Douglas, Derek P. 1933-

PERSONAL:

Born January 17, 1933, in London, England; son of John (a mechanic) and Margaret (a homemaker) Douglas; married; wife's name Shirley E.; children: Stephen, Graham, Gillian, Michael. Education: Attended secondary school. Hobbies and other interests: Art, including making driftwood furniture.

ADDRESSES:

Home—Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

CAREER:

Sales manager in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

WRITINGS:

Driftwood Furniture: Practical Projects for Your Home and Garden, Firefly Books (Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

SIDELIGHTS:

Derek P. Douglas told CA: "My hobby of making driftwood furniture proved so popular that people kept ordering pieces, and I could not keep up with the demand. When I suggested that they could quite possibly be able to make some of the pieces themselves, the comment was always 'I wouldn't know how to start.' This retort led me to the idea of writing an instructional book. I have felt a sense of achievement after receiving book reviews from all over North America, phone calls from delighted readers who are enjoying a new hobby, e-mails from other countries, and family congratulations upon having published a book at the ripe old age of seventy.

"At my late age I had to learn to handle a computer, scanner, digital camera, compact disc burner, Photo-Shop software, and many other incidentals, like illustrating the instructions and writing clear and concise directions for nineteen projects. My method of working on each chapter was to make the piece and photograph the project during construction. Ideas, unfortunately, come at any time of the day or night, and I disciplined myself to write them down immediately so as not to forget them.

"I emphasize throughout the book that this is a therapeutic hobby and will relieve stress of all kinds."