling. Christine would like to help make the world a better place but most of her stories (although 100% true) have no moral or social lessons.

Her first children's book entitled "You Can't Make A Dinosaur Out Of Three Dead Horses" was published in February of 2011 and is available on Amazon.
Currently she lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba and works as a Day Program Facilitator for adults with mental and physical disabilities.

She illustrates when she can and calls her mom on a regular basis.

Website: http://www.christine-leader.blogspot.com

Jan is an author, writer and presenter living in Calgary. She has published two novels for young readers. Dead Frog on the Porch (Gumboot Books 2009) was her debut novel, and the first in the Megabyte Mystery series. The second in the series is Dead Bird through the Cat Door (Gumboot Books 2010). Both are comedic mystery adventure novels for children aged 8-12 years.  Jan previously worked as a print and broadcast journalist. She writes creative non-fiction and has had humourous personal essays published in the Globe and Mail and West Word (Magazine of the Writers Guild of Alberta).

Jan has a Master of Arts, Social Science degree in Cultural Anthropology. She did her research at the Peigan First Nation in southern Alberta. Her thesis is entitled: Walking in the Footsteps of our Ancestors: Present Day Representation of Peigan/Blackfoot Cultural Identity, University of Calgary (2002). Jan enjoys traveling and experiencing other cultures. She has traveled extensively around the world. Her latest trip was to India, and she looks forward to returning there someday.  Jan is actively involved in the writers’ community through the Writers Guild of Alberta, Young Alberta Books Society and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. She is a big believer in critiquing groups for writers and has been a member of the Kensington Writers’ Group for several years.

Visit Jan's website and blog at: http://deadfrogontheporch.com

After graduating from Emily Carr College of Art and Design in 1985, Theresa worked as a computer graphic artist in the entertainment software industry.  She was also active, through the 1990s, as a painter and cartoonist in the Vancouver Pop Art scene.  Theresa has had cartoon work published internationally in comics, magazines, weeklies, and books (Women’s Glib, The Crossing Press, 1994).  Presently, she has put her creative energy into raising two delightful girls, writing for kids and her blog, and teaches a drawing class at her daughter’s school. Theresa is a member of SCBWI, the CCBC, and soon, the Vancouver Children’s Literature Roundtable.

Frances Hern grew up in Birmingham, England, near Tolkien territory, but made Canada her home in 1973 and spends her time between Alberta and British Columbia.

Always an avid reader and writer, she loves to tell a good story and although she didn’t like high school history because she was hopeless at memorizing dates, ironically more and more of her writing is set around historical events. Her picture book, Aunt Maud’s Mittens was published by Scholastic Canada Ltd. in 2007. She has since published two easy-read books of non-fiction for the adult market that are also eminently suitable for young-adult readers, and writes poetry for both adults and children. She is currently working on another easy-read non-fiction book and a young-adult historical novel.

For more information check out her website: www.franceshern.ca

Laura Hesse

Author Laura Hesse lives on Vancouver Island where she writes and publishes a young adult series for the horse crazy person in the family. Her stories live and breathe life in a rural town, the characters are deep and well constructed, the story lines are non-formulaic and fast-paced. "One Frosty Christmas" was released in 2003 and quickly became one of the hottest books to read on Vancouver Island when Goody Niosi of the Harbour City Star compared the novel to "Black Beauty". Her second book, "The Great Pumpkin Ride", garnished the same response. 
With the subsequent releases of "A Filly Called Easter" and "Two Independents" (New Release), her books are gaining an international audience thanks to a co-publishing contract with a US firm. All of the series is now available worldwide on Amazon and can be ordered through your local bookstore.  School teachers and librarians constantly call for readings and the list of youth getting involved with her internet mentoring program is growing.  If the book reviewers are right, then
"Hannah and Frosty are certain to become well known in young peoples literature".

Loretta Houben

Loretta has been interested in the world of children's books since she was a young girl. She is a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature, and the web mistress of this site.

Loretta enjoys meeting with the active writers in Vancouver's local SCBWI critique group. She lives with her husband in beautiful British Columbia, and is currently working on an historical middle grade novel which is set in Russia 110 years ago.
 

Denise Jaden's writing has appeared in Mississippi Crow Magazine (Spring, 2008), The Greensilk Journal (Fall 2007 - where her story, LOCKED AWAY, won an Editor's Choice Award), and in The Tidepool Fiction Ezine. Her novels have received various awards through Romance Writers of America. Her first novel for teens, LOSING FAITH, is forthcoming from Simon Pulse, fall 2010. She lives just outside Vancouver, Canada with her husband and son. She can be reached through her website at www.denisejaden.com or her blog http://baskinex.blogspot.com

Yasmin John-Thorpe

Yasmin John-Thorpe was born on the Caribbean Island of Trinidad.  As a young student she enjoyed creating stories, which she spun to friends.  Venezuela was once home, where she learned to speak, read and write Spanish.  Yasmin has traveled to and lived in several countries of the world, as well as four of Canada’s provinces.  She arrived in Penticton in 1990, co-founding Penticton Writers and Publishers in 1994.  Yasmin is a published children’s author. Two of her short children’s stories are featured in Treasure House 1, published by Macmillan, England.  She was one of only four authors, whose work was published in Comforting Words by GlaxoSmithKline, Caribbean Limited.

Yasmin mentors young writers, visiting area schools to host creative writing workshops.  For the past three years, she has organized the Young Okanagan Writers Contest, edited and published the Gems of the Okanagan Anthology.  She helped launch Raise a Reader in the South Okanagan in September 2007, bringing in local and other authors with their books into area schools. Raise a Reader funds pay for a copy of the author’s book to be gifted to each student.  In 2008, after listening to her 2 ½ year-old grandson tell her stories, she recorded the first one, wrote the story, hired an illustrator, founded Grandma and Papa Press and published Hammer and Shadow-Adventures in Outer Space.

In July, 2009 Yasmin will coordinate the first British Columbia Youth Write Camp for 10 – 18 year old students, and will edit and publish Gems of British Columbia Anthology for those lucky winners attending the camp. Her passion for writing continues, while mentoring young and older writers, she finds time to write short pieces for the area papers as well as work on her latest manuscript. Yasmin is married, the mother of two daughters and a grandmother of one grandson. You can learn about Yasmin and the Penticton Writers and Publishers group at www.penwriters.com or email her at yasie1@shaw.ca

When Diane retired from teaching in 2001, she decided it was time to take seriously her dream to be a writer.  She signed up for a course with the Institute of Children's Literature and joined SCBWI.  Within a few years, she had completed two ICL courses, published three articles in FACES Magazine and a game in CALLIOPE Magazine.  In September 2008, Diane resigned after five years as Regional Advisor for this chapter of SCBWI to concentrate on writing children's books.
Read more about Diane here: http://dianecbjonesjournal.blogspot.com

Saundra Jones was born and raised in Tennessee and is now living in Alberta, Canada. Growing up on a farm has inspired her to paint landscapes, animals and things in nature. She likes to paint en plein air, but mostly from photographs. She paints from a variety of mediums and subjects, but prefers watercolor, pastel and oil. Recent work includes a children's snowmobile safety guide for the Alberta Snowmobile Association.
Please visit her website at:
http://www.saundrasstudio.com/
as well as her blog at:
http://saundrasstudio.wordpress.com/

Born in Vancouver, BC in 1963, Janet Kaszonyi completed her BGS with a concentration in Visual  Arts at University of the Fraser Valley and continued to UBC where she completed her BED in Secondary Art Education. She received academic honors as well as being the first from UCFV to win the prestigious BMO nation-wide competition in 2003. Janet Kaszonyi is a Me'tis who traces her ancestry back to the Red River Settlement in Manitoba.  She grew up with her deaf mother, a great aunt and her dog on a farm in a small town in Onoway, Alberta. As an only child, Janet spent hours drawing pictures and exploring the woods, imagining and acting out incredible tales. Today she teaches art and photography and resides with her family in Abbotsford, British Columbia.

Please visit her website at:
www.kaszart.com

Phoebe currently lives and creates in the diversity Alberta and the magnificence of Canada. She graduated from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University with a B.F.A. From the University of Alberta, she was the recipient of the Harry Wolfarth Memorial Award for Fine Art and the Constance McFarland Memorial Award for Fine Art.

Phoebe's work has grown from her many travels through Europe, Mexico, North and Central America. She is enchanted by literature and poetry; how a sentence can conjure in the mind a whole mysterious world. She believes that a powerful tale can be made to charm an audience by illustrating it leaving a permanent impression.She feels it is an exciting time (as an artist) to participate in the history of children’s book illustrations; from embroidery to 3-dimensional and collage, to elegant drawings and bold photography. She is inspired by the transparency and vividness of watercolours and is grabbed by the range and softness of charcoal. Her content is a magical world inhabited by animals and children, full of the fantastical and sublime. 

Ken is a full-time Kindergarten teacher in Vancouver, BC. He started writing while attending university many years ago, but eventually stopped because he hadn’t surrounded himself with other writers. Shortly after he started teaching kindergarten, he also started writing. He loves writing for children, and he has been blessed by all the students he has come to know over the years. In addition, he surrounded himself with other writers, joining critique groups and organizations such as SCBWI and CANSCAIP. Three of his picture book manuscripts have received Honorable Mention awards in the Annual Writer’s Digest Writing Competition (Children’s Category): Benita Mah and the Biggest, Baddest, Meanest Teacher in the Whole World (2006), Pirates in the Classroom (2007), and The Day My Grandpa Went Fishing (2007). In 2006, The Piano Press published his poem There is Santa in the Sky as a song in its piano-music compilation, My Christmas Fun Book: Level One. Ken also writes reviews of children’s books for Resource Links and Canadian Children’s Book News.

Megan has never been buried in an avalanche, worn a prosthetic limb, or chased solar eclipses -- but she’s researched and written articles on each of these subjects. As a freelance writer with more than a dozen years experience, her love of non-fiction for children has come across in over 75 magazine articles, in a few chapters of “Science Detectives” (KidsCan Press, 2006), and in her upcoming work with Capstone Press (first two books due out October 2010).  She’s currently finishing her first solo children’s book project and will be pursuing publication shortly.  Megan has a home west of Calgary, but spends more time traveling with her family than she does residing within the confines of those four walls – which is probably why she thinks wireless laptops rule!

Laura Langston

Laura Langston is the award-winning author of fifteen internationally acclaimed books for children and young adults, including Hannah’s Touch, Exit Point, Finding Cassidy, The Trouble With Cupid, Lesia’s Dream (winner of the inaugural Kobzar Literary Award), and Mile-High Apple Pie which has been translated into seven languages and was nominated for the Cilip Kate Greenaway medal. Her books have been included on the New York City Public Library’s ‘Books for Teens list’ and have been Chapter/Indigo junior advisor’s picks. A former journalist with the CBC, Laura also writes non-fiction for various magazines. When she’s not writing, reading or planning her next author talk, she can usually be found in the garden or spying on people at the grocery store. Laura lives on Vancouver Island with her husband and son; a Shetland sheepdog who demands dessert every night; a lizard named Freddie who only eats crickets; and a feral cat who brings her flowers instead of mice.  Visit her website here: www.lauralangston.com

Halli Lilburn

Halli Dee Lilburn lives in southern Alberta with her spouse and three children.  She is an artist, librarian and gardener as well as a writer.  She has many poems and short stories published in various literary journals, including Canada's History, Grey Sparrow and Vine Leaves. 

 Her non-fiction series The Alternate Parent is running on http://bigworldnetwork.com/ Her debut YA speculative fiction novel Shifters will be released in 2012 by Imajin Publishing.  Her blog is http://hallililburn.blogspot.com/  and you can follow on twitter @hallilburn.
 

 

Sheryl McFarlane gave up sunny Arizona for the wild weather of the West Coast more than 30 years ago.  She is the author of thirteen books for kids and teens, including the multi-award winning Waiting for the Whales and Jessie's Island  Her most recent book, The Smell of Paint, a young adult novel, follows a track athlete and medal hopeful who faces unexpected hurdles both on and off the track. It was awarded the Moonbeam Award for Young Adult Fiction in the U. S.  

Sheryl is a teacher and the former Chair of the Victoria Children’s Literature Roundtable.  She recently coordinated Canadian Children’s Book Week for Vancouver Island, and is often a judge for their national writing contest for children.  She hosts two book review blogs, one featuring kids books, and a second for teen books. You can find them through her website www.sherylmcfarlane.ca 

Emily Madill is the author and publisher of the Captain Joe Series of books. The Captain Joe Series© was designed as a tool for adults to teach children about constructive imagination. The four books are a fun and interactive way to introduce the concept of “Thoughts Turn into Things, so Choose the Ones that Make you Happy” to young children, ages five to nine years. Joe and his thought-zapping superpower will invite children to use their imaginations to constructively choose thoughts that promote healthy self-esteem and self-awareness. Each of the four stories is designed to teach a key concept.

Emily Madill lives in Nanaimo, BC with her husband and son.  She has a degree in Business and Psychology and is working on a degree in Education.  Emily believes in the importance of teaching children accountability and self-empowerment from a young age. Emily loves to inspire and teach children through writing. Being a mother is her greatest source of joy and creativity.

Emily is currently working on a project that will teach young children to embrace their inner beauty. She hopes to have this book published in the near future.  To read more about Emily and her work, please visit: www.captainjoesteachingresources.com

I am an artist, illustrator, elementary school teacher and avid follower of children’s literature. My education includes a Bachelors degree in the Visual Arts from UVic, illustration workshop courses at ECUAD and Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, and the Children’s Book Workshop Course with Michael Katz at UBC. I enjoy, among other things, sweet milk tea, knitting, kung fu movies, and learning the ukulele.

To read more about my work, please visit: www.emilymiles.com

Deborah Morriss

Deborah Morriss was born in Montreal and grew up in Quebec and Ontario. She graduated with honours following a five year design program at the Ontario College of Art and Design, and completed her MFA in sculpture on a full scholarship at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1992.

After relocating to the west coast, she supported herself painting scenery in the film industry, and between contracts began to cultivate a longstanding interest in picture book illustration. Deborah has since been developing a portfolio with the intention of professionally illustrating books for children. She lives with her partner and other creatures on a little acreage near Vancouver, British Columbia.

You can view her work online at  http://deborahmorriss.ca

Shenaaz Nanji was born on the ancient island of Mombasa, one of the oldest settlements on the East African coast, and grew up amid a fusion of cultures: Bantu-Swahili, colonial British, and East Indian.

She holds an MFA in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College. She has written seven books for children. Her novel, Child of Dandelions, was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Children’s Literature in 2008. A strong advocate of literacy, Shenaaz likes to inspire and motivate children to read and believes that words have power to change lives, especially for young people. Shenaaz is a lover of Baobab seeds, laughter, dancing alone, and singing in the shower.

Please visit her website at http://www.snanji.com/

Oliver Neubert, who was born in Germany, now living most of his life in beautiful British Columbia, Canada, has surely taken a long detour to discover his passion for writing the stories that come to life in his vivid imagination.

Oliver's detour includes an apprenticeship in Germany with Merzedes Benz, founding his own research company, working for a financial institution, working in the pulp and paper industry, getting his degree in Psychology and Economics from Simon Fraser University (British Columbia, Canada) and an MBA from Hariot-Watt University (Scotland).

But it took his, then three year old daughter, to find the child within him and rekindle the love for telling, playing and making up fantasy adventure stories. Once the first story got started the other stories just came on pouring out! Since then he keeps on writing them.

Find out more about Oliver at his website:

Please read her biography here: Read more...

Julie's main page is available at http://www.julienorthey.com

Award-winning author Tina Powell entertains, inspires, and educates children through the written word. Whether it’s revealing all the wild and kooky things she has hidden in her BIG FAT Imagination Box or sharing one of her best selling children’s books, Tina Powell sparks squeals of delight and peals of laughter from her young fans.

After years as an accomplished journalist and advertising copywriter, Tina embraced the genre of children's literature. Several of her short stories were published in Chickadee Magazine and her children’s picture books (Moulin Publishing) quickly became bestsellers.

As an independent author and publisher, Tina now publishes under the Big Fat Pen Publishing imprint. Her popular picture books amuse and empower children, while celebrating the special view they have of the world. Through Big Fat Pen's corporate publishing program, she has reached over 400,000 children and has worked with companies, such as Canada Bread, Mars Canada, and Procter & Gamble.

Tina has written for Canadian Business Magazine, Time Magazine, The Toronto Star, and Canadian Health and Lifestyle. She is the recipient of the 2005 Mississauga Arts Emerging Literary Arts Award. Her titles include Peter’s Poofect Pet, Samantha’s Silly-icious Sandwiches, Hi! I Am the New Baby and Freddy and the Blue Jays. Tina is a proud member of the SCBWI and CANSCAIP. To read more about Tina please visit www.bigfatpen.com

Sheri Radford can't remember a time in her life when she wasn't writing: stories, poems, plays, TV scripts, articles, essays. She started writing stories for children after reading at least a zillion picture books out loud to her younger brother and sister. Her first children's picture book, Penelope and the Humongous Burp, was published in spring 2004. Her second, Penelope and the Monsters, came out in spring 2005. The third, Penelope and the Preposterous Birthday Party, became available in March 2009. In 2006, Sheri wrote a segment of an episode of Roll Play, which is broadcast on Treehouse TV and SRC (Societe Radio-Canada). A freelance writer, she is also the editor of the visitor magazines Where Vancouver and Where Whistler. Currently, Sheri lives with her husband and three cats in Vancouver, where she spends her free time visiting elementary schools and libraries to share her love of the written word. Visit Sheri on the web at http://www.sheriradford.com

M. Macclesfield Read loves to write historical fantasy for middle grade readers. When she’s not out fighting mosquitoes with her sword in the bogs of Prince George, she’s taming wild stallions—it’s all research for her next book. She is represented by Erin Murphy of Erin Murphy Literary Agency and her first (readable) manuscript is on tour, hoping to find a home.

You can see what she’s up to at www.mmacclesfieldread.com

Yolanda Ridge

Yolanda Ridge is the author of Trouble in the Trees, a middle grade novel about a girl who fights a bylaw against tree climbing in her Vancouver townhouse complex.  The follow up book, Road Block, will be  published by Orca Books in Spring 2012.   

Yolanda lives in British Columbia with her husband and two sons; five-year-old twins that fill her days with inspiration and creativity.  To find out more please visit Yolanda’s website; www.yolandaridge.com

Scot is an award winning author/illustrator who has illustrated 45 
children's books. His books have been translated into Finnish, French, Dutch and Korean. Some of Scot's books include 'Up Up + Away', 'The Everything Kids Dragon and Activity Book' and 'Follow that Map!'  Scot's book 'Let's Go! The Story of Getting from There to Here' (written by Lizann Flatt, published by Maple Tree Press) has been chosen as this years give away by the Canadian Children's Book Center. Every year the CCBC chooses one book to give to every grade one student in Canada.  To see more of Scot's work please visit www.scotritchie.com  or  http://www.childrensillustrators.com/illustrator.cgi/scotritchie

Simon was born in Derbyshire, England. He graduated from university with a degree in history and has lived in Canada since 1990. He is also a graduate of the Institute of Children's Literature of West Redding, CT. Simon and his two children, dog and cat live in Calgary, Alberta.

Simon’s first novel for young readers, The Alchemist’s Portrait, was published in 2003 followed by The Sorcerer’s Letterbox in 2004, The Clone Conspiracy in 2005, The Emerald Curse in 2006, The Heretic’s Tomb in 2007 and The Doomsday Mask in 2009. A seventh novel for middle grades, The Time Camera, will be published in 2011, along with The Insistence of Memory, a novel for young adults. Simon is also a contributing author to The Complete Guide to Writing Science Fiction Volume One, has written several non-fiction books for younger readers with Weigl Educational Publishers and works as a writer for Dark Roasted Blend online magazine.

Simon offers a wide variety of presentations, workshops and author in residence programs for schools and libraries, covering such topics as the writing process, editing and revision, where ideas come from and how writers turn them into stories, character development, historical fiction and historical research, story structure, the publishing world and more. He also offers virtual author visits by video using Skype. He works as a creative writing instructor for home school students throughout the year and at summer camps each July and August, is an instructor for adults with Chinook Learning Services and the University of Calgary and at the National Writing for Children Center, and offers a variety of online workshops for both children and adults.

Simon is a regular presenter at conferences and festivals, and served as a juror for the Governor General's Literary Awards for Children's Literature, the Saskatchewan Book Awards, the Parsec Awards and the Sunburst Award for Canadian Literature of the Fantastic. He is the founder of Children's Authors and Illustrators on Facebook, and organizes the Calgary Children’s Book Fair and Conference each November. 

Simon offers a number of services for writers, including manuscript evaluation, editing, writing workshops and coaching, plus copywriting services for the business community. Full details can be found at his website www.simon-rose.com. You may also visit his blog at http://simon-rose.blogspot.com/, his channel on YouTube, follow him on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook

Margriet Ruurs

Margriet lives on Salt Spring Island B.C. and is the author of 28 books for children. With a Master of Education degree, she teaches writing workshops across North America. Recipient of the Presidential Award for Reading & Technology of the International Reading Association, she has conducted writing workshops in Lahore, Pakistan and author visits to International Schools around the world. 

Margriet writes a regular column on writing, as well as freelance articles, for Reading Today, the magazine of IRA. She is a popular speaker at conferences, including many State Reading Conferences, National Service Learning Conference, East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools, IRA National and Regional Conferences, Vancouver International Writers’ Festival and others. She conducts school visits throughout the school year, sharing her love of reading and writing with thousands of students and teachers. 

“I love to use my imagination,” she says, “but also to research and write information books.” Several of her books have won awards, including the Storytellers World Award Honor Title for Emma’s Eggs and short listings for the Mr. Christie Award of Excellence, the Shining Willow and the Chocolate Lily, Blue Spruce, Utah Information Book Award and National Crown Award. My Librarian is a Camel was awarded Teacher’s Choice Award and named IRA’s Notable Book for Global Awareness.

Many of Margriet’s books reflect her interest in the natural environment. Currently she and her family run Between The Covers, a booklovers’ B & B on Salt Spring Island. http://www.betweenthecoversbandb.com

Website: www.margrietruurs.com

Facebook fan page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Margriet-Ruurs-Writer/394173124831?ref=ts

Mary McKenna Siddals is the author of numerous picture books, among them the perennial favorite Millions of Snowflakes, as well as the eco-friendly Compost Stew: An A to Z Recipe for the Earth. In addition, she has written dozens of children’s stories, articles, poems and activities appearing in a variety of magazines across North America, including Owl, where she was the Puzzles ‘n’ Fun columnist for some time. A former teacher, she lives in northern British Columbia, where she enjoys being close to nature and spending time with her family, as well as tending to her own batch of Compost Stew.

To learn more about Mary's books, visit her website:

http://www.siddals.com

Gloria Singendonk

Gloria Singendonk is a freelance writer with a passion for history, especially western Canadian. She’s had several non-fiction articles published in FACES magazine including Fred Bagley which follows a young trumpeter on the 1874 NWMP March West, Margerie Parr about a young girl who came with the Barr Colonist from England to Lloydminster, Alberta/Saskatchewan, and A Hot Discovery on the history of the National Park System of Canada.
Even her published fiction is mostly Canadian themed with a story titled Ogopogo based on the famous Okanogan lake monster coming out summer of 2006 in an anthology called Summer Shorts by Blooming Tree Press (www.bloomingtreepress.com). Her other published work also includes Christmas in a Pickle Jar in Mistletoe Madness, A Short Story Collection by Blooming Tree Press, and Snow Buddies on WeeOnes.com. 
Gloria lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and three sons.

David J. Smith is a classroom teacher with over 25 years experience teaching Middle School English, geography, and Social Studies.  He is author of If The World Were A Village, published in 2002 by Kids Can Press in Toronto and now in its 16^th printing and published in 19 languages worldwide. His new book, If America Were A Village, is to be published in August, 2009 also by Kids Can Press.

            “If The World Were A Village" has been favorably reviewed in journals such as Booklist and Horn Book and School Library Journal.  It was chosen by the American Booksellers Association as their #1-recommended book on the BookSense 76 Children's list for Spring-Summer, 2002, and Newsweek chose it as one of 10 children's books on their "recommended reading" list in August, 2002. In addition, it won the H.C.Andersen Prize for 2003, the  International Reading Association's Children's Book Award for 2003, and  was named a Smithsonian "Notable Book of the Year"

            He is also author of a unique method of teaching seventh graders to draw maps of the entire world from memory, now published by Scholastic as "Mapping The World By Heart". Smith won the U.S. Department of Education's "A+ For Breaking The Mold" Award for this work.

Karen Spafford-Fitz

Karen Spafford-Fitz grew up in an old limestone farmhouse near Kingston, Ontario where her early training as a writer involved reading thousands of books. The mounds of books on her nightstand frequently avalanched onto the floor and it was impossible to walk across her bedroom without stubbing a toe on Anne of Green Gables, Little House on the Prairie, Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, Trixie Belden, and her fathers old Lone Ranger books.

Eager to read more, Karen went on to study English Language and Literature at Queens University. A degree in Education followed, and Karen then taught elementary and junior high students for eight years. After a move across the country and two daughters, Karen began creating her own stories for children and teenagers. Her first book, Dog Walker, was released in March 2006.

When Karen is not writing in her Edmonton studio, she is often attending theatre performances and sporting events with her husband and daughters. She also spends hours trail running with Zolli, her rambunctious German shepherd, who helps Karen train for ten-kilometre races and half marathons. Karen also enjoys visiting schools and libraries where she speaks to students about the inspiration for her stories, the creative process, and the writing life.

Gladys Swedak

Gladys started writing about four years ago. She spotted a contest in a local biweekly newspaper and told her husband about it. He reminded her that there was a computer in the basement, so get writing. Gladys took his advice, and although she didn't win the contest, she has been writing ever since. Something as simple as a picture or a catchy phrase is enough to get her started. She is currently a student of the Institute of Children's Literature and has a few articles published on-line.

Please visit Gladys' website for more information:
www.gladysswedak.com

Gregory Walters

Gregory Walters is the author of the middle grade novel, Fouling Out (Orca Book Publishers, 2008).  He also had a couple of humorous essays published by Cottage Life magazine in 2002 and 2003. 

Gregory taught special education in Texas and practiced law in California before finding his way back into schools in British Columbia.  He has worked as a teacher and administrator in the Richmond and Sunshine Coast School Districts and will be an elementary school principal in Burnaby, beginning in August 2010.  When not writing or working, Gregory spends an inordinate amount of time giving tummy rubs to his two needy miniature schnauzers, Lincoln and Hoover.

Please peruse Gregory’s blogs at
http://dayjobgone--timetowrite.blogspot.com/ and http://foulingout.blogspot.com/

Joan Winter

Always a reader and "wannabe" writer, the Institute of Children's Literature's Writing for Children and Teenagers course was Joan's gift to herself when she retired in 2000 from her "other life" of business administration and raising children. Since then, her articles and stories have appeared in Cricket, New Moon:The Magazine for Girls and their Dreams, and YES Mag: Canada's Science Magazine for Kids. Her article and word-search puzzle "Wolves: Survivors of the Wild" is soon to be published by Guideposts for Kids on the Web.

In 2003, Joan won an honourable mention in the children's fiction category of Writer's Digest's 72nd annual writing competition. Two of her adult articles have been published by The Institute of Children's Literature's online Rxlist for Writer's: Writing Tips and Writer's Support sections. Her work also appears on SIRS educational database. Joan's fiction story "TheTrouble with Jo," published by New Moon, Mar/April 2002, was recently reprinted by Minnesota's Department of Education for use in the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment test.

After taking a second ICL course, Joan has been "learning the trade" by writing for print and e-zine magazine markets, entering contests, working with editors, and finding fun story ideas kids will love. She writes history/science/wildlife articles and real-life/school/adventure stories for middle-schoolers.

Joan lives with her husband and little dog Pepe in Delta, B.C.

Besides being an award-winning author, Kari-Lynn Winters is a puppet collector, a performer, a teacher, and a PhD candidate. She loves being in the classroom as much as she can. When Kari-Lynn began to create and submit children's picture book manuscripts about eight years ago, people often shook their heads, advising her to write novels instead.
"It is so difficult to get picture books published in these times," they stated. But Kari-Lynn persisted, continuing to collect, read, and write picture books. Her persistence paid off. Today, Kari-Lynn is the author of Jeffrey and Sloth (Orca Book Publishers, 2007), aRHYTHMetic
(written with Tiffany Stone, Lori Sherritt, and Scot Ritchie, Gumboot books, 2009); Runaway Alphabet (Simply Read Books, 2009), and five other picture books that have been accepted for publication. Kari-Lynn says the best thing about writing for children is that she can share silly ideas in funny and crazy ways and that she can talk to children about their own lives. She currently lives in Vancouver with her husband, two kids, and two cats. To learn more about Kari-Lynn please see her website, www.kariwinters.com

Pam Withers

Raging River, a first novel by SCBWI Vancouver member Pam Withers (www.TakeItToTheExtreme.com), has been nominated for the 2005 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Award. The bestselling young adult novel's author is one of 18 nominees. The winner will be selected by children in grades 5 to 8 that have read or heard read at least 3 of the titles. The ballots are handed out by teachers and librarians and returned by April 13th, 2005.

Raging River (published by Whitecap Books and previously nominated for two other awards) is the first in a series of six books, all on extreme adventures, all taking place in British Columbia, and all featuring the same two fifteen-year-old boys. Peak Survival, the second in the series, has also reached bestseller status, and Adrenalin Ride and Stuntboys, the third and fourth, are scheduled to be in bookstores September and the spring of 2004, respectively. Withers is now at work on the fifth, a  surfing/diving/sailing adventure.