My story so far: I was born in 1975, and immediately won the family jackpot when Calgary, Alberta, couple Lynn and John Bradford adopted me as an infant. They drove me home from St. Albert in the midst of a blizzard, just in time for Christmas.
Even though I grew up in the city, small town life left a mark on me when I was little – mainly the spooky old houses where my grandparents lived. They lived in Carstairs Alberta, where my little brother and I had countless adventures exploring every nook and cranny of the little town on our bicycles. My great aunt lived in a ramshackle Victorian home, with a double basement that was filled with weird old artifacts. My brother and I used to make up stories about the creepy stuff we found down there.
As a kid, my parents took me to the library most weeks, and I always had my nose buried in a book. Once, I tried riding my bike while reading (it didn’t end well and I don’t advise this for young readers today). On a car trip through the Rocky Mountains, my mom and dad made me sit in the front seat so they could make sure I didn’t miss the impressive scenery. Of course, I was already very familiar with mountain landscapes, as I had just left Narnia and the Misty Mountains of Middle-Earth in the back seat.
These days, I am an elementary school teacher and literacy specialist, and I’m passionate about helping children discover their own love of reading. I read anything I think my students might like, which means my bedside table is stacked with a wide range of choices, from picture books to “true tales,” Mad magazine and young adult fiction. It’s not easy to find time to write, so my practice for several years has been to put in about two hours at my desk every evening, more on weekends and school holidays. I’m currently working on the next part of the Button Hill story.
Above all, I value the time I spend with my family. I share our home with my wife and our two teen children (always my first readers and limitless source of inspiration), as well as three lazy dogs and an extremely fat cat. We all live in Saskatoon.