The Lusitania Book

I'm working on revisions to a picture book about the sinking of the ocean liner Lusitania and the musical piece it inspired. The manuscript was accepted in 2008 and I'm currently working on the tenth revision!



The book is scheduled to be published by Houghton Mifflin in 2011. It'll be my first self-illustrated picture book and my first book for a U.S. publisher. So exciting!

Canada Council Grant

Funded by grant from the Canada Council for the Arts, I took a leave of absence from my job at the library. I spent eight months writing a book about the history of women in aviation.

Twelve amazing flyers, thirty-two weeks of steady writing, and one temperamental computer...it was intense and wonderful! I finished the draft and returned to my day-job on April 2009, and am still trying to work out when, where and in-what-format to try to publish the "women pilots book."

Grapes and Me

In January 2008, I spent an unforgettable morning helping Don Cherry learn about his grandfather. Wearing my "librarian hat", I appeared with him on an episode of Who Do You Think You Are?, a show in which Canadian celebrities trace their family roots.



Don's family has lived in Kingston for at least four generations. He's famous for his rock-em-sock-em public persona, but people around here are quick to tell about his down-to-earth nature and his generosity. In my short visit with him, I found that to be true! He was a real gentleman.

Airport Bookstore

One of my secret life-long dreams was to find my book in an airport bookstore. It had never happened before. But one day...WOW!



In the bookstore at Pearson International Airport, in Toronto, there it was! What a great feeling! Look how happy I am.

Amelia Earhart Was Here

In September 2007, I visited my brother and his family in Newfoundland. We took a day-trip to Harbour Grace and visited the airstrip from which Amelia Earhart took off in May 1932. She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.



The airstrip is overgrown with grass now, but the setting was absolutely beautiful. Later, I was tremendously moved to see film footage of the actual take-off. When you've actually been to a place, the history seems so real!
In September 2007, I visited my brother and his family in Newfoundland. We took a day-trip to Harbour Grace and visited the airstrip from which Amelia Earhart took off in May 1932. She became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. The airstrip is overgrown with grass now, but the setting was absolutely beautiful. Later, I was tremendously moved to see film footage of the actual take-off. When you've actually been to a place, the history seems so real!

My New Cat

In October 2006, I adopted Meesha from the Humane Society.

I was a bit worried about how Charlie would adapt, so I followed some advice I found on the Internet. I showed the new cat to Charlie and said, "Look what I brought you!" For the first couple of days, I paid LOTS of attention to him and just a little to her. That wasn't easy, but they became good friends, and I'm delighted!

Silver Birch Awards Ceremony 2005

The Silver Birch Awards ceremony took place at Harbourfront in Toronto in May 2005. Ontario students in Grades 4-6 voted for their favourite books, and Famous Dead Canadians was chosen as an honour book! I was thrilled! Here are some photos of the event.

It was a magical day, especially because I got to meet Bill Dickson, who drew the pictures for Famous Dead Canadians and Famous Dead Canadians 2.

It may seem strange, but the author and illustrator of a book don't often get the chance to meet each other, so this was a real treat. Bill's a great guy--and very funny in real life, as you might have guessed! We had a wonderful day.