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CANSCAIP Members OR MellingAuthor
c/o Penguin Books Canada
Born: Ireland, grew up in Toronto BiographyI grew up in a small Irish Catholic family of ten kids: eight girls, two boys. Six of those were younger than me, so I often got stuck babysitting. Well, I and Buddy did. (Bud is short for Rosebud which is short for Rosemary. Yes, that’s her name in my first book, The Druid’s Tune, along with my brother, Jim.) On hot Toronto summer days, Bud and I would drag the other five down to the beach. We’d get up early, do all our house chores, pack a picnic, and head out. We didn’t know anything about the pollution in Lake Ontario back then, or the crack in the ozone layer, so we spent long glorious sunny hours playing in the water and on the sand. The only problem was getting back home again. There was a humungous hill to be climbed. How did I get all those tired little kids with sunburned legs up that hill? You bet. I told them stories. Stories in which they were the heroes. I asked them what was their favourite colour and dressed them in fabulous clothes. Buddy, Tallie (short for Natalie), Yvonne, Lorraine, Deirdre, and I all got long gowns with veils and jewels, while Jim got a velvet cloak and a hat with a plume. Then I asked what were their favourite foods and a fairy banquet appeared. Finally, I provided bubble cars with silken cushions that floated the lot of us up the hill. Years and years later, when I began to publish my books, my brother and sisters laughed and pointed out to me, “you are still dressing everyone up in gorgeous clothes and giving them feasts!” True enough. And when people ask me why I write what I write, I like to quote the 16th century author of Tristan, who called his work “a labour of love, to comfort noble hearts.” And that is just a fancy way of saying that there could be some kids somewhere trying to get up a hill. Published Works
The Light-Bearer's Daughter (revised edition), Amulet/Abrams NY, 2007. Translations into German, Japanese, Chinese, Russian, Czech and Slovenian. Awards
Green Earth Book Award (USA), 2008 Other MembershipsThe Writers Union of Canada |
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