Mark Crawford

It all started as a baby on the driveway—that’s when my mother noticed I was eating gravel.

Later on I collected rocks. Then I went to college and spent six years studying rocks, getting B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in geology from the University of Western Ontario and University of Toronto. I hired on with a mining company and spent the next 18 years living in bush camps and hotel rooms, prowling forests and deserts, looking for gold and silver and copper (in fact, I discovered the Gold Canyon Mine in Nevada in 1987). But as my travel time inched toward 75 percent, with the certainty of being deployed to the Third World for months at a time, I decided it was time to have a real life with my wife and then-two-year-old son, so I became a writer (poof).

That was 22 years ago—I still get the urge to break rocks in the spring, but that doesn’t last very long, so I guess the career transition is complete. And seeing my first article in print was as thrilling as finding the gold mine (and a lot less work), another sign I made a good career move.

I love the freedom and creativity my job provides. I’m a full-time freelance writer who writes for a variety of audiences, from scholars to kids. I have written five nonfiction books (three science, two American history), all of which have been well received.

My story, “Making Room for Shooting Stars,” was republished by Chicken Soup for the Soul in its new 101 Best Parenting Stories, which proves I have a sensitive side. . . .

I am always seeking out new and challenging projects of any size. I am, essentially, a storyteller—my job is to tell a truthful story in a compelling way, with the right amount of drama (there is drama in every story!) that inspires and motivates the audience.

Although I have received many over my career, it still makes my day to get a note that says I have made a difference.