Q: I think many people will be surprised to learn that you live here on PEI during the summer months. What brought you to PEI? A: I fell in love with the Island as a teenager camping with my family on vacation near Cavendish. When it came time to choose a vacation spot when my own kids were four and two years old, I suggested the Island as the family-friendliest place ever. We kept returning and eventually bought a cottage. On my father’s side, we trace our ancestors to the founding families of L’Acadie. I feel genetically grounded in this place. Q: What do you love most about PEI? A: Other than the amazingly talented, warm, and generous Islanders? It is the constantly changing sea, land, and sky. The blues against the red sand. The thousand shades of green. The night skies that explode first with constellations and then entire galaxies. Q: You wrote your first Franklin the Turtle book over 30 years ago, and his loveable character is still well- known the world over. What do you think made Franklin and the book series so popular with both children and adults alike? A: I honestly don’t know. Is it because he has the same feelings and struggles of every kid everywhere, regardless of gender or race? I suspect it is because he is far from perfect and not afraid of expressing a wide range of emotions. He expresses joy, anger, empathy, sadness, frustration, and so much more. I felt it was important to have Franklin solve his own problems, knowing that he could count on his
friends, neighbours, teachers, and his parents and grandparents for support and guidance. Q: Did you always know you wanted to be an author of children’s books, or did it just evolve? A: It totally evolved. I’ve had many careers. I’ve been an occupational therapist working in psychiatry, then a print and television reporter. I came up with the idea of writing children’s books when I had my daughter 36 years ago. I wanted to stay at home, but like most young couples, we shared the expenses of owning a home, and I needed an income. I thought, I am a writer, and I have a child, so I should write kids’ books. I was SO lucky to have an idea and to find a publishing house, Kids Can Press, that made it the success it is today. Q: Last year, you wrote a book for General Mills called Bella and Jack Bring Back the Bees. What made you so passionate about this cause? A: We depend on these marvelous creatures for our food supply. I wanted children to know that bees of many species are in danger, and that they could do something really positive in small ways—planting bee-friendly plants, for instance. I am happy to say that another corporate sponsor of the books was PEI’s own Vesseys seeds, who supplied a packet of seeds with each book.
rivalry from a dog’s point of view. I am also doing a series of books with Tundra Press that retell stories like Goldilocks, but with a STEM—science, technology, engineering and math— angle. I am learning so much! Q: What are your favorite types of books to read? What is on your nightstand now? A: Always an eclectic mix! I read for research and pure pleasure. So, a mix of fiction and science nonfiction. My current favourites are the Pulitzer Prize-winning The Overstory by Richard Powers—I will never look at a tree the same way again—and Sara Pennypacker’s stunning novel for children, Pax. Q: Being a writer, you must have a very creative mind and soul. Do you enjoy any other artistic endeavors? A: I make contemporary quilts, but on the Island, I also find that I am a baker and a fledgling gardener: things I never did at home. Q: You’ve had a lot of success in your career. What advice would you give anyone aspiring to a career in writing? A: Simply, read a lot of everything, and write what you want to read. Your first draft is never as perfect as you think. Trust me on this one.
Q: What writing projects are you currently working on?
A: It’s an exciting time. I have a grandson who is a constant source of ideas for picture books, and Scholastic Press has picked up my book, When Sally Met Harry , which is about sibling
SUMMER 2019 www.pei-living.ca
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