de Castell’s new fantasy release

Author of 16 fantasy novels, Sebastien de Castell (left) is set to release the first book of his new series in April, following his internationally acclaimed fantasy series, Greatcoats and Spellslinger.” FULL STORY

 

YA and you

September 19th, 2016

Born in New Westminster on October 16, 1941, Marion McKinnon Crook grew up in Cloverdale and graduated from Seattle University with a BSc in Nursing in 1963. She worked as a public health nurse, primarily in the Cariboo, for 21 years. “I had Horsefly, Likely, Black Creek and Lac La Hache. It was 38-below sometimes, on logging roads, 60 miles from the nearest doctor. When you’re 23 years old and naive, you learn a lot of things fast. The first time I went to Likely they flew in a 20-year-old boy who had been hit by a tree. He was dead. That was my introduction.” She raised three children and tended a flock of sheep, and cattle. Having sold three stories to CBC Radio in 1969, she began self-publishing a series of Susan George mysteries for juveniles, plus B.C. stories about 11-year-olds named Megan and Ricky, including The Hidden Gold Mystery and Crosscurrents. Her self-published historical novel about early Vancouver was A Question of Justice – 1986 (Williams Lake, 1985). Later Crook co-wrote and published How To Self-Publish and Make Money with Nancy Wise of Kelowna, something of landmark text that recognizes and encourages the viability of self-publishing in B.C. Crook has since written (but not published herself) various books about teenagers, including The Face in the Mirror: Teenagers Talk About Abortion and Every Parent’s Guide to Understanding Teenagers and Suicide. The Body Image Trap is “for the 92% of women who don’t fit the idealized frame.” In 1995 she received an MA in liberal studies at SFU. She has a Ph.D in Education from UBC and has spent several decades researching and writing about difficulties faced by teenagers.  Now she has released a third printing of her book of advice first released in 1998, Writing for Children and Young Adults (Self-Counsel epub $8.99). “The writing process for this edition of the book,” she says, “was fast and exciting. I followed the outline of the second edition of the book, but the world of writing and publishing had changed so much that I muttered a kind of schizophrenic conversation with myself discussing every paragraph. Was this still true? What else contributed to this aspect of writing in this modern world? I was, at the time of writing, on a private Facebook page with about fifty other writers, most of them living in the US, who discussed writing and contracts and were willing to give advice. I volunteered to participate in their virtual tours, street trams, contests and promotional schemes in order to find experience in this new digital marketing. It was strange and fascinating.” 978-1-77040-828-9 

 

3 Responses to “YA and you”

  1. Colleen says:

    Loved your book Always pack a candle!
    Did you marry Carl?

  2. Brenda Larkin says:

    Just finished reading Always Pack a Candle. You left us in suspense on whether you married Carl. Would love to know. Kindly Brenda

  3. Sterling Haynes says:

    Marion you are a superwoman and so glad to know that you are a writer too.

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