Personal Details:
• Born November 24, 1940 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
• Married Flo Connolly in Niagara Falls, Ontario in 1999
• Has lived in Victoria, British Columbia since 1985
Education:
• B.A. in Education from University of British Columbia 1963 followed by a one-year teacher training course at UBC
Work Experience:
• Full-time teacher in White Rock, B.C. as of 1968/69
• Part-time author beginning in 1970 – first published novel in 1976
• Full-time author since 1985 with 23 published novels
• Personal appearances at schools to motivate students to read since 1976
Achievements:
• Created Tom and Liz Austen Mysteries as a Canadian series
• Over 2.5 million books sold in 10 languages around the world
• Over 2,000 personal appearances at schools to promote literacy
Awards:
• Arthur Ellis Award for Lifetime Achievement from The Crime Writers of Canada
• Voted Author of the Year by the Canadian Booksellers Association in 1992
• Three “Silver Plate Awards” from Spain for sales in excess of 100,000
• Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002 for his work in fostering literacy and promoting a love of Canada